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Assessing Forest Recreational Potential from Social Media Data and Remote Sensing Technologies Data
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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…
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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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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…
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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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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.…
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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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Economic Impacts of Local Park Visitor Spending on Local Communities: A Case of Mississippi Parks
This study analyzes the economic impacts of visitor expenditures at local parks operated by the Pat Harrison Waterway District (PHWD) in Mississippi which provide amenities like boat launches, fishing opportunities, camping, and trails. A survey and input-output model from IMPLAN is used to model expenditures. Visitors’ total local spending was estimated to be $5.1 million…
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Choi, J. and Jeon, H. 2021. Economic Impacts of Local Park Visitor Spending on Local Communities: A Case of Mississippi Parks. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 5(2): 37-44.
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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…
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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…
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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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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…
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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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Economic Analysis of Outdoor Recreation in Washington State 2020 Update
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This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Washington State. The report includes estimates on spending, jobs, income, impact on GDP, consumer surplus, and environmental benefits of outdoor recreation. In 2019, outdoor recreation in Washington contributed $26.5 billion in spending and supported 264,000 jobs, compared to $21.5 billion and…
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Mojica, J. and Fletcher, A. 2020. Economic Analysis of Outdoor Recreation in Washington State, 2020 Update. Tacoma, WA: Earth Economics.
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Environmental Justice and Outdoor Recreation Opportunities: A spatially explicit assessment in Oslo metropolitan area, Norway
This study assesses outdoor recreation opportunities focusing on green space accessibility for different demographic groups in the Oslo metropolitan area in Norway. Overall, most people prefer large wooded green areas, high tree density, and water presence. Migrants and low-income households were found to have relatively less access to places for daily recreation.
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Suárez, M., Barton, D.N., Cimburova, Z., Rusch, G.M., Gómez-Baggethun, E. and Onaindia, M. 2020. Environmental justice and outdoor recreation opportunities: A spatially explicit assessment in Oslo metropolitan area, Norway. Environmental Science & Policy 108(2020): 133-143.
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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…
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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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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…
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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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Equity in Access to Outdoor Recreation – Informing a Sustainable Future.
Residents in four large metropolitan areas in California were interviewed by phone to determine differences in outdoor recreation participation in national forests by ethnoracial groups, age, and gender. The researchers found that the most listed constraint to participation among all groups was a lack of time, though minority respondents were more likely to list resource-related…
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Winter, P.L., Crano, W.D., Basáñez, T. and Lamb, C.S. 2019. Equity in access to outdoor recreation—Informing a sustainable future. Sustainability 12(1), 124.
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Recreation Equity: Is the Forest Service Serving Its Diverse Publics?
Across the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities visit national forests much less than white counterparts from neighboring counties. This disparity is the most pronounced in areas with the highest share of minorities living nearby, suggesting a significant need for creative outreach efforts.
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Flores, D., Falco, G., Roberts, N.S., and Valenzuela III, F.P. 2018. Recreation Equity: Is the Forest Service Serving Its Diverse Publics? Journal of Forestry 116(3): 266-272.
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Impact of a Park-Based Afterschool Program Replicated Over Five Years on Modifiable Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
A daily afterschool program in Miami-Dade County, Florida observes significant decreases in body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure between the beginning and end of the school year. Findings from this research suggest consistent, long-term afterschool programs can effectively reduce childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease risk.
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Messiah, S.E., Vidot, D., Hansen, E., Kardys, J., Matthew, M.S., Nardi, M. and Arheart, K.L., 2017. Impact of a park-based afterschool program replicated over five years on modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors. Preventive Medicine 95: 66-73.
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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…
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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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Continental-scale quantification of landscape values using social media data
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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…
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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.
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Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Coordinated Care: Development of a Park Prescription Program
In Miami-Dade County, Florida, researchers evaluated the structure of a pilot project connecting children, families, and their pediatricians to a park-based afterschool program. This study describes important factors encouraging ongoing support from participating families and pediatricians, as well as ways to measure the effectiveness of prescription parks programs.
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Messiah, S.E., Jiang, S., Kardys, J., Hansen, E., Nardi, M. and Forster, L., 2016. Reducing childhood obesity through coordinated care: Development of a park prescription program. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics 5(3): 234.
