MoveApps : a serverless no-code analysis platform for animal tracking data

Thumbnail Image
Date
2022
Authors
Gauggel, Dominik
Hahn, Clemens
Schneider, Gabriel
Vinciguerra, Candace M.
Editors
Contact
Journal ISSN
Electronic ISSN
ISBN
Bibliographical data
Publisher
Series
DOI (citable link)
ArXiv-ID
International patent number
Link to the license
EU project number
Project
Open Access publication
Restricted until
Title in another language
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Publication type
Journal article
Publication status
Published
Published in
Movement Ecology ; 10 (2022), 1. - 30. - BioMed Central. - ISSN 2051-3933
Abstract
Background

Bio-logging and animal tracking datasets continuously grow in volume and complexity, documenting animal behaviour and ecology in unprecedented extent and detail, but greatly increasing the challenge of extracting knowledge from the data obtained. A large variety of analysis methods are being developed, many of which in effect are inaccessible to potential users, because they remain unpublished, depend on proprietary software or require significant coding skills.

Results
We developed MoveApps, an open analysis platform for animal tracking data, to make sophisticated analytical tools accessible to a global community of movement ecologists and wildlife managers. As part of the Movebank ecosystem, MoveApps allows users to design and share workflows composed of analysis modules (Apps) that access and analyse tracking data. Users browse Apps, build workflows, customise parameters, execute analyses and access results through an intuitive web-based interface.

Apps, coded in R or other programming languages, have been developed by the MoveApps team and can be contributed by anyone developing analysis code. They become available to all user of the platform. To allow long-term and cross-system reproducibility, Apps have public source code and are compiled and run in Docker containers that form the basis of a serverless cloud computing system. To support reproducible science and help contributors document and benefit from their efforts, workflows of Apps can be shared, published and archived with DOIs in the Movebank Data Repository.

The platform was beta launched in spring 2021 and currently contains 49 Apps that are used by 316 registered users. We illustrate its use through two workflows that (1) provide a daily report on active tag deployments and (2) segment and map migratory movements.

