Spatiotemporal Cattle Data—A Plea for Protocol Standardization

Abstract

It was not until the end of the 1990’s\rthat animal born satellite receivers catapulted range cattle ecology into the\r21st century world of microchip technology with all of its opportunities and\rchallenges. With the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), insight about\rhow cattle use a landscape is being revealed from previously unknown temporal\rand spatial behaviors.\rThe most common system to date for studying ungulate movement is the global\rpositioning system (GPS). With its use has come a clarity and completeness in\rdocumenting spatial and temporal data in new and exciting ways that offer\ralmost unlimited possibilities to better understand and manage economic and\rsocietal returns from animal dominated landscapes. However, its use on free-ranging cattle is not\rwithout challenges, some of which are yet to be optimally solved. To maximize\rthe usefulness of GNSS data, consideration must be given to: 1) developing a\rstandardized protocol\rfor reporting and analyzing research that facilitates interpretation of results\racross different ecosystems; 2) develop\roptimum ranges over which to collect satellite fixes depending upon the\rparticular behaviors of interest; and 3)\rconcurrently develop electronic hardware and equipment platforms that are\reasily deployed on animals and that are light, robust, and can be worn by\rcattle for extended periods of time without human intervention (e.g., changing\rbatteries). Once data are collected, appropriate geographic information system\r(GIS) based models should be used to produce a series of products that can be\rused to implement flexible management strategies, some of which may support\rmethodologies that are yet to be commercialized and adopted into future\rplant-animal interface management routines.