Commentary to: A cross-validation-based approach for delimiting reliable home range estimates

Abstract

Background: Continued exploration of the performance of the recently proposed cross-validation-based approach for delimiting home ranges using the Time Local Convex Hull (T-LoCoH) method has revealed a number of issues with the original formulation. Main text: Here we replace the ad hoc cross-validation score with a new formulation based on the total log probability of out-of-sample predictions. To obtain these probabilities, we interpret the normalized LoCoH hulls as a probability density. The application of the approach described here results in optimal parameter sets that differ dramatically from those selected using the original formulation. The derived metrics of home range size, mean revisitation rate, and mean duration of visit are also altered using the corrected formulation. Conclusion: Despite these differences, we encourage the use of the cross-validation-based approach, as it provides a unifying framework governed by the statistical properties of the home ranges rather than subjective selections by the user.