spatio-temporal

spatio-temporal catalogs and assesses R packages for processing, analyzing, and visualizing spatio-temporal (x, y, t) animal tracking data to support movement-ecology analyses.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Package Review: Reviews 58 R packages developed for processing, visualizing, and analyzing tracking data and categorizes them by a workflow centered on spatio-temporal locations (x, y, t).
• Workflow Stages: Organizes packages and methods into pre-processing, post-processing, and analysis stages for spatio-temporal tracking data.
• Analysis Capabilities: Provides methods for data visualization, track description, path reconstruction, behavioral pattern identification, space use characterization, and trajectory simulation.
• Connectivity Assessment: Uses network graph analysis to assess links between packages, highlighting dependencies, suggested uses, and the degree of fragmentation in the movement-ecology R community.

Scientific Applications:

• Ecological Monitoring: Tracking animal movements over time and space to monitor ecological dynamics.
• Behavioral Ecology: Analyzing behavioral patterns from trajectories to infer species interactions and movement strategies.
• Conservation Biology: Characterizing space use and movement to inform conservation and management decisions.

Methodology:

Categorization and review of 58 R packages based on a workflow around spatio-temporal locations (x, y, t); application of pre-processing, post-processing, and analysis stages to tracking data; and use of network graph analysis to assess package links.