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Park-Based Afterschool Program to Improve Cardiovascular Health and Physical Fitness in Children with Disabilities
In Miami-Dade County, Florida, an afterschool, park-based program is effective in improving physical fitness among a sample of 52 children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Afterschool programs may be an effective strategy to increase physical activity among disabled children, who tend to be less physically active than their non-disabled peers.
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Haney, K., Messiah, S.E., Arheart, K.L., Hanson, E., Diego, A., Kardys, J., Kirwin, K., Nottage, R., Ramirez, S., Somarriba, G. and Binhack, L., 2014. Park-based afterschool program to improve cardiovascular health and physical fitness in children with disabilities. Disability and Health Journal 7(3): 335-342.
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Exploring the Distribution of Park Availability, Features, and Quality Across Kansas City, Missouri by Income and Race/Ethnicity: An Environmental Justice Investigation
This study explores the disparities in park availability, components, and quality across socioeconomic and racially/ethnically diverse census tracts in Kansas City, Missouri. The authors found that low-income census tracts contained a higher amount of parks, but also had more quality concerns per park and fewer parks with playgrounds. Categorizing census tracts into high minority (where…
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Vaughan, K.B., Kaczynski, A.T., Wilhelm Stanis, S.A., Besenyi, G.M., Bergstrom, R. and Heinrich, K.M. 2013. Exploring the distribution of park availability, features, and quality across Kansas City, Missouri by income and race/ethnicity: An environmental justice investigation. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 45(Suppl_1): S28-S38.
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Neighborhood Poverty, Park Use, and Park-Based Physical Activity in a Southern California City
A large study of 50 urban parks in Southern California measures park use by nearby residents and other users across high-, medium-, and low-poverty areas, finding that parks are used less in high-poverty areas. Those who do use parks in high-poverty areas, however, on average use the parks more per week, are more likely to…
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Cohen, D.A., Han, B., Derose, K.P., Williamson, S., Marsh, T., Rudick, J. and McKenzie, T.L., 2012. Neighborhood poverty, park use, and park-based physical activity in a Southern California city. Social Science & Medicine 75(12): 2317-2325.
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Childhood Obesity and Proximity to Urban Parks and Recreational Resources: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
By following a large sample of children over time, this study demonstrates that children who participate in recreation programs, or who live a walkable distance from parks, are much less likely to be obese or overweight. These benefits can be achieved through formal parks and programs, but also through accessible green space or other small,…
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Wolch, J., Jerrett, M., Reynolds, K., McConnell, R., Chang, R., Dahmann, N., Brady, K., Gilliland, F., Su, J.G. and Berhane, K., 2011. Childhood obesity and proximity to urban parks and recreational resources: a longitudinal cohort study. Health & Place 17(1): 207-214.
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Children with Attention Deficits Concentrate Better After Walk in the Park
A formal walking program for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) finds that low-intensity walks in an urban park are associated with significantly greater improvement in cognitive function than similar walks in residential or downtown settings. The improvements measured are on par with improvements associated with the most typical medications prescribed for ADHD,…
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Faber Taylor, A. and Kuo, F.E., 2009. Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of Attention Disorders 12(5): 402-409.
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Parks and Park Funding in Los Angeles: An Equity-Mapping Analysis
In Los Angeles, historic land use policies that emphasized low-density housing and did not prioritize public park spaces have led to significant inequities of park access across race, ethnicity, and income. A fund designed to improve access to public parks could exacerbate this problem unless it considers proposals for nontraditional public spaces such as schoolyards…
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Wolch, J., Wilson, J.P. and Fehrenbach, J., 2005. Parks and park funding in Los Angeles: An equity-mapping analysis. Urban Geography 26(1): 4-35.
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Outdoor Recreation Constraints: An Examination of Race, Gender, and Rural Dwelling
In this study from 2001, the authors use the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment to better understand the constraints faced by black people, women, and rural residents in the U.S. when they attempt to participate in their favorite outdoor recreation activities. They found that women are most likely to feel constrained by personal…
Citation
Johnson, C.Y., Bowker, J.M. and Cordell, H.K. 2001. Outdoor recreation constraints: An examination of race, gender, and rural dwelling. Journal of Rural Social Sciences 17(1): 6.
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.