chimpanzee_cameras {ecoteach} | R Documentation |
Chimpanzee Camera Trap Detection Data
Description
This dataset contains presence/absence data for wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) detected by camera traps in the Issa Valley, Tanzania. The data was collected as part of a study comparing the efficiency of camera traps versus passive acoustic monitoring for detecting chimpanzees in a savanna-woodland mosaic habitat.
Usage
chimpanzee_cameras
Format
A data frame with observations across multiple cameras and dates:
- Camera
Camera trap identifier (factor)
- Latitude
Latitude coordinates of the camera trap location (numeric)
- Longitude
Longitude coordinates of the camera trap location (numeric)
- Method
Camera placement method: 'systematic' or 'targeted' (factor)
- Vegetation
Vegetation type at camera location: 'open' or 'closed' (factor)
- Topography
Landscape feature at camera location: 'valley', 'slope', or 'plateau' (factor)
- date
Date of observation (Date)
- detection
Chimpanzee detection status: 'absent' or 'present' (factor)
Details
The dataset is in long format, with each row representing a camera trap observation for a specific date. Detection values are coded as 'present' (at least one detection during the day) or 'absent' (no detection). NA values indicate days when no survey was conducted (e.g., due to camera malfunction or not being deployed).
Source
Crunchant, Anne-Sophie and Borchers, David and Kuehl, Hjalmar and Piel, Alex K. (2020). Listening and watching: do camera traps or acoustic sensors more efficiently detect wild chimpanzees in an open habitat?. Dryad Digital Repository. doi:10.5061/DRYAD.5DV41NS34
Examples
# Load the dataset
data(chimpanzee_cameras)
# Basic exploration
head(chimpanzee_cameras)
summary(chimpanzee_cameras)
# Count detections by camera (requires dplyr)
if (requireNamespace("dplyr", quietly = TRUE)) {
library(dplyr)
chimpanzee_cameras %>%
group_by(Camera) %>%
summarize(
total_observations = n(),
detections = sum(detection == "present", na.rm = TRUE),
detection_rate = mean(detection == "present", na.rm = TRUE)
)
}
# Visualize detection patterns over time (requires ggplot2)
if (requireNamespace("ggplot2", quietly = TRUE)) {
library(ggplot2)
ggplot(chimpanzee_cameras, aes(x = date, y = Camera, fill = detection)) +
geom_tile() +
scale_fill_manual(values = c("absent" = "lightblue", "present" = "darkred"),
na.value = "gray90") +
theme_minimal() +
labs(title = "Chimpanzee detections by camera over time",
x = "Date", y = "Camera")
}