Citation:

Carlson, J., K. Williams, J. Launspach, T. Angradi, Dave Bolgrien, AND J. Hoffman. A Method for Analyzing Volunteered Geographic Information to Visualize Community Valuation of Ecosystem Services. St. Louis River Summit, Superior, WI, March 14 - 15, 2017.

Impact/Purpose:

This poster will demonstrate a method for translating values expressed in social media photos into ecosystem services and spatially-explicit data to be used in multiple settings.

Description:

Volunteered geographic information (VGI) can be used to identify public valuation of ecosystem services in a defined geographic area using photos as a representation of lived experiences. This method can help researchers better survey and report on the values and preferences of stakeholders involved in rehabilitation and revitalization projects. Current research utilizes VGI in the form of geotagged social media photos from three platforms: Flickr, Instagram, and Panaramio. Social media photos have been obtained for the neighborhoods next to the St. Louis River in Duluth, Minnesota, and are being analyzed along several dimensions. These dimensions include the spatial distribution of each platform, the characteristics of the physical environment portrayed in the photos, and finally, the ecosystem service depicted. In this poster, we focus on the photos from the Irving and Fairmount neighborhoods of Duluth, MN to demonstrate the method at the neighborhood scale. This study demonstrates a method for translating the values expressed in social media photos into ecosystem services and spatially-explicit data to be used in multiple settings, including the City of Duluth’s Comprehensive Planning and community revitalization efforts, habitat restoration in a Great Lakes Area of Concern, and the USEPA’s Office of Research and Development.

Record Details: