Using GIS to analyze animal movements in the marine environment
Hooge PN, Eichenlaub WM, Solomon EK. 2001. Using GIS to analyze animal movements in the marine environment. Pages 37-51. In Kruse GH, Bez N, Booth A, Dorn MW, Hills S, Lipcius RN, Pelletier D, Roy C, Smith SJ, Witherell D: 17th Lowell Wakefield Symposium on Spatial Processes and Management of Marine Population. Anchorage, AK. October 27-30, 1999. University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program. Fairbanks, AK
Advanced methods for analyzing animal movements have made few inroads in the aquatic research environment compared to the terrestrial. In addition, despite obvious advantages of integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with spatial studies of movement behavior, movement analysis tools have not been integrated into GIS. In response, we developed software that integrates one of the most commonly used GIS programs (ArcViewÒ ) with a large collection of animal movement analysis tools. This application, Animal Movement, can be loaded as an extension under multiple operating system platforms (PC, Unix, and Mac OS). The extension contains more than 50 functions, including parametric and nonparametric home range analyses, random walk models, habitat analyses, point and circular statistics, tests of complete spatial randomness, tests for autocorrelation and sample size, point and line manipulation tools, and animation tools. This paper will demonstrate the use of these functions in analyzing locational data; some examples will be drawn from a sonic-tracking study of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in Glacier Bay, Alaska. The extension is available on the Internet at http://www.absc.usgs.gov/glba/gistools/index.htm.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Hooge, Philip; Eichenlaub, William; Solomon, Elizabeth
- Units
- GLBA
- Keywords
- Behavior, Hippoglossus stenolepis, pacific halibut