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Applying Novel Visitation Models using Diverse Social Media to Understand Recreation Change after Wildfire and Site Closure
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This study analyzes how visitation in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington changed as a result of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. A visitation model is constructed by incorporating data from social media to measure visitation patterns and used to look for a substitution effect on nearby recreation sites after the fire.
Citation
White, E.M., Winder, S.G. and Wood, S.A. 2023. Applying novel visitation models using diverse social media to understand recreation change after wildfire and site closure. Society & Natural Resources 36(1): 58-75.
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Assessing Forest Recreational Potential from Social Media Data and Remote Sensing Technologies Data
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Region
Year
This study uses Flickr data and remote sensing technologies to identify forest biometric and topographic data to map and estimate recreational potential of British Columbia’s provincial park system. Potential recreation and consumer surplus are mapped in Cypress Provincial Park using variables that influence visitors’ preferences for recreational activities. A machine learning approach called convolutional neural…
Citation
Lingua, F., Coops, N.C. and Griess, V.C. 2023. Assessing forest recreational potential from social media data and remote sensing technologies data. Ecological Indicators 149, 110165.
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Evaluation of GNSS-based Volunteered Geographic Information for assessing visitor spatial distribution within protected areas: A case study of the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
This study analyzes the reliability of Global Navigation Satellite System-based (GNSS) Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) using three platforms: GPSies, Outdooractive, and Komoot. These data sources are compared with automatic visitor counters to evaluate the spatial distribution of hikers in Germany’s Bavarian Forest National Park. In a comparison of all three platforms, GPSies and Outdooractive had…
Citation
Horst, L., Taczanowska, K., Porst, F. and Arnberger, A. 2023. Evaluation of GNSS-based Volunteered Geographic Information for assessing visitor spatial distribution within protected areas: A case study of the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. Applied Geography 150(2023), 102825.
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Squeezing the most from volunteered geographic information to monitor mountain biking in peri-urban protected and recreational areas at a metropolitan scale
This study evaluates mountain bike use in five recreational areas using GPSies data at a regional scale in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA) in Portugal. Results indicate that 98% of users were from Portugal and 60.57% of the rides were going to at least one of the protected and recreational areas (P&RAs) studied. 80.77% of…
Citation
Mendes, R.M.N., Farías-Torbidoni, E.I. and da Silva, C.P. 2023. Squeezing the most from volunteered geographic information to monitor mountain biking in peri-urban protected and recreational areas at a metropolitan scale. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 42(2023), 100624.
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Trends in recreational walking trail usage in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for practice
This study analyzed changes in visitation on 33 of Ireland’s recreational walking trails between January 2019 and December 2020 using data from infrared sensors and Google Community Mobility Report (GCMR) data. A strong correlation was found between GCMR data and infrared sensors. There was a 6% overall increase in recreational trail usage in Ireland in…
Citation
Power, D., Lambe, B. and Murphy, N. 2023. Trends in recreational walking trail usage in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for practice. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 41(2023), 100477.
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Using Social Media Camping Data for Evaluating, Quantifying, and Understanding Recreational Ecosystem Services in Post-COVID-19 Megacities: A Case Study from Beijing
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The authors apply a GIS spatial analysis using social media data to quantify public perspectives of recreational ecosystem services (RESs) or green spaces in Beijing, China. This megacity-scale study was conducted using data from the Little Red Book (LRB) which has been referred to as “China’s Instagram.” Though the authors acknowledge there are some limitations…
Citation
Xu, H., Zhao, G., Liu, Y. and Miao, M. 2023. Using Social Media Camping Data for Evaluating, Quantifying, and Understanding Recreational Ecosystem Services in Post-COVID-19 Megacities: A Case Study from Beijing. Forests 14(6): 1151.
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Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Visitation in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal: Insights from Geolocated Social Media Images
This paper demonstrates how geolocated social media images can be used for monitoring tourism levels in remote mountains. Researchers identified visitor hotspots and seasonal variations using Flickr photos. Though this methodology has limitations, it serves as a useful approach to manage tourism in a remote, protected natural area where resources are limited.
Citation
Bhatt, P. and Pickering, C.M. 2022. Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Visitation in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal: Insights from Geolocated Social Media Images. Mountain Research and Development 42(3): R16-R24.
