Dataset Information

Monitoring wildlife-vehicle collisions in the information age: how smartphones can improve data collection.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Currently there is a critical need for accurate and standardized wildlife-vehicle collision data, because it is the underpinning of mitigation projects that protect both drivers and wildlife. Gathering data can be challenging because wildlife-vehicle collisions occur over broad areas, during all seasons of the year, and in large numbers. Collecting data of this magnitude requires an efficient data collection system. Presently there is no widely adopted system that is both efficient and accurate. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our objective was to develop and test an integrated smartphone-based system for reporting wildlife-vehicle collision data. The WVC Reporter system we developed consisted of a mobile web application for data collection, a database for centralized storage of data, and a desktop web application for viewing data. The smartphones that we tested for use with the application produced accurate locations (median error = 4.6-5.2 m), and reduced location error 99% versus reporting only the highway/marker. Additionally, mean times for data entry using the mobile web application (22.0-26.5 s) were substantially shorter than using the pen/paper method (52 s). We also found the pen/paper method had a data entry error rate of 10% and those errors were virtually eliminated using the mobile web application. During the first year of use, 6,822 animal carcasses were reported using WVC Reporter. The desktop web application improved access to WVC data and allowed users to easily visualize wildlife-vehicle collision patterns at multiple scales. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The WVC Reporter integrated several modern technologies into a seamless method for collecting, managing, and using WVC data. As a result, the system increased efficiency in reporting, improved accuracy, and enhanced visualization of data. The development costs for the system were minor relative to the potential benefits of having spatially accurate and temporally current wildlife-vehicle collision data.

SUBMITTER: Olson DD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4045807 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Monitoring wildlife-vehicle collisions in the information age: how smartphones can improve data collection.

Olson Daniel D DD Bissonette John A JA Cramer Patricia C PC Green Ashley D AD Davis Scott T ST Jackson Patrick J PJ Coster Daniel C DC

PloS one 20140604 6

<h4>Background</h4>Currently there is a critical need for accurate and standardized wildlife-vehicle collision data, because it is the underpinning of mitigation projects that protect both drivers and wildlife. Gathering data can be challenging because wildlife-vehicle collisions occur over broad areas, during all seasons of the year, and in large numbers. Collecting data of this magnitude requires an efficient data collection system. Presently there is no widely adopted system that is both effi ...[more]

PMID: 24897502

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Project description:BackgroundAnimal-vehicle collisions represent substantial sources of mortality for a variety of taxa and can pose hazards to property and human health. But there is comparatively little information available on escape responses by free-ranging animals to vehicle approach versus predators/humans.MethodsWe examined responses (alert distance and flight-initiation distance) of focal Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) to vehicle approach (15.6 m·s-1) in a semi-natural setting and given full opportunity to escape. We manipulated the direction of the vehicle approach (direct versus tangential) and availability of social information about the vehicle approach (companion group visually exposed or not to the vehicle).ResultsWe found that both categorical factors interacted to affect alert and escape behaviors. Focal geese used mostly personal information to become alert to the vehicle under high risk scenarios (direct approach), but they combined personal and social information to become alert in low risk scenarios (tangential approach). Additionally, when social information was not available from the companion group, focal birds escaped at greater distances under direct compared to tangential approaches. However, when the companion group could see the vehicle approaching, focal birds escaped at similar distances irrespective of vehicle direction. Finally, geese showed a greater tendency to take flight when the vehicle approached directly, as opposed to a side step or walking away from the vehicle.ConclusionsWe suggest that the perception of risk to vehicle approach (likely versus unlikely collision) is weighted by the availability of social information in the group; a phenomenon not described before in the context of animal-vehicle interactions. Notably, when social information is available, the effects of heightened risk associated with a direct approach might be reduced, leading to the animal delaying the escape, which could ultimately increase the chances of a collision. Also, information on a priori escape distances required for surviving a vehicle approach (based on species behavior and vehicle approach speeds) can inform planning, such as location of designated cover or safe areas. Future studies should assess how information from vehicle approach flows within a flock, including aspects of vehicle speed and size, metrics that affect escape decision-making.

Dataset Information

Monitoring wildlife-vehicle collisions in the information age: how smartphones can improve data collection.

Publications

Monitoring wildlife-vehicle collisions in the information age: how smartphones can improve data collection.

Similar Datasets

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