Efficiency and Bias in Strip and Line Transect Sampling

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Abstract
Efficiency and relative bias of strip transect and line transect (Fourier series estimator) survey methods were compared. Comparisons involved the negative exponential and half-normal detection functions for expected sample sizes of 40, 60, and 100 and three levels of spatial aggregation. Efficiency and bias were computed as functions of strip transect width, w. Final comparisons were based on mean square errors (MSE), also as a function of w. The line transect estimator always had a smaller MSE than the strip transect estimator when the detection was a negative exponential. Therefore, line transect sampling is preferred when the detection function was a negative exponential. The line transect estimator had a smaller MSE for most combinations of spatial aggregation and strip width, w for the half-normal detection function. In general, the results indicate a preference for the line transect method over strip transect on the basis of bias and efficiency.

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