HomeRange

(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.


PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

What is HomeRange?

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.

Getting started

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.

Program rational and history

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).

System requirements

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.

Acknowledgements

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.

PART TWO: USING HOMERANGE

HomeRange Basics

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.

Creating new documents

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.

Plotting locations and analyses over a Map.

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.



last updated: 7/5/99