Gateways as a means of visitor management in national parks and protected areas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beunen, R.; Regnerus, H.D.; Jaarsma, C.F.

2008-01-01

Managers of national parks and other protected areas need to balance visitor needs with conservation objectives. In Western Europe, these areas are often part of a "living landscape" where people live and work and where the area roads are used not only by visitors but also by utilitarian local bound

Man-Made Wildlife Tourism Destination: The Visitors Perspective on Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boyd Sun Fatt

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Sabah is blessed with natural forest habitats and rich with floras and faunas. Amongst its’ attraction is wildlife endemism. Lok Kawi Wildlife Park was established to provide an alternative wildlife tourism destination with its inhabitants from the wildlife species of Borneo. Since its opening in 2007, multitudes of tourists have visited the park. However, there has been no study to identify the visitor’s perspective on Lok Kawi Wildlife Park as man-made wildlife tourism destination. The study aims to assist the park’s management for the betterment of the park’s facilities and future development. A convenience sampling and a designed questionnaire was applied in this study, distributed after the visitors visited the park. The results showed that majority of the visitors were Malaysian and only a quarter were foreign visitors. Majority indicated that visiting the park is for recreational outing (holiday and only a few indicated that is an educational visit. Majority of the respondents knew the meaning of wildlife tourism and visiting the park’s is part of wildlife tourism. Most of the respondents came to know about the park’s existence through the local media and mostly agreed that the park indeed provide an authentic learning experience about wildlife, whilst creating wildlife conservation awareness.

77 FR 46113 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Cape Lookout National Park Visitor and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-02

... data about visitors that can be used to prepare resource management planning documents. Lessons learned... Information Collection; Comment Request; Cape Lookout National Park Visitor and Community Survey AGENCY...) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the Information Collection (IC) described...

Lightning safety awareness of visitors in three California national parks.

Science.gov (United States)

Weichenthal, Lori; Allen, Jacoby; Davis, Kyle P; Campagne, Danielle; Snowden, Brandy; Hughes, Susan

2011-09-01

To assess the level of lightning safety awareness among visitors at 3 national parks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. A 12-question, short answer convenience sample survey was administered to participants 18 years of age and over concerning popular trails and points of interest with known lightning activity. There were 6 identifying questions and 5 knowledge-based questions pertaining to lightning that were scored on a binary value of 0 or 1 for a total of 10 points for the survey instrument. Volunteers in Fresno, California, were used as a control group. Participants were categorized as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI), frontcountry (FC), or backcountry (BC); Yosemite National Park (YNP) FC or BC; and Fresno. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences between groups. 467 surveys were included for analysis: 77 in Fresno, 192 in SEKI, and 198 in YNP. National park participants demonstrated greater familiarity with lightning safety than individuals from the metropolitan community (YNP 5.84 and SEKI 5.65 vs Fresno 5.14, P = .0032). There were also differences noted between the BC and FC subgroups (YNP FC 6.07 vs YNP BC 5.62, P = .02; YNP FC 6.07 vs SEKI FC 5.58, P = .02). Overall results showed that participants had certain basic lightning knowledge but lacked familiarity with other key lightning safety recommendations. While there are statistically significant differences in lightning safety awareness between national parks and metropolitan participants, the clinical impact of these findings are debatable. This study provides a starting point for providing educational outreach to visitors in these national parks. Copyright © 2011 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The new Globe car park: for visitors and the CERN community

CERN Multimedia

2014-01-01

With twice as many parking spaces as the existing car park by the flagpoles and the same conditions of use (see here), the new Globe car park will be open for use from Monday 5 May.   The new Globe car park: the blue spaces are reserved for P+R pass holders. The new car park, which will be inaugurated on Monday 28 April by CERN’s Director-General in the presence of officials representing the Canton of Geneva and the sub-prefecture of the Ain, will better cater to the needs of CERN’s many visitors. The large number of spaces (around 100) reserved for P+R users will encourage the use of public transport, which will be particularly important at peak times. From autumn 2014, the Globe car park will completely replace the flagpole car park, where the new Esplanade des Particules will be built.

Factors Affecting the Number of Visitors in National Parks in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josef Stemberk

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In the context of national-level strategies, the importance of tourism in national parks is on the rise. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the number of visitors to national parks and five variables: area, number of employees, budget, average employee salary and number of researchers in 12 national parks in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Analysis of factors influencing the number of visitors to national parks uses the method of retrospective analysis of the data contained in internal documents and questionnaires among managers of national parks. The number of candidate predictors is relatively high when compared with the number of observations. Due to this fact, the Gilmour method for statistical analysis is used. Statistical results represented by the parameter β2 for number of employees is −33,016 (95% CI, −50,592–−15,441 and by the parameter β3 for budget is 0.586 (95% CI, 0.295–0.878, showing that the number of visitors increases with budget, while it decreases with the number of employees. The results of this study are a useful starting point for managers in their efforts to focus on developing key areas in an appropriate way. In conclusion, results show that increasing the economic benefits accruing from national parks regional policy could aim at a qualitative upgrading of tourist services, increased marketing of the unique national park label and the promotion of a diverse regional supply base.

Assessment of Visitor Satisfaction in Mole National Park, Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Conrad-J.Wuleka Kuuder

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Arrivals to Mole National Park (MNP, the largest in Ghana were projected by management to reach 100,000 guests by the close of2010. As at the end of December 2008, the park recorded only 16, 807 guest arrivals, the highest so far in its existence. By the close of year 2010, only 14,336 tourist arrivals were recorded registering a drop, hence an illusion in attaining the2010 set target and even subsequent years to come. This therefore gave a clue that revenue generated is not always enough to support park administration and community development. This paper explores the underlying reasons accounting for this trend by finding out tourists’ preferences in the park, the category of people who patronized the park most and sourcing guest views on what can be done to make the park more attractive. A five month period was used to elicit information from498 tourists who visited the Park employing questionnaire administration and interview schedules. The results analyzed revealed that student groups in second cycle and tertiary institutions patronized the park most on the domestic front, whilst on the foreign front, all guests contacted were educated above high school level and many of them (57% were on holiday in Ghana. The driving force (motivation behind these visits was to see animals in the wild. The most preferred wildlife species visitors came to view were elephants, monkeys, lions, buffalo and birds respectively. The recommendation is made that the road linking major cities and towns to the Park which is “rough and rugged” be rehabilitated if government needs to improve tourists’ inflow to the park.

Weather and Tourism: Thermal Comfort and Zoological Park Visitor Attendance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David R. Perkins

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Weather events have the potential to greatly impact business operations and profitability, especially in outdoor-oriented economic sectors such as Tourism, Recreation, and Leisure (TRL. Although a substantive body of work focuses on the macroscale impacts of climate change, less is known about how daily weather events influence attendance decisions, particularly relating to the physiological thermal comfort levels of each visitor. To address this imbalance, this paper focuses on ambient thermal environments and visitor behavior at the Phoenix and Atlanta zoos. Daily visitor attendances at each zoo from September 2001 to June 2011, were paired with the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET to help measure the thermal conditions most likely experienced by zoo visitors. PET was calculated using hourly atmospheric variables of temperature, humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at each zoological park location and then classified based on thermal comfort categories established by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE. The major findings suggested that in both Phoenix and Atlanta, optimal thermal regimes for peak attendance occurred within “slightly warm” and “warm” PET-based thermal categories. Additionally, visitors seemed to be averse to the most commonly occurring thermal extreme since visitors appeared to avoid the zoo on excessively hot days in Phoenix and excessively cold days in Atlanta. Finally, changes in the daily weather impacted visitor attendance as both zoos experienced peak attendance on days with dynamic changes in the thermal regimes and depressed attendances on days with stagnant thermal regimes. Building a better understanding of how weather events impact visitor demand can help improve our assessments of the potential impacts future climate change may have on tourism.

Using synoptic weather types to predict visitor attendance at Atlanta and Indianapolis zoological parks

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, David R.

2018-01-01

Defining an ideal "tourism climate" has been an often-visited research topic where explanations have evolved from global- to location-specific indices tailored to tourists' recreational behavior. Unfortunately, as indices become increasingly specific, they are less translatable across geographies because they may only apply to specific activities, locales, climates, or populations. A key need in the future development of weather and climate indices for tourism has been a translatable, meteorologically based index capturing the generalized ambient atmospheric conditions yet considering local climatology. To address this need, this paper tests the applicability of the spatial synoptic classification (SSC) as a tool to predict visitor attendance response in the tourism, recreation, and leisure (TRL) sector across different climate regimes. Daily attendance data is paired with the prevailing synoptic weather condition at Atlanta and Indianapolis zoological parks from September 2001 to June 2011, to review potential impacts ambient atmospheric conditions may have on visitor attendances. Results indicate that "dry moderate" conditions are most associated with high levels of attendance and "moist polar" synoptic conditions are most associated with low levels of attendance at both zoological parks. Comparing visitor response at these zoo locations, visitors in Indianapolis showed lower levels of tolerance to synoptic conditions which were not "ideal." Visitors in Indianapolis also displayed more aversion to "polar" synoptic regimes while visitors in Atlanta displayed more tolerance to "moist tropical" synoptic regimes. Using a comprehensive atmospheric measure such as the SSC may be a key to broadening application when assessing tourism climates across diverse geographies.

Evaluating multiple dimensions of visitors' tradeoffs between access and crowding at Arches National Park using indifference curve analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Steven R. Lawson; Robert E. Manning

2001-01-01

Tradeoffs are an inherent part of many of the decisions faced by outdoor recreation managers. For example, decisions concerning the social carrying capacity of popular attraction sites involve tradeoffs between limiting visitor use to ensure a high quality experience and allowing high levels of visitor use to ensure that large numbers of visitors retain access to park...

Desktop analysis of potential impacts of visitor use: a case study for the highest park in the Southern Hemisphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Agustina; Pickering, Catherine; Gudes, Ori

2015-03-01

Nature-based tourism and recreation activities have a range of environmental impacts, but most protected area agencies have limited capacity to assess them. To prioritise where and what impacts to monitor and manage, we conducted a desktop assessment using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by combining recreation ecology research with data on visitor usage and key environmental features for a popular protected area used for mountaineering and trekking, Aconcagua Provincial Park (2400-6962 m a.s.l.) in the Andes of Argentina. First, we integrated visitor data from permits with environmental data using GIS. We then identified key impact indicators for different activities based on the recreation ecology literature. Finally, we integrated this data to identify likely ecological impacts based on the types of activities, amount of use and altitudinal zones. Visitors only used 2% of the Park, but use was concentrated in areas of high conservation value including in alpine meadows and glacier lakes. Impacts on water resources were likely to be concentrated in campsites from the intermediate to the nival/glacial zones of the Park while impacts on terrestrial biodiversity were likely to be more severe in the low and intermediate alpine zones (2400-3800 m a.s.l.). These results highlight how visitor data can be used to identify priority areas for on-ground assessment of impacts in key locations. Improvements to the management of visitors in this Park involves more effective ways of dealing with water extraction and human waste in high altitude campsites and the impacts of hikers and pack animals in the low and intermediate alpine zones. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Managing visitor impacts in parks: A multi-method study of the effectiveness of alternative management practices

Science.gov (United States)

Park, L.O.; Marion, J.L.; Manning, R.E.; Lawson, S.R.; Jacobi, C.

2008-01-01

How can recreation use be managed to control associated environmental impacts? What management practices are most effective and why? This study explored these and related questions through a series of experimental ?treatments? and associated ?controls? at the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, a heavily used and environmentally fragile area. The treatments included five management practices designed to keep visitors on maintained trails, and these practices ranged from ?indirect? (information/education) to ?direct? (a fence bordering the trail). Research methods included unobtrusive observation of visitors to determine the percentage of visitors who walked off-trail and a follow-up visitor survey to explore why management practices did or didn?t work. All of the management practices reduced the percentage of visitors who walked off-trail. More aggressive applications of indirect practices were more effective than less aggressive applications, and the direct management practice of fencing was the most effective of all. None of the indirect management practices reduced walking off-trail to a degree that is likely to control damage to soil and vegetation at the study site. Study findings suggest that an integrated suite of direct and indirect management practices be implemented on Cadillac Mountain (and other, similar sites) that includes a) a regulation requiring visitors to stay on the maintained trail, b) enforcement of this regulation as needed, c) unobtrusive fencing along the margins of the trail, d) redesign of the trail to extend it, widen it in key places, and provide short spur trails to key ?photo points?, and e) an aggressive information/education program to inform visitors of the regulation to stay on the trail and the reasons for it. These recommendations are a manifestation of what may be an emerging principle of park and outdoor recreation management: intensive use requires intensive management.

Parks & benefits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Jesper; Christensen, Andreas Aagaard; Holmes, Esbern

2011-01-01

conservation. Increasing visitor flows and cuts in staff resources has put focus on the management of visitor carrying capacities and their relation to landscape structure and zoning. At the same time park authorities face falling public appropriations and receding focus on their conservation functions...... compared to recreation and settlement. The constant priority of the balancing of nature protection and economic utilization gives rise to various experience with land use and visitor management relevant for sustainable development also outside the parks. In European nature parks the handling of visitor...... carrying capacities related to Natura2000-sites and their included habitat type areas is a priority theme for the sustainable management of nature parks. A comparative analysis of conditions and initiatives related to visitor carrying capacities in 8 nature parks in the Baltic region has been carried out...

The influence of place attachment and experience use history on perceived depreciative visitor behavior and crowding in an urban national park.

Science.gov (United States)

Eder, Renate; Arnberger, Arne

2012-10-01

Research on recreational place attachment suggests that place identity, or the emotional/symbolic ties people have to places, and place dependence, which describes a functional attachment to a specific place, influence the perception of social and environmental site conditions. Recent research, however, has found that place attachment is not always a predictor of such perceptions. This study investigated the influence of place attachment and experience use history on the perception of depreciative visitor behavior, recreation impacts and crowding in an urban national park. In 2006, 605 on-site visitors to the heavily-used Viennese part of the Danube Floodplains National Park were asked about past experience, place attachment, perceptions of depreciative visitor behavior, crowding, changes in visitor numbers during the past ten years, and recreation impacts on wildlife. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two dimensions of place attachment. Linear regression analyses found that place identity and place dependence were related to some perceived depreciative visitor behaviors and visitor number changes but not to crowding, while experience use history additionally related to perceived crowding. Visitors with higher place attachment and past experience were more sensitive to social and environmental site conditions. Management implications of the findings are discussed.

The determinants of visitor length of stay at the Kruger National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martinette Kruger

2014-06-01

Conservation implications: The northern and southern regions of the Kruger National Park differ significantly in terms of ecosystems, rainfall, climate and wildlife. From a tourism perspective, these regions should be managed separately taking the distinct differences of the two regions into consideration. Different variables influence visitors’ length of stay in these two regions. Conservation practitioners can use the results of this study to manage visitors to these areas.

Effects of visitor pressure on understory vegetation in Warsaw forested parks (Poland).

Science.gov (United States)

Sikorski, Piotr; Szumacher, Iwona; Sikorska, Daria; Kozak, Marcin; Wierzba, Marek

2013-07-01

Visitor's access to understorey vegetation in park forest stands results in the impoverishment of plant species composition and a reduction in habitat quality. The phenomenon of biotic homogenisation is typical in urban landscapes, but it can proceed differently depending on the scale, a detail that has not been observed in previous studies. This research was carried out in seven Warsaw parks (both public and restricted access). Thirty-four forested areas were randomly selected, some subjected to strong visitors' pressure and some within restricted access areas, free of such impacts. The latter category included woodlands growing in old forest and secondary habitats. Public access to the study areas contributed to the disappearance of some forest species and their replacement by cosmopolitan non-forest species, leading to loss of floristic biodiversity in areas of high ecological importance at the city scale. Some human-induced factors, including soil compaction and changes in soil pH, moisture and capillary volume, were found to cause habitat changes that favoured native non-forest plants. Despite changes in species composition, the taxonomic similarity of understorey vegetation in both categories--public access and restricted access--was comparable. In a distance gradient of measurements taken around selected individual trees, there was found to be significant variation (in light, soil pH and compaction) affecting the quality and quantity of understorey vegetation (including rare species). In conclusion, the protection of rare forest species could be achieved by limiting access to forested areas, particularly in old forest fragments, and we highly recommend its consideration in the proposal of future park restoration plans.

Expenditure-based segmentation of visitors to the Tsitsikamma National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Kruger

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose and/or objectives: The purpose of this article is to apply expenditure-based segmentation to visitors at the Tsitsikamma National Park. The objective of the research is twofold, to identify the socio-demographic and behavioural variables that influence spending at the Tsitsikamma National Park and to make recommendations on how to attract the high-spending market. Problem investigate: The Tsitsikamma National Park is Africa's oldest and largest marine reserve and plays a vital role in the preservation and conservation of marine fauna and flora. The park is also a popular holiday destination for international and local tourists and therefore plays an important role in the regional economy. Due to the importance of the park to the community and region, the Tsitsikamma National Park needs to attract more high spenders since this will contribute to the sustainability of the park. Expenditure-based segmentation is regarded as the best method for creating a profile of the high-spending market. Design and/or methodology and/or approach: To achieve this, tourist surveys from 2001 to 2008 were used. In total, 593 questionnaires were used in the analysis. Statistical analysis was done by applying K-means clustering and Pearson's chi-square as well as ANOVA analysis. Findings and/or implications: The research revealed that the province of origin, group size, length of stay and accommodation preference have a positive influence on higher spending. Originality and/or value of the research : Even though this type of research has been done for the Kruger National Park, a more innovative approach was followed by using K-means clustering, which is also the first time that this approach was used in determining the high-spending market at the Tsitsikamma National Park. Conclusion: Two distinct markets were identified. These were the high and low spenders where the most significant differences were with regard to province of origin, group size, length of

Understanding motivation of visitors at dark tourism sites : Case study of August 7th Memorial Park, Kenya

OpenAIRE

Gaya, Esther

2013-01-01

Recently, the fascination of death and disaster has influenced the tourism scene and today, millions of visitors from all over the world travel to sites of death and disaster. This study aims to identify what motivates tourists to visit sites of death and disaster in order to understand better visitor behavior at such sites and specifically the August 7th Memorial Park, Kenya; which was the site of a 1998 terrorist bomb attack that caused the deaths of 218 people and injured thousands more. ...

