Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme
Abstract Long-term monitoring datasets are fundamental to understand physical and ecological responses to environmental changes, supporting management and conservation. The data should be reliable, with the sources of bias identified and quantified. CETUS Project is a cetacean monitoring programme i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Scientific Data |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01803-7 |
| _version_ | 1798018159241854976 |
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| author | Cláudia Oliveira-Rodrigues Ana M. Correia Raul Valente Ágatha Gil Miguel Gandra Marcos Liberal Massimiliano Rosso Graham Pierce Isabel Sousa-Pinto |
| author_facet | Cláudia Oliveira-Rodrigues Ana M. Correia Raul Valente Ágatha Gil Miguel Gandra Marcos Liberal Massimiliano Rosso Graham Pierce Isabel Sousa-Pinto |
| author_sort | Cláudia Oliveira-Rodrigues |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Long-term monitoring datasets are fundamental to understand physical and ecological responses to environmental changes, supporting management and conservation. The data should be reliable, with the sources of bias identified and quantified. CETUS Project is a cetacean monitoring programme in the Eastern North Atlantic, based on visual methods of data collection. This study aims to assess data quality and bias in the CETUS dataset, by 1) applying validation methods, through photographic confirmation of species identification; 2) creating data quality criteria to evaluate the observer’s experience; and 3) assessing bias to the number of sightings collected and to the success in species identification. Through photographic validation, the species identification of 10 sightings was corrected and a new species was added to the CETUS dataset. The number of sightings collected was biased by external factors, mostly by sampling effort but also by weather conditions. Ultimately, results highlight the importance of identifying and quantifying data bias, while also yielding guidelines for data collection and processing, relevant for species monitoring programmes based on visual methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:19:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eed8a83d5f064ac29f801014cc53f097 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2052-4463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:19:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Data |
| spelling | doaj.art-eed8a83d5f064ac29f801014cc53f0972022-12-22T04:14:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632022-11-019111210.1038/s41597-022-01803-7Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programmeCláudia Oliveira-Rodrigues0Ana M. Correia1Raul Valente2Ágatha Gil3Miguel Gandra4Marcos Liberal5Massimiliano Rosso6Graham Pierce7Isabel Sousa-Pinto8Coastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchCoastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchCoastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchCoastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchCCMAR – Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de GambelasFraunhofer AICOSCoastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchCSIC – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 36208, VigoCoastal Biodiversity Laboratory, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental ResearchAbstract Long-term monitoring datasets are fundamental to understand physical and ecological responses to environmental changes, supporting management and conservation. The data should be reliable, with the sources of bias identified and quantified. CETUS Project is a cetacean monitoring programme in the Eastern North Atlantic, based on visual methods of data collection. This study aims to assess data quality and bias in the CETUS dataset, by 1) applying validation methods, through photographic confirmation of species identification; 2) creating data quality criteria to evaluate the observer’s experience; and 3) assessing bias to the number of sightings collected and to the success in species identification. Through photographic validation, the species identification of 10 sightings was corrected and a new species was added to the CETUS dataset. The number of sightings collected was biased by external factors, mostly by sampling effort but also by weather conditions. Ultimately, results highlight the importance of identifying and quantifying data bias, while also yielding guidelines for data collection and processing, relevant for species monitoring programmes based on visual methods.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01803-7 |
| spellingShingle | Cláudia Oliveira-Rodrigues Ana M. Correia Raul Valente Ágatha Gil Miguel Gandra Marcos Liberal Massimiliano Rosso Graham Pierce Isabel Sousa-Pinto Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme Scientific Data |
| title | Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| title_full | Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| title_fullStr | Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| title_short | Assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| title_sort | assessing data bias in visual surveys from a cetacean monitoring programme |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01803-7 |
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