View source for Anatrack Ranges User Guide

Ranges is a comprehensive system for viewing, editing and analysing spatial location data. The current version is Ranges 9.

== Introduction ==

The Ranges suite of software has been evolving since the early 1980s, not merely as a convenient way to analyse the extensive data that can be gathered from radio-tagged, and increasingly gps-tagged, animals, but also to assist planning that makes the effort of data-gathering as efficient as possible. Early versions were written for the BBC micro but Ranges now has Windows and Apple Macintosh interfaces to help you to set up and run analyses. 

Ranges includes comprehesive tools to allow you to input, view and export your animal location data. Not only does it have a long list of <b>location</b> analyses for estimating home range outlines but also supports analyses of how these outlines <b>overlap</b> and the dynamic <b>interaction</b> of location records with those of other animals or of sites that are important for feeding or sociality. It allows you to investigate availability and use of <b>habitat</b> in different ways and more recently adds <b>modelling</b> techniques to its tool box. 

== New Features ==

Ranges 9 includes

* Resource Area Dependence analysis
* Kaplan-Meier Survival analysis
* An up-to-date look with a more user-friendly interface but without loosing the familiar Ranges feel
* Better data and map split postioning on screen with an adjustable divider to optimise space for each
* Map rendering improvements: both faster and with less artifacts
* Improved map furniture: coordinates, scale bar, zoom and pan controls etc
* Zoom to selection with right mouse button
* Zoom in and out to cursor with mouse scroll button
* Ability to create locations and vector points with CTRL + left mouse click, remove from the end with CTRL + right mouse click
* Improved data charts for utilization and inc files, autocorrelation and interlocation analyses with scaling axes and better labels and headings
* Ability to make map backgrounds paler to make foreground show up better. 
* Faster file loading 
* Huge file handling including large location files from GPS devices and large raster maps
* Importing locations in latitidue-longitude format
* Exporting to KML using lat-lng
* Display locations and analysis maps on Google Maps
* Range overlap map output


For new features added to each version of Ranges see: [[New Features|New Features]]

== Installing Ranges ==

Ranges can be installed and run without purchasing a licence. Until it is licensed it will run in <b>demo</b> mode.

To install Ranges:

1. Install the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). To do this, download the version suitable for your operating system here:

: https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

<div style="color: red; font-weight:bold;border: solid 0px grey; padding-left:0px;">Note that if you are using a 64 bit version of Windows, you must install the 64 bit version of Java.</div>

2. Install Ranges by downloading and running the version suitable for your operating system from:

: http://www.anatrack.com/download_ranges.php

== Licensing Ranges ==

To unlock and use the analyses in Ranges, you must purchase a licence depending on whether the software is to be used by only you (Single User licence) or by a team (Site licence).

<b>Single User</b> licences allows Ranges to be installed on two computers, e.g. for use in a lab and in the field, provided both computers are not to be used at the same time.

A <b>Site</b> licence allows Ranges to be installed on up to ten computers. If you need to install Ranges on more than ten computers, please [http://www.anatrack.com/contact.php contact us].

Licences can be purchased here:

http://www.anatrack.com/buy_ranges.php

where we will supply a licence key.

Once you have a licence key and have installed Ranges, navigate to the Ranges folder in Anatrack Ltd in your applications folder. Click on the License Ranges shortcut and follow the instructions on screen. When prompted enter the licence number.

== Using Ranges ==

An overview of Ranges functionality with links to more detailed descriptions of analyses and features can be found here: [[Overview|Ranges Overview]]

If you are new to Ranges, please work through [[Tutorial|the tutorial]].

== Citing Ranges ==

Please use the following citation in publications:

<i><b>Kenward RE  Walls SS South AB & Casey N, (2008) Ranges8 : For the analysis of tracking and location data. Online manual. Anatrack Ltd. Wareham, UK.</b></i>