Spatial methods for line transect surveys

Line transect surveys have traditionally been used only to estimate the mean intensity of an underlying spatial point process. In this paper, we propose a test for complete spatial randomness and a method of estimating the clustering parameters in a simplified Neyman-Scott Poisson model, using observations collected in a line transect survey with a Gaussian detection function. These procedures use only the coordinate in the direction of the transect line. In simulation studies we compare the performance of a one- dimensional test for complete spatial randomness and a test based on the traditionally most powerful two-dimensional test. We also examine the bias and variance of the clustering parameter estimates obtained using the one- dimensional procedure. We apply the methods to data collected in a line transect survey for minke whales in the northeastern Atlantic.