Improving the accuracy of estimates of animal path and travel distance using GPS drift-corrected dead reckoning.

ABSTRACT: Route taken and distance travelled are important parameters for studies of animal locomotion. They are often measured using a collar equipped with GPS. Collar weight restrictions limit battery size, which leads to a compromise between collar operating life and GPS fix rate. In studies that rely on linear interpolation between intermittent GPS fixes, path tortuosity will often lead to inaccurate path and distance travelled estimates. Here, we investigate whether GPS-corrected dead reckoning can improve the accuracy of localization and distance travelled estimates while maximizing collar operating life. Custom-built tracking collars were deployed on nine freely exercising domestic dogs to collect high fix rate GPS data. Simulations were carried out to measure the extent to which combining ac

SUBMITTER: Dewhirst OP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5016644 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature