Mapping wildlife: integrating stakeholder knowledge with modelled patterns of deer abundance by using participatory GIS

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Austin ◽  
S. Cinderby ◽  
J. C. R. Smart ◽  
D. Raffaelli ◽  
P. C. L. White
Keyword(s):  
Community Involvement ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Participatory Gis ◽  
Wild Deer

Context. Some species that are perceived by certain stakeholders as a valuable resource can also cause ecological or economic damage, leading to contrasting management objectives and subsequent conflict between stakeholder groups. There is increasing recognition that the integration of stakeholder knowledge with formal scientific data can enhance the information available for use in management. This is especially true where scientific understanding is incomplete, as is frequently the case for wide-ranging species, which can be difficult to monitor directly at the landscape scale. Aims. The aim of the research was to incorporate stakeholder knowledge with data derived from formal quantitative models to modify predictions of wildlife distribution and abundance, using wild deer in the UK as an example. Methods. We use selected predictor variables from a deer–vehicle collision model to estimate deer densities at the 10-km square level throughout the East of England. With these predictions as a baseline, we illustrate the use of participatory GIS as a methodological framework for enabling stakeholder participation in the refinement of landscape-scale deer abundance maps. Key results. Stakeholder participation resulted in modifications to modelled abundance patterns for all wild deer species present in the East of England, although the modifications were minor and there was a high degree of consistency among stakeholders in the adjustments made. For muntjac, roe and fallow deer, the majority of stakeholder changes represented an increase in density, suggesting that populations of these species are increasing in the region. Conclusions. Our results show that participatory GIS is a useful technique for enabling stakeholders to contribute to incomplete scientific knowledge, especially where up-to-date species distribution and abundance data are needed to inform wildlife research and management. Implications. The results of the present study will serve as a valuable information base for future research on deer management in the region. The flexibility of the approach makes it applicable to a range of species at different spatial scales and other wildlife conflict issues. These may include the management of invasive species or the conservation of threatened species, where accurate spatial data and enhanced community involvement are necessary in order to facilitate effective management.

scholarly journals Bridging Science and Practice-Importance of Stakeholders in the Development of Decision Support: Lessons Learned

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5744
Author(s):  
Innocent K. Tumwebaze ◽  
Joan B. Rose ◽  
Nynke Hofstra ◽  
Matthew E. Verbyla ◽  
Daniel A. Okaali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Support Tools ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Support Tools

User-friendly, evidence-based scientific tools to support sanitation decisions are still limited in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. This commentary provides lessons learned from the development of two sanitation decision support tools developed in collaboration with stakeholders in Uganda. We engaged with stakeholders in a variety of ways to effectively obtain their input in the development of the decision support tools. Key lessons learned included: tailoring tools to stakeholder decision-making needs; simplifying the tools as much as possible for ease of application and use; creating an enabling environment that allows active stakeholder participation; having a dedicated and responsive team to plan and execute stakeholder engagement activities; involving stakeholders early in the process; having funding sources that are flexible and long-term; and including resources for the acquisition of local data. This reflection provides benchmarks for future research and the development of tools that utilize scientific data and emphasizes the importance of engaging with stakeholders in the development process.

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Thematic Map Imaging of the Yacht Port on the Example of the Polish National Sailing Centre Marina in Gdańsk

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7016
Author(s):  
Pawel S. Dabrowski ◽  
Cezary Specht ◽  
Mariusz Specht ◽  
Artur Makar
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Convex Surface ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Thematic Maps ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Many

The theory of cartographic projections is a tool which can present the convex surface of the Earth on the plane. Of the many types of maps, thematic maps perform an important function due to the wide possibilities of adapting their content to current needs. The limitation of classic maps is their two-dimensional nature. In the era of rapidly growing methods of mass acquisition of spatial data, the use of flat images is often not enough to reveal the level of complexity of certain objects. In this case, it is necessary to use visualization in three-dimensional space. The motivation to conduct the study was the use of cartographic projections methods, spatial transformations, and the possibilities offered by thematic maps to create thematic three-dimensional map imaging (T3DMI). The authors presented a practical verification of the adopted methodology to create a T3DMI visualization of the marina of the National Sailing Centre of the Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport (Poland). The profiled characteristics of the object were used to emphasize the key elements of its function. The results confirmed the increase in the interpretative capabilities of the T3DMI method, relative to classic two-dimensional maps. Additionally, the study suggested future research directions of the presented solution.

scholarly journals Literature Mapper: A QGIS Plugin for Georeferencing Citations in Zotero

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117862212110092
Author(s):  
Michele M Tobias ◽  
Alex I Mandel
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Mapping ◽  
Web Map ◽  
Public Sharing ◽  
Academic Publications ◽  
Spatial Coordinates ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Soil And Water

