The rules state we are not allowed to use external penguin count data. However, are we allowed to use penguin occurrence data e.g. from GBIF.
I assume we are, but just thought I’d check as it is a penguin “count” in that it’s “at least one penguin”.
Tim
Hi Tim, thanks for the question. We had to consult with the penguin experts to see if GBIF fell within the spirit of that rule. They have said that GBIF observations can be included in your model. They also noted that since most of the GBIF observations are at sea (not at the breeding colonies where the competition data is collected), they would be interested to see if that data adds predictive power to the population models!
Excellent.
I didn’t know that most GBIF data is at sea. But it’s on my todo list for the competition and I’ll let you know if it’s useful!
I anticipate something like using a GBIF data to create a species distribution model. If you interpret that model as habitat suitability, then the habitat suitability nearby the colonies might be a useful predictor. But who knows.
In case others read this thread:
3.5k locations where chinstrap penguins have been found.
The data are biased, messy etc. etc. but might be interesting.