(Version 2.1.3, July. 7. 1999) copyright: 1996-99 Robert Huber,
Ph.D. Bowling green State University, Dept. Biological Sciences,
Bowling Green, OH 43402
MailTo: lobsterman@caspar.bgsu.edu
in collaboration with Prof. Jack Bradbury, UCSD, who wrote a program
called Antelope.
We have combined our programming efforts and this is the result.
Most algorithms available in Antelope have been included so far.
HomeRange is software for the Apple Macintosh that was designed
for the analysis and graphical representation of spatial data.
It was our goal to create a package of routines for the analysis
of spatial data that is easy to use and yet powerful enough for
experienced users. The program represents X,Y coordinate data
in form of a spread sheet. Data can be read and written as ASCII
text files and graphics are supported in PICT format to provide
compatibility with other statistics and graphics packages.
Using HomeRange distribution of spatial localities, coded as x-y
coordinate pairs, can be subjected to a variety of analytical
and graphical procedures, such as calculations of descriptive
statistics, minimum and convex polygon size, estimates of utilization
distributions, spatial autocorrelations, estimates of fractal
dimensions, tests of random distribution and randomness of movement
patterns, or tesselations.
In its final form this software will be distributed as postcard
ware (if you find it useful send me a post card) and it is my
hope that my efforts will be of use to biologists in various fields.
It is available via my FTP server. Until then you can request
the latest version if you plan to give me feed-back about bugs,
quirks, and booboos. Please note that the software is copyrighted
and all rights reserved by Robert Huber according to the conditions
required by Symantec Corporation for using the Think Pascal Environment
and the Think Class Library. This project is done in collaboration
with Prof. Jack Bradbury, UCSD, USA.
Before getting acquainted with the features and techniques
described in this guide, you should understand the basics of operating
your Apple Macintosh, ioncluding things like clicking, dragging
and using pull-down menus. If you are not yet familiar with standard
Macintosh procedures, refer to your user's manual.
You should also check to ensure that all items below are present
in your package:
and sometimes soon:
Don't run HomeRange directly form the program disk. Make copies
of the original disk and use only the duplicates. After you make
working copies of the original disk, store the originals in a
safe place. if your working copies become damaged, you can make
new copies from the original.
The initial impetus for the development of HameRange arose
from the idea that one could use Monte Carlo simulations to test
whether an animal's movements are non-random with regard to specific
localities. as the definition of a homerange is incompatible with
random movement. This strategy may allow an empirical test whether
an animal has a `homerange' or not. The rational underlying this
technique is explained in more detail in an accompanying publication
(...).
The program was developed in Pascal using Symantec corporation's
Think Pascal environment. recently the design of the program was
changed significantly to take advantage of object programming
(OP) tools. The present version makes extensive use of the Think
Class Library (TCL).
HomeRange will run on any Apple Macintosh computer. Some algorithms
require extensive number crunching and the use of a faster CPU
is an advantage. A PowerPC native version is now available.
I like to acknowledge a number of friends and colleagues who have contributed to this project during development and testing, specifically John Carry, Walter J. Chesnavich, David Freeman, Michael R. Gannon, David Paulk, Tom Weiss, Ronald E. Worthington, Marcel Achim, and Vik Rubenfeld.
Spatial data with locations coded as x-y coordinates are the
raw data that may be subjected to a host of analytical and graphics
techniques. Localities represent independent locations of a number
of items (eg. trees in a park) or repeated captures of the same
individual (eg. with radio telemtry). One may request basic information
concerning the distribution of the locations along the x axis,
y axis and distance between consecutive points. Data can be plotted
within a specified area. Estimating the size of the smallest polygon
encompassing all data points is a commonly used method to describe
such spatial distributions as a measure can be easily derived
without the use of computers. Utilizytion distributions (UD) can
be calcultaed by bivariate normal models, harmonic mean estimates,
or a non-parametric technique using 2-dimensional fourier transformation.
Homerange represents data in form of a spread sheet containing
parallel columns for x and y coordinates. It uses standard macintosh
editing techniques and should not be difficult to get started.
Every data file is associated with a separate window on the desktop
and any selection for statistical analysis are applied to the
one that is top most. The number of open windows is only limited
by the size of the memory partition assigned to the program. Cut,
copy, and paste work the way they do in other progams. To create
a new file, choose `New' from the `File' menu. An untitled, empty
window will appear ready for you to start typing. However, you
can also use any text editor you like to create your data filesJust
be sure to save your data in standard ASCII text format. To open
such an existing file, choose `Open...' from the `File' menu and
select the file in the standard file dialog box. At present, data
files can contain up to 32.000 coordinate pairs per file. A dialog
box will alert you if a data set is too large to be opened by
HomeRange.
Maps need to be in PICT format. When you open the map you will
be prompted for its x and y bounds (this must be in the same coordinate
scale as your capture locations). Open also the data file containing
the localities and make sure that the graphic is in the front
and the datafile is in the back. When you choose a type of plot
a dialog box will allow you to specify the data file to use.