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Advancing Sustainable Development and Protected Area Management with Social Media-Based Tourism Data
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This study uses social media to measure tourism levels and spatial variation in The Bahamas Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Andros Island. Social media data from Flickr was found to be well correlated with visitor counts from entrance surveys. Annual visitation to The Bahamas MPAs was estimated to be an average of 383,000 visitor days.…
Citation
Arkema, K.K., Fisher, D.M., Wyatt, K., Wood, S.A. and Payne, H.J. 2021. Advancing sustainable development and protected area management with social media-based tourism data. Sustainability 2021(13), 2427.
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Assessing the potential of social media for estimating recreational use of urban and peri-urban forests
This study analyzes data from Twitter, Flickr, and Instagram to assess visitation at 10 urban and peri-urban Swiss National Forest Inventory sites and evaluates recreational models on a national scale. Social media text was analyzed and a Flickr-based model and Twitter-based model were compared with a pre-existing potential recreation demand (PRD) model to estimate recreational…
Citation
Wartmann, F.M., Baer, M.F., Hegetschweiler, K.T., Fischer, C., Hunziker, M. and Purves, R.S. 2021. Assessing the potential of social media for estimating recreational use of urban and peri-urban forests. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 64(2021),127261.
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Bears Ears and Outdoor Recreation in San Juan County, Utah
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Year
Utah State University researchers found that the creation of the Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, Utah, has likely increased outdoor recreation volume and growth in outdoor recreation-related industries. Retail trade, scientific, professional, and technical services as well as food services have all experienced significant economic growth in the three years after the…
Citation
Smith, J., Wilkins, E., Miller, A.B. 2021. Bears Ears and Outdoor Recreation in San Juan County, Utah. Society & Natural Resources 34(7): 966-979.
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Estimating trail use and visitor spatial distribution using mobile device data: An example from the nature reserve of Orange County, California USA
This study uses mobile data from the analysis platform Streetlight to estimate visitor use in four urban parks and protected areas in Orange County, California. The mobile device methods are compared to other trail counting methods to determine whether mobile device data could be a reliable measure of trailhead visitation counts and spatial distribution of…
Citation
Creany, N.E., Monz, C.A., D’Antonio, A., Sisneros-Kidd, A., Wilkins, E.J., Nesbitt, J. and Mitrovich, M. 2021. Estimating trail use and visitor spatial distribution using mobile device data: An example from the nature reserve of Orange County, California USA. Environmental Challenges 4(2021), 100171.
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Expanding the toolbox: Assessing methods for local outdoor recreation planning
This study analyzes how different data collection methods can support local recreation planning. Data is compared on current land use (land already used by outdoor recreationists) and the potential use (land that is not used by outdoor recreationists) through participatory mapping, free listing, photo ranking, and analysis of social media data. Local planners were interviewed…
Citation
Komossa, F., Wartmann, F.M. and Verburg, P.H. 2021. Expanding the toolbox: Assessing methods for local outdoor recreation planning. Landscape and Urban Planning 212 (2021), 104105.
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Measuring Americans’ Comfort With Research Uses of Their Social Media Data
This study evaluates American perspectives on how social media data is used by researchers. A scenario-based survey with American Facebook users demonstrated that factors such as the type of researcher, content, purpose of data use, and awareness of data collection influence their level of comfort or concern regarding data use. This study provides recommendations for…
Citation
Gilbert, S., Vitak, J. and Shilton, K. 2021. Measuring Americans’ comfort with research uses of their social media data. Social Media + Society 7(3): 1-13.
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No Walk in the Park: The Viability and Fairness of Social Media Analysis for Parks and Recreation Policy Making
This study examines the biases in social media analyses using different data sources that estimate the number and demographics of visitors to urban parks. Flickr, Instagram, an on-site survey, an online/phone survey, and an AI facial recognition program are utilized to address the bias that can be generated from different social media platforms. The number…
Citation
Mashhadi, A., Winder, S.G., Lia, E.H. and Wood, S.A. 2021. No walk in the park: the viability and fairness of social media analysis for parks and recreational policy making. In Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media 15: 409-420.
