Satellite tracking data documents the post-nesting movements of a few dozen endangered green and loggerhead sea turtles in the Cayman Islands. The dataset was created by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and the Marine Turtle Research Group with community assistance, with data reflecting ground conditions from around 2004.
Use Cases
- Analyze turtle migration routes and core foraging areas using geospatial location coordinates and timestamps.
- Model the relationship between turtle movement patterns and environmental variables referenced by the WGS 1984 geodetic model.
- Assess the post-nesting dispersal and site fidelity of the few dozen remaining nesting turtles in the Cayman Islands.
Strengths
- Data is georeferenced using the precise WGS 1984 datum (Semi-major Axis: 6378137.0).
- Represents a first-time scientific effort to track these culturally important turtle populations via satellite.
Limitations
- Sample size is very small, tracking only a few dozen individual turtles.
- Data temporal coverage is limited to a snapshot around 2004, with no indication of ongoing updates.
Provenance
- Source
- Cayman Islands Department of Environment and the Marine Turtle Research Group.
- Collection Method
- Satellite telemetry project involving schools and the community.
- Time Range
- Approximately 2004 (ground condition).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Cayman Islands and surrounding marine areas.