Effect of GPS sample interval and paddock size on estimates of distance travelled by grazing cattle in rangeland, Australia
Sharon L. McGavin A , Greg J. Bishop-Hurley B F , Ed Charmley C , Paul L. Greenwood D and Matthew J. Callaghan E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Formerly: CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Townsville, Qld 4814, Australia.
B CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
C CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Townsville, Qld 4814, Australia.
D NSW Department of Primary Industries, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; and CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia.
E Ridley Agriproducts, Toowong, Qld 4066, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: greg.bishop-hurley@csiro.au
The Rangeland Journal 40(1) 55-64 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ17092
Submitted: 5 September 2017 Accepted: 27 November 2017 Published: 27 February 2018
Abstract
The distance travelled by an animal, when determined by using global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, is usually calculated assuming linear movement between the recorded coordinates. When using long sample intervals, some movement may be overlooked if linear movement between each recorded position is assumed, because of the tendency of livestock to move in meandering paths. Conversely, overestimation of the true distance travelled could occur with short sample intervals because of the accumulation of extra distance due to GPS measurement error. Data from 10 experiments were used to explore the effect of paddock size and GPS sampling rate on the calculation of distance travelled by free-ranging cattle. Shortening the sample interval increased apparent distance travelled according to a power function. As paddock size increased from <1 ha to >450 ha, distance travelled increased according to a logarithmic relationship; however, other variation between experiments could have affected these results. It was concluded that selecting an optimal GPS sampling interval is critical to accurately determining the distance travelled by free-ranging cattle.
Additional keywords: animal behaviour, beef cattle, energetics of walking, Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, livestock, metabolisable energy, sampling rate, sample frequency.
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