Many studies in air, soil, and water research involve observations and sampling of a specific location. Knowing where studies have been previously undertaken can be a valuable addition to future research, including understanding the geographical context of previously published literature and selecting future study sites. Here, we introduce Literature Mapper, a Python QGIS plugin that provides a method for creating a spatial bibliography manager as well as a specification for storing spatial data in a bibliography manager. Literature Mapper uses QGIS’ spatial capabilities to allow users to digitize and add location information to a Zotero library, a free and open-source bibliography manager on basemaps or other geographic data of the user’s choice. Literature Mapper enhances the citations in a user’s online Zotero database with geo-locations by storing spatial coordinates as part of traditional citation entries. Literature Mapper receives data from and sends data to the user’s online database via Zotero’s web API. Using Zotero as the backend data storage, Literature Mapper benefits from all of its features including shared citation Collections, public sharing, and an open web API usable by additional applications, such as web mapping libraries. To evaluate Literature Mapper’s ability to provide insights into the spatial distribution of published literature, we provide a case study using the tool to map the study sites described in academic publications related to the biogeomorphology of California’s coastal strand vegetation, a line of research in which air movement, soil, and water are all driving factors. The results of this exercise are presented in static and web map form. The source code for Literature Mapper is available in the corresponding author’s GitHub repository: https://github.com/MicheleTobias/LiteratureMapper

scholarly journals Application of the Socio-Ecological System Framework to Forest Fire Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Vigna ◽  
Angelo Besana ◽  
Elena Comino ◽  
Alessandro Pezzoli
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Starting Point

Although increasing concern about climate change has raised awareness of the fundamental role of forest ecosystems, forests are threatened by human-induced impacts worldwide. Among them, wildfire risk is clearly the result of the interaction between human activities, ecological domains, and climate. However, a clear understanding of these interactions is still needed both at the global and local levels. Numerous studies have proven the validity of the socioecological system (SES) approach in addressing this kind of interdisciplinary issue. Therefore, a systematic review of the existing literature on the application of SES frameworks to forest ecosystems is carried out, with a specific focus on wildfire risk management. The results demonstrate the existence of different methodological approaches that can be grouped into seven main categories, which range from qualitative analysis to quantitative spatially explicit investigations. The strengths and limitations of the approaches are discussed, with a specific reference to the geographical setting of the works. The research suggests the importance of local community involvement and local knowledge consideration in wildfire risk management. This review provides a starting point for future research on forest SES and a supporting tool for the development of a sustainable wildfire risk adaptation and mitigation strategy.

scholarly journals Feelings of safety during daytime walking: associations with mental health, physical activity and cardiometabolic health in high vacancy, low-income neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber L. Pearson ◽  
Kimberly A. Clevenger ◽  
Teresa H. Horton ◽  
Joseph C. Gardiner ◽  
Ventra Asana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Critical Pathway ◽  
Perceived Safety

Abstract Introduction Individuals living in low-income neighborhoods have disproportionately high rates of obesity, Type-2 diabetes, and cardiometabolic conditions. Perceived safety in one’s neighborhood may influence stress and physical activity, with cascading effects on cardiometabolic health. Methods In this study, we examined relationships among feelings of safety while walking during the day and mental health [perceived stress (PSS), depression score], moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA), Body Mass Index (BMI), and hemoglobin A1C (A1C) in low-income, high-vacancy neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. We recruited 69 adults who wore accelerometers for one week and completed a survey on demographics, mental health, and neighborhood perceptions. Anthropometrics were collected and A1C was measured using A1CNow test strips. We compiled spatial data on vacant buildings and lots across the city. We fitted conventional and multilevel regression models to predict each outcome, using perceived safety during daytime walking as the independent variable of interest and individual or both individual and neighborhood-level covariates (e.g., number of vacant lots). Last, we examined trends in neighborhood features according to perceived safety. Results In this predominantly African American sample (91%), 47% felt unsafe during daytime walking. Feelings of perceived safety significantly predicted PSS (β = − 2.34, p = 0.017), depression scores (β = − 4.22, p = 0.006), and BMI (β = − 2.87, p = 0.01), after full adjustment. For PA, we detected a significant association for sex only. For A1C we detected significant associations with blighted lots near the home. Those feeling unsafe lived in neighborhoods with higher park area and number of blighted lots. Conclusion Future research is needed to assess a critical pathway through which neighborhood features, including vacant or poor-quality green spaces, may affect obesity—via stress reduction and concomitant effects on cardiometabolic health.

scholarly journals Are We Doing ‘Systems’ Research? An Assessment of Methods for Climate Change Adaptation to Hydrohazards in a Complex World

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bedinger ◽  
Lindsay Beevers ◽  
Lila Collet ◽  
Annie Visser
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Systems Research