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Uses and Limitations of Social Media to Inform Visitor Use Management in Parks and Protected Areas: A Systematic Review
This study reviews the scientific literature of studies using social media to measure visitation patterns and visitors’ experiences in parks and outdoor recreational areas. The majority of studies they reviewed (79%) used a single social media platform, with Flickr being the most common. The authors provide five “best practices” which are a list of recommendations…
Citation
Wilkins, E.J., Wood, S.A. and Smith, J.W. 2021. Uses and limitations of social media to inform visitor use management in parks and protected areas: A systematic review. Environmental Management 67(1): 120-132.
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Using Social Media Data to Evaluate Urban Parks Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Region
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This study measures use and perceptions of eight urban parks in Bucharest, Romania, using Instagram posts and Google reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of posts and reviews was found to be correlated with the initial lockdown, as both on average decreased during March, April, and May, and increased after June as restrictions lessened…
Citation
Niță, M.R., Arsene, M., Barbu, G., Cus, A.G., Ene, M., Serban, R.M., Stama, C.M. and Stoia, L.N. 2021. Using social media data to evaluate urban parks use during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18(20), 10860.
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Next-generation visitation models using social media to estimate recreation on public lands
This study evaluates how social media predicts visitation across multiple sites. Two geographically different areas were chosen to evaluate how well visitation models can be generalized to different areas. Adding social media data to a model was found to improve visitor estimates at unmonitored sites, even when a model is parameterized with data from another…
Citation
Wood, S.A., Winder, S.G., Lia, E.H., White, E.M., L. Crowley, C.S. and Milnor, A.A. 2020. Next-generation visitation models using social media to estimate recreation on public lands. Scientific Reports, 10, 15419.
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Using social media images to assess ecosystem services in a remote protected area in the Argentinean Andes
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Region
Year
In this study, Flickr is used to evaluate the perception and attitudes of day-use and multi-day adventure-based visitors on Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. The study aims to determine the relative popularity of different parts of the park and how the Flickr image content differs between the easily accessible day-use areas and more remote areas of…
Citation
Rossi, S.D., Barros, A., Walden-Schreiner, C. and Pickering, C. 2020. Using social media images to assess ecosystem services in a remote protected area in the Argentinean Andes. Ambio 49:1146-1160.
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Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter: Assessing the usability of social media data for visitor monitoring in protected areas
This 2014 study compares data from Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr to assess how official visitation statistics and social media predictions of visitation compare in 56 national parks in Finland and South Africa. Social-media-based visitor estimates match relatively well with the official visitor counts, although Instagram outperformed Twitter and Flickr. After the results were modeled, national…
Citation
Tenkanen, H., Di Minin, E., Heikinheimo, V., et al. 2017. Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter: Assessing the usability of social media data for visitor monitoring in protected areas. Scientific Reports 7, 17615.
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Using data derived from cellular phone locations to estimate visitation to natural areas: An application to water recreation in New England, USA
This study compares cell phone location data to onsite observations at 577 water access areas in New England and Massachusetts. A statistical model was built to estimate daily visitation with cell data for the summer months of 2017. The model accurately predicted visitation to the 577 water-access areas.
Citation
Merrill, N.H., Atkinson, S.F., Mulvaney, K.K., Mazzotta, M.J. and Bousquin, J. 2020. Using data derived from cellular phone locations to estimate visitation to natural areas: An application to water recreation in New England, USA. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231863.
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Continental-scale quantification of landscape values using social media data
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Region
Year
This study compares three social media platforms (Panoramio, Flickr, and Instagram) and their applicability for mapping and quantifying landscape values at a continental scale through multiple models. The authors assume that landscape values increase as posts about the areas increase, interpreting spatial concentrations of posts as indicators of higher landscape values derived from aesthetic enjoyment…
Citation
Van Zanten, B.T., Van Berkel, D.B., Meentemeyer, R.K., Smith, J.W., Tieskens, K.F. and Verburg, P.H. 2016. Continental-scale quantification of landscape values using social media data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(46):12974-12979.
Library of Trails Benefits
This Trails Benefits Library is a collection of studies on the positive impacts of trails on businesses, public health, and quality of life. Use this form to search by type of benefit, use, year, and region.