This website contains protocol sets and video tutorials associated with tracking avian movement patterns that have been produced in Dr. Ken Otter's lab at the University of Northern BC. Since 2006, we have been working on different ways to take visual, video or radar-tracked observations of bird flight paths, and translate these into tracks that can be assessed for directionality, speed, passage rates etc. for understanding the movement patterns of birds in relation to wind energy development and airports.
These protocols are the documentation that we have for training purposes for new personnel entering the lab, and we are now offer these to others. Please feel free to use these for ideas for dealing with your own issues, but we do ask that if you utilize these protocols you direct others to the site by using the recommended citations found at the bottom of each written protocol, and associated with each of the video tutorial series on using R-script generated in our lab to process the output data from radar tracking. These are also living documents, so they might be updated occasionally - if there are new postings we will indicate version numbers for tracking purposes.
Written Protocol Sets
1. Remote (RTI) Radar Set-up and Operation
1.1 Setting up the battery/computer box for an RTI remote radar
1.2 Mounting an RTI remote radar on a dry wall lift
1.3 Setting up an RTI remote radar and transmitter in the field
1.4 Remote Computer and Receiver Set-up
1.5 Starting WinHorizon Software
1.6 Radar Tuning and Recording in WinHorizon
2. Remote Radar Field Observations
3. Raw Field Observation Formatting for ArcMap
3.1 Data Entry in Spreadsheets
4. WinHorizon Data Extraction
4.1 Setting Up WinHorizon in Playback Mode
5. WinHorizon Output Processing for Arcmap
5.1 Bringing WinHorizon Logfile into Excel
5.2 Modifying the Logfile for Arcmap import
5.3 Excel Equations for WinHorizon Output Processing
6. RTI radar trouble-shooting
6.2 WinHorizon Interface Error Messages
6.3 WinHorizon Radar Image Problems
7. Working in radR with RTI file types
7.1 Getting started with radR -reading in radar record files.pdf
7.2 Weather Events for Exclusion from Analysis for a Sampling Period
7.3 Radar Recordings Processed for Aerial Tracks - using radR
7.4 R Script Development for the Processing of Radar Detected Aerial Tracks (radR csv output)
Tracking Aerial Targets with Mobile Radars - Video Tutorial Series
I Pre R Script Processing of Radar Images to radR Output
II. Partial radR Output Removal - Weather
III Text file preparation for R-script Processing of radR output files
IV. Horizontal I. R-Script Processing for horizontal Input/Output and Demo (coming soon)
IV. Horizontal ii. R-script Processing for Horizontal Data - Nitty Gritty
IV. Vertical I. R-Script Processing for Vertical Input/Output and Demo (coming soon)
IV. Vertical ii. R-Script Processing for Vertical Data - Nitty Gritty
V. Binding radR Output For an Interrupted Sampling Period
These videos are also available in DVD format - if you would like a copy, please email Ken Otter to request a disk.
For those that would like to try out some of these protocols on 10 minute datasets of horizontal or vertical radar recordings, please send us a request.
This website contains protocol sets and video tutorials associated with tracking avian movement patterns that have been produced in Dr. Ken Otter's lab at the University of Northern BC. Since 2006, we have been working on different ways to take visual, video or radar-tracked observations of bird flight paths, and translate these into tracks that can be assessed for directionality, speed, passage rates etc. for understanding the movement patterns of birds in relation to wind energy development and airports.
These protocols are the documentation that we have for training purposes for new personnel entering the lab, and we are now offer these to others. Please feel free to use these for ideas for dealing with your own issues, but we do ask that if you utilize these protocols you direct others to the site by using the recommended citations found at the bottom of each written protocol, and associated with each of the video tutorial series on using R-script generated in our lab to process the output data from radar tracking. These are also living documents, so they might be updated occasionally - if there are new postings we will indicate version numbers for tracking purposes.