Distance is a program for design and analysis of distance sampling surveys of wildlife populations. The program can analyze several forms of distance sampling data: line transect, point transect (variable circular plot) and cue-counts. It takes two forms: a Windows-based program and a suite of packages for the statistical programming language R.
v6.2 [May 13, 2014]
- Project setup and import.
- If length or distance fields are measured in one field but to be analyzed in another then only the measurement units are imported from the old D3.5 file. Units of analysis must be set in the new data filter manually. (This is because data filters are not imported when the project is imported, and analysis units are now in the data filters.) If the units are not one of those that Distance recognizes (from the default project settings database) then the units will not be imported.
- MCDS Analysis Engine.
- Maximum number of covariates and factor levels is listed in the manual, under “Limitations”
- When covariates are specified, only half-normal and hazard-rate key functions allowed.
- Cannot force the fitted function to be monotonic decreasing.
- When cluster size is a covariate, stratified analyses are not allowed.
- Cannot have non-factor covariate value -9999.
- MRDS Analysis Engine.
- Line transect surveys only (not point transects - although these are available in the underlying R package).
- Ignores units conversion specified in the Units tab of the Data Filter.
