Short course on capture-recapture methods for spatial data
Location: Nelson, British Colombia
Dates: 29–31 May 2012
Instructor: Murray Efford
Cost: CND$675 + tax
The statistical analysis of capture-recapture data to estimate the size, density or trend of populations is more robust and effective if it accounts for the spatial distribution of sampling. There has been rapid growth of relevant methods and software in the last few years, but these have yet to appear in standard texts. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) analyses are used widely for bear populations sampled with hair snags and for large cats caught on automatic cameras. The methods extend to grid trapping of small mammals, mist-netting of birds, DNA from feces, and sounds recorded on microphone arrays.
This 3-day short course under the auspices of the Columbia Mountains Institute introduces the core concepts of SECR, the free Windows software ‘Density’ and the R package ‘secr’. There will be some time set aside to discuss participants’ data. Specific topics to be covered include:
• spatial data types
• detection functions
• the use of habitat masks
• modelling of trap response and spatial, temporal or individual covariates
• interpreting output and troubleshooting
• study design
• density surfaces
• open-population analysis
For registration details and further information see http://www.cmiae.org