R-Package GeoLight

Positioning by light (‘geolocation’) revolutionized the methods to track small migratory birds throughout their annual cycle. However, the analysis of geolocator data is impeded by many factors and processes potentially affecting light levels and thus, ultimately the determination of positions. Furthermore, to date there is no standard way of analysing geolocator data, making the communication of the analysis cumbersome and hampering the reproducibility of results.

Therefore, we developed the R package GeoLight, which provides basic functions for all steps of global positioning based on light intensity recordings, including the determination of sun events, discrimination of stationary and movement periods, calibration of previously determined periods and finally, calculation of positions (package authors are: Simeon Lisovski, Silke Bauer, Tamara Emmenegger).

Here we would like to encourage all potential user of the package GeoLight to discuss the existing methods, ask questions about the analysis and stimulate new approaches.