Conclusions

The MoveApps platform is meant to empower the community to supply, exchange and use analysis code in an intuitive environment that allows fast and traceable results and feedback. By bringing together analytical experts developing movement analysis methods and code with those in need of tools to explore, answer questions and inform decisions based on data they collect, we intend to increase the pace of knowledge generation and integration to match the huge growth rate in bio-logging data acquisition.
Summary in another language
Subject (DDC)
570 Biosciences, Biology
Keywords
Animal movement, Movement ecology, Bio-logging, Method sharing, Community empowerment, Analysis code publication, Reproducibility, Cloud infrastructure, Serverless computing
Conference
Review
undefined / . - undefined, undefined. - (undefined; undefined)
Cite This
ISO 690KÖLZSCH, Andrea, Sarah C. DAVIDSON, Dominik GAUGGEL, Clemens HAHN, Ilona LANG, Anne K. SCHARF, Gabriel SCHNEIDER, Candace M. VINCIGUERRA, Martin WIKELSKI, Kamran SAFI, 2022. MoveApps : a serverless no-code analysis platform for animal tracking data. In: Movement Ecology. BioMed Central. 10(1), 30. ISSN 2051-3933. Available under: doi: 10.1186/s40462-022-00327-4
BibTex
@article{Kolzsch2022-07-18MoveA-58233,
  year={2022},
  doi={10.1186/s40462-022-00327-4},
  title={MoveApps : a serverless no-code analysis platform for animal tracking data},
  number={1},
  volume={10},
  issn={2051-3933},
  journal={Movement Ecology},
  author={Kölzsch, Andrea and Davidson, Sarah C. and Gauggel, Dominik and Hahn, Clemens and Lang, Ilona and Scharf, Anne K. and Schneider, Gabriel and Vinciguerra, Candace M. and Wikelski, Martin and Safi, Kamran},
  note={Article Number: 30}
}
RDF
<rdf:RDF
    xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
    xmlns:bibo="http://purl.org/ontology/bibo/"
    xmlns:dspace="http://digital-repositories.org/ontologies/dspace/0.1.0#"
    xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"
    xmlns:void="http://rdfs.org/ns/void#"
    xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#" > 
  <rdf:Description rdf:about="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/server/rdf/resource/123456789/58233">
    <dcterms:issued>2022-07-18</dcterms:issued>
    <dcterms:abstract xml:lang="eng">Background&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bio-logging and animal tracking datasets continuously grow in volume and complexity, documenting animal behaviour and ecology in unprecedented extent and detail, but greatly increasing the challenge of extracting knowledge from the data obtained. A large variety of analysis methods are being developed, many of which in effect are inaccessible to potential users, because they remain unpublished, depend on proprietary software or require significant coding skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Results&lt;br /&gt;We developed MoveApps, an open analysis platform for animal tracking data, to make sophisticated analytical tools accessible to a global community of movement ecologists and wildlife managers. As part of the Movebank ecosystem, MoveApps allows users to design and share workflows composed of analysis modules (Apps) that access and analyse tracking data. Users browse Apps, build workflows, customise parameters, execute analyses and access results through an intuitive web-based interface.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apps, coded in R or other programming languages, have been developed by the MoveApps team and can be contributed by anyone developing analysis code. They become available to all user of the platform. To allow long-term and cross-system reproducibility, Apps have public source code and are compiled and run in Docker containers that form the basis of a serverless cloud computing system. To support reproducible science and help contributors document and benefit from their efforts, workflows of Apps can be shared, published and archived with DOIs in the Movebank Data Repository.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The platform was beta launched in spring 2021 and currently contains 49 Apps that are used by 316 registered users. We illustrate its use through two workflows that (1) provide a daily report on active tag deployments and (2) segment and map migratory movements.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Conclusions&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The MoveApps platform is meant to empower the community to supply, exchange and use analysis code in an intuitive environment that allows fast and traceable results and feedback. By bringing together analytical experts developing movement analysis methods and code with those in need of tools to explore, answer questions and inform decisions based on data they collect, we intend to increase the pace of knowledge generation and integration to match the huge growth rate in bio-logging data acquisition.</dcterms:abstract>
    <dc:contributor>Hahn, Clemens</dc:contributor>
    <dc:rights>terms-of-use</dc:rights>
    <dc:contributor>Lang, Ilona</dc:contributor>
    <foaf:homepage rdf:resource="http://localhost:8080/"/>
    <dcterms:isPartOf rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/server/rdf/resource/123456789/28"/>
    <dcterms:isPartOf rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/server/rdf/resource/123456789/43615"/>
    <bibo:uri rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/handle/123456789/58233"/>
    <dc:date rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime">2022-08-04T09:20:04Z</dc:date>
    <dc:creator>Lang, Ilona</dc:creator>
    <void:sparqlEndpoint rdf:resource="http://localhost/fuseki/dspace/sparql"/>
    <dc:contributor>Davidson, Sarah C.</dc:contributor>
    <dc:contributor>Gauggel, Dominik</dc:contributor>
    <dc:creator>Hahn, Clemens</dc:creator>
    <dc:contributor>Schneider, Gabriel</dc:contributor>
    <dc:creator>Safi, Kamran</dc:creator>
    <dc:creator>Kölzsch, Andrea</dc:creator>
    <dc:contributor>Vinciguerra, Candace M.</dc:contributor>
    <dcterms:hasPart rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/123456789/58233/1/Koelzsch_2-14a56iyunxpd84.pdf"/>
    <dc:creator>Schneider, Gabriel</dc:creator>
    <dc:language>eng</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>Wikelski, Martin</dc:creator>
    <dc:creator>Vinciguerra, Candace M.</dc:creator>
    <dspace:isPartOfCollection rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/server/rdf/resource/123456789/28"/>
    <dc:contributor>Safi, Kamran</dc:contributor>
    <dc:contributor>Kölzsch, Andrea</dc:contributor>
    <dc:contributor>Scharf, Anne K.</dc:contributor>
    <dspace:isPartOfCollection rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/server/rdf/resource/123456789/43615"/>
    <dspace:hasBitstream rdf:resource="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/123456789/58233/1/Koelzsch_2-14a56iyunxpd84.pdf"/>
    <dc:creator>Gauggel, Dominik</dc:creator>
    <dcterms:available rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime">2022-08-04T09:20:04Z</dcterms:available>
    <dcterms:title>MoveApps : a serverless no-code analysis platform for animal tracking data</dcterms:title>
    <dcterms:rights rdf:resource="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/"/>
    <dc:creator>Davidson, Sarah C.</dc:creator>
    <dc:contributor>Wikelski, Martin</dc:contributor>
    <dc:creator>Scharf, Anne K.</dc:creator>
  </rdf:Description>
</rdf:RDF>
Internal note
xmlui.Submission.submit.DescribeStep.inputForms.label.kops_note_fromSubmitter
Contact
URL of original publication
Test date of URL
Examination date of dissertation
Method of financing
Comment on publication
Alliance license
Corresponding Authors der Uni Konstanz vorhanden
International Co-Authors
Bibliography of Konstanz
Yes
Refereed
Yes