Socio-demographic and behavioural determinants of visitor spending at the Kruger National Park in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Saayman

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The Kruger National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the world and one of South Africa’s prime tourism destinations.  It attracts more than 1 million visitors per year and, as such, plays an important role in the regional and national economy.   The article aims to assess the extent to which socio-demographic and behavioural indicators influence the spending of tourists to the Park.  From 2001-2007 surveys have been conducted amongst tourists to the Park including a number of socio-demographic, behavioural and motivational questions, totalling 2 904 questionnaires used in the analysis.  The methodology includes both cross-sectional regression analysis and pseudo-panel data analysis to identify and compare possible influences on spending.  Findings indicate that, even though a combination of socio-demographic, behavioural and motivational factors influence spending at National Parks, behavioural indicators seem to be the most important and consistent influencer.

The Effect of Visitor Satisfaction Level on Willingness to Pay at Plengkung, in Alas Purwo National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mona Annisa Matondang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available One of ecotourism destinations in Indonesia is located in the Plengkung Beach at Alas Purwo National Park, Banyuwangi, East Java. Plengkung is one of the world's best locations for surfing activities which can be equated with Hawaii, Australia and South Africa. It was attract tourists to visit Plengkung. Each investor should pay attention to visitor satisfaction in order to maintain and increase the number of visitors. However, visitor satisfaction could be reflected through the improvement of service quality. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of visitor satisfaction based on service quality at PT Plengkung Indah Wisata and PT Wanasari Pramudita Ananta in Plengkung, to measure the value of ecotourism satisfaction using the willingness to pay (WTP approach and to know the effect of visitor satisfaction level on WTP after doing ecotourism activities. The research was conducted in June-October 2016 with data collection method using quesionnaires, interviews and literature studies. The effect of visitor satisfaction level on WTP of ecotourism activities in Plengkung was analyzed using bivariate correlation analysis (parson correlation coefficient with p-value <0,05. The results showed that PT WPA had better service quality, hence it got higher satisfaction score which is 4,8. The WTP in PT WPA was greater than PT PIW, that is Rp 15.452.370 since PT WPA had a higher level of visitor satisfaction than PT PIW. The correlation test results proved that the level of visitor satisfaction significantly affect the WTP with a value of 0,031.Keyword: ecotourism, visitor satisfaction level, WTP.

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) - FIELDS Integration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pulsipher, Brent A.; Wilson, John E.; Gilbert, Richard O.; Hassig, Nancy L.; Carlson, Deborah K.; Bing-Canar, John; Cooper, Brian; Roth, Chuck

2003-04-19

Two software packages, VSP 2.1 and FIELDS 3.5, are being used by environmental scientists to plan the number and type of samples required to meet project objectives, display those samples on maps, query a database of past sample results, produce spatial models of the data, and analyze the data in order to arrive at defensible decisions. VSP 2.0 is an interactive tool to calculate optimal sample size and optimal sample location based on user goals, risk tolerance, and variability in the environment and in lab methods. FIELDS 3.0 is a set of tools to explore the sample results in a variety of ways to make defensible decisions with quantified levels of risk and uncertainty. However, FIELDS 3.0 has a small sample design module. VSP 2.0, on the other hand, has over 20 sampling goals, allowing the user to input site-specific assumptions such as non-normality of sample results, separate variability between field and laboratory measurements, make two-sample comparisons, perform confidence interval estimation, use sequential search sampling methods, and much more. Over 1,000 copies of VSP are in use today. FIELDS is used in nine of the ten U.S. EPA regions, by state regulatory agencies, and most recently by several international countries. Both software packages have been peer-reviewed, enjoy broad usage, and have been accepted by regulatory agencies as well as site project managers as key tools to help collect data and make environmental cleanup decisions. Recently, the two software packages were integrated, allowing the user to take advantage of the many design options of VSP, and the analysis and modeling options of FIELDS. The transition between the two is simple for the user – VSP can be called from within FIELDS, automatically passing a map to VSP and automatically retrieving sample locations and design information when the user returns to FIELDS. This paper will describe the integration, give a demonstration of the integrated package, and give users download

Developing social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park: Manager-defined versus visitor-defined standards

Science.gov (United States)

Kristopher J. Lah

2000-01-01

This research compared the differences found between manager-defined and visitor-defined social standards for wilderness encounters in Mount Rainier National Park. Social standards in recreation areas of public land are defined by what is acceptable to the public, in addition to the area’s management. Social standards for the encounter indicator in Mount Rainier’s...

Free Surface Downgoing VSP Multiple Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Maula, Fahdi; Dac, Nguyen

2018-03-01

The common usage of a vertical seismic profile is to capture the reflection wavefield (upgoing wavefield) so that it can be used for further well tie or other interpretations. Borehole Seismic (VSP) receivers capture the reflection from below the well trajectory, traditionally no seismic image information above trajectory. The non-traditional way of processing the VSP multiple can be used to expand the imaging above the well trajectory. This paper presents the case study of using VSP downgoing multiples for further non-traditional imaging applications. In general, VSP processing, upgoing and downgoing arrivals are separated during processing. The up-going wavefield is used for subsurface illumination, whereas the downgoing wavefield and multiples are normally excluded from the processing. In a situation where the downgoing wavefield passes the reflectors several times (multiple), the downgoing wavefield carries reflection information. Its benefit is that it can be used for seismic tie up to seabed, and possibility for shallow hazards identifications. One of the concepts of downgoing imaging is widely known as mirror-imaging technique. This paper presents a case study from deep water offshore Vietnam. The case study is presented to demonstrate the robustness of the technique, and the limitations encountered during its processing.

Reducing visitor noise levels at Muir Woods National Monument using experimental management.

Science.gov (United States)

Stack, David W; Peter, Newman; Manning, Robert E; Fristrup, Kurt M

2011-03-01

Noise impacts resources and visitor experience in many protected natural areas, and visitors can be the dominant source of noise. This experimental study tested the efficacy and acceptability of signs asking visitors to be quiet at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Signs declaring a "quiet zone" (at the park's Cathedral Grove) or a "quiet day" (throughout the park) were posted on a randomized schedule that included control days (no signs). Visitor surveys were conducted to measure the cognitive and behavioral responses of visitors to the signs and test the acceptability of these management practices to visitors. Visitors were highly supportive of these management practices and reported that they consciously limited the amount of noise they produced. Sound level measurements showed substantial decreases on days when signs were posted. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Giving voice to wildlands visitors: Selecting indicators to protect and sustain experiences in the eastern arctic of Nunavut

Science.gov (United States)

Alan Watson; Brian Glaspell; Neal Christensen; Paul Lachapelle; Vicki Sahanatien; Frances Gertsch

2007-01-01

Many public land management agencies are committed to understanding and protecting recreation visitor experiences. Parks Canada is deeply committed to that objective for visitors to Canada's National Parks. This 2004 study, informed by a 2003 qualitative study of visitor experiences and influences on those experiences at Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut, worked...

Wireless based Smart Parking System using Zigbee

OpenAIRE

Hamzah Asyrani Bin Sulaiman; Mohd Fareez Bin Mohd Afif; Mohd Azlishah Bin Othman; Mohamad Harris Bin Misran; Maizatul Alice Binti Meor Said

2013-01-01

One of main issues of developing big parking space for shopping complexes, office complexes and other types of building that requires large parking space is to notify the visitors of occupied and nonoccupied parking space. Most of the visitors might spending up to 30 to 45 minutes just to find an empty parking space. In most recent technology, some parking lot system offered a system that could automatically count when the car entering the empty car space and blocking an infrared signal thus ...

76 FR 39048 - Special Regulations; Areas of the National Park System, Yellowstone National Park

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

..., natural soundscapes, visitor use and experience, and visitor accessibility. Impacts associated with each... oversnow vehicles on the park's soundscapes. NPS Approved Snowmobiles and Snowcoaches The Superintendent..., air quality, natural soundscapes, and visitor and employee safety, the NPS is proposing to continue...

Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter: Assessing the usability of social media data for visitor monitoring in protected areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Tenkanen, Henrikki; Di Minin, Enrico; Heikinheimo, Vuokko; Hausmann, Anna; Herbst, Marna; Kajala, Liisa; Toivonen, Tuuli

2017-12-14

Social media data is increasingly used as a proxy for human activity in different environments, including protected areas, where collecting visitor information is often laborious and expensive, but important for management and marketing. Here, we compared data from Instagram, Twitter and Flickr, and assessed systematically how park popularity and temporal visitor counts derived from social media data perform against high-precision visitor statistics in 56 national parks in Finland and South Africa in 2014. We show that social media activity is highly associated with park popularity, and social media-based monthly visitation patterns match relatively well with the official visitor counts. However, there were considerable differences between platforms as Instagram clearly outperformed Twitter and Flickr. Furthermore, we show that social media data tend to perform better in more visited parks, and should always be used with caution. Based on stakeholder discussions we identified potential reasons why social media data and visitor statistics might not match: the geography and profile of the park, the visitor profile, and sudden events. Overall the results are encouraging in broader terms: Over 60% of the national parks globally have Twitter or Instagram activity, which could potentially inform global nature conservation.

Factors Influencing Visitors to Suburban Open Space Areas near a Northern Japanese City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasushi Shoji

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Visitor information often serves as the basis for the management plan of parks. However, there exist few scientific and fundamental surveys for parks and open spaces in Japan. We analyzed the correlation between the number of visitors and the various factors in a suburban open space in a northern Japanese city, Takino Park. To explain the fluctuations in the number of visitors in Takino Park, multiple regression analyses with the stepwise method were conducted. The analyses employed social factors and meteorological factors, such as the day of the week, school vacations, temperature and the weather. The results show that the most influential factor is the day of the week, i.e., Sundays and holidays. The weather is also influential as the number of visitors decreases on rainy and snowy days. Comparing different seasons of the year, we found that influential factors varied from one season to the other. A key distinguishing finding of our results is that the weather conditions at the departure site and the weather forecast are also determining factors. These findings will help park managers understand the current situations and examine future management strategies to maintain and enhance visitor satisfaction, and improve information services.

The influence of visitor use levels on visitor spatial behavior in off-trail areas of dispersed recreation use.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Antonio, Ashley; Monz, Christopher

2016-04-01

A variety of social and ecological factors influence the level and extent of ecological change that occurs in a park or protected area. Understanding these factors and how they are interrelated can help managers prevent undesirable ecological impacts, especially in areas without formal trails and visitor sites. This study examines the relationship between levels of visitor use and spatial patterns of visitor behavior at a variety of backcountry recreation destinations. Current assumptions in both the literature and simulation modeling efforts assume that visitor behavior either does not change with use level or that visitors are more likely to disperse at high levels of visitor use. Using visitor counts and GPS tracks of visitor behavior in locations where visitors could disperse off-trail, we found that visitors' spatial behavior does vary with visitor use level in some recreation settings, however the patterns of visitor behavior observed in this study are sometimes contrary to current generalizations. When visitor behavior does vary with use level, visitors are dispersing more at low levels of visitor use not when use level is high. Overall, these findings suggest that in certain situations the amount of visitor use at a recreation destination may be a less important driver of ecological change than visitor behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accuracy of parameters of permeable fractures by hydrophone VSP; Hydrophone VSP ni yoru tosuisei kiretsu no tokusei hyoka no seido

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiguchi, T; Ito, H; Kuwahara, Y; Miyazaki, T [Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan); Yabuuchi, S; Hasegawa, K [Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-22

Hydrophone VSP (vertical seismic profiling) experiment is under way as a technique for detecting subsurface water-permeable cracks by use of boreholes and for evaluating their characteristics (permeability index, crack direction, dip angle). In this report, tube waves observed by hydrophone VSP are subjected to analysis for the determination of water-permeable crack characteristics, the impact caused by errors in the value inputted for analysis is estimated, and a model calculation is performed in case there is no agreement between data from the borehole and data from VSP, all for examining the VSP records for accuracy. When an error rate of 15% is given to the tube wave/P-wave amplitude ratio, a change of 40% or lower results in the permeability index, and a change of 10deg or less in the dip angle, which means that an error in the amplitude ratio does not affect the analysis very much. Changes in the amplitude ratio resulting from changes in crack direction and dip angle differ, dependent on the offset rate. When angular differences among plural crack directions are within 90deg and dip angles within 60deg, the result of analysis represents the average characteristics of the plural cracks. 7 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Using crowd-sourced photos to assess seasonal patterns of visitor use in mountain-protected areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Walden-Schreiner, Chelsey; Rossi, Sebastian Dario; Barros, Agustina; Pickering, Catherine; Leung, Yu-Fai

2018-02-12

Managing protected areas effectively requires information about patterns of visitor use, but these data are often limited. We explore how geotagged photos on Flickr, a popular photo-sharing social-media site, can generate hotspot maps and distribution models of temporal and spatial patterns of use in two mountain-protected areas of high conservation value. In Aconcagua Provincial Park (Argentina), two routes to the summit of Aconcagua were used in summer, but most visitors stayed close to the main road, using formal and informal walking trails and the Visitor Centre, while in winter, there was very limited visitation. In Kosciuszko National Park (Australia), alpine walking trails were popular in summer, but in winter, most visitors stayed in the lower altitude ski resorts and ski trails. Results demonstrate the usefulness of social-media data alone as well as a complement for visitor monitoring, providing spatial and temporal information for site-specific and park-level management of visitors and potential impacts in conservation areas.

OPTIMAL PRICE OF ADMISSION BANTIMURUNG NATURAL PARK, SOUTH SULAWESI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyudi Isnan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The number of visitors to the Bantimurung natural park fluctuated allegedly due to the increase of the price of admission ticket. The aim of the study is to analyze optimal price of admission ticket and willingness of visitors to pay admission ticket to the Park. The study was conducted in Bantimurung natural park, South Sulawsi, from January to April 2013.117 number of samples was taken by using convenience sampling method. Analysis of optimal prices and the willingness of visitors to pay for ecotourism to the Park were conducted by creating tourism demand function, which then simulated the price of admission, into the equation function of tourist demand. The results showed that the optimal price of the admission ticket was at the price of Rp75,000. At the optimal price of admission ticket of Rp75,000 the Park would earn revenues of Rp18,230,700,000. An average value of the visitor willingness to pay was Rp118,032, with price of admission ticket was Rp75,000, then, the average visitor will get consumer surplus of Rp43,032. If the management of Bantimurung natural park desiring to increase the total revenue, then the price of admission ticket can be increased to be Rp75,000.

Walkaway-VSP survey using distributed optical fiber in China oilfield

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Junjun; Yu, Gang; Zhang, Qinghong; Li, Yanpeng; Cai, Zhidong; Chen, Yuanzhong; Liu, Congwei; Zhao, Haiying; Li, Fei

2017-10-01

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a new type of replacement technology for geophysical geophone. DAS system is similar to high-density surface seismic geophone array. In the stage of acquisition, DAS can obtain the full well data with one shot. And it can provide enhanced vertical seismic profile (VSP) imaging and monitor fluids and pressures changes in the hydrocarbon production reservoir. Walkaway VSP data acquired over a former producing well in north eastern China provided a rich set of very high quality data. A standard VSP data pre-processing workflow was applied, followed by pre-stack Kirchhoff time migration. In the DAS pre-processing step we were faced with additional and special challenges: strong coherent noise due to cable slapping and ringing along the borehole casing. The single well DAS Walkaway VSP images provide a good result with higher vertical and lateral resolution than the surface seismic in the objective area. This paper reports on lessons learned in the handling of the wireline cable and subsequent special DAS data processing steps developed to remediate some of the practical wireline deployment issues. Optical wireline cable as a conveyance of fiber optic cables for VSP in vertical wells will open the use of the DAS system to much wider applications.

Experiencing nature: The recognition of the symbolic environment within research and management of visitor flows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marwijk, van R.; Elands, B.H.M.; Lengkeek, J.

2007-01-01

Insight in and understanding of visitor use, including temporal and spatial distributions, is necess­ary for sustainable recreational use and effective park management. A visitor uses the physical environment of e.g. a National Park, however, his behaviour is not only a result of the objective or

Visitor Preferences for Visual Changes in Bark Beetle-Impacted Forest Recreation Settings in the United States and Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Arnberger, Arne; Ebenberger, Martin; Schneider, Ingrid E.; Cottrell, Stuart; Schlueter, Alexander C.; von Ruschkowski, Eick; Venette, Robert C.; Snyder, Stephanie A.; Gobster, Paul H.

2018-02-01

Extensive outbreaks of tree-killing insects are increasing across forests in Europe and North America due to climate change and other factors. Yet, little recent research examines visitor response to visual changes in conifer forest recreation settings resulting from forest insect infestations, how visitors weigh trade-offs between physical and social forest environment factors, or how visitor preferences might differ by nationality. This study explored forest visitor preferences with a discrete choice experiment that photographically simulated conifer forest stands with varying levels of bark beetle outbreaks, forest and visitor management practices, and visitor use levels and compositions. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors to State Forest State Park in Colorado ( n = 200), Lake Bemidji State Park in Minnesota ( n = 228), and Harz National Park in Germany ( n = 208). Results revealed that the condition of the immediate forest surrounding was the most important variable influencing visitors' landscape preferences. Visitors preferred healthy mature forest stands and disliked forests with substantial dead wood. The number of visitors was the most important social factor influencing visitor landscape preferences. Differences in the influence of physical and social factors on visual preferences existed between study sites. Findings suggest that both visual forest conditions and visitor use management are important concerns in addressing landscape preferences for beetle-impacted forest recreation areas.

A Cross-Sectional Investigation of the Importance of Park Features for Promoting Regular Physical Activity in Parks.

Science.gov (United States)

Costigan, Sarah A; Veitch, Jenny; Crawford, David; Carver, Alison; Timperio, Anna

2017-11-02

Parks in the US and Australia are generally underutilised, and park visitors typically engage in low levels of physical activity (PA). Better understanding park features that may encourage visitors to be active is important. This study examined the perceived importance of park features for encouraging park-based PA and examined differences by sex, age, parental-status and participation in PA. Cross-sectional surveys were completed by local residents ( n = 2775) living near two parks (2013/2015). Demographic variables, park visitation and leisure-time PA were self-reported, respondents rated the importance of 20 park features for encouraging park-based PA in the next fortnight. Chi-square tests of independence examined differences in importance of park features for PA among sub-groups of local residents (sex, age, parental-status, PA). Park features ranked most important for park-based PA were: well maintained (96.2%), feel safe (95.4%), relaxing atmosphere (91.2%), easy to get to (91.7%), and shady trees (90.3%). All subgroups ranked 'well maintained' as most important. Natural and built environment features of parks are important for promoting adults' park-based PA, and should be considered in park (re)design.

