This repository contains the set up to create a Rstudio environment with all the relevant packages and programmes installed.

This is useful to work on the practicals. You may want to also install the full configuration on your local machine, but this is useful if, for example, you don't have full write access to your machine or don't have a fully working R installation.

Binder is basically just a front-end to run a docker container remotely. You can also install docker locally, which means that you can run a virtual machine (much as you do by running Binder, as per the instructions above). Here you can find some instructions on installing and running a local instance of docker.

Once you have done this, you can run the docker virtul machine locally, which means that you don't need to install R or JAGS on your machine, but rather use the container to do the practicals. To do this, you will still need to install locally this GitHub repository (see details below).

Alternatively, you can use this repository onto your computer and use it locally. There are various ways in which you can do so.

If you are not familiar with GitHub, your best option is probably to simply download the content of this repository.

• Click on green button labelled as <> Code in the top-right corner and then click on Download zip, as shown in the picture below.

• Once the download is complete, unzip the folder.

If, on the other hand you are familiar with GitHub or want to learn how to use it and take full advantage of its version control capabilities, you can "clone" the repository on your computer. This means that you create a local copy that you can keep synchronised with the remote, using GitHub.

• Click on green button labelled as <> Code in the top-right corner and then copy the clone link https://github.com/giabaio/vibass.git.

• Follow the instructions here to clone the repository.

Whichever method you have used to install the repository locally, you will end up with a copy of all the contents on your machine. To be able to do the practicals locally you will also need to install the following programmes:

• Rstudio

• OpenBUGS and JAGS.

• A set of relevant R packages. Open the file install.R and run the commands listed there in a Rstudio session.

Once you have completed these steps, you can open the "R project" file practical.Rproj and then run the practicals.