Climate change is a product of the Anthropocene, and the human–nature system in which we live. Effective climate change adaptation requires that we acknowledge this complexity. Theoretical literature on sustainability transitions has highlighted this and called for deeper acknowledgment of systems complexity in our research practices. Are we heeding these calls for ‘systems’ research? We used hydrohazards (floods and droughts) as an example research area to explore this question. We first distilled existing challenges for complex human–nature systems into six central concepts: Uncertainty, multiple spatial scales, multiple time scales, multimethod approaches, human–nature dimensions, and interactions. We then performed a systematic assessment of 737 articles to examine patterns in what methods are used and how these cover the complexity concepts. In general, results showed that many papers do not reference any of the complexity concepts, and no existing approach addresses all six. We used the detailed results to guide advancement from theoretical calls for action to specific next steps. Future research priorities include the development of methods for consideration of multiple hazards; for the study of interactions, particularly in linking the short- to medium-term time scales; to reduce data-intensivity; and to better integrate bottom–up and top–down approaches in a way that connects local context with higher-level decision-making. Overall this paper serves to build a shared conceptualisation of human–nature system complexity, map current practice, and navigate a complexity-smart trajectory for future research.

scholarly journals Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) to Characterize Wing Formation across All Developmental Stages

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Siying Fu ◽  
Yujie Duan ◽  
Siqi Wang ◽  
Yipeng Ren ◽  
Wenjun Bu
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Transcriptome Assembly ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Wing Formation ◽  
Riptortus Pedestris

Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a major agricultural pest in East Asia that causes considerable economic losses to the soybean crop each year. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the growth and development of R. pedestris have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the Illumina HiSeq6000 platform was employed to perform de novo transcriptome assembly and determine the gene expression profiles of this species across all developmental stages, including eggs, first-, second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-instar nymphs, and adults. In this study, a total of 60,058 unigenes were assembled from numerous raw reads, exhibiting an N50 length of 2126 bp and an average length of 1199 bp, and the unigenes were annotated and classified with various databases, such as the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), and Gene Ontology (GO). Furthermore, various numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were calculated through pairwise comparisons of all life stages, and some of these DEGs were associated with immunity, metabolism, and development by GO and KEGG enrichment. In addition, 35,158 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 715,604 potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from the seven transcriptome libraries of R. pedestris. Finally, we identified and summarized ten wing formation-related signaling pathways, and the molecular properties and expression levels of five wing development-related genes were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR for all developmental stages of R. pedestris. Taken together, the results of this study may establish a foundation for future research investigating developmental processes and wing formation in hemimetabolous insects and may provide valuable data for pest control efforts attempting to reduce the economic damage caused by this pest.

Skin as a Source of Nosocomial Infection: Directions for Future Research

1986 ◽  
Vol 7 (S2) ◽  
pp. 113-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis G. Maki
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Nosocomial Infection ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trials ◽  
Nosocomial Pathogens ◽  
The Past ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Per Se

Whereas infections of the skin per se comprise only a fraction of all institutionally-acquired infections, the skin has become one of the most important reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens in the hospital. Professor Noble has provided a scholarly review of the increasing importance of the major constituents of the cutaneous microflora as nosocomial pathogens and what we know of their epidemiology. Unfortunately, the empiricism and limited scientific data which underlie essential infection control measures in this area, particularly in regard to cutaneous antisepsis and handwashing, is almost incongruous in an era in which controlled clinical trials have dominated most other areas of medicine. The numerous outbreaks traced to contaminated antiseptics and disinfectants over the past two decades, stand as mute testimony to the inadequate investigative attention this area has received.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Review of Low Impact Development Models for Research, Conceptual, Preliminary and Detailed Design Applications

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahereh Kaykhosravi ◽  
Usman Khan ◽  
Amaneh Jadidi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Development Models ◽  
Model Features

This review compares and evaluates eleven Low Impact Development (LID) models on the basis of: (i) general model features including the model application, the temporal resolution, the spatial data visualization, the method of placing LID within catchments; (ii) hydrological modelling aspects including: the type of inbuilt LIDs, water balance model, runoff generation and infiltration; and (iii) hydraulic modelling methods with a focus on the flow routing method. Results show that despite the recent updates of existing LID models, several important features are still missing and need improvement. These features include the ability to model: multi-layer subsurface media, tree canopy and processes associated with vegetation, different spatial scales, snowmelt and runoff calculations. This review provides in-depth insight into existing LID models from a hydrological and hydraulic point of view, which will facilitate in selecting the best-suited model. Recommendations on further studies and LID model development are also presented.

scholarly journals Our Boys and The Last Shot: Examples of the Power of Community Involvement in Underprivileged America

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Claire C. Schaeperkoetter
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High School Athletes ◽  
Public Education System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
High School Coach

The central focus of this essay was to examine different socio-cultural structures that affect high school aged athletes in seemingly different impoverished areas in the United States. Specifically, narratives in the popular press books The Last Shot and Our Boys were explored in order to highlight similarities and differences between the high school athletes in these two different urban and rural environments. In all, four factors that showcase the power of community involvement in underprivileged America emerged: the values promoted by the high school coach, the socioeconomic status of the community, the public education system, and the battle between the desire to escape the community and fear of the unknown. The implications of community involvement are discussed and avenues for future research are presented.

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