Pollinator Flower Time Denominator Tool

Description

flowerTime = sum(flowerCounts[i]*durations[i]), in flower-times-time units such as flower-minutes.

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.

flowerTime = sum(flowerCounts[i]*durations[i]), in flower-times-time units such as flower-minutes.

When to use this tool

Use Pollinator Flower Time Denominator when normalizing a supplied catch, visit count or sampling exposure.

How to use the tool and how it works

Enter flowerCounts, durations. Keep parallel arrays aligned. Use the units and conventions below.
Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
Read flowerTime. Use the output convention below.

Require equally long nonnegative flowerCounts and durations. flowerTime = sum(flowerCounts[i]*durations[i]), in flower-times-time units such as flower-minutes.^[1]

Input field	Meaning and units	Accepted input
flowerCounts	Flower Counts	Required. Array of safe integer; minimum 0; maximum items 256.
durations	Durations	Required. Array of finite number; minimum 0; maximum items 256.

Output field	Interpretation	Returned shape
flowerTime	Flower Time	Required. Finite number.

json

{
  "input": {
    "flowerCounts": [
      10,
      20
    ],
    "durations": [
      2,
      3
    ]
  },
  "output": {
    "flowerTime": 80
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

Fractional flower counts are allowed. Counts must describe the corresponding intervals; the tool does not estimate visitation, detection or changing flower availability within an interval.
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

Calculation and input contract: entomology/pollinator-flower-time-denominator — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Butterfly Transect Time Distance Term
activeMinutes = durationMinutes-pausedMinutes; speedMetersPerMinute = distanceMeters/activeMinutes; sightingsPerKm = sightings*1000/distanceMeters.
Beneficial Insect Flower Visit Rate
countedVisits subtracts repeats only when excludeRepeats is true; flowerMinutes = flowers*observationMinutes; rate = countedVisits/flowerMinutes.