Parametric models for line transect surveys

Abstract

With data from line transeot surveys, the pattern of distances at which animals are detected provides the information for estimating the area which the observer effectively surveys. This paper suggests a parametric structure for the problem wherein this area is characterized by an effective half-width parameter which appears as a scale parameter in the distributions of detection distances. Several suggestions for classes of models are given, different members of a class giving different shapes to the distributions. And some examples are discussed.