Carrying capacities for nature parks as engines for sustainable regional development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Jesper; Holmes, Esbern

as a departure for the comparison of the protectional conditions for the parks. Many other aspects of the nature and social carrying capacities however also constitute important conditions for the park management. Increasing emphasis on visitor experience is not only a challenge for the nature protection......Growth in the number of visitors is an upcoming problem in nature parks. Nature parks are at the same time facing increasing demand, falling public appropriations and receding focus on their conservation functions. To ensure a balancing of nature protection and economic utilization the concept...... of carrying capacity has received increasing attention among park-authorities all over the world. A comparative analysis of conditions and initiatives related to visitor/nature carrying capacities in 8 nature parks in the Baltic region has been carried out. All the parks are candidates for recognition...

A model for establishing and developing relationships with visitors of the Kopački rit Nature Park based on mobile technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Branimir Dukić

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Kopački rit as a nature park is a great tourist attractor in northeastern Croatia. Its flora and fauna used to attract people for economic reasons, whereas today people mostly visit it for educational and tourism purposes. Visitor loyalty is increasingly important in tourism development today. One-time visitors cannot be the basis of tourist demand. Such guests often visit a particular destination motivated by global political trends, and not by the need to visit the destination itself. For example, the increased number of guests in Croatia in the past few years is a result of political events in Greece and North Africa. Once the political situation in their primary choice is stabilised, such guests will be lost. Therefore, among many guests of Kopački rit one must recognise those, for whom it was their primary destination, and establish a relationship with them. To achieve a targeted tourist offer, the Nature Park must implement relationship marketing by means of Customer Relationship Management (CRM. The aim of this research is to explore and define an optimum model of the CRM system that would offer a long-term solution to the problem of customer relationship development with visitors to Kopački rit. The research will be carried out deductively, and the methods used to realize the research aim are to be systematic analysis, causal reasoning, descriptive modelling, and logical experiment. The result is a framework model of a marketing database and a descriptive conceptual model of the CRM system for Kopački rit, both of which will use the potentials of mobile and information and communication technologies.

A Scheme for "The Window of Taiwan National Park"

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, E. Y.-F.

2015-08-01

There are nine distinguished national parks in Taiwan. Each one has its own wild variety of natural inhabitants and cultural resources. However, due to the geographical inaccessibility, partially closed by natural disaster, or under the restrict protection by the authority, most of the places are difficult to reach for the public, not to mention for the disabled people. Therefore, a scheme, with the cutting edge technology, comprising the essences of all nine national parks in a space located in one of the national parks which is more convenient with public transportation system is presented. The idea is to open a window in the hope to offer a platform for better and easy understanding the features of all national parks, to increase the accessibility for disabled people, and to provide advanced services for the public. Recently, the progressing of digital image technology becomes more and more promising. Using mutual interactive ways and game-liked formation to promote the participation of visitors to gain learning experiences is now becoming a mainstream for exhibition in visitor centers and museums around the world. The method of the motion-sensing interactive exhibition has personalized feature which is programmed to store visitor's behaviors and become smarter in response with visitor in order to make each person feel that they are playing in a game. It involves scenarios, concepts and visitors' participation in the exhibition design to form an interactive flow among human, exhibits, and space. It is highly attractive and low barrier for young, senior and disabled people, and for the case of no physical objects to exhibit, visual technology is a way of solution. This paper presents the features and difficulties of national parks in Taiwan. Visitors' behavior and several cases have been investigated and analysed to find a suitable way for combining all the features of national parks in an exhibition. However, it should be noticed that this is not an alternative

VSP Monitoring of CO2 Injection at the Aneth Oil Field in Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, L.; Rutledge, J.; Zhou, R.; Denli, H.; Cheng, A.; Zhao, M.; Peron, J.

2008-12-01

Remotely tracking the movement of injected CO2 within a geological formation is critically important for ensuring safe and long-term geologic carbon sequestration. To study the capability of vertical seismic profiling (VSP) for remote monitoring of CO2 injection, a geophone string with 60 levels and 96 channels was cemented into a monitoring well at the Aneth oil field in Utah operated by Resolute Natural Resources and Navajo National Oil and Gas Company. The oil field is located in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah, and was selected by the Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, to demonstrate combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 sequestration. The geophones are placed at depths from 805 m to 1704 m, and the oil reservoir is located approximately from 1731 m to 1786 m in depth. A baseline VSP dataset with one zero-offset and seven offset source locations was acquired in October, 2007 before CO2 injection. The offsets/source locations are approximately 1 km away from the monitoring well with buried geophone string. A time-lapse VSP dataset with the same source locations was collected in July, 2008 after five months of CO2/water injection into a horizontal well adjacent to the monitoring well. The total amount of CO2 injected during the time interval between the two VSP surveys was 181,000 MCF (million cubic feet), or 10,500 tons. The time-lapse VSP data are pre-processed to balance the phase and amplitude of seismic events above the oil reservoir. We conduct wave-equation migration imaging and interferometry analysis using the pre-processed time-lapse VSP data. The results demonstrate that time-lapse VSP surveys with high-resolution migration imaging and scattering analysis can provide reliable information about CO2 migration. Both the repeatability of VSP surveys and sophisticated time-lapse data pre-processing are essential to make VSP as an effective tool for monitoring CO2 injection.

The effect of minimum impact education on visitor spatial behavior in parks and protected areas: An experimental investigation using GPS-based tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, Abigail M; Monz, Christopher; D'Antonio, Ashley; Manning, Robert E; Reigner, Nathan; Goonan, Kelly A; Jacobi, Charles

2015-10-01

The unmanaged impacts of recreation and tourism can often result in unacceptable changes in resource conditions and quality of the visitor experience. Minimum impact visitor education programs aim to reduce the impacts of recreation by altering visitor behaviors. Specifically, education seeks to reduce impacts resulting from lack of knowledge both about the consequences of one's actions and impact-minimizing best practices. In this study, three different on-site minimum impact education strategies ("treatments") and a control condition were applied on the trails and summit area of Sargent Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine. Treatment conditions were designed to encourage visitors to stay on marked trails and minimize off-trail travel. Treatments included a message delivered via personal contact, and both an ecological-based message and an amenity-based message posted on signs located alongside the trail. A control condition of current trail markings and directional signs was also assessed. The efficacy of the messaging was evaluated through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of visitor spatial behavior on/off trails. Spatial analysis of GPS tracks revealed statistically significant differences among treatments, with the personal contact treatment yielding significantly less dispersion of visitors on the mountain summit. Results also indicate that the signs deployed in the study were ineffective at limiting off-trail use beyond what can be accomplished with trail markers and directional signs. These findings suggest that personal contact by a uniformed ranger or volunteer may be the most effective means of message delivery for on-site minimum impact education. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What's Ahead for our National Parks?

Science.gov (United States)

George, Jean Craighead

1972-01-01

To insure the future of our National Parks, sweeping changes must be made. Encroaching civilization at the expense of nature has forced National Park officials to consider alternatives to future development - limiting number of visitors, facilities outside the parks and curtailing vehicular traffic. (BL)

Seismic VSP and crosshole investigations in Olkiluoto, 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enescu, N.; Cosma, C.; Balu, L.

2003-04-01

Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) and crosshole seismic surveys were conducted during 2002 at Olkiluoto site in Eurajoki, Finland. The VSP investigations were carried out in three boreholes (KR13, KR14 and KR19) with ten or eleven shot points for each borehole. Additionally, the data from a VSP investigation carried out in 1990 in borehole KR5 had been reprocessed with state of the art tools. One crosshole section (KR14-KR15 at 20 - 240 m interval) was measured and processed. Different receiver types were used for the VSP and crosshole: a 3-component geophone chain for VSP and a hydrophone chain for crosshole. VSP surveys have been carried out with a VIBSIST-1000 source - a time-distributed swept-impact source - instead of explosives. With this source, the seismic signals are produced as rapid series of impacts, the impact intervals being monotonically increased to achieve a nonrepeatable sequence. The VIBSIST-1000 uses a tractor-mounted hydraulic rock-breaker, powered through a computer controlled servo-hydraulic flow regulator. Using standard construction equipment ensures that the VIBSIST sources are safe, non-destructive and environmentally friendly. This also makes the method reliable and cost effective. The new VIBSIST source produces signals with levels of energy comparable to explosives. The VIBSIST appears to be more stable, but its most significant advantages are the low cost of preparation of the shot points and the speed of the acquisition. Crosshole surveys were carried out with a piezoelectric borehole source, the VIBSISTSPH54, which operates on the same principle as the surface VIBSIST source. The wide diversity of reflection angles, the local variations of reflectivity and, generally, the relatively weak seismic response of faults and fractured zones in crystalline rock demand intensive processing. The first stage of the processing sequence focuses on eliminating such wave-fields as the direct P, direct S, tube-waves and ground-roll, so that the

Seismic VSP and crosshole investigations in Olkiluoto, 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enescu, N.; Cosma, C.; Balu, L. [Vibrometric Oy (Finland)

2003-04-01

Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) and crosshole seismic surveys were conducted during 2002 at Olkiluoto site in Eurajoki, Finland. The VSP investigations were carried out in three boreholes (KR13, KR14 and KR19) with ten or eleven shot points for each borehole. Additionally, the data from a VSP investigation carried out in 1990 in borehole KR5 had been reprocessed with state of the art tools. One crosshole section (KR14-KR15 at 20 - 240 m interval) was measured and processed. Different receiver types were used for the VSP and crosshole: a 3-component geophone chain for VSP and a hydrophone chain for crosshole. VSP surveys have been carried out with a VIBSIST-1000 source - a time-distributed swept-impact source - instead of explosives. With this source, the seismic signals are produced as rapid series of impacts, the impact intervals being monotonically increased to achieve a nonrepeatable sequence. The VIBSIST-1000 uses a tractor-mounted hydraulic rock-breaker, powered through a computer controlled servo-hydraulic flow regulator. Using standard construction equipment ensures that the VIBSIST sources are safe, non-destructive and environmentally friendly. This also makes the method reliable and cost effective. The new VIBSIST source produces signals with levels of energy comparable to explosives. The VIBSIST appears to be more stable, but its most significant advantages are the low cost of preparation of the shot points and the speed of the acquisition. Crosshole surveys were carried out with a piezoelectric borehole source, the VIBSISTSPH54, which operates on the same principle as the surface VIBSIST source. The wide diversity of reflection angles, the local variations of reflectivity and, generally, the relatively weak seismic response of faults and fractured zones in crystalline rock demand intensive processing. The first stage of the processing sequence focuses on eliminating such wave-fields as the direct P, direct S, tube-waves and ground-roll, so that the

Diverse recreation experiences at Denali National Park and Preserve

Science.gov (United States)

Katie Knotek; Alan Watson; Neal Christensen

2007-01-01

Qualitative interviews were conducted at Denali National Park and Preserve in the 2004 summer use season to improve understanding of recreation visitor experiences in the remote southern portion of the park, including Mount McKinley and the surrounding mountains and glaciers. Descriptions of the experiences of visitors to the mountains and glaciers included elements of...

Volcanism in national parks: summary of the workshop convened by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, 26-29 September 2000, Redding, California

Science.gov (United States)

Guffanti, Marianne; Brantley, Steven R.; McClelland, Lindsay

2001-01-01

Spectacular volcanic scenery and features were the inspiration for creating many of our national parks and monuments and continue to enhance the visitor experience today (Table 1). At the same time, several of these parks include active and potentially active volcanoes that could pose serious hazards - earthquakes, mudflows, and hydrothermal explosions, as well as eruptions - events that would profoundly affect park visitors, employees, and infrastructure. Although most parks are in relatively remote areas, those with high visitation have daily populations during the peak season equivalent to those of moderate-sized cities. For example, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks can have a combined daily population of 80,000 during the summer, with total annual visitation of 7 million. Nearly 3 million people enter Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park every year, where the on-going (since 1983) eruption of Kilauea presents the challenge of keeping visitors out of harm's way while still allowing them to enjoy the volcano's spellbinding activity.

Stars Above, Earth Below: Astronomy in the National Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Nordgren, Tyler E.

2011-01-01

The U.S. national parks that protect our enjoyment of the landscape around us by day, also protect our enjoyment of the sky above at night. With the growth of light pollution, the view of the stars and Milky Way overhead has become as rare as the views of glaciers, geysers, and grizzlies that bring millions of visitors to the parks every year. Through the pristine view of a starry sky at night park visitors are primed to learn about our planet, its place in the solar system, and the larger Universe in which we live. The national parks are therefore the largest informal educational setting for reaching millions of people from all over the world who might not otherwise encounter astronomical outreach. The material in this presentation has been field tested in national parks, campgrounds, lodges, and visitor centers over the last four years and is elaborated on in the just released book: "Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks.” Funding for this project was provided by The Planetary Society.

Perceptions of natural disturbance in Tatra National Park, Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Švajda Juraj

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since the last decades, natural disturbances in forests including protected areas have intensified. They have the potential to impact visual quality and safety of visitors as well as spread beyond protected area boundaries. While economic and ecological impacts are well studied, there is still a lack of work focused on human dimensions and social aspects. This study examines visitor perceptions towards bark beetle infestation in Tatra National Park, Poland. The findings, based on visitor surveys collected during the summer of 2014, indicate the significance of different factors influencing visitor attitudes towards the bark beetle. Age of visitors and importance of the bark beetle issue for them (based on subjective ratings of importance of bark beetle issue for respondents are the most prominent variables. Also place of origin and environmental worldview were recognized as significantly important variables in accordance with similar studies. Results suggest management implications for park authorities including public relations and environmental education in order to increase knowledge and support for natural disturbance and ecological integrity policies in the national park.

78 FR 22470 - Special Regulations; Areas of the National Park System; Yellowstone National Park; Winter Use

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-16

..., natural soundscapes, visitor use and experience, and park operations. Impacts associated with each of the... monitoring, including data regarding air quality, wildlife, soundscapes, and health and safety, were used in... impacts to wildlife, air quality, natural soundscapes, and visitor and employee safety, the NPS is...

O perfil dos visitantes do parque estadual do Ibitipoca (PEIb, Lima Duarte, MG Profile of visitors to the Ibitipoca state park (PEIb, Lima Duarte, MG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alecia Silva Ladeira

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca (PEIb, onde foi realizado um levantamento das características dos visitantes da referida UC, com a finalidade de obter informações sobre o perfil destes. Foram entrevistados 324 visitantes durante os meses de janeiro, fevereiro, abril e junho do ano de 2004, ao passo que os dados de visitação relativos à freqüência mensal e anual de visitantes (1988-2004 foram fornecidos pela administração da UC. As variáveis utilizadas nas entrevistas foram tabuladas, analisadas e comparadas com a de outras unidades de conservação; dentre elas, observaram-se o nível de escolaridade, a idade, o gênero, o tamanho dos grupos e a origem dos visitantes do PEIb. Como principal resultado, constatou-se que a maioria dos visitantes desejava permanecer no parque por mais de dois dias; eles ficaram sabendo da existência do parque por meio da propaganda informal. O perfil dos visitantes mostrou um alto nível de escolaridade, tendo a sua grande maioria segundo grau completo. O principal objetivo da visita foi a busca de um local tranqüilo, de grande beleza cênica proporcionada pelo contato com a natureza. Nos dias atuais, o ecoturismo, além de um modismo, é uma forma de interação e de resgate da vida interiorana, proporcionado pela Vila de Conceição do Ibitipoca, distante apenas 3 km da portaria do parque.The present work was developed at the State Park of Ibitipoca (PEIb to assess the characteristics of its visitors to gather information on their profile. A total of 324 visitors were interviewed during the months of January, February, April, and June of 2004, while data related to the frequency of monthly and annual visits (1988-2004 were provided by the administration of the Protected Area. The variables used in the interviews were tabulated, analyzed and compared with other protected areas. The variables education level, age, gender, group size and place of origin of the visitors were

Developing a Web-Based Parking Management System

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-01

Visitors constitute an important component of a university business. Given that visitors are typically unfamiliar with university campus layouts, special assistance may be needed to assist them with their parking needs. For example, personal and foll...

Re-examine the measure of values cross-culturally: the case of recreation visitors in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chieh-Lu Li; Yi-Chung Hsu; Chi-Chuan Lue; James D. Absher

2008-01-01

Parks and recreation areas around the world increasingly serve as international visitor attractions and play an important role in the international tourism industry. Given the increasingly diverse visitors, changes in racial and ethnic composition have confronted the management of parks and recreation areas . Since values presumably influence perceptions and behaviors...

78 FR 63069 - Special Regulations; Areas of the National Park System; Yellowstone National Park; Winter Use

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-23

... soundscapes, visitor use and experience, and park operations. Impacts associated with each of the alternatives..., soundscapes, and health and safety, were used in formulating the alternatives in the Plan/SEIS. Applies the... To mitigate impacts to wildlife, air quality, natural soundscapes, and visitor and employee safety...

Velocity structure of Nojima-fault by VSP method; VSP ho ni yoru Nojima danso no sokudo kozo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuwahara, Y; Ito, H; Kiguchi, T; Miyazaki, T [Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan)

1996-05-01

In order to investigate in detail structures of the fractured fault band, the VSP tests were conducted using a 750m deep borehole penetrating the Nojima fault in Awaji Island. The borehole penetrates the fault clay band at a depth of 624m in the Hirabayashi area. The offset VSP survey, conducted by the aid of hydrophone through the naked borehole, detects many characteristic phenomena resulting from the fault fracture. Largely fractured lithofacies are found by the core observation at a depth in a range from 557 to 673m. P-waves propagate at 4.6 and 5.1km/s above and below the fractured band, respectively. The fractured band is subdivided into 2 sections, both being of low speed of 4.5 and 3.1km/s. The X1 and X2 phases resulting from the fault fracture are also observed, above and below the fractured band. The causes for these wave phases are now under investigation. 4 figs.

