ctmm: an R package for analyzing animal relocation data as a continuous-time stochastic process

Calabrese, Fleming, and Gurarie released ctmm, an R package that treats telemetry data as samples from an underlying continuous-time movement process rather than a set of discrete points. The software fits a family of stochastic movement models, diagnoses range residency through variograms, accounts for autocorrelation, and produces statistically rigorous home-range estimates including the autocorrelated kernel density estimator. By providing accessible, well-documented tools, ctmm made advanced movement modeling practical for ordinary practitioners and helped standardize rigorous analysis across the field. For felid researchers, it offered a principled workflow to estimate home ranges, detect dispersal, and compare individuals without the biases of legacy methods. The package became a cornerstone of contemporary movement ecology and is widely used in carnivore spatial studies.