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CHIMPS
CHimpanzee Information Mining for PatternS
(CHIMPS)
The main objective of this project is to
facilitate interdisciplinary information technology (IT) research
in order to develop new data mining technology for analyzing animal
behavior (AB).
We propose to
- investigate novel data mining techniques (models + algorithms) to
enable new kinds of analysis of AB data
- develop software tools that embody the new techniques
- collaboratively carry out data analysis to test new animal behavior
hypotheses, enabled by the new set of tools
The study of animal behavior is an interdisciplinary field that seeks
answers to questions about the functions, underlying mechanisms,
development and evolution of different behavioral patterns. The
evolutionary framework underlying current animal behavior studies
has advanced our understanding of such behaviors as cooperation,
conflict, communication, and mating strategies in many species.
Particularly important for understanding the evolution of human
behavior have been studies of our primate relatives, especially
our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Our work will focus
on data from the long-term study of chimpanzees in Gombe National
Park, Tanzania. This study, initiated by Dr. Goodall in 1960, is
one of the largest and most comprehensive datasets for wild
chimpanzees.
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