Preferences, benefits, and park visits: a latent class segmentation analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemperman, A.D.A.M.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2006-01-01

This study describes and predicts segments of urban park visitors to support park planning and policy making. A latent class analysis is used to identify segments of park users who differ regarding their preferences for park characteristics, benefits sought in park visits, and sociodemographics.

Simultaneous use of several monitoring techniques to measure visitor load, spatio-temporal distribution and social characteristics of tourists - a case study of a cable car area in the Carpathian Mountains, Tatra National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Taczanowska, Karolina; Zięba, Antoni; Brandenburg, Christiane; Muhar, Andreas; Preisel, Hemma; Hibner, Joanna; Latosinska, Barbara; Benítez, Rafael; Bolós, Vicente; Toca-Herrera, José L.; Ziobrowski, Szymon

2017-04-01

Visitor monitoring is an integrate part of the effective management of recreational and protected areas. Comprehensive information concerning volume of tourist traffic, spatial-temporal distribution of visitors in a leisure setting as well as visitor socio-demographic characteristics may support understanding human behaviour and the ongoing natural processes (trail deterioration, erosion, impact on flora and fauna). Especially, vulnerable areas that in the same time serve as tourist attractions need to be carefully investigated. One of such areas is Kasprowy Wierch (1987 m.a.s.l.) - a popular cable car destination located in the Carpathian Mountains, Tatra National Park, Poland / Slovakia. The aim of this study was to define the overall visitor load and to understand visitor behaviour in the proximity of the upper cable car station at Kasprowy Wierch. The main focus of this presentation is the comparison of the used monitoring techniques and exposing the benefit of their simultaneous application. Visitor monitoring campaign was carried out in the study area in the summer season 2014. The following data collection techniques were simultaneously applied: 1) automatic counting (Eco-Counter pyroelectric sensors), 2) manual counting; 3) on-site interviews combined with trip diaries and visitor observation 4) GPS-tracking 5) registry of cable car tickets 6) registry of entries to the national park (TPN). Between 26.06.2014 and 30.09.2014 at 7 locations a continuous automatic counting of visitors was done using pyroelectric sensors (Eco-Counter). Additionally, on 18 sampling days at 12 locations direct observations (manual counting) of visitor flows was carried out. During the sampling days tourists were interviewed in the field using structured questionnaires (PAPI survey technique, N = 2639). Survey was combined with a documentation of visitors' trip itineraries via GPS-loggers and map sketches. Totally 1250 GPS-tracks of visitors and 1351 map sketches have been

Two-Way Interpretation about Climate Change: Preliminary Results from a Study in Select Units of the United States National Park System

Science.gov (United States)

Forist, B. E.; Knapp, D.

2014-12-01

Much interpretation in units of the National Park System, conducted by National Park Service (NPS) rangers and partners today is done in a didactic, lecture style. This "one-way" communication runs counter to research suggesting that long-term impacts of park interpretive experiences must be established through direct connections with the visitor. Previous research in interpretation has suggested that interpretive experiences utilizing a "two-way" dialogue approach are more successful at facilitating long-term memories than "one-way" approaches where visitors have few, if any, opportunities to ask questions, offer opinions, or share interests and experiences. Long-term memories are indicators of connections to places and resources. Global anthropogenic change poses critical threats to NPS sites, resources, and visitor experiences. As climate change plays an ever-expanding role in public, political, social, economic, and environmental discourse it stands to reason that park visitors may also be interested in engaging in this discourse. Indeed, NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis stated in the agency's Climate Change Action Plan 2012 - 2014 that, "We now know through social science conducted in parks that our visitors are looking to NPS staff for honest dialogue about this critical issue." Researchers from Indiana University will present preliminary findings from a multiple park study that assessed basic visitor knowledge and the impact of two-way interpretation related to climate change. Observations from park interpretive program addressing climate change will be presented. Basic visitor knowledge of climate change impacts in the select parks as well as immediate and long-term visitor recollections will be presented. Select units of the National Park System in this research included Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Cascades National Park, Shenandoah National Park, and Zion National Park.

Modelling Space Appropriation in Public Parks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ostermann, F.O.; Timpf, S.; Wachowicz, Monica; Bodum, Lars

2007-01-01

Sustainable park management encompasses the requirement to provide equal opportunities for access and usage of the park, regardless of age, gender or nationality of the visitors. It thereby presents opportunities as well as problems for today’s heterogeneous global cities. The research presented

Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta – levantamento da qualidade da experiência do visitante. Ilha Anchieta State Park – visitor experience quality assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Yochie KATAOKA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A experiência de visitantes em uma área natural protegida pode ocorrer de forma diversificada entre diferentes públicos, associada à própriamaneira de avaliar a experiência e às expectativas iniciais. Fatores culturais, contexto socioeconômico e o grau de familiaridade dos diferentes indivíduos com o meio natural são determinantes à maneira com a qual eles recebem e percebem os benefícios de seus contatos com uma Unidade de Conservação. O Parque Estadual da Ilha Anchieta – PEIA foi eleito como área deste estudo por reunir a qualidade de praia e de ilha, dois fatores associados a expectativas relativamente diferentes, uma vez que ilhas sugerem sensação de isolamento e distância do cotidiano e praias estão maisassociadas ao convívio social e atividades recreativas. Com o objetivo de compreender as relações entre o visitante e as áreasnaturais e fornecer ferramentas ao manejo do uso público no Parque em questão, foram feitas entrevistas com visitantes durante a alta temporada de visitação do ano de 2004. Os resultados referentes às motivações e avaliações de aspectos de suas visitas revelam a existência de dois principais grupos de frequentadores que apresentam visões e comportamentos conflitantes. Entretanto, ao mesmo tempo em que o Parque recebe visitantes tão diversificados, a apreciação do contato com o ambiente natural se mostrou como um elo entre ambos, viabilizando ações de manejo do uso público que amplifiquem a qualidade da experiência de todos os visitantes com o ambiente natural.A Visitor experience in a natural protected area may occur differently among a different public, being associated to the way they evaluate their own experience and their first expectations. Cultural factors, social economic context and familiarity degree of the natural environment are crucial for how individuals receive and perceive the benefits of their contacts to a Protected Area. The State Park of Ilha Anchieta �

Spatially characterizing visitor use and its association with informal trails in Yosemite Valley meadows.

Science.gov (United States)

Walden-Schreiner, Chelsey; Leung, Yu-Fai

2013-07-01

Ecological impacts associated with nature-based recreation and tourism can compromise park and protected area goals if left unrestricted. Protected area agencies are increasingly incorporating indicator-based management frameworks into their management plans to address visitor impacts. Development of indicators requires empirical evaluation of indicator measures and examining their ecological and social relevance. This study addresses the development of the informal trail indicator in Yosemite National Park by spatially characterizing visitor use in open landscapes and integrating use patterns with informal trail condition data to examine their spatial association. Informal trail and visitor use data were collected concurrently during July and August of 2011 in three, high-use meadows of Yosemite Valley. Visitor use was clustered at statistically significant levels in all three study meadows. Spatial data integration found no statistically significant differences between use patterns and trail condition class. However, statistically significant differences were found between the distance visitors were observed from informal trails and visitor activity type with active activities occurring closer to trail corridors. Gender was also found to be significant with male visitors observed further from trail corridors. Results highlight the utility of integrated spatial analysis in supporting indicator-based monitoring and informing management of open landscapes. Additional variables for future analysis and methodological improvements are discussed.

Spatially Characterizing Visitor Use and Its Association with Informal Trails in Yosemite Valley Meadows

Science.gov (United States)

Walden-Schreiner, Chelsey; Leung, Yu-Fai

2013-07-01

Ecological impacts associated with nature-based recreation and tourism can compromise park and protected area goals if left unrestricted. Protected area agencies are increasingly incorporating indicator-based management frameworks into their management plans to address visitor impacts. Development of indicators requires empirical evaluation of indicator measures and examining their ecological and social relevance. This study addresses the development of the informal trail indicator in Yosemite National Park by spatially characterizing visitor use in open landscapes and integrating use patterns with informal trail condition data to examine their spatial association. Informal trail and visitor use data were collected concurrently during July and August of 2011 in three, high-use meadows of Yosemite Valley. Visitor use was clustered at statistically significant levels in all three study meadows. Spatial data integration found no statistically significant differences between use patterns and trail condition class. However, statistically significant differences were found between the distance visitors were observed from informal trails and visitor activity type with active activities occurring closer to trail corridors. Gender was also found to be significant with male visitors observed further from trail corridors. Results highlight the utility of integrated spatial analysis in supporting indicator-based monitoring and informing management of open landscapes. Additional variables for future analysis and methodological improvements are discussed.

A Practical Route Search System for Amusement Parks Navigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiro Shibuya

2013-12-01

Full Text Available It is very difficult to find the minimum route to travel in amusement park navigation. A searching system for visitors would be useful. Therefore, we constructed a system to find the route with the minimum total traveling time. Facility visitors can employ this system on a smart phone. The system is composed of Java and a Java Servlet. We conclude that our system is useful and can greatly shorten travel time within a typical amusement park.

Electro-chemical coupling in the voltage-dependent phosphatase Ci-VSP

Science.gov (United States)

Kohout, Susy C.; Bell, Sarah C.; Liu, Lijun; Xu, Qiang; Minor, Daniel L.; Isacoff, Ehud Y.

2010-01-01

In the voltage sensing phosphatase, Ci-VSP, a voltage sensing domain (VSD) controls a lipid phosphatase domain (PD). The mechanism by which the domains are allosterically coupled is not well understood. Using an in vivo assay, we find that the inter-domain linker that connects the VSD to the PD is essential for coupling the full-length protein. Biochemical assays show that the linker is also needed for activity in the isolated PD. We identify a late step of VSD motion in the full-length protein that depends on the linker. Strikingly, this VSD motion is found to require PI(4,5)P2, a substrate of Ci-VSP. These results suggest that the voltage-driven motion of the VSD turns the enzyme on by rearranging the linker into an activated conformation, and that this activated conformation is stabilized by PI(4,5)P2. We propose that Ci-VSP activity is self-limited because its decrease of PI(4,5)P2 levels decouples the VSD from the enzyme. PMID:20364128

Informal and formal trail monitoring protocols and baseline conditions: Acadia National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Wimpey, Jeremy F.; Park, L.

2011-01-01

At Acadia National Park, changing visitor use levels and patterns have contributed to an increasing degree of visitor use impacts to natural and cultural resources. To better understand the extent and severity of these resource impacts and identify effective management techniques, the park sponsored this research to develop monitoring protocols, collect baseline data, and identify suggestions for management strategies. Formal and informal trails were surveyed and their resource conditions were assessed and characterized to support park planning and management decision-making.

Acoustic VTI wavefield tomography of P-wave surface and VSP data

KAUST Repository

Li, Vladimir

2017-08-17

Transversely isotropic (TI) models have become standard in depth imaging and are often used in waveform inversion. Here, we develop a robust wave-equation-based tomographic algorithm for building acoustic VTI (transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis) velocity models from P-wave surface reflection and vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data. Wavefield extrapolation is performed with an integral operator to avoid generating shear-wave artifacts. Focusing energy in extended images produced by reverse-time migration (RTM) makes it possible to update the zero-dip NMO velocity Vnmo and the anellipiticity parameter η. To constrain the anisotropy coefficient δ and improve the accuracy in Vnmo and η, we employ borehole information by introducing an additional objective-function term designed to fit VSP data. Image-guided smoothing is applied to both data- and image-domain gradients to steer the inversion towards geologically plausible solutions. Testing on the VTI Marmousi model shows that the joint inversion of surface and VSP data helps estimate all three relevant medium parameters.

Acoustic VTI wavefield tomography of P-wave surface and VSP data

KAUST Repository

Li, Vladimir; Tsvankin, Ilya; Guitton, Antoine; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2017-01-01

Transversely isotropic (TI) models have become standard in depth imaging and are often used in waveform inversion. Here, we develop a robust wave-equation-based tomographic algorithm for building acoustic VTI (transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis) velocity models from P-wave surface reflection and vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data. Wavefield extrapolation is performed with an integral operator to avoid generating shear-wave artifacts. Focusing energy in extended images produced by reverse-time migration (RTM) makes it possible to update the zero-dip NMO velocity Vnmo and the anellipiticity parameter η. To constrain the anisotropy coefficient δ and improve the accuracy in Vnmo and η, we employ borehole information by introducing an additional objective-function term designed to fit VSP data. Image-guided smoothing is applied to both data- and image-domain gradients to steer the inversion towards geologically plausible solutions. Testing on the VTI Marmousi model shows that the joint inversion of surface and VSP data helps estimate all three relevant medium parameters.

Wilderness experience in Rocky Mountain National Park 2002; report to respondents

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Elke; Johnson, S. Shea; Taylor, Jonathan G.

2003-01-01

A substantial amount of backcountry (about 250,000 acres) in Rocky Mountain National Park [RMNP of the Park] may be designated as wilderness areas in the coming years. Currently, over 3 million visitors drives through the park on Trail Ridge Road, camp in designated campgrounds, day hike, etc. each year. Many of those visitors also report using the backcountry-wilderness areas that are not easily accessible by roads or trails. Use of the backcountry is growing at RMNP and is accompanied by changing visitor expectations and preferences for wilderness management. For these reasons it is of great importance for the Park to periodically assess what types of environments and conditions wilderness users seek to facilitate a quality experience. To assist in this effort, the Political Analysis and Science Assistance [PSAS] program / Fort Collins Center / U.S. Geological Survey, in close collaboration with personnel and volunteers from RMNP, as well as the Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism [NRRT] Department at Colorado State University, launched a research effort in the summer of 2002 to investigate visitorsa?? wilderness experiences in the Park. Specifically, the purpose of this research was: (1) To determine what constitutes a wilderness experience; (2) To identify important places, visual features, and sounds essential to a quality wilderness experience and; (3) To determine what aspects may detract from wilderness experience. Thus, answers to these questions should provide insight for Park managers about visitorsa?? expectation for wilderness recreation and the conditions they seek for quality wilderness experiences. Ultimately, this information can be used to support wilderness management decisions within RMNP. The social science technique of Visitor Employed Photography [VEP] was used to obtain information from visitors about wilderness experiences. Visitors were selected at random from Park-designated wilderness trails, in proportion to their use, and asked to

Estimating the Recreational-Use Value for Hiking in Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia

OpenAIRE

Nillesen, E.E.M.; Wesseler, J.H.H.

2005-01-01

The recreational-use value of hiking in the Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia has been estimated using a zonal travel cost model. Multiple destination visitors have been accounted for by converting visitors' own ordinal ranking of the various sites visited to numerical weights, using an expected-value approach. The value of hiking and camping in this national park was found to be $AUS 250,825 per year, or $AUS 144,45 per visitor per year, which is similar to findings from other studies v...

Evaluation of permeability of Nojima fault by hydrophone VSP; Hydrophone VSP ni yoru Nojima danso no tosuisei hyoka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiguchi, T; Ito, H; Kuwahara, Y; Miyazaki, T [Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba (Japan)

1996-05-01

The multi-offset hydrophone VSP experiments were carried out using a 750m deep borehole as the oscillation receiver, which penetrates the Nojima fault, to detect water-permeable cracks and evaluate their characteristics. Soil around the borehole is of granodiorite, and fault clay is found at a depth in a range from 623 to 624m. A total of 4 dynamite tunnels were provided around the borehole as the focus. The VSP results show that the tube waves are generated at 22 depths, including the depth at which fault clay is found. However, these waves are generated at only 6 depths in an approximately 150m long fracture zone, suggesting that the cracks in the zone are not necessarily permeable. It is also found that crack angle determined by the analysis of tube waves almost coincides with that of fault clay determined by the core, BHTV and FMI, and that permeability is of the order of 100md at a depth of fault clay or shallower. 3 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Coupling between the voltage-sensing and phosphatase domains of Ci-VSP.

Science.gov (United States)

Villalba-Galea, Carlos A; Miceli, Francesco; Taglialatela, Maurizio; Bezanilla, Francisco

2009-07-01

The Ciona intestinalis voltage sensor-containing phosphatase (Ci-VSP) shares high homology with the phosphatidylinositol phosphatase enzyme known as PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10). We have taken advantage of the similarity between these proteins to inquire about the coupling between the voltage sensing and the phosphatase domains in Ci-VSP. Recently, it was shown that four basic residues (R11, K13, R14, and R15) in PTEN are critical for its binding onto the membrane, required for its catalytic activity. Ci-VSP has three of the basic residues of PTEN. Here, we show that when R253 and R254 (which are the homologues of R14 and R15 in PTEN) are mutated to alanines in Ci-VSP, phosphatase activity is disrupted, as revealed by a lack of effect on the ionic currents of KCNQ2/3, where current decrease is a measure of phosphatase activity. The enzymatic activity was not rescued by the introduction of lysines, indicating that the binding is an arginine-specific interaction between the phosphatase binding domain and the membrane, presumably through the phosphate groups of the phospholipids. We also found that the kinetics and steady-state voltage dependence of the S4 segment movement are affected when the arginines are not present, indicating that the interaction of R253 and R254 with the membrane, required for the catalytic action of the phosphatase, restricts the movement of the voltage sensor.

Conditions for the management of carrying capacity in the parks of Parks&Benefits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Jesper; Holmes, Esbern

2011-01-01

Growth in the number of visitors is an upcoming problem in nature parks. Nature parks are at the same time facing increasing demand, falling public appropriations and receding focus on their conservation functions. To ensure a balancing of nature protection and economic utilization the concept...... stakeholders, balancing use and protection preferably based on scientific and/or experiential cognition. The conditions for the management of carrying capacity for the 8 nature parks in the EC Baltic Project Parks&Benefits are analysed in the report. 1. Part focus on the methodology, concentrated...... on the comparison of the common conditions related to the international nature protection obligations in the parks, primarily expressed through the management under the EU Natura2000-program. In part 2, a comparison of the 8 parks concerning extent, land use composition, population in and around the park...

