The Movement Cluster Analyzer monitors location data from tracked subjects and generates an event when a clustering pattern meets the criteria you define — indicating that subjects are spending concentrated time in a specific area.

This article explains how to create and configure a Movement Cluster Analyzer in the EarthRanger Admin panel.  

Prerequisites

• Access to the EarthRanger Admin panel
  At least one Subject Group with subjects that have active location
   tracking

Setting Up a Movement Cluster Analyzer 

1. In the EarthRanger Admin panel, go to:
     Home > Analyzers > Movement Cluster Analyzers
2. Click Add Movement Cluster Analyzer.
3. Enter an Analyzer Name. This should be unique and descriptive (e.g., "Elephant clusters — northern sector"). 
4. Select the Subject Group this analyzer applies to. The analyzer will only evaluate location data from subjects within this group.
5. Leave Active checked to enable the analyzer immediately. To pause it without deleting it, uncheck this box.
6. Configure the Cluster Parameters. These settings work together to define what counts as a meaningful cluster — a cluster is only reported as an event when all four conditions are satisfied simultaneously.
   1. Spatial Threshold (meters)
      Default: 200
      The maximum distance between two location observations for them to be considered part of        the same cluster. Reduce this value to detect tighter, more concentrated clusters. Increase it to
      capture activity spread across a wider area.
   2. Temporal Threshold (seconds)
      Default: 3600 (1 hour)
      The maximum time difference between two observations for them to be considered part of the same cluster. This prevents the analyzer from grouping observations that are spatially close but separated by a long period of time.
   3. Minimum Points per Cluster
       Default: 5
       The minimum number of location observations required to form a cluster. Raising this value filters out brief or incidental stops and focuses detection on more sustained activity
   4. Minimum Cluster Duration (seconds)
       Default: 3600 (1 hour)
       The minimum time span a cluster must cover before it is reported as a significant event. Clusters that form and dissolve faster than this threshold are ignored.
7. If needed, expand Advanced Analyzer Attributes for additional configuration options.  
   1. Feature Group Filter
      When set, events will only be created for clusters that occur within the spatial features of the selected Feature Group. Use this to limit detection to a specific area rather than monitoring across the subject group's entire range.
   2.  Analysis Time Frame (Hours / Minutes)
       Defines the time window the analyzer uses when evaluating location data for clusters.
   3. Quiet Period (HH:MM:SS)
      Overrides the system-level quiet period for this analyzer. During the quiet period, the analyzer will not generate events even if a qualifying cluster is detected.
8. Save. 
   The analyzer will begin evaluating incoming location data
   for the defined subject group and generate an event in the
   EarthRanger events feed when a qualifying cluster is detected.
   
    

Tuning the Parameters

Once your analyzer is running, you may need to adjust the parameters based on what it detects. Some starting points:

• For species with small home ranges or dense tracking data, tighten the spatial threshold and raise the minimum points requirement to avoid over-reporting.
• For wide-ranging species with infrequent location updates, loosen the spatial threshold and lower the minimum points requirement so meaningful clusters are not missed.
• If the analyzer is generating too many short-lived events, raise the minimum cluster duration.