Narrowing Down the Search: A spatial analysis of canine scent dynamics in wilderness searches

Keywords: search and rescue, detection canines, distribution modeling, wind model
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

Canine detection work has become widespread due to dogs’ exceptional ability to navigate search areas, identify target odors, and trace them to the source location across large and complicated landscapes in a process known as Wilderness Search. To be successful, canine detection handlers must have a thorough understanding of the effects the environment has on odor transport. Within complex scenarios, a canine team may not be able to follow an odor back to the source due to filamentary structures that lead to a looping, broken, or inconsistent odor plume, leading to countless hours of additional searching or the worst-case scenario of loved ones remaining lost. Using case study data, we aim to assess which variables of time and space provide an adequate model of the relationship between known detections and possible source locations. We include variables that may influence the flow of odors used by dogs to locate human remains such as the distance from the subject, the complexity of the terrain, the amount of time the subject has been in place, and wind and weather conditions. While the primary objective of this research is to improve canine search efficiency in the field, this odor transport model can provide critical information on scent dynamics more broadly and, consequently, the optimal locations and times to deploy detection canines.