The Personal Viewpoint on the Meaning of Tranquility Affects the Appraisal of the Urban Park Soundscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karlo Filipan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Previous research has shown that tranquil areas in the city, such as urban parks, are usually perceived as positive and have a restorative effect on visitors. However, visitors could experience these spaces differently depending on the meaning they assign to the concept of tranquility. To investigate how individuals’ personal views on tranquility affect their perception of the sonic environment, a soundscape study was conducted in several city parks in Antwerp, Belgium. Mobile sound measurements were combined with a questionnaire survey amongst 660 park visitors. Within the survey, the participants’ viewpoint on tranquility was evaluated using their agreement with a set of previously established prototypical statements, categorizing them into one out of three main tranquility viewpoint groups: people that associate tranquility with silence, those that associate it with hearing natural sounds, or those that associate it with social relationships. Next to this, the sounds that participants had heard during their visit were noted, and their perception of the overall quality of the soundscape and the degree to which it matched their expectation were assessed. Results show that the park visitors who associate tranquility with natural sounds or to silence are more often found amongst those that report hearing mechanical sounds a lot. The same groups of visitors rate the overall quality of the sonic environment of the park more often bad to very bad. These findings suggest that park visitors pay attention more to the sounds they do not expect to hear, and that the higher their expectations about the soundscape, the more critical they become in their appraisal of the soundscape.

Wilderness experience in Rocky Mountain National Park 2002: Report to RMNP

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Elke; Johnson, S. Shea; Taylor, Jonathan G.

2004-01-01

Approximately 250,000 acres of backcountry in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP or the Park) may be designated as wilderness use areas in the coming years. Currently, over 3 million people visit RMNP each year; many drive through the park on Trail Ridge Road, camp in designated campgrounds, or hike in front-country areas. However, visitors also report much use of backcountry areas that are not easily accessible by roads or trails. Use of the backcountry is growing at RMNP and is accompanied by changing visitor expectations and preferences for wilderness management. For these reasons it is of great importance for the Park to periodically assess what types of environments and conditions wilderness users seek, to help them facilitate a quality wilderness experience.

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) Software: Designs and Data Analyses for Sampling Contaminated Buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulsipher, Brent A.; Wilson, John E.; Gilbert, Richard O.; Nuffer, Lisa L.; Hassig, Nancy L.

2005-01-01

A new module of the Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software has been developed to provide sampling designs and data analyses for potentially contaminated buildings. An important application is assessing levels of contamination in buildings after a terrorist attack. This new module, funded by DHS through the Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office, Technical Support Working Group, was developed to provide a tailored, user-friendly and visually-orientated buildings module within the existing VSP software toolkit, the latest version of which can be downloaded from http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp. In case of, or when planning against, a chemical, biological, or radionuclide release within a building, the VSP module can be used to quickly and easily develop and visualize technically defensible sampling schemes for walls, floors, ceilings, and other surfaces to statistically determine if contamination is present, its magnitude and extent throughout the building and if decontamination has been effective. This paper demonstrates the features of this new VSP buildings module, which include: the ability to import building floor plans or to easily draw, manipulate, and view rooms in several ways; being able to insert doors, windows and annotations into a room; 3-D graphic room views with surfaces labeled and floor plans that show building zones that have separate air handing units. The paper will also discuss the statistical design and data analysis options available in the buildings module. Design objectives supported include comparing an average to a threshold when the data distribution is normal or unknown, and comparing measurements to a threshold to detect hotspots or to insure most of the area is uncontaminated when the data distribution is normal or unknown

Estimating the recreational-use value for hiking in Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Nillesen, Eleonora; Wesseler, Justus; Cook, Averil

2005-08-01

The recreational-use value of hiking in the Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia has been estimated using a zonal travel cost model. Multiple destination visitors have been accounted for by converting visitors' own ordinal ranking of the various sites visited to numerical weights, using an expected-value approach. The value of hiking and camping in this national park was found to be dollar AUS 250,825 per year, or dollar AUS 144,45 per visitor per year, which is similar to findings from other studies valuing recreational benefits. The management of the park can use these estimates when considering the introduction of a system of user pays fees. In addition, they might be important when decisions need to be made about the allocation of resources for maintenance or upgrade of tracks and facilities.

A study on the determination of the natural park's sustainable tourism potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Cetin, Mehmet; Zeren, Ilknur; Sevik, Hakan; Cakir, Cansel; Akpinar, Huseyin

2018-02-23

The surface site of Yesilyuva Nature Park encompasses natural, social, economic, and cultural characteristics and has become a marker of the region's natural and cultural heritage. To support the preservation of this site, promotional activities should be planned. In this study, because of tourism and related opinions of residents and visitors alike in terms of their natural determination, an important cultural and historical feature is aimed at evaluating the tourism potential of Yesilyuva Nature Park. This framework is designed to establish prospective tourism sustainability. As a result, Yesilyuva Nature Park's natural and cultural properties have been determined to be suitable for sustainable tourism activities using geographic information systems (GIS). This protection in the field, which balances sustainability and landscape design, will provide for the development of tourism activities. In the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and survey, residents and visitors reported that the most important feature of the Yesilyuva Nature Park was its natural beauty. Visitors often come to observe traditional and natural life and to engage in tourism activities. All the data, which includes maps derived from GIS, represents landscape planning for sustainable tourism areas in Yesilyuva Nature Park.

Exploring visitor acceptability for hardening trails to sustain visitation and minimize impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Cahill, K.L.; Marion, J.L.; Lawson, S.R.

2008-01-01

Protected natural area managers are challenged to provide high quality recreation opportunities and ensure the protection of resources from impacts associated with visitation. Development of visitor use facilities and application of site hardening practices are commonly applied tools for achieving these competing management objectives. This study applies stated choice analysis to examine visitor opinions on acceptability when they are asked to make tradeoffs among competing social, resource and management attributes in backcountry and frontcountry settings of Acadia National Park. This study demonstrates that asking visitors about recreation setting attributes uni-dimensionally, a common approach, can yield less informative responses. Analyses that considered direct tradeoffs revealed more divergent opinions on acceptability for setting attributes than a unidimensional approach. Findings revealed that visitors to an accessible and popular attraction feature supported trail development options to protect resource conditions with unrestricted visitor access. In contrast, visitors to a remote undeveloped island expressed stronger support for no or limited trail development and access restrictions to protect resource conditions.

Will woody plant encroachment impact the visitor experience and economy of conservation areas?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma F. Gray

2013-08-01

Conservation implications: The results pointed to potentially significant economic consequences for conservation efforts as visitors become less satisfied with their experience. Perceptions of visitors are important for management decisions as park fees contribute significantly to conservation efforts. This could ultimately result in a reduced capacity for African conservation areas to conserve their biodiversity effectively. The results suggest that management may need to re-evaluate their approach to controlling woody plant encroachment.

Visitor Learning on Guided Tours: An Activity Theory Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Lily Beatrice

2016-01-01

Guided tours, field trips, and other non-formal learning experiences occur in a variety of settings such as museums, parks, civic buildings, and architectural landmarks for the purpose of educating the public. This study yielded four main findings. (1) Program educational goals were visitor awareness, positive affective experience, and advocacy.…

A Practical Application of Statistical Gap Analysis in National Park Management in Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aguirre González, Juan Antonio

2009-04-01

Full Text Available If the tourism growth predicted materialized as tourism for Costa Rica protected areas would see major increases. A study conducted in Volcan Poas National Park and Volcan Turrialba National Park two of Costa Rica leading volcanic crater parks was undertaken to make available to national parks and protected areas managers, a procedure, that could be use: to measure using an adapted form of the expectations disconfirmation theory the satisfaction of visitors to Costa Rica national parks, and to evaluate if the results could be used for establishing the areas of the park infrastructure, services and recreational options that needed improvement and management decisions to enhance visitor's satisfaction. The sample included 1414 surveys The findings indicates that the procedure adapted base on the expectations-disconfirmation model was proven helpful in: a getting the information to help “zero in”, the man-agement decisions in the short and medium term and for the development of the Tourist Management Plans that is to say being developed in the 2 sites, b guiding park managers in the resource allocation process, under the conditions of scarcity that are so common in developing countries, c facilitating regular monitoring of the conditions, with a simple and quick methodology that can be used for “day to day” decisions and more sophisticated statistical analysis d identifying the areas in the management of protected areas that need further analysis and in that way is contributing to the development of the long term socio-economic research programs in national parks, e the “real” importance of the information and education activities in national parks, combination of activities that seems to be critical to enhance “consumer satisfaction” among the visitors to national parks everywhere and particularly as a means of understanding whether visitors needs and expectations are met, whether they receive what they should and as a context for

Challenges and solutions for applying the travel cost demand model to geographically remote visitor destinations: A case study of bear viewing at Katmai National Park and Preserve

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Leslie; Huber, Christopher; Loomis, John

2017-01-01

Remote and unique destinations present difficulties when attempting to construct traditional travel cost models to value recreation demand. The biggest limitation comes from the lack of variation in the dependent variable, defined as the number of trips taken over a set time frame. There are various approaches that can be used for overcoming limitations of the traditional travel cost model in the context of remote destinations. This study applies an adaptation of the standard model to estimate recreation benefits of bear viewing at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, which represents a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many visitors. Results demonstrate that visitors to this park’s Brooks Camp area are willing to pay an average of US$287 per day of bear viewing. Implications of these findings for valuing recreation at other remote destinations are discussed.

Which age group spends the most in a national park?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Cini

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Age (and its changing structure amongst the wider population is one of the most relevant aspects required to better understand and forecast the needs, interests and associated consumption behaviours of tourists. This research used age to investigate the expenditure patterns amongst a sample of visitors to the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP, South Africa. In March 2010, visitors to the TMNP were found to differ significantly from those at other parks, as they were younger and most of them were foreigners. This study found that younger visitors (18–29 years were higher spenders when compared to those aged 30–49 years. As parks are generally visited by older people, this study showed the economic importance of the younger market. The research also made clear implications and recommendations for park management as to how to address these findings. Conservation implications: Conservation is dependent on funding. One of the main sources of income is tourism and tourism related activities. This research can assist marketers and managers to target the right markets in order to be more sustainable. This research also shows the importance of environmental education at an early age in order to grow awareness and to target the right markets.

36 CFR 7.15 - Shenandoah National Park.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., restaurant, visitor center, picnic area, ranger station, administrative or maintenance area, or other park...) yard radius of that campsite. (b) Powerless flight. The use of devices designed to carry persons...

Sound and noise in urban parks

OpenAIRE

António P. O. Carvalho; Ricardo A. F. Cleto

2012-01-01

The main goal of this work is to study the soundscape of city gardens and urban parks using a sample of ten sites in Oporto, Portugal to analyze their soundscape through the acoustic characterization of the park's exterior and interior noise levels (LAeq, LA10, LA50 and LA90) and by a socio-acoustic survey to the visitors to check their perception of acoustic quality. The measurements showed gardens/parks with interior noise levels from 47 to 61 dB(A) (with exterior noise levels up to 67 dB(A...

Resident support for a landfill-to-park transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Christine A. Vogt; David B. Klenosky; Stephanie A. Snyder; Lindsay K. Campbell

2015-01-01

Globally, landfills are being transformed into other uses because land resources scarce, property values are increasing, and governments seek to reduce urban blight and adaptively reuse space. Park planners and city managers are likely to find that gauging public perceptions of a landfill-to-park project transformation and promoting such sites to potential visitors as...

Appreciating a World Heritage Site using Multisensory Elements: A Case Study in Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zainol R.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nature based tourism products offer valuable experience to visitors which can only be appreciated or stimulated using sensory elements. Visual, sound, taste, smell, touch and mobility are sensory elements that are able to enhance visitors’ experience in any particular destination. However, some destinations might not provide all the elements. Therefore this study’s objective is to assess the role of multisensory experience in appreciating the natural heritage of Kinabalu Park. Participant observation is used to carry out the assessment. Findings show visitors are able to appreciate Kinabalu Park using five main sensory elements namely visual, sound, smell, feelings and mobility. The only one that is not available is taste. This is parallel to the products offered in Kinabalu Park which do not allow visitors to pluck any branches or taste any of its forest products. Multisensory elements enhance visitors experience through the senses which will be memorable in years to come. Learning will take place not immediately but through recalling of memories.

The Stochastic Dynamics for Ecological Tourism System with Visitor Educational Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongping Wei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The ever-increasing visitation in parks and protected areas continues to present a considerable challenge for worldwide land managers with allowing recreational use while preserving natural conditions. In China, the fast expanding visitation in protected areas is quickly damaging the natural resources and precious culture without effective visitor education, while regulation and site management are also gaining very limited efficacy. We propose a differential equation to describe the ecological tourism system. Shown by the theoretical proof and numerical simulation, the ecological tourism system is unstable without any perturbed factors, especially visitor educational intervention, because the solution of the dynamic system explodes in a finite time given any initial value. Supposing that the intrinsic increasing rate of stakeholders in the systems stochastically perturbed by the visitor educational intervention, we discover that the stochastic dynamic model can effectively suppress the explosion of the solution. As such, we demonstrate that the tourism system can develop steadily and safely even under a large amount of visitors in public vacation, when employing continuous visitor education intervention programmes.

Valuing Recreational Benefits of Coral Reefs: The Case of Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve, Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Ransom, Kevin P.; Mangi, Stephen C.

2010-01-01

A contingent valuation study was conducted with adult Kenyan citizens and foreign tourists to estimate the value of recreational benefits arising from coral reefs at Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve (MMNPR), and to assess the implications for local reef management. Citizen and foreign visitors to MMNPR were willing to pay an extra 2.2 (median = 1.6) and 8 (median = 6.7) per visit respectively, in addition to current park entrance fees, to support reef quality improvements. By aggregating visitors’ willingness to pay bids over the number of visitors to MMNPR in 2006-2007 the value of benefits was estimated at 346,733, which was more than twice the total annual operational expenditure of 152,383 for MMNPR. The findings indicate that annual revenues from citizen and foreign visitors may be increased by 60% to 261,932 through the implementation of proposed higher park fees of 3.10 for citizens and 15 for foreign visitors. However, any fee increase would serve to intensify concerns among citizens that only relatively affluent Kenyans can afford to visit MMNPR. Park managers need to demonstrate that the extra revenue would be used to fund the proposed conservation activities. This valuation study demonstrates that visitors are prepared to pay higher user fees for access to the marine protected area revealing considerable untapped resource to finance reef quality improvements.

Facilitating the Development and Evaluation of a Citizen Science Web Site: A Case Study of Repeat Photography and Climate Change in Southwest Alaska's National Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Mullen, Karina C.; Newman, Gregory; Thompson, Jessica L.

2013-01-01

Interviews with national park visitors across the country revealed that climate change education through place-based, hands-on learning using repeat photographs and technology is appealing to park visitors. This manuscript provides a summary of the development of a repeat photography citizen science Web site for national parks in Southwest Alaska.…

Heterogeneity in urban park use of aging visitors: a latent class analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemperman, A.D.A.M.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2006-01-01

This study describes and predicts urban parks use patterns for various age groups, with specific attention to the growing group of older adults. Park use intensity of various age groups is described. Subsequently, a multinomial logit model is estimated to describe urban park choice as a function of

Characterization of subsurface structure at Soultz HDR field by the triaxial drill-bit VSP; Sanjiku drill bit VSP ho ni yoru Soultz HDR field no chika kozo suitei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asanuma, H; Niitsuma, H; Liu, H [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Baria, R

1997-10-22

Triaxial drill-bit VSP (vertical seismic profiling) method is applied to the Soultz HDR (hot dry rock) field, France, where an artificial reservoir is provided inside the bedrock, and the structure inside the rockbed is estimated. An elastic wave detector is installed in the rockbed in this field, and data are acquired having frequency components up to approximately 1kHz. The trajectory of particles due to excavation noise is analyzed, and it is found that the drill-bit is the primary source of noise during excavation and that the SV-wave dominates in the emitted noise. Estimating the subsurface structure aided by the principle of the triaxial drill-bit VSP method, the lower part is detected of the artificial reservoir formed by hydraulic fracturing. As is reported in this paper, when the principle of the subject VSP method is considered, it has to be said that it is quite difficult to employ this method to extensively estimate the subsurface structure on the basis of measurements of the inside of the rockbed. There is a plan for a future study of a technique for accurately and extensively estimating subsurface structures by use of a small number of sensors. 8 refs., 7 figs.

Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundby, Alicia; Mutoh, Hiroki; Dimitrov, Dimitar; Akemann, Walther; Knöpfel, Thomas

2008-06-25

Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current) measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development of a genetically encodable fluorescent protein voltage sensor (VSFP) in which the fast, voltage-dependent conformational changes of the Ci-VSP voltage sensor are transduced to similarly fast fluorescence read-outs.

Public parks as urban tourism in Jakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Adiati, M. P.; Lestari, N. S.; Wiastuti, R. D.

2018-03-01

Sustainable urban tourism development should provide better places for people to live in and for people to visit. Jakarta as the capital city has a potential for its urban tourism. Thus, urban tourism attribute such as Public Park should be in high- quality to cope with the needs of urban people and outside visitors. The purpose of this study is to investigate Public Park attributes and to analyze its compliance refer to Public Park that eventually supports sustainable urban tourism. This paper used a qualitative approach. Primary data obtain from direct field observation in seven Public Parks in Jakarta; Menteng Park, Suropati Park, Situ Lembang Park, Ayodhya Park, Cattleya Park, Kodok Park, and Langsat Park. Observation checks list use as guidance. The result provides an assessment of Public Park based on four categories; the accessibility, park activities, safety, and user. The implication of this study offers recommendations to enhance Public Park so that it complies with good public park design- attributes and with the obligations of sustainable urban tourism in Jakarta.

Perceived Health Benefits and Willingness to Pay for Parks by Park Users: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire Henderson-Wilson

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Whilst a growing body of evidence demonstrates people derive a range of health and wellbeing benefits from visiting parks, only a limited number of attempts have been made to provide a complementary economic assessment of parks. The aim of this exploratory study was to directly estimate the perceived health and wellbeing benefits attained from parks and the economic value assigned to parks by park users in Victoria, Australia. The research employed a mixed methods approach (survey and interviews to collect primary data from a selection of 140 park users: 100 from two metropolitan parks in Melbourne and 40 from a park on the urban fringe of Melbourne, Victoria. Our findings suggest that park users derive a range of perceived physical, mental/spiritual, and social health benefits, but park use was predominantly associated with physical health benefits. Overall, our exploratory study findings suggest that park users are willing to pay for parks, as they highly value them as places for exercising, socialising, and relaxing. Importantly, most people would miss parks if they did not exist. The findings aim to provide park managers, public health advocates, and urban policy makers with evidence about the perceived health and wellbeing benefits of park usage and the economic value park visitors place on parks.

