Bug and workaround for Distance 7.4

Posted 23 May 2022 by Eric Rexstad

This bug affects you if you are

• starting a new Distance project and either
  • animals occur in groups (group size is one of your data fields) or
  • you have double observer data with the fields object, observer and detected

Never fear, there is a simple work around

Under the conditions described above, the project setup wizard does not configure things properly. Consequently, the resulting estimates will be incorrect. Thanks to a sharp-eyed user, this problem was detected. There is a simple work-around for you to implement until we release a version without the bug.

The work around

Create a new project as usual, providing all requested input. Rather than beginning the data import, go to Survey Properties (under the Surveys tab) and select the Data fields tab. This tab associates the fields in the data with their role. You will see the role of “Cluster size” and / or “Object”, “Observer” and “Detected” has been incorrectly associated with an observation field. Correct this by clicking on the incorrect field name and correctly selecting “Cluster size” (or other appropriate field) to associate with the proper role. See screen capture. You can then proceed with import of your data.

If you have questions, feel free to send questions to the Distance email list.