Effects of habitat feature, antenna position, movement, and fix interval on GPS radio collar performance in Mount Fuji, central Japan

The location performance of a global positioning system (GPS) collar was assessed for different habitats and geographical areas. We tested the effects of habitat features, antenna position, movement, and fix interval on location performance around Mount Fuji, a single peak surrounded by wide and flat areas. Fix rate decreased from 100% in open flat areas to 53% under sloped dense canopy. The openness (the actual available sky, i.e., the percentage of a radio collar exposed to the sky when part of the collar is blocked due to terrain and vegetation) and canopy closure affected location accuracy and most other performance parameters. All nine habitat features except for available sky (theoretical, due to terrain) influenced location time. Any combination of obstructions between collar and satellite decreased the available number of satellites, the fix rate, increased the location time, and resulted in poorer location (higher DOP, lower 3-D proportion, or greater location error). A horizontal antenna yielded poorer location performance than a vertical one in the forest but not in the open area. Location performance always decreased when moving in forest rather than in open areas. Location performance changed with fix interval. Sixty-minute intervals resulted in a longer location time and a lower DOP than 10-min intervals. Vegetation affected location performance more than topography in the Mount Fuji area. Factors that cause a longer location time will shorten battery life. We suggest that location frequency and duration employed for field research should be decided by considering the aim of the study and the effects of habitat features, animal activity, and fix interval on GPS performance and battery longevity. The strengthened effect of canopy closure during windy weather should be considered for forest-dwelling animals.