A re-assessment of the avifauna of the Mountain Zebra National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.J.F.K. Craig

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Based on all published records, together with the original data for the southern African bird atlas, the current Birds in Reserves Project and our records on field trips, 257 bird species have been reliably recorded from MZNP. We have assessed the current status of all species, in relation to the recent expansion of the park and other changes which may be a consequence of management practices. No birds of national conservation concern are breeding residents in the park, and some species are periodic or irregular visitors. Nevertheless, the park is important for the conservation of representatives of the Karoo avifauna, and the diversity of birdlife present should be highlighted to attract visitors with a special interest in birding.

Estimating the Recreational-Use Value for Hiking in Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nillesen, E.E.M.; Wesseler, J.H.H.

2005-01-01

The recreational-use value of hiking in the Bellenden Ker National Park, Australia has been estimated using a zonal travel cost model. Multiple destination visitors have been accounted for by converting visitors' own ordinal ranking of the various sites visited to numerical weights, using an

Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alicia Lundby

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development of a genetically encodable fluorescent protein voltage sensor (VSFP in which the fast, voltage-dependent conformational changes of the Ci-VSP voltage sensor are transduced to similarly fast fluorescence read-outs.

75 FR 28055 - General Management Plan; Joshua Tree National Park; San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, CA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-19

... kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service General Management Plan; Joshua Tree National... National Park Service is updating the General Management Plan (GMP) for Joshua Tree National Park...

78 FR 13081 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for General Management Plan, Everglades National Park, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-26

... visitor use in the Park. The GMP will provide updated management direction for the entire park. The EEWS....YP0000] Draft Environmental Impact Statement for General Management Plan, Everglades National Park... the General Management Plan (GMP) and East Everglades Wilderness Study (EEWS) for Everglades National...

Defining indicators and standards for tourism impacts in protected areas: Cape Range National Park, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Susan A; Polley, Amanda

2007-03-01

Visitors' perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors' perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors' quality of experience included litter, inadequate disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined, based on visitors' perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities (e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion) sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management.

From landscapes to soundscapes: understanding and managing natural quiet in the national parks

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Manning; William Valliere; Jeffery Hallo; Peter Newman; Ericka Pilcher; Michael Savidge; Dan Dugan

2007-01-01

Research at Muir Woods Natural Monument suggests that soundscapes are an important component of parks and outdoor recreation, that human-caused noise is a potentially important indicator of quality for park soundscapes, and that visitors have normative standards for the maximum acceptable level of human-caused noise in parks. Formulating indicators and standards of...

Visitation in island parks: indicators as a tool for management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ginessa Corrêa Lemos

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Park visitation has been increasing every year; however, the majority of the protected areas have no satisfactory and qualified administrative structure to control visitation, especially when island ecosystems are considered. The State Park of Ilhabela (PEIb is a good example of this, and was therefore selected for this study, which hoped to identify indicators for better management of park visitation. In order to select indicators to be used as a reference for this purpose, this study employed the Bountîle – Base of observation for nautical and terrestrial purposes within islands - developed by French researchers for the National Park of Port-Cros, and complemented this with guidelines from the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and other authors. These led to the selection of the following indicators: a opportunities of recreation for a diverse public; b visitation security; c satisfaction with the experience; d minimal environmental impact; e spinoff of socioeconomic development of the surrounding community. Based on the PEIb analyses, 20 management indicators were identified using the following criteria: uses and users; climatic conditions; well-being of the residents; security; profile of the visitor; well-being of the visitors; behavior of the visitors; certification, management, and institutional integration. The criteria of the indicators is greatly diversified, as it is believed that such diversity is essential to encompass the varied aspects that must be considered by a visitation management system in a conservation area. The indicators are flexible, and can be changed anytime, so that they will always be in harmony with the goals of the park management plan. In order to be efficient, they should be feasible economically, technically, and operationally. It is essential that indicators and protocols be discussed and tested with park workers and local actors, ensuring active management and continuous monitoring.

A Visitor Control Policy for Martin Army Hospital,

Science.gov (United States)

1978-04-05

gathered at York Hospital resulted in the limitation of two visitors per patient at one time. This was not an arbitrary decision by management but...management is required to receive input from the consumer on many management decisions . Even discounting the above, the patient was felt to be a logical...proximity of the parking areas to the primary entrances, no additional staff entrances ,4 are needed, therefore no special locking devices for any auxillary

Minimising visitor impacts to protected areas: The efficacy of low impact education programmes

Science.gov (United States)

Marion, J.L.; Reid, S.E.

2007-01-01

Protected area managers, tourism providers, and other organisations commonly employ education programmes to address visitation-related impairment of natural and cultural resources, social conditions, and neighbouring communities. These programmes have different names (Leave No Trace, Codes of Conduct, Environmental Guidelines for Tourists) but share common objectives: to sustain opportunities for high quality visitor experiences while avoiding or minimising associated negative impacts to protected area resources, visitor experiences, and park neighbours. Theoretical and empirical research studies in the United States are reviewed to evaluate the efficacy of educational efforts that seek to encourage adoption of low impact behaviours. Findings reveal that most of the visitor education efforts evaluated did effectively alter visitor knowledge, behaviour and/or resource and social conditions in the intended direction. These findings, including discussions of message content, delivery, audience characteristics and theoretical grounding, provide insights for improving the efficacy of future educational efforts.

Quantifying recreational value and the functional relationship between travel cost and visiting national park

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kawsar, Mahidi Hasan; Al Pavel, Muha Abdullah; Uddin, Mohammad Belal

2015-01-01

Estimation of recreational benefits is an important tool for both biodiversity conservation and ecotourism development in national parks and sanctuaries. The design of this work is to estimate the recreational value and to establish functional relationship between travel cost and visitation...... of Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Bangladesh. This study employed zonal approach of the travel cost method. The work is grounded on a sample of 422 visitors of the LNP. Results showed that the total value of environmental assets of the LNP is 55,694,173 Taka/Year. Moreover, our suggestion based on visitors...

Park Planning for Ageing Adults Using Grounded Theory Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernie Dahl

2004-06-01

Full Text Available The importance of understanding park planning issues and implementing planning strategies for ageing adults was the driving force for this study. Literature reviews have identified a variety of scholarly work from fields such as gerontology, psychology, sociology and economics, all of which provide valuable information regarding the special needs of ageing adults. Very few researchers, however, have investigated the leisure behaviours of older adults in outdoor recreation (Croskeys, Tinsley and Tinsley, 2002 and the use of grounded theory methodology has essentially been unexplored in this area. Ageing adults are projected to live more than 20 percent of their life in retirement (MRP, 1998, cited in Croskeys, Tinsley and Tinsley, 2002, allowing for an increased amount of discretionary time. This offers opportunities for ageing adults to participate in outdoor recreational activities and will undoubtedly increase their leisure time. However, with limited research in recreational needs and inclusion for older adults, it is difficult for park planners and administrators to meet the growing needs of this population. Therefore, this research is necessary in order to determine whether ageing adults are being accounted for in park and outdoor recreational planning. The objective of this study was to use grounded theory research methodology to identify and examine ageing adult needs in relation to outdoor leisure activities in a regional park setting. Ten Midwestern regional park visitors (aged 65-75 years old and four park employees were interviewed. Our research attempts to fill in the gaps between the perceptions of ageing park users and those of park planners, using a methodology that relies primarily on direct contact with park visitors.

Fluid mobility in reservoir rocks from integrated VSP and openhole data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhubayev, A.; Ghose, R.; Jihai, Y.; Jun, C.; Borodin, I.; Sanders, M.; Lim, T.K.; Menkiti, H.

2013-01-01

In this study, we first estimate seismic velocity and attenuation dispersion from a comprehensive zero-offset vertical seismic profile (VSP) data acquired in China. These results, combined with openhole data acquired at the same location, provide experimental evidence that the seismic attenuation in

Analysis and evaluation of soundscapes in public parks through interviews and measurement of noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Szeremeta, Bani; Zannin, Paulo Henrique Trombetta

2009-12-01

The purpose of this work was to investigate the sound environment of public parks using a soundscape study model that analyzes not only noise but also all the types of sound of a given area, as well as other environmental factors. To this end, acoustic measurements were made in the parks under study and interviews were held with their frequent visitors. Noise measurements were conducted in 55 points, and a total of 335 people were interviewed in the 4 parks studied. The parks selected for this study are located in areas very close to streets with intense vehicle flow, raising the hypothesis that this proximity impairs the acoustic comfort of their visitors. The findings confirm the strong influence of traffic noise on the soundscapes of the parks. Noise measurements showed that in all parks, between 50 and 100% of the points evaluated displayed sound levels above 55dB(A), the level established by Curitiba's Municipal Law 10625 as the limit permitted for green areas during daytime. Other conditions in the parks' environments were also identified, which interfere jointly in the soundscape and in its perception, such as spatial factors of each park, the urban setting of its surroundings, and the sounds originating inside the parks.

Reducing Rockfall Risk in Yosemite National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, Greg M.; Collins, Brian D.

2014-07-01

Yosemite National Park preserves some of the world's most spectacular geological scenery, including icons such as Half Dome and El Capitan. The glacially sculpted granite walls of Yosemite Valley attract 4 million visitors a year, but rockfalls from these cliffs pose substantial hazards (Figure 1).

Theme Park Investments: How to Beat the Average - A Case Study from the Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Pieter C. M. Cornelis

2014-01-01

(European) theme parks invest approximately 10 percent of their yearly turnover into new rides and park improvements. Without these investments these parks assume not to be a very competitive and appealing daytrip for their target audiences. However, the impact of investments in attracting new visitors is not well-known and seems to differ dramatically between parks. This paper presents a case study from the Netherlands in which a small amusement park applied a suggested, not yet proven, inve...

Conservation Effort of Natural Enemies Animal by Creating The Green Park and Play Ground in Malang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lubna Ahmed Abo Al-Qassem Shahub

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The play grounds and green parks in Malang was developed until nowadays in the effort of enhancement the environment in Malang. With improving of the quality of services of that public area, it will increase the achievement of visitor satisfaction and their perception about its function.  The research was conducted to evaluate the existing condition in Malang City Park, to analyze the  perception of the visitors to the utilization play grounds in the city and to formulate the recommendations in improving the play ground for the conservation of natural enemies. For these purposes, questionnaires were developed and it was interviewed to the visitors of the play ground as respondents. Data collected were analyzed using Gap Analysis compared to the ideal of green park as play ground according to the governance criteria. Based on research results, most of the visitors were satisfy with the play ground, but their perception to its function were no so clear. By implementing some suggestion of the stakeholders (University and Non-Governmental Organization almost all of the criteria of ideal green open space were already similar with its from the government. The improvement in the educational characters of the play ground and be considered for the ideal multifunction play ground in Malang City. Keywords: multi function, play ground, visitor perception

Variation in visitor perceptions of a polar bear enclosure based on the presence of natural vs. un-natural enrichment items.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutska, Debra

2009-07-01

A debate exists among modern zoo staff as to whether or not the addition of un-naturalistic enrichment takes away from, or even defeats, the educational messages designers are trying to incorporate in naturalistic exhibits. A visitor study was conducted at the Central Park Zoo's polar bear exhibit in order to determine whether or not the type of enrichment in an enclosure actually alters guest perceptions. Visitors were exposed to one of two enrichment treatments in the bear enclosure: Naturalistic or Un-naturalistic. The results of this study suggest that enrichment type did not alter the perceptions of visitors. However, it did identify some of the different ways adults and youths perceive animals and zoos. Additionally, the study highlighted the varying perceptions individuals have of the concept of polar bears vs. their perceptions of the captive individuals at the Central Park Zoo. Implications for enrichment usage and exhibit design are discussed.

Reading the landscape: citywide social assessment of New York City parks and natural areas in 2013-2014

Science.gov (United States)

D.S. Novem Auyeung; Lindsay K. Campbell; Michelle Johnson; Nancy Falxa Sonti; Erika Svendsen

2016-01-01

In 2001, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) Natural Resources Group created the Forever Wild Program to protect nearly 9,000 acres of forests, wetlands, and meadows citywide. Although these areas were set aside over a decade ago, we have little systematic evidence about how park visitors view, use, and value parks with these...

Seismic VSP Investigations at Olkiluoto, 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enescu, N.; Cosma, C.; Balu, L. (Vibrometric, Vantaa (Finland))

2007-08-15

Posiva Oy carries out R and D related tasks for spent nuclear fuel disposal in Finland. The site characterization has been conducted since 1987 in Olkiluoto in western Finland. The ONKALO underground characterization facility has been under construction since 2004. Vibrometric Oy has been contracted to carry out seismic VSP survey in four drillholes in the immediate vicinity of ONKALO, for the characterization of the seismically responsive structures. Four drillholes, KR8, KR27, KR29 and KR38 were included to the project. Seven seismic source locations on ground surface were used for each drillhole. The source locations were optimized with respect to the drillhole and ONKALO and were configured as linear arrays to produce optimum imaging focused on the ONKALO volume. A mechanical Vibsist source, using a hydraulic rock breaker mounted on a 22 t excavator, was used as source of seismic signal. The signal was recorded with downhole 3-component geophones. The recording array was 8-level long, with 5 m spacing between levels. Acquisition was run throughout the drillholes. Processing of the VSP profiles consisted of time decoding of the impact sequences, filtering and image point (IP) transform. The interpretation was carried out interactively, seeking for best match of orientation of each reflection according to different borehole profiles where the features were seen. The interpretations were built as an add-on to a previous seismic model of the site. The most distinct reflectors were interpreted, compiled to as a part of a terrain model composed of 3D surfaces, and transferred digitally together with other results (3D elements of reflector locations) into Posiva's 3D modeling system. Some of the reflectors have already received direct confirmation from ONKALO observations. (orig.)

Seismic VSP Investigations at Olkiluoto, 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enescu, N.; Cosma, C.; Balu, L.

2007-08-01

Posiva Oy carries out R and D related tasks for spent nuclear fuel disposal in Finland. The site characterization has been conducted since 1987 in Olkiluoto in western Finland. The ONKALO underground characterization facility has been under construction since 2004. Vibrometric Oy has been contracted to carry out seismic VSP survey in four drillholes in the immediate vicinity of ONKALO, for the characterization of the seismically responsive structures. Four drillholes, KR8, KR27, KR29 and KR38 were included to the project. Seven seismic source locations on ground surface were used for each drillhole. The source locations were optimized with respect to the drillhole and ONKALO and were configured as linear arrays to produce optimum imaging focused on the ONKALO volume. A mechanical Vibsist source, using a hydraulic rock breaker mounted on a 22 t excavator, was used as source of seismic signal. The signal was recorded with downhole 3-component geophones. The recording array was 8-level long, with 5 m spacing between levels. Acquisition was run throughout the drillholes. Processing of the VSP profiles consisted of time decoding of the impact sequences, filtering and image point (IP) transform. The interpretation was carried out interactively, seeking for best match of orientation of each reflection according to different borehole profiles where the features were seen. The interpretations were built as an add-on to a previous seismic model of the site. The most distinct reflectors were interpreted, compiled to as a part of a terrain model composed of 3D surfaces, and transferred digitally together with other results (3D elements of reflector locations) into Posiva's 3D modeling system. Some of the reflectors have already received direct confirmation from ONKALO observations. (orig.)

The Tourism Experience Offered by Religious Theme Parks: Taman Tamadun Islam (TTI) in Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Moal - Ulvoas, Gaëlle M

2016-01-01

Theme parks are major drivers of tourism development and experience is a central concept in tourism research. This study investigates the experience potential associated with religious theme parks which offer a combination of religious and secular activities. The experiences of visitors to Taman Tamadun Islam (TTI), a Muslim theme park based in Malaysia, are identified through the analysis of visitors’ feedback on Tripadvisor.

Investigation of sinkhole areas in Germany using 2D shear wave reflection seismics and zero-offset VSP

Science.gov (United States)

Tschache, Saskia; Wadas, Sonja; Polom, Ulrich; Krawczyk, Charlotte M.

2017-04-01

Sinkholes pose a serious geohazard for humans and infrastructure in populated areas. The Junior Research Group Subrosion within the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics and the joint project SIMULTAN work on the multi-scale investigation of subrosion processes in the subsurface, which cause natural sinkholes. In two case studies in sinkhole areas of Thuringia in Germany, we applied 2D shear wave reflection seismics using SH-waves with the aim to detect suitable parameters for the characterisation of critical zones. This method has the potential to image near-surface collapse and faulting structures in improved resolution compared to P-wave surveys resulting from the shorter wavelength of shear waves. Additionally, the shear wave velocity field derived by NMO velocity analysis is a basis to calculate further physical parameters, as e.g. the dynamic shear modulus. In both investigation areas, vertical seismic profiles (VSP) were acquired by generating P- and SH-waves (6 component VSP) directly next to a borehole equipped with a 3C downhole sensor. They provide shear and compressional wave velocity profiles, which are used to improve the 2D shear wave velocity field from surface seismics, to perform a depth calibration of the seismic image and to calculate the Vp/Vs ratio. The signals in the VSP data are analysed with respect to changes in polarisation and attenuation with depth and/or azimuth. The VSP data reveal low shear wave velocities of 200-300 m/s in rock layers known to be heavily affected by subrosion and confirm the low velocities calculated from the surface seismic data. A discrepancy of the shear wave velocities is observed in other intervals probably due to unsymmetrical travel paths in the surface seismics. In some VSP data dominant conversion of the direct SH-wave to P-wave is observed that is assumed to be caused by an increased presence of cavities. A potential fault distorting the vertical travel paths was detected by abnormal P-wave first

Structural diversity: a multi-dimensional approach to assess recreational services in urban parks.

