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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS

E-Track developed GPS animal tracking and analysis tools for sophisticated behavioural research on wild and domestic animals. The project used the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) that provides higher accuracy locations than in conventional GPS animal tracking. E-Track focused on enhanced accuracy, combined with fast sampling, sensors and a wide range of tag formats, sizes and remote communication systems. E-Track software offers powerful analyses of animal behaviour using data with high spatial and temporal resolution, with innovative visualisation methods and an easy to use interface. E-Track hardware and software is integrated in a modular, end-to-end system. The E-Track system is validated in field studies with mammals and large birds.



New E-Track video !!

News

TrackLab: to be continued

For the final evaluation of the software that was developed during the E-Track project a new version, TrackLab 1.2, was released for use within the consortium. The evaluation showed that the users are satisfied with the usability of the software and that the options for visualization of your GNSS data and the playback tools that are present in the program are useful functions to quickly gain more insight in the movements of animals.
E-Track successfully evaluated

GSA hosted this final meeting in Prague ...

Variables from GPS data to assess the fitness of cows

An assessment of how well we are able to derive behaviour of animals from GNSS location data is very important in terms of behavioural research and to give an idea how deviations in behaviour of individual animals can be detected that might indicate if the animal is carrying a disease.
Post-processing using EDAS: larger improvements at smaller scales

In the final evaluation of the E-Track project we explored the possibilities of post-processing and the effects of different post-processing solutions on the data required by the GNSS tags.

Movement ecology and bird tracking during open day at NIOO

As part of the national Science Weekend in the first weekend of October 2013, consortium partner NIOO (Netherlands Institute of Ecology), also opened its doors to the general public. More than 2000 people visited the NIOO building in Wageningen and participated in guided tours, games and hands-on experiments that introduced the public in an interactive way to the work done by the scientists at NIOO.
Geese Behaviour Trial Completed


10 Geese equipped with newest GNSS tags ...

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ANIMAL TRACKING

E-Track developed tracking devices based on Biotracks product range. In E-Track these devices were enhanced with using the EGNOS augmentation system. The different GPS tags, either implemented as backpacks (birds) and collars (mammals) collect raw GPS signals to either calculate high precision "on board" or in post processing mode. GPS + EGNOS provides submeter accuracy. The devices developed in E-Track also include 3D accelerometers, necessary for the distinguishing behaviours with almost similar spatial patterns. 

 



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TrackLab

TRACKLAB SOFTWARE

E-Track delivered a user-friendly tracking software solution that is marketed via Noldus Information Technology. TrackLab has been developed for tracking and analysing the tracks from free-moving animals in the wild.  Together with tracking devices from Biotrack it is a complete end-to-end solution consisting of high-quality tracking hardware for data acquisition and reliable state-of-the-art software for visualization and analysis of the tracks. 

TrackLab software is an open platform that can analyze tracks acquired with a variety of tracking systems, including all hardware which can create GPX files. It also supports CSV import of track data, for instance from movebank.org as well as live import. Recent advances as made in the E-Track project mean that GPS trackers are more accurate, much lighter and with much better battery life than a few years ago. The integration with Biotrack hardware reduces user burdens as configuring it properly in terms or sample rate, scheduling, etc. For more accurate tracks, it can also be important to select hardware which supports GPS (or other GNSS) augmentation such as WAAS or EGNOS, either for real time augmentation or in post processing mode. 

Locations show data for each track point (or GPS fix) including position, speed and acceleration. You can also copy this data to other programs for further analysis and sort and edit the data in this view to remove outliers. Maps show your tracks either in OpenStreetMap or on an image file of a map, which you can create and import yourself. You can pan and zoom the map, and draw points and regions of interest. You can plot the tracks as trajectories (in a variety of styles), or show the sample density as a customizable heat map. The tracks can be played back in a variety of ways, so that both short tracks and those acquired over a long time period can be played back conveniently. There is no limit to the number of points you can visualize.