Description
activeMinutes = durationMinutes-pausedMinutes; speedMetersPerMinute = distanceMeters/activeMinutes; sightingsPerKm = sightings*1000/distanceMeters.
Insect sampling effort can be expressed as trap-nights, active hours, flower-minutes, distance or area-times-beats. Normalizing catch by effort makes its denominator explicit, but does not automatically estimate abundance or equalize detection.
activeMinutes = durationMinutes-pausedMinutes; speedMetersPerMinute = distanceMeters/activeMinutes; sightingsPerKm = sightings*1000/distanceMeters.
When to use this tool
Use Butterfly Transect Time Distance Term when normalizing a supplied catch, visit count or sampling exposure.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter distanceMeters, durationMinutes, pausedMinutes, sightings. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read activeMinutes, speedMetersPerMinute, sightingsPerKm. Use the output convention below.
Require positive distanceMeters, nonnegative pausedMinutes, durationMinutes > pausedMinutes and nonnegative whole sightings. activeMinutes = durationMinutes-pausedMinutes; speedMetersPerMinute = distanceMeters/activeMinutes; sightingsPerKm = sightings*1000/distanceMeters.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| distanceMeters | Distance Meters | Required. Finite number; strictly above 0. |
| durationMinutes | Duration Minutes Unit: min. | Required. Finite number. |
| pausedMinutes | Paused Minutes Unit: min. | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| sightings | Sightings | Required. Safe integer; minimum 0. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| activeMinutes | Active Minutes Unit: min. | Required. Finite number. |
| speedMetersPerMinute | Speed Meters Per Minute | Required. Finite number. |
| sightingsPerKm | Sightings Per Km | Required. Finite number. |
{
"input": {
"distanceMeters": 1000,
"durationMinutes": 30,
"pausedMinutes": 5,
"sightings": 20
},
"output": {
"activeMinutes": 25,
"speedMetersPerMinute": 40,
"sightingsPerKm": 20
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- This excludes pauses from speed but not from distance-normalized sightings. It does not adjust for detectability, observer differences or repeated sightings.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use a suitable sampling and detection model for abundance inference, and review actual deployments and conditions before aggregating effort.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Pollinator Flower Time Denominator
flowerTime = sum(flowerCounts[i]*durations[i]), in flower-times-time units such as flower-minutes.
- Beneficial Insect Flower Visit Rate
countedVisits subtracts repeats only when excludeRepeats is true; flowerMinutes = flowers*observationMinutes; rate = countedVisits/flowerMinutes.