Introduction to ecological data

Environmental research plays a large role in conservation strategy, climate change monitoring, and farming practices. Data collected might include data on plant type distributions and densities, animal migration patterns, or extent of disease. For instance, farmers may wish to track crop disease across large farms to monitor potential threats to their annual yield from various crops. Conservationists may wish to track endangered animal populations as they migrate through a national park to deploy anti-poaching resources to areas with large native or migratory populations. Let’s first explore some data collection methods.

Exploring methods to track animal populations across geographies

Animal populations are frequently mobile, with seasonal changes, weather events, and human interactions driving the movement of animals from one geographic location to another. One of the largest mass migrations of animals occurs in the grasslands of East Africa...