Science.gov (United States)

Voigt, Annette; Kabisch, Nadja; Wurster, Daniel; Haase, Dagmar; Breuste, Jürgen

2014-05-01

Urban green spaces provide important recreational services for urban residents. In general, when park visitors enjoy "the green," they are in actuality appreciating a mix of biotic, abiotic, and man-made park infrastructure elements and qualities. We argue that these three dimensions of structural diversity have an influence on how people use and value urban parks. We present a straightforward approach for assessing urban parks that combines multi-dimensional landscape mapping and questionnaire surveys. We discuss the method as well the results from its application to differently sized parks in Berlin and Salzburg.

3' Phosphatase activity toward phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate [PI(3,4)P2] by voltage-sensing phosphatase (VSP).

Science.gov (United States)

Kurokawa, Tatsuki; Takasuga, Shunsuke; Sakata, Souhei; Yamaguchi, Shinji; Horie, Shigeo; Homma, Koichi J; Sasaki, Takehiko; Okamura, Yasushi

2012-06-19

Voltage-sensing phosphatases (VSPs) consist of a voltage-sensor domain and a cytoplasmic region with remarkable sequence similarity to phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), a tumor suppressor phosphatase. VSPs dephosphorylate the 5' position of the inositol ring of both phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P(3)] and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2)] upon voltage depolarization. However, it is unclear whether VSPs also have 3' phosphatase activity. To gain insights into this question, we performed in vitro assays of phosphatase activities of Ciona intestinalis VSP (Ci-VSP) and transmembrane phosphatase with tensin homology (TPTE) and PTEN homologous inositol lipid phosphatase (TPIP; one human ortholog of VSP) with radiolabeled PI(3,4,5)P(3). TLC assay showed that the 3' phosphate of PI(3,4,5)P(3) was not dephosphorylated, whereas that of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate [PI(3,4)P(2)] was removed by VSPs. Monitoring of PI(3,4)P(2) levels with the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain from tandem PH domain-containing protein (TAPP1) fused with GFP (PH(TAPP1)-GFP) by confocal microscopy in amphibian oocytes showed an increase of fluorescence intensity during depolarization to 0 mV, consistent with 5' phosphatase activity of VSP toward PI(3,4,5)P(3). However, depolarization to 60 mV showed a transient increase of GFP fluorescence followed by a decrease, indicating that, after PI(3,4,5)P(3) is dephosphorylated at the 5' position, PI(3,4)P(2) is then dephosphorylated at the 3' position. These results suggest that substrate specificity of the VSP changes with membrane potential.

78 FR 38072 - General Management Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Guadalupe Mountains National Park...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-25

...[aacute]squez, at the Park Headquarters/Pine Springs Visitor Center: 400 Pine Canyon Drive, Salt Flat, TX...]squez, Superintendent, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, HC 60, Box 400, Salt Flat, TX 79847-9400.... Campsites and horse corrals would be closed and their sites revegetated. The limited amount of new...

Visitor Registration System

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — Visitor Registration System (VRS) streamlines visitor check-in and check-out process for expediting visitors into USAID. The system captures visitor information...

A semiparametric hazard model of activity timing and sequencing decisions during visits to theme parks using experimental design data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemperman, A.D.A.M.; Borgers, A.W.J.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2002-01-01

In this study we introduce a semi parametric hazard-based duration model to predict the timing and sequence of theme park visitors' activity choice behavior. The model is estimated on the basis of observations of consumer choices in various hypothetical theme parks. These parks are constructed by

DETERMINING TOURISM VALUE OF NATIONAL PARK OF URMIA LAKE IN IRAN BY FAMILY PRODUCTION FUNCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Bagherzadeh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available According to the importance of environmental resources in preserving natural ecosystems and human life, preserving these resources and preventing their destruction is necessary. National Park of Urmia Lake in West Azarbayjan province of Iran is the settlement of rare species for different animals and herbs. Every year a lot of internal and foreign passengers and tourists visit this national Park, so the purpose of this study is recreation demand function derivation in National Park of Urmia Lake and determining social and economic factors on demand function. So we used travel cost pattern within the frame work of family production function. Optimal sample volume was 75 tourists and data is related to 2010 summer. Results showed recreation demand function has positive relation with tourists income, quality of National Park and visitor`s education, also it has negative relation with recreation shadow price that is according to theoretical expectations. So, quality improvement of National Park as an effective key factor on recreation demand and using suitable pricing policy are recommended.

The Barriers to Millennials Visiting Rouge Urban National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gillian Ramsay

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Intensified urbanization has led to more populated cities and less green spaces which are vital to community health, wellbeing and conservation. Rouge Urban National Park in Toronto has recently become Canada’s first urban national park. This park is ideally suited to the millennial population, offering outdoor recreation and green space that this growing market generally desires. There is, however, a lack of research into visitor motivations to urban parks and more specifically millennial motivations. Findings from 280 quantitative surveys found three main barriers to visiting the Urban National Park: distance, transportation, and awareness. The lack of public transport combined with road congestion and fewer millennials owning cars creates issues with accessibility. Poor branding and knowledge through electronic media creates low awareness within a demographic market so tied to technology.

Physics-Based Conceptual Design Flying Qualities Analysis using OpenVSP and VSPAero, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA?s OpenVSP tool suite provides a common parametrically driven geometry model formany different analyses for aircraft and is primarily used in the conceptual...

A multi-offset vertical profiling (VSP) experiment for anisotropy analysis and imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grech, G. K.; Lawton, D. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada)

2000-09-01

Vertical seismic profiling (VSP) and surface seismic data are used to image and locate hydrocarbon targets in the subsurface, hence the importance of assessing which formations exhibit seismic velocity anisotropy and quantify their parameters for use during seismic imaging. The purpose of the experiments described in this paper was to determine whether the multiple dipping thin shale beds overlying the target area in the Rocky Mountain Foothills in southern Alberta exhibit seismic velocity anisotropy and if so, how this phenomenon affects the image of the underlying target. Traveltime inversion of the first arrival data from the multi-offset VSP in the study area has revealed that the Cretaceous shales exhibit velocity anisotropy of about 10 degrees. For a target depth of 3000 m and moderate dips of 30 to 50 degrees in the anisotropic overburden, it would be reasonable to expect a lateral shift in the imaged location of the target of up to 300 m in the up-direction of overlying bedding. 8 refs., 9 figs.

Protecting resources: Assessing visitor harvesting of wild morel mushrooms in two national capital region parks

Science.gov (United States)

Elizabeth S. Barron; Marla R. Emery

2009-01-01

Anecdotal reports have sparked concerns that morel mushroom populations may be declining at National Park sites in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The research reported here focuses on two of these parks, Catoctin Mountain Park (CATO) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (CHOH). Oral histories conducted with 41 harvesters in 2005 and 2007 had...

PREREQUISITES FOR CREATING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN NATURE PARKS THROUGH DIFFERENTIATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Vučemilović

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Differentiation is a way for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage or achieving a market position which enables companies to satisfy customers’ needs better than the competition. Differentiation can manifest itself through four dimensions: product, services, personnel and image. Nature parks, national parks, strict reserves and special reserves are categories of protected areas of national importance. Nature parks and national parks have exceptional potential for visiting system development, but are also responsible for the management of these activities. There are numerous nature protection restrictions arising from legislation and management documents. The principal task is to protect and preserve the natural and landscape values and ecological characteristics. Creating and realizing visiting activities as a part of tourist services supplied trough Public institutions are also specific. These services must be differentiated on the market in relation to the competition. Income generated from tourist services in the income structure of nature parks, will be even more important in the future, because of self-financing development and central budget dependency reduction. It must be emphasized that nature parks help the larger community through development of complementary economic activities. This paper is based on market research conducted in the period from 16 May to 10 June 2016 in Nature Park Kopački rit, which is one of the most visited nature parks in the Republic of Croatia. A poll survey was carried out among 300 randomly selected visitors. The research results may be used for policy suggestions for how to create adequate products, services and promotional activities, ensure quality education for visitors about natural, historical and cultural protected area values and minimize visitors’ impact on natural resources.

Catering for large numbers of tourists: the McDonaldization of casual dining in Kruger National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferreira Sanette L.A.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Since 2002 Kruger National Park (KNP has subjected to a commercialisation strategy. Regarding income generation, SANParks (1 sees KNP as the goose that lays the golden eggs. As part of SANParks’ commercialisation strategy and in response to providing services that are efficient, predictable and calculable for a large number of tourists, SANParks has allowed well-known branded restaurants to be established in certain rest camps in KNP. This innovation has raised a range of different concerns and opinions among the public. This paper investigates the what and the where of casual dining experiences in KNP; describes how the catering services have evolved over the last 70 years; and evaluates current visitor perceptions of the introduction of franchised restaurants in the park. The main research instrument was a questionnaire survey. Survey findings confirmed that restaurant managers, park managers and visitors recognise franchised restaurants as positive contributors to the unique KNP experience. Park managers appraised the franchised restaurants as mechanisms for funding conservation.

The study of environmental carrying capacity for sustainable tourism in Telaga Warna Telaga Pengilon Nature Park, Dieng Plateu, Central Java

Science.gov (United States)

Melat Aryasa, Alexander; Nur Bambang, Azis; Muhammad, Fuad

2017-06-01

The increasing in quantity of the tourists visiting Telaga Warna Telaga Pengilon Nature Park, Dieng Plateau, Central Java, can cause a potential threat toward the conservation sustainability of the tourist attraction and the surrounding area. The utilization of conservation area for tourist attraction has to be carried out based on the principal of Environmental Carrying Capacity so that it will not affect the ecosystem. This study aims to determine the value of Telaga Warna Telaga Pengilon Nature Park environmental carrying capacity as a conservation area used for tourism activities. The environmental carrying capacities calculated in this study were physical carrying capacity, real carrying capacity, and effective carrying capacity. Results of this research show that the physical carrying capacity of The Telaga Warna Telaga Pengilon Nature Park was 31,302 visitors, the real capacity was 869 visitors/day and the effective carrying capacity was 579 visitors/day. Thus, the sustainable tourism development strategy is needed to manage the everlasting natural resources.

Metal assessment in urban park soils in Sao Paulo 1. Ibirapuera Park

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Figueiredo, Ana Maria G.; Camargo, Sonia P.; Pavese, Arthur C.; Gumiero, Felipe C.; Enzweiler, Jacinta; Sigolo, Joel B.

2007-01-01

In the last years urban soils received increasing attention by scientists, leading to studies focused on their description and investigation all over the world, due to the increasing metal pollution derived from incinerators, industrial waste, atmospheric deposition of dust and aerosols, and other activities. Metal contamination in Sao Paulo public parks is an important environmental question and there is little information on this subject. As part of a project which aims metal assessment in urban park soils from Sao Paulo, in the present paper the concentration of the elements As, Ba, Cr, Pb, Sb and Zn were determined in surface soil samples (0-5 cm) from Ibirapuera park of Sao Paulo. Ibirapuera park is one of the biggest and most visited parks of the city of Sao Paulo, receiving during the weekends more than 400,000 visitors. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and X-ray Fluorescence (FRX) were used for metal analysis. Preliminary results showed concentration levels of the analyzed elements higher than the values considered as reference values for soils in Sao Paulo, according to the Environmental Protection Agency of the State of Sao Paulo (CETESB). For As, Ba, Cr and Sb, in some samples the concentrations were even higher than the Prevention values reported by CETESB. The high concentrations of the elements As, Ba, Cr, Pb, Sb and Zn in the Ibirapuera park top soils suggest an anthropogenic source and indicate a potential damage to soil quality. (author)

Physical activity levels and preferences of ethnically diverse visitors to Georgia State Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Lincoln Larson; Jason W. Whiting; Gary T. Green; Michael Bowker

2014-01-01

Parks provide many outdoor recreation opportunities that encourage physical activity and healthy lifestyles, and research has recently begun to explore the demographic, social, and environmental factors associated with park-based activity levels, particularly outside of urban areas. This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate physical activity levels and...

An outline of economic impacts of management options for Šumava National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian Dickie

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This analysis briefly compares the economic impacts of three potential future management scenarios for Šumava National Park (NP in the Czech Republic: (1 continuation of current management, (2 the adoption of draft Bills that would declassify protected areas and enable developments (e.g. ski lift development within some of the Park ’ s most valuable habitats for wildlife, and (3 the adoption of proposals to expand the wilderness area in the Park ’ s core with associated tourism opportunities. The proposals in the draft Bills have the potential to generate employment through ski lift development, but much of this activity will use imported labour and/or be short-term (e.g. associated with construction work. The financial viability of this development is uncertain for a number of reasons, including: likely requirements to compensate for damage to protected habitats, reduced future snow cover due to climate change, and competition to attract sufficient visitors to use the ski lift. The economic impacts of the adoption of the draft Bills (and, to a lesser extent, of continuing with current management would also include negative effects on current nature tourism activity and on its long-term potential to expand. Currently, and certainly if the proposed plans in the draft Bill are adopted, the value of the NP as an area of wilderness and high-quality ecosystems will be reduced. This would weaken one of its key selling points as a tourism and recreation destination. The opportunity for international branding of the national park based on these ecosystems would be diminished. This damage to ecosystems would go against the views of the 75% of the Czech population who agree that it is important to halt the loss of biodiversity because we have a moral obligation to look after nature. Pro-wilderness development offers an alternative scenario. It would allow economic opportunities to be pursued to promote nature-based tourism at new locations and

Understanding the reasons why tourists visit the Kruger National Park during a recession

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Scholtz

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The 2008 and 2009 recession increased pressure on travellers to cut costs on luxury items, such as going on holiday, and this has led to a global tourism decline of 8%. This, however, was not the case in the Kruger National Park (KNP in South Africa where a sustained 1.6% accommodation unit occupancy growth was experienced. In order to sustain this growth, it is of the utmost importance to determine why people still visited the Park during this period. Thus the aim of the study was to determine why people still visited the KNP amidst the 2008 and 2009 economic recession. A total of 355 completed questionnaires were obtained at the Park during 15 December 2009 – 20 December 2009 (high season after which various analyses (including factor analysis were conducted. Six motives were identified and ‘escape’, ‘wildlife experience’ and ‘family benefits’ were rated most important. Push factors were more dominant to the extent that visitors regard taking a holiday to the Park as a necessity. It furthermore seems that visitors adapt their spending behaviour at the Park to still be able to afford the visit. This was the first time that research was conducted at a national park during a recession period and this information is important for South African National Parks, seeing as it provides a better understanding of visitors’ behaviour as well as feeling towards the Park (especially during recession, and leads to improved niche marketing and a competitive advantage. This research also provides a better understanding of visitors’ behaviour during economic downturns.

Environment management conflict in Mount Tangkuban Perahu Nature Reserve and Nature Park, North Bandung, West Java

Science.gov (United States)

Damanik, Demak Ely Riana; Sjarmidi, Achmad

2014-03-01

Nature Park Mount Tangkuban Perahu is part of the Nature Reserve that defined as utilization zone. Until now the nature park continues to experience disruption and threat caused by human activities such as tourists, local peoples, and administrators so that giving rise to the area conflict. The number of rules did not guarantee high protection of the area and even can lead conflict. The evaluation performance of stakeholder and analysis environmental sustainablity, seems that there are not sustainable. The performance score of stakeholders in conservation efforts in the field of preservation and protection are 1.5 and 2 respectively (low category), while the area of utilization is 2 (low category). Total score condition of management area are 1.75 (low category). Visitors assume that Tangkuban Perahu was categorized as cheap attraction (benefits, comfort and safety are considerable (> 50%). Most visitors have a good perception of the facilities (66.2%), ticket price (64.6%), and ecosystems (78.5%). However this is not followed by magnitude of willingness to pay from the visitor to keep the preserved area (61.5% of visitors want to pay recreation. Some visitors (47.69%) mentioned the need of management system implementation to ensure the region sustainability. The causes and alternative conflict resolution also discussed in this study.

Redesign of Denggung Park as Sleman Urban Park based on Local Wisdom in Yogyakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Sanjaya, I.; Fatimah, IS

2017-10-01

Sleman Regency is one of the administrative area in Special Region of Yogyakarta Province which has increased the pace of infrastructure development activities that undertaken by the central government affects another surrounding area. The pace of infrastructure development impacts such problems in Sleman Regency such as, increasingly limited public spaces and changes in understanding the value of local wisdom. Sleman Regency has a park located in central government which is Denggung Park. This park has low visitors and less of aesthetic value which require re-design to improve the quality as public space for cultural identity space. The base concept of Urban Park adopted the philosophy that connects to four components in Javanese mythology. The four components in Javanese mythology symbolize the journey of human life in the Javanese cosmological theory, there are Mount Merapi, Keraton, Krapyak Stage, and South seas. The design concept inspired from pattern of Yogyakarta traditional clothing namely, Batik Kawung which describe of Philosophy “Four of Brotherhood and Five of Central itself” by means synergize four items creating world nature and human as life catalyzer. This study uses descriptive and spatial analysis method. The result of this research is expected to be a design recommendation for Sleman Regency governance in the urban park development.

Self - congruity Influence on Tourist Behavior: Repeat Visitors versus Non - Visitors and First - Time Visitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mithat Üner

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the role of prior experience on the impact of actual self and ideal self-congruity on tourists’ intention to visit Turkey for leisure purposes. The study draws from an empirical study with 648 subjects conducted in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Results suggest that the effect of actual self-congruity on intention to visit differs according to different levels of tourist experience. While self-congruity has a positive effect on intenti on to visit for the non-visitors and first-time visitors --implying that the relationship between self-congruity and intention does not vary between non-visitors and first-time visitors --this effect loses its significance for repeat visitors. These findings partially support the previous proposed moderating role of prior experience on the impact of self congruity on intention to visit a destination and expand the discussion on this topic raising new questions

National Parks of New York Harbor Traveler Information System : Functional Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-23

The purpose of this planning project is to analyze alternatives and design a Traveler Information System (TIS) that will enhance the experience of visitors to the NYNH parks and other sites managed by federal, state and local partners. The system wil...

