The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Individual‐based models by using GIS and a wildlife
auto‐tracking system

Masatoshi DENDA, Junji MIWA and Toshitaka IWAMOTORiver Restoration Research Team, Public Works Research Institute, Japan

8TH INTRENATIONAL SYNPOSUM ON ECHOHYDRAULICS Sep.12-16 2010 COEX Seoul, Korea

Introduction: Backgroundriver improvement

Spatial suitability＋Simulation tool for
conserve wildlife habitat• In order to conserve wildlife habitat, information on the spatial suitability of
the habitat is necessary.
• Additionally, for more effective policies and planning, it is important to havea simulation model and tools that can reconstruct the mechanism andpreliminarily analysis effects of undertaking.

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The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Introduction: purpose• We describe the tracking results and spatial preferences ofraccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), using an Advanced
Telemetry System (ATS), which is an automatic wildlife tracking．
• We then improved the individual‐based models, which are actively
studied in mathematical ecology．
• We developed a simulation taking into consideration their
behavioral characteristics and spatial preferences.

Method: Study site Kita River

Basin area ：1,820km2
River Length：106km

・The study ：Kita River in Miyazaki Pref., eastern Kyushu Island.
・Kita river frequently floods during typhoons. These floods disturb the river’s
topography and maintain its spatial diversity.
・Therefore, many land mammals inhabit in study site.

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The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Method: General description of the ATS
receiver stations

・The ATS used consists of one control
station and several receiver stations .

receiver stations

・The control station sends commands
to each receiver station to measure
the angle of a transmitter．
・Each receiver station rotates
directional antenna and measures theangle data・After collecting data from each
receiver station, the control station
computes the location of eachtransmitter by triangulation. The
positioning accuracy of the ATS is
within 30 m.

receiver stations

Wild Animal
control station

Method: Field survey methodology
Transmitter
We trapped three raccoon dogs,
attached transmitters to them, andtracked their behavior for 1.5 months.

GenderTracking period
Age (estimate)
Body weight（㎏）Body length（㎜）Tail length（㎜）Transmitter weight (g)Transmitter frequency

Racoon dog #1 Racoon dog #2
Racoon dog #3♀
♀
♀
2004.11.4-11.13 2006.10.27-10.30 2006.10.27-11.22−
ca. 1 to 2
ca. 1 to 2
4.6
4.78
4.56
510
594
654
100
125
66
93
61.7
75.6
148.76141.51142.08

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The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Methods: Data analysis■Producing spatial data using image analysis
Field data about vegetation community was used as training data, and were‐ran the analysis until the results of the image analysis agreed with thefiled data. a vegetation community map was made using image analysis(supervised classification).

■Analysis of spatial preferences of the raccoon dogs
By analyzing the relationship between raccoon dog movements and thevegetation community, we identified the spatial preferences of theraccoon dogs. Spatial preferences were evaluated using the Ivlev selection
index.

Result :Tracking results of the raccoon dogs
１１１１

１１０９
Ｂ

１１１２

１１１０Ａ
１１０８

Data points showing movements of racoon dog #1■Feeding Area

１１０７

Each polygon shows the home range of racoon dog #1

１０２９

１１２２

１１０１
１１１９
１１０４
１１１３

１１０７

■Activity and rest Area
Each polygon shows the home range of racoon dog #3

Data points showing movements of racoon dog #3

The average home range of the three raccoon dogs tracked for a week was 15.6 ha ．

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The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Result :Vegetation community preferences of the raccoon dogs

Japanese red pines

Raccoon dogs preferred area
where vegetation is low density

hackberry and multi flora rosereedsbamboo grove

sands‐1‐0.8‐0.6‐0.4‐0.200.2

0.4

0.60.81

Ivlef Index

LOW

HIGH
Preference

Method: General description of the model
Step1：Consideration of stored energy andconsumption energy：
start and stop of the action based on stored energy
in the body.

Step3： Spatial recognition
Virtual animal stores important spatial
information(e.g. feeding area)

Channels

E=Ef-(MB+MA)
E:Total energy in the body
Ef: Energy
by Shrimp
feeding
Virtual
MB: Base Metabolic Rate
MA: Active Metabolic Rate:feeding area
:wild animal

MB=70W3/4
W:Body weight(Kleiber,1963)

MA=0.16(10)ee=1.67W-0.126
W:Body weight(Tucker,1970)

Step4： Direction selection：virtual
animal select one grid whereselection index is high to a target
direction

Step2：Judgment Of Action
E<1.2MB:move to feeding area
1.2MB<E<2.2MB:action
Selection Index of Ivlef：

LOW⇔high

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The 7th International Forum on Waterfront and Watershed Restoration(2010/9/14)

Result : Comparison of observed behavior and simulation behavior

mObserved behaviorsimulation behavior

・The model reproduced each animal’s movements relatively accurately. In particular, the model
reproduced round-trip movements between the river terrace and fields around the mountain.
・The order of the animal of the simulation acting roughly agrees with an actual animal behavior.

Conclusions• We describe the tracking results and spatial preferences of raccoon dogs
(Nyctereutes procyonoides), using an Advanced Telemetry System (ATS)• The average home range of the three raccoon dogs tracked for a week was15.6 ha．
• The animals frequently used sand, bamboo grove, hackberry, and multiflorarose communities and did not use reeds or Japanese red pines.
• We then improved the individual-based models, and developed a simulation
tool ,taking into consideration their behavioral characteristics and spatial
preferences. In the result, we recorded successfully the raccoon dog
behavior.
• Combination of results of preset research and actual behavior data improve
individual based model.

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