Accounting for space and uncertainty in real-time location system-derived contact networks.

ABSTRACT: Point data obtained from real-time location systems (RTLSs) can be processed into animal contact networks, describing instances of interaction between tracked individuals. Proximity-based definitions of interanimal "contact," however, may be inadequate for describing epidemiologically and sociologically relevant interactions involving body parts or other physical spaces relatively far from tracking devices. This weakness can be overcome by using polygons, rather than points, to represent tracked individuals and defining "contact" as polygon intersections.We present novel procedures for deriving polygons from RTLS point data while maintaining distances and orientations associated with individuals' relocation events. We demonstrate the versatility of this methodology for network modeling usi

SUBMITTER: Farthing TS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7297745 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature