Abstract
Agent-based modeling (ABM) shows promise for animal movement studies. However, a robust, open-source, and spatially explicit ABM coding platform is currently lacking.
We present abmR, an R package for conducting continental-scale ABM simulations across animal taxa. The package features two movement functions, each of which relies on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) model.
The theoretical background for abmR is discussed and the main functionalities are illustrated using two example populations.
Potential future additions to this open-source package may include the ability to specify multiple environmental variables or to model interactions between agents. Additionally, updates may offer opportunities for disease ecology and integration with other R movement modeling packages.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.