New paper: Bridging the information gap: A webGIS tool for rural electrification in data-scarce regions

Müller, M F, S E Thompson, and M Kelly. 2016. Bridging the information gap: A webGIS tool for rural electrification in data-scarce regions. Applied Energy 171(1): 277-286

Rural electrification in developing countries is often hampered by major information gaps between local communities and urban centers, where technical expertise and fund- ing are concentrated. The tool presented in this paper addresses these gaps to support the implementation of off-grid micro hydropower infrastructure. Specifically, we present a method to site, size and evaluate the potential for micro hydropower based on re- mote sensing data. The method improves on previous approaches by (i) incorporating the effect of hillslope topography on the optimal layout of the infrastructure, and (ii) accounting for the constraints imposed by streamflow variability and local electricity demand on the optimal size of the plants. An assessment of the method’s performance against 148 existing schemes indicates that it correctly identifies the most promising locations for hydropower in Nepal, but does not generally reproduce the specific design features of constructed plants, which are affected by site-specific constraints. We develop a proof-of-concept computer tool to explore the potential of webGIS technology to account for these constraints by collecting site-specitic information from local users. Journal link. 

Keywords: Micro hydropower, WebGIS, Nepal, DEM 

Mapping discussions about forests and forest management

Lei, S. and M. Kelly. 2015. Evaluating adaptive collaborative management in Sierra Nevada forests by exploring public meeting dialogues using Self-Organizing Maps. Society and Natural Resources (28)8: 873-890

Heat map of discussion in SNAMP meetings: red conveys most consistently discussed topics; blue conveys least consistently discussedCollaborative adaptive management (CAM) is an appropriate management regime for social-ecological systems because it aims to reduce management uncertainties and fosters collaboration among diverse stakeholders. We evaluate the effectiveness of CAM in fostering collaboration among contentious multiparty environmental stakeholders based the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project (SNAMP). Our evaluation focuses on facilitated public multiparty discussions (2005-2012). Self-organizing maps (SOM), an unsupervised machine-learning method, were used to process, organize, and visualize the public meeting notes.

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Tracking information production and use in adaptive management

Lei, S., A. Iles, and M. Kelly. 2015. Characterizing the networks of digital information that support collaborative adaptive forest management in Sierra Nevada forests. Environmental Management 56(1): 94-109

Tracking where some of our lidar papers are being citedSome of the factors that can contribute to the success of collaborative adaptive management – such as social learning, open communication, and trust - are built upon a foundation of the open exchange of information about science and management between participants and the public.  Despite the importance of information transparency, the use and flow of information in collaborative adaptive management has not been characterized in detail in the literature, and currently there exist opportunities to develop strategies for increasing the exchange of information, as well as to track information flow in such contexts. We use powerful new information monitoring tools to characterize information products generated in the SNAMP program through their production, transport, use, and monitoring.

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Sampling effects in PPGIS and VGI for public lands management

Brown, G., M. Kelly and D. Whital. 2013. Which “public”? Sampling effects in public participation GIS (PPGIS) and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) systems for public lands management. Journal of Environmental Planning and Environment 57(2): 190-214. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2012.741045

Web 2.0 technologies including Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) and Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) provide methods for engaging multiple publics in public lands management. We examined the effects of sampling in a PPGIS/VGI application for national forest planning in the U.S. A random sample (RS) of households and a volunteer public (VP) were invited to participate in an internet-based PPGIS to identify national forest values and use preferences. Spatial and non-spatial group responses were analysed. The VP group expressed stronger utilitarian values and consumptive use preferences while the RS group preferred forest amenities. These results would lead to different planning decisions. PPGIS/VGI methods should include scientific sampling to ground-truth voluntary participation. Journal Link.

Key words: public participation . PPGIS . volunteered geographic information . VGI . forest planning . public lands

Using the web as a participatory tool in adaptive management

Kelly, M., S. Ferranto, S. Lei, K. Ueda, L. Huntsinger. 2012. Expanding the table: The web as a tool for participatory adaptive management in California forests. Journal of Environmental Management 109: 1-11

Participatory adaptive management is widely promoted as the new paradigm in public lands management. It is grounded in two underlying principles - that management experiments and diverse sources of information should be used to continually refine management in complex ecological systems, and that the public must be included throughout the adaptive management process. Access to scientific results and exchange of information is at the core of both of these principles. The recent proliferation of Internet communities and web-based participation tools raises the question of how the Internet might help facilitate information exchange in participatory adaptive management. Using a case study approach, the role of web technologies in facilitating the flow of transparent and useful information was examined in a participatory adaptive management project focused on Forest Service vegetation management treatments in California’s Sierra Nevada.

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How do forest and rangeland owners in California get information about environmental sustainability?

Ferranto, S., L. Huntsinger, C. Getz, W. Stewart, G. Nakamura, and M. Kelly. 2012. Consider the source: The impact of media and authority in outreach to California’s forest and rangeland owners. Journal of Environmental Management 97(1): 131-140.

Over half of the United States is privately owned. Improving environmental sustainability requires that the scientific and management communities provide effective outreach to the many landowners making decisions about land use and management practices on these lands. We surveyed California forest and rangeland owners in ten counties throughout the state to assess the impact of existing outreach and identify gaps in information distribution and content. Although a number of organizations provide land management advice highly-ranked by landowners, no individual organization currently reaches more than 30% of forest and rangeland owners, and these groups together reach less than 60% of landowners.

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Oakmapper: citizen science, webGIS, and volunteered information

Connors, J., S. Lei and M. Kelly. 2012. Citizen science in the age of neogeography: utilizing volunteered geographic information for environmental monitoring. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 102(6): 1267-1289

The interface between neogeography and citizen science has great potential for environmental monitoring, but this nexus has been explored less often than each subject individually. In this article we review the emerging role of volunteered geographic information in citizen science, and present a case study of an integrated toolset that engages multiple types of users (from targeted citizen-based observation networks, expert-driven focused monitoring, and opportunistic crowdsourcing efforts) in monitoring a forest disease in the western U.S.

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Web‐based participatory research informatics

Pederson et al. 2007. Ecological Informatics. Scientific datasets are often generated and used by “communities”, or groups of users and creators. Here we describe a system for promoting collaboration in the creation, maintenance, and use of dynamic data over the web.

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webGIS as a tool for sustainable natural resource management

Kearns et al. 2003. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Whether tracking invasive species, assessing water quality, or monitoring the spread of disease, comprehensive data collection is a key component of sustainable natural resource management. Increasingly, fostering community-based monitoring is seen as a valuable way to augment data gathering and enhance public involvement in environmental management.

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WebGIS for monitoring sudden oak death in California

Kelly and Tuxen. 2003. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. This paper describes in detail how the oakmapper webGIS application was developed, implemented, and used, and discusses some of the common application problems associated with the project, as well as the larger societal issues of Internet access, quality control, and privacy.

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