Step by step: reconstruction of terrestrial animal movement paths by dead-reckoning

Bidder, Owen R.; Walker, James S.; Jones, Mark W.; Holton, Mark D.; Urgé, Patricia; Scantlebury, David; Marks, Nikki J.; Magowan, Elizabeth; Maguire, I. E.; Wilson, Rory P.

doi:10.1186/s40462-015-0055-4

Cited by 95 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…To accurately measure biomechanics and movement ecology of echidnas on a fine scale, we used a combination of accelerometer and GPS units. This combination has been used previously (Bidder et al, 2015) and can offer a unique perspective on animal movement. Each measurement method has potential advantages and disadvantages, as our study has demonstrated.…”

Section: Comparisons Of Accelerometer and Gps Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The private life of echidnas: using accelerometry and GPS to examine field biomechanics and assess the ecological impact of a widespread, semi-fossorial monotreme

Clemente

Cooper

Withers

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is a monotreme and therefore provides a unique combination of phylogenetic history, morphological differentiation and ecological specialisation for a mammal. The echidna has a unique appendicular skeleton, a highly specialised myrmecophagous lifestyle and a mode of locomotion that is neither typically mammalian nor reptilian, but has aspects of both lineages. We therefore were interested in the interactions of locomotor biomechanics, ecology and movements for wild, free-living short-beaked echidnas. To assess locomotion in its complex natural environment, we attached both GPS and accelerometer loggers to the back of echidnas in both spring and summer. We found that the locomotor biomechanics of echidnas is unique, with lower stride length and stride frequency than reported for similar-sized mammals. Speed modulation is primarily accomplished through changes in stride frequency, with a mean of 1.39 Hz and a maximum of 2.31 Hz. Daily activity period was linked to ambient air temperature, which restricted daytime activity during the hotter summer months. Echidnas had longer activity periods and longer digging bouts in spring compared with summer. In summer, echidnas had higher walking speeds than in spring, perhaps because of the shorter time suitable for activity. Echidnas spent, on average, 12% of their time digging, which indicates their potential to excavate up to 204 m 3 of soil a year. This information highlights the important contribution towards ecosystem health, via bioturbation, of this widespread Australian monotreme.

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Section: Comparisons Of Accelerometer and Gps Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The private life of echidnas: using accelerometry and GPS to examine field biomechanics and assess the ecological impact of a widespread, semi-fossorial monotreme

Clemente

Cooper

Withers

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The latter often employs high-resolution spatial and temporal information to analyse the behaviour of animals. Depending on the sensors used, aspects such as energy expenditure, behaviour, location, speed, heart rate and temperature are monitored [1][2][3][4][5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal-borne behaviour classification for sheep (Dohne Merino) and Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis)

et al. 2017

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Background:The ability to study animal behaviour is important in many fields of science, including biology, behavioural ecology and conservation. Behavioural information is usually obtained by attaching an electronic tag to the animal and later retrieving it to download the measured data. We present an animal-borne behaviour classification system, which captures and automatically classifies three-dimensional accelerometer data in real time. All computations occur on specially designed biotelemetry tags while attached to the animal. This allows the probable behaviour to be transmitted continuously, thereby providing an enhanced level of detail and immediacy. Results:The performance of the animal-borne automatic behaviour classification system is presented for sheep and rhinoceros. For sheep, a classification accuracy of 82.40% is achieved among five behavioural classes (standing, walking, grazing, running and lying down). For rhinoceros, an accuracy of 96.10% is achieved among three behavioural classes (standing, walking and lying down). The estimated behaviour was established approximately every 5.3 s for sheep and 6.5 s for rhinoceros. Conclusions:We demonstrate that accurate on-animal real-time behaviour classification is possible by successful design, implementation and deployed on sheep and rhinoceros. Since the bandwidth required to transmit the behaviour class is lower than that which would be required to transmit the accelerometer measurements themselves, this system is better suited to low-power and error-prone data communication channels that may be expected in the animals habitat.

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“…Future work may seek to compare the performance of (or augment) animal-attached VIO motion tracking with previously described magnetometer, accelerometer, and GPS-based dead-reckoning methods (e.g. [93]) in a range of environments. For example, under dense vegetation where the performance of GPS can deteriorate, VIO could offer significant advantages [38,94].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Joining the dots: reconstructing 3D environments and movement paths using animal-borne devices

McClune

2018

Anim Biotelemetry

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Background: Animal-attached sensors are increasingly used to provide insights on behaviour and physiology. However, such tags usually lack information on the structure of the surrounding environment from the perspective of a study animal and thus may be unable to identify potentially important drivers of behaviour. Recent advances in robotics and computer vision have led to the availability of integrated depth-sensing and motion-tracking mobile devices. These enable the construction of detailed 3D models of an environment within which motion can be tracked without reliance on GPS. The potential of such techniques has yet to be explored in the field of animal biotelemetry. This report trials an animal-attached structured light depth-sensing and visual-inertial odometry motion-tracking device in an outdoor environment (coniferous forest) using the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) as a compliant test species.Results: A 3D model of the forest environment surrounding the subject animal was successfully constructed using point clouds. The forest floor was labelled using a progressive morphological filter. Trees trunks were modelled as cylinders and identified by random sample consensus. The predicted and actual presence of trees matched closely, with an object-level accuracy of 93.3%. Individual points were labelled as belonging to tree trunks with a precision, recall, and F β score of 1.00, 0.88, and 0.93, respectively. In addition, ground-truth tree trunk radius measurements were not significantly different from random sample consensus model coefficient-derived values. A first-person view of the 3D model was created, illustrating the coupling of both animal movement and environment reconstruction. Conclusions:Using data collected from an animal-borne device, the present study demonstrates how terrain and objects (in this case, tree trunks) surrounding a subject can be identified by model segmentation. The device pose (position and orientation) also enabled recreation of the animal's movement path within the 3D model. Although some challenges such as device form factor, validation in a wider range of environments, and direct sunlight interference remain before routine field deployment can take place, animal-borne depth sensing and visual-inertial odometry have great potential as visual biologging techniques to provide new insights on how terrestrial animals interact with their environments.

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Step by step: reconstruction of terrestrial animal movement paths by dead-reckoning

Cited by 95 publications

References 107 publications

The private life of echidnas: using accelerometry and GPS to examine field biomechanics and assess the ecological impact of a widespread, semi-fossorial monotreme

The private life of echidnas: using accelerometry and GPS to examine field biomechanics and assess the ecological impact of a widespread, semi-fossorial monotreme

Animal-borne behaviour classification for sheep (Dohne Merino) and Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis)

Joining the dots: reconstructing 3D environments and movement paths using animal-borne devices

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