Great Plains Habitat Suitability and Connectivity
Nov, 2017
Based on the habitat suitability map, this study performed a connectivity analysis to calculate the shortest-path betweenness centrality(BC) value for each hexagon node of every 50 acres in the study area. By identifying the one or several least cost paths (shortest and easiest) that connect each pair of nodes in the hexagon grid of the study area, thousands of least cost paths corresponding all pairs of nodes were collected. Then betweenness centrality values count the number of the least cost paths that pass through each node. Higher BC value means a more central location to connect all other hexagon nodes in the network. In another word, it indicates the possibility of animal movement in the given hexagon nodes. Therefore, we could see the locations of important areas that animals like Pronghorn will move to or through.
