
Ecology and Evolution, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 14(10)
Опубликована: Сен. 29, 2024
Abstract The use of remote sensing to monitor animal populations has greatly expanded during the last decade. Drones (i.e., Unoccupied Aircraft Systems or UAS) provide a cost‐ and time‐efficient option survey animals in various landscapes sampling conditions. However, drone‐based surveys may also introduce counting errors, especially when monitoring mobile animals. Using an agent‐based model simulation approach, we evaluated error associated with single across drone flight patterns under three movement strategies (random, directional persistence, biased toward resource) among five speeds (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 m/s). Flight represented increasing spatial independence (ranging from lawnmower pattern image overlap systematic point counts). Simulation results indicated that was most important variable influencing count accuracy, followed by type pattern, then speed. A awnmower 0% produced accurate solitary, moving on landscape (average 1.1 ± 0.6) regardless animal's Image were more likely result multiple counts even accounting for mosaicking. Based our simulations, recommend using minimize augment efficacy surveys. Our work highlights importance understanding interactions between movements design accuracy inform development broad applications diverse species ecosystems.
Язык: Английский