Recording of the locations of a sighting of dolphins
Location-Tracking supplements the photography and identification of the animals by recording the locations of sightings of groups and individual dolphins; it allows investigating the many different habitat uses. Georeferenced data allows us to look at population density, model the dolphin habitat use, identify their home range and analyse their distribution over time. The entry of positional data into a geographic information system (GIS) allows us to overlay and combine sightings with many other features of marine environment such as depth, current, underwater configuration, prey distribution, noise, human activities, etc. Using this data we can assess the importance of a particular area for the dolphins and identify feeding areas or locations that are used for resting or nursing. Important data used for this analysis can be provided by citizens and tourists who report their sightings and observations to us.
