[Babase] Re: Notes on Interpolation -- unknown group

Karl O. Pinc babase@www.eco.princeton.edu
Wed, 03 Aug 2005 22:29:50 +0000


On 08/03/2005 09:34:37 AM, Catherine Markham wrote:

>>    The premise of interpolation is that an individual is
>>    assumed to be in the group where observed for a period of
>>    14 days to either side of the observation unless there's
>>    indication otherwise. To this end, interpolation keeps an
>>    individual in the group where a census locates him for a
>>    time period that is the shorter of:
>> 
>>     1. Half of the time interval between the individual's next
>>        (or prior) census which finds the individual in any
>>        group.
>> 
>>     2. Half of the time interval between the next (or prior)
>>        recorded absence from the group in which the individual
>>        was censused. Absences from other groups are ignored.
>> 
>>     3. The 14 day Interpolation Limit. Given no other
>>        information, an individual is considered to remain (or
>>        have been) in the group where observed for 14 days
>>        following (or preceding) the date of observation.
>> 
>>    Should the above process not place an individual in a
>>    group, the individual is placed in the unknown group; so
>>    long as the individual is alive on the day in question.
> 
> I know what you mean in the sentence above, but it seems a bit  
> confusing with regard to the unknown group.  The unknown group is a  
> valid group - as far as the database is concerned, GID = 9.0 is no  
> different from GID = 1.10.  Maybe phrase it something like, "Should  
> the above process not place an individual with a known baboon group,  
> the individual's location is considered "unknown" and it is placed in  
> Group 9.0."

The unknown group is a little different than other groups, exactly
because that's where interpolation defaults to.  As far as the 9.0
value, that's not the particularly special part -- it could be
99 or 10.1 or anything.  In the pdf and web version you'll see
that the words "unknown group" hyperlink to the GROUPS documentation
where this is explained.  (I should have had everybody read
the GROUPS documentation section too.)

In light of this is modification still necessary?

Karl <kop@meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
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