MODELING PATTERNS & DNAMICS OF SPECIES OCCURRENCE 2 separate, distinct workshops for 'Modeling Patterns and Dynamics of Species Occurence' (a.k.a. 'occupancy modelling) are being offered March, 2017, at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA -- an introductory workshop (13-17 March), and an advanced workshop (20-22 March). You can register for either alone, or, both (but do read the specifics about expectations for the advanced workshop first). Note that space is strictly limited for both workshops (16-18 open seats for the introductory workshop, 10-12 for the advanced workshop). Darryl MacKenzie wil be the lead instructor for both workshops.
*Introductory Workshop* This 4.5-day will introduce many of the latest methods for modeling patterns and dynamics of species occurrences in a landscape while accounting for imperfect detection of the species. Participants will be introduced to available software through worked examples, and there will be special emphasis on aspects of study design. Topics to be covered include: single-season occupancy models for patterns in species occurrence, building predictive models for species occurrence, creating maps of species occurrence probabilities, e.g., species distribution maps, multiple-season occupancy models for dynamics of species occurrence and changes in distribution, important study design considerations, and sample size determination. The workshop is intended for individuals with minimal → moderate experience with occupancy modeles (or, alternatively, mark-recapture models). *Advanced Workshop* This 2.5 day course is aimed at participants that have completed the introductory-level course, or have suitable practical experience implementing species occurrence models that account for imperfect detection. Topics to be covered include: review of basic static occupancy model - multi-scale occupancy model - correlated detections, including spatial correlation in occupancy - review of dynamic occupancy model - multi-state occupancy model (static and dynamics) - species co- occurrence model - community-level models. For each topic, the underlying theory of the models will be presented and hands- on exercises for participants to put the theory into practice. All exercises will be conducted in R, covering data analysis and presentation of results (plotting results, creating maps, etc.). Course participants are expected to be able to perform basic data manipulation tasks in R (input data from file, understand different types of R objects, extract information from objects) and be familiar with the R formula-based notation for defining models. Some exercises will require the use of JAGS for fitting models using a Bayesian methods, implemented via R. Note: All exercises will be in R (with a bit of OpenBUGS/JAGS thrown into the mix) so participants for this workshop have to be fairly comfortable with R. Not necessarily gurus, but will need to know the basics (eg can do LM or GLM) and not get frightened off by a bit of syntax. People interested in attending one/both of the workshops are urged to consult the workhop website: http://www.phidot.org/occupancy/ Seats are going fairly quickly, so plan accordingly.