Environment management conflict in Mount Tangkuban Perahu Nature Reserve and Nature Park, North Bandung, West Java

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damanik, Demak Ely Riana; Sjarmidi, Achmad

2014-01-01

Nature Park Mount Tangkuban Perahu is part of the Nature Reserve that defined as utilization zone. Until now the nature park continues to experience disruption and threat caused by human activities such as tourists, local peoples, and administrators so that giving rise to the area conflict. The number of rules did not guarantee high protection of the area and even can lead conflict. The evaluation performance of stakeholder and analysis environmental sustainablity, seems that there are not sustainable. The performance score of stakeholders in conservation efforts in the field of preservation and protection are 1.5 and 2 respectively (low category), while the area of utilization is 2 (low category). Total score condition of management area are 1.75 (low category). Visitors assume that Tangkuban Perahu was categorized as cheap attraction ( 50%). Most visitors have a good perception of the facilities (66.2%), ticket price (64.6%), and ecosystems (78.5%). However this is not followed by magnitude of willingness to pay from the visitor to keep the preserved area (61.5% of visitors want to pay < 100,000). Most argue that the management of the area classified as good (78.5%), but approximately 38.5% of visitors said that need additional facilities such as children's play facilities in the area. This shows the lack of understanding of visitor of the meaning of natural recreation. Some visitors (47.69%) mentioned the need of management system implementation to ensure the region sustainability. The causes and alternative conflict resolution also discussed in this study

Creative choices and fan practices in the transformation of theme park space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carissa Ann Baker

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article describes and interprets fan activities within the theme park space related to a particular fan object. It examines an evolving paradigm wherein the role of theme park visitors is changed. Rather than being perceived as observers of spectacles, they can participate and interact with the environment in new ways. An example of this is Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (2012, an interactive role-playing quest and collector card game at Disney's Magic Kingdom Park in Florida. Fans participate in a variety of practices that have dynamically redefined theme park activities. Together, management, designers, and fans have cocreated and reconstructed the theme park experience as one of exploration and participation. Despite multiple levels of control, fans will likewise persist in engagement with activities (in park and online that help shape and interrogate the theme park space.

The economic value of flower tourism at the Namaqua National Park, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I James

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The travel cost method was used to estimate the economic recreational value of flower viewing at the Namaqua National Park. Demographic, time, expenditure, preference and route information was collected from interviews with 160 SA nationals who visited the park in their own car.  Visitors spent an average of $US108 on transportation and $US84 on accommodation in the region. A zonal travel cost model was developed which suggests that the economic recreational value of flower viewing at the park makes to the region is far larger than the annual net loss of $US50 000 which the park makes when only the expenses and revenue of the park are considered.

Biophysical characterization of the fluorescent protein voltage probe VSFP2.3 based on the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundby, Alicia; Akemann, Walther; Knöpfel, Thomas

2010-01-01

A voltage sensitive phosphatase was discovered in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. The phosphatase, Ci-VSP, contains a voltage-sensing domain homologous to those known from voltage-gated ion channels, but unlike ion channels, the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP can reside in the cell membrane...... as a monomer. We fused the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP to a pair of fluorescent reporter proteins to generate a genetically encodable voltage-sensing fluorescent probe, VSFP2.3. VSFP2.3 is a fluorescent voltage probe that reports changes in membrane potential as a FRET (fluorescence resonance energy....... Neutralization of an arginine in S4, previously suggested to be a sensing charge, and measuring associated sensing currents indicate that this charge is likely to reside at the membrane-aqueous interface rather than within the membrane electric field. The data presented give us insights into the voltage-sensing...

Biophysical characterization of the fluorescent protein voltage probe VSFP2.3 based on the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundby, Alicia; Akemann, Walther; Knöpfel, Thomas

2010-11-01

A voltage sensitive phosphatase was discovered in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. The phosphatase, Ci-VSP, contains a voltage-sensing domain homologous to those known from voltage-gated ion channels, but unlike ion channels, the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP can reside in the cell membrane as a monomer. We fused the voltage-sensing domain of Ci-VSP to a pair of fluorescent reporter proteins to generate a genetically encodable voltage-sensing fluorescent probe, VSFP2.3. VSFP2.3 is a fluorescent voltage probe that reports changes in membrane potential as a FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) signal. Here we report sensing current measurements from VSFP2.3, and show that VSFP2.3 carries 1.2 e sensing charges, which are displaced within 1.5 ms. The sensing currents become faster at higher temperatures, and the voltage dependence of the decay time constants is temperature dependent. Neutralization of an arginine in S4, previously suggested to be a sensing charge, and measuring associated sensing currents indicate that this charge is likely to reside at the membrane-aqueous interface rather than within the membrane electric field. The data presented give us insights into the voltage-sensing mechanism of Ci-VSP, which will allow us to further improve the sensitivity and kinetics of the family of VSFP proteins.

Thermal explosion hazards on 18650 lithium ion batteries with a VSP2 adiabatic calorimeter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jhu, Can-Yong [Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (NYUST), 123, University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliou, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan, ROC (China); Wang, Yih-Wen, E-mail: g9410825@yuntech.edu.tw [Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, 79-9, Sha-Luen-Hu, Xi-Zhou-Li, Houlong, Miaoli 35664, Taiwan, ROC (China); Shu, Chi-Min [Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Engineering Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (NYUST), 123, University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliou, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chang, Jian-Chuang; Wu, Hung-Chun [Material and Chemical Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Rm. 222, Bldg. 77, 2F, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Rd., Chutung, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2011-08-15

Thermal abuse behaviors relating to adiabatic runaway reactions in commercial 18650 lithium ion batteries (LiCoO{sub 2}) are being studied in an adiabatic calorimeter, vent sizing package 2 (VSP2). We select four worldwide battery producers, Sony, Sanyo, Samsung and LG, and tested their Li-ion batteries, which have LiCoO{sub 2} cathodes, to determine their thermal instabilities and adiabatic runaway features. The charged (4.2 V) and uncharged (3.7 V) 18650 Li-ion batteries are tested using a VSP2 with a customized stainless steel test can to evaluate their thermal hazard characteristics, such as the initial exothermic temperature (T{sub 0}), the self-heating rate (dT/dt), the pressure rise rate (dP/dt), the pressure-temperature profiles and the maximum temperature (T{sub max}) and pressure (P{sub max}). The T{sub max} and P{sub max} of the charged Li-ion battery during the runaway reaction reach 903.0 {sup o}C and 1565.9 psig (pound-force per square inch gauge), respectively. This result leads to a thermal explosion, and the heat of reaction is 26.2 kJ. The thermokinetic parameters of the reaction of LiCoO{sub 2} batteries are also determined using the Arrhenius model. The thermal reaction mechanism of the Li-ion battery (pack) proved to be an important safety concern for energy storage. Additionally, use of the VSP2 to classify the self-reactive ratings of the various Li-ion batteries demonstrates a new application of the adiabatic calorimetric methodology.

Thermal explosion hazards on 18650 lithium ion batteries with a VSP2 adiabatic calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jhu, Can-Yong; Wang, Yih-Wen; Shu, Chi-Min; Chang, Jian-Chuang; Wu, Hung-Chun

2011-01-01

Thermal abuse behaviors relating to adiabatic runaway reactions in commercial 18650 lithium ion batteries (LiCoO 2 ) are being studied in an adiabatic calorimeter, vent sizing package 2 (VSP2). We select four worldwide battery producers, Sony, Sanyo, Samsung and LG, and tested their Li-ion batteries, which have LiCoO 2 cathodes, to determine their thermal instabilities and adiabatic runaway features. The charged (4.2 V) and uncharged (3.7 V) 18650 Li-ion batteries are tested using a VSP2 with a customized stainless steel test can to evaluate their thermal hazard characteristics, such as the initial exothermic temperature (T 0 ), the self-heating rate (dT/dt), the pressure rise rate (dP/dt), the pressure-temperature profiles and the maximum temperature (T max ) and pressure (P max ). The T max and P max of the charged Li-ion battery during the runaway reaction reach 903.0 o C and 1565.9 psig (pound-force per square inch gauge), respectively. This result leads to a thermal explosion, and the heat of reaction is 26.2 kJ. The thermokinetic parameters of the reaction of LiCoO 2 batteries are also determined using the Arrhenius model. The thermal reaction mechanism of the Li-ion battery (pack) proved to be an important safety concern for energy storage. Additionally, use of the VSP2 to classify the self-reactive ratings of the various Li-ion batteries demonstrates a new application of the adiabatic calorimetric methodology.

Non-native plant invasions of United States National parks

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, J.A.; Brown, C.S.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2009-01-01

The United States National Park Service was created to protect and make accessible to the public the nation's most precious natural resources and cultural features for present and future generations. However, this heritage is threatened by the invasion of non-native plants, animals, and pathogens. To evaluate the scope of invasions, the USNPS has inventoried non-native plant species in the 216 parks that have significant natural resources, documenting the identity of non-native species. We investigated relationships among non-native plant species richness, the number of threatened and endangered plant species, native species richness, latitude, elevation, park area and park corridors and vectors. Parks with many threatened and endangered plants and high native plant species richness also had high non-native plant species richness. Non-native plant species richness was correlated with number of visitors and kilometers of backcountry trails and rivers. In addition, this work reveals patterns that can be further explored empirically to understand the underlying mechanisms. ?? Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008.

Linear Parks along Urban Rivers: Perceptions of Thermal Comfort and Climate Change Adaptation in Cyprus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elias Giannakis

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The development of green space along urban rivers could mitigate urban heat island effects, enhance the physical and mental well-being of city dwellers, and improve flood resilience. A linear park has been recently created along the ephemeral Pedieos River in the urban area of Nicosia, Cyprus. Questionnaire surveys and micrometeorological measurements were conducted to explore people’s perceptions and satisfaction regarding the services of the urban park. People’s main reasons to visit the park were physical activity and exercise (67%, nature (13%, and cooling (4%. The micrometeorological measurements in and near the park revealed a relatively low cooling effect (0.5 °C of the park. However, the majority of the visitors (84% were satisfied or very satisfied with the cooling effect of the park. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of individuals feeling very comfortable under a projected 3 °C future increase in temperature would be 0.34 times lower than the odds of feeling less comfortable. The discrepancies between the observed thermal comfort index and people’s perceptions revealed that people in semi-arid environments are adapted to the hot climatic conditions; 63% of the park visitors did not feel uncomfortable at temperatures between 27 °C and 37 °C. Further research is needed to assess other key ecosystems services of this urban green river corridor, such as flood protection, air quality regulation, and biodiversity conservation, to contribute to integrated climate change adaptation planning.

Virtual working systems to support R&D groups

Science.gov (United States)

Dew, Peter M.; Leigh, Christine; Drew, Richard S.; Morris, David; Curson, Jayne

1995-03-01

The paper reports on the progress at Leeds University to build a Virtual Science Park (VSP) to enhance the University's ability to interact with industry, grow its applied research and workplace learning activities. The VSP exploits the advances in real time collaborative computing and networking to provide an environment that meets the objectives of physically based science parks without the need for the organizations to relocate. It provides an integrated set of services (e.g. virtual consultancy, workbased learning) built around a structured person- centered information model. This model supports the integration of tools for: (a) navigating around the information space; (b) browsing information stored within the VSP database; (c) communicating through a variety of Person-to-Person collaborative tools; and (d) the ability to the information stored in the VSP including the relationships to other information that support the underlying model. The paper gives an overview of a generic virtual working system based on X.500 directory services and the World-Wide Web that can be used to support the Virtual Science Park. Finally the paper discusses some of the research issues that need to be addressed to fully realize a Virtual Science Park.

Field guide to the geology of the Denali National Park Road and the Parks Highway from Cantwell to Healy

Science.gov (United States)

Hults, Chad P.; Capps, Danny L.; Brease, Phil F.

2013-01-01

The Denali National Park & Preserve area provides one of the few opportunities in Alaska for road-side access to good rock outcrops. The rocks and surficial deposits exposed in the Denali area span from the Paleozoic to the Quaternary. It is a structurally complex area that contains a history of rifting, accretion, and orogeny. There is evidence of multiple metamorphic events in the Mesozoic, mountain building in the Tertiary, and faulting in the present day. The region is the site of active faulting along one of the largest intra-continental fault systems, the Denali Fault system, which was the locus of a 7.9 M earthquake in 2002. This guidebook describes the key outcrops viewable along the Denali Park Road from the entrance to the Eielson Visitor Center, and along the Parks Highway from Healy to Cantwell.

Environment management conflict in Mount Tangkuban Perahu Nature Reserve and Nature Park, North Bandung, West Java

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damanik, Demak Ely Riana, E-mail: damanikdemak@gmail.com, E-mail: sjarmidi@sith.itb.ac.id; Sjarmidi, Achmad, E-mail: damanikdemak@gmail.com, E-mail: sjarmidi@sith.itb.ac.id [Bioresources Management Research Group, School of Life Science and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha 10 Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2014-03-24

Nature Park Mount Tangkuban Perahu is part of the Nature Reserve that defined as utilization zone. Until now the nature park continues to experience disruption and threat caused by human activities such as tourists, local peoples, and administrators so that giving rise to the area conflict. The number of rules did not guarantee high protection of the area and even can lead conflict. The evaluation performance of stakeholder and analysis environmental sustainablity, seems that there are not sustainable. The performance score of stakeholders in conservation efforts in the field of preservation and protection are 1.5 and 2 respectively (low category), while the area of utilization is 2 (low category). Total score condition of management area are 1.75 (low category). Visitors assume that Tangkuban Perahu was categorized as cheap attraction (< Rp. 100,000 pervisit), but the benefits, comfort and safety are considerable (> 50%). Most visitors have a good perception of the facilities (66.2%), ticket price (64.6%), and ecosystems (78.5%). However this is not followed by magnitude of willingness to pay from the visitor to keep the preserved area (61.5% of visitors want to pay < 100,000). Most argue that the management of the area classified as good (78.5%), but approximately 38.5% of visitors said that need additional facilities such as children's play facilities in the area. This shows the lack of understanding of visitor of the meaning of natural recreation. Some visitors (47.69%) mentioned the need of management system implementation to ensure the region sustainability. The causes and alternative conflict resolution also discussed in this study.

Defining Indicators and Standards for Tourism Impacts in Protected Areas: Cape Range National Park, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Susan A.; Polley, Amanda

2007-03-01

Visitors’ perceptions of impacts and acceptable standards for environmental conditions can provide essential information for the sustainable management of tourist destinations, especially protected areas. To this end, visitor surveys were administered during the peak visitor season in Cape Range National Park, on the northwest coast of Western Australia and adjacent to the iconic Ningaloo Reef. The central focus was visitors’ perceptions regarding environmental conditions and standards for potential indicators. Conditions considered of greatest importance in determining visitors’ quality of experience included litter, inadequate disposal of human waste, presence of wildlife, levels of noise, and access to beach and ocean. Standards were determined, based on visitors’ perceptions, for a range of site-specific and non-site-specific indicators, with standards for facilities (e.g., acceptable number of parking bays, signs) and for negative environmental impacts (e.g., levels of littering, erosion) sought. The proposed standards varied significantly between sites for the facilities indicators; however, there was no significant difference between sites for environmental impacts. For the facilities, the standards proposed by visitors were closely related to the existing situation, suggesting that they were satisfied with the status quo. These results are considered in the context of current research interest in the efficacy of visitor-derived standards as a basis for protected area management.

VSP in crystalline rocks - from downhole velocity profiling to 3-D fracture mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cosma, C.; Heikkinen, P.; Keskinen, J.; Enescu, N.

1998-01-01

VSP surveys have been carried out at several potential nuclear waste disposal sites in Finland since the mid 80s. To date, more than 200 three-component profiles have been measured. The main purpose of the surveys was to detect fracture zones in the crystalline bedrock and to determine their position. Most seismic events could be linked to zones of increased fracturing observed in the borehole logs. The more pronounced seismic reflectors could be correlated with hydrogeologically significant zones, which have been the main targets in the investigations. Processing and interpretation methods have been developed specifically for VSP surveys in crystalline rocks: Weak reflections from thin fracture zones are enhanced by multi-channel filtering techniques based on the Radon transform. The position and orientation of the fracture zones are determined by polarisation analysis and by combining data from several shot points. The compilation of the results from several boreholes gives a comprehensive image of the fracture zones at the scale of the whole site. The discussion of the methodology is based on examples from the Olkiluoto site, in SW Finland

Man-Made Wildlife Tourism Destination: The Visitors Perspective on Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah, Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Boyd Sun Fatt; Johnny Cindy; Bakansing Shirley M.

2014-01-01

Sabah is blessed with natural forest habitats and rich with floras and faunas. Amongst its’ attraction is wildlife endemism. Lok Kawi Wildlife Park was established to provide an alternative wildlife tourism destination with its inhabitants from the wildlife species of Borneo. Since its opening in 2007, multitudes of tourists have visited the park. However, there has been no study to identify the visitor’s perspective on Lok Kawi Wildlife Park as man-made wildlife tourism destination. The stud...

Eco-Tourism Potential and Development within Lake Nakuru National Park and its Catchment.

OpenAIRE

2004-01-01

This report summarises the eco-tourism potentials within Lake Nakuru National Park and its catchment to promote environmental conservation and socio-economic development that involves community participation for poverty alleviation. The area is of immense importance both nationally and internationally with tremendous potential for eco-tourism development. Currently, the Park receives about 200,000 visitors per year, most of whom on average stay only for two nights. In the recent past minimal ...

A Novel Location-Centric IoT-Cloud Based On-Street Car Parking Violation Management System in Smart Cities

OpenAIRE

Dinh, Thanh; Kim, Younghan

2016-01-01

Nowadays, in big cities, parking management is a critical issue from both the driver’s side and the city government’s side. From the driver’s side, how to find an available parking lot in a city is a considerable concern. As a result, smart parking systems recently have received great interest, both in academia and industry. From the city government’s side, how to manage and distribute such a limited public parking resource efficiently to give every visitor a fair chance of finding an on-stre...

"Beautiful garden made of garbage" – Beijing Garden Expo Park as an example of a modern approach to creating public botanical gardens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tkachenko Kirill

2016-12-01

A new park in Beijing is a unique project implemented at a former city waste area. The project was started in 2010. In 2013, the park was opened for its first visitors. Today, it has 69 gardens representing different Chinese provinces and major cities, as well as other countries whose designers wanted to demonstrate their class. The created gardens of 1-2 to 10-12 hectares represent both traditional styles of Chinese gardens and the latest trends in the field of garden art. The Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture (MCGALA is a part of the park’s vast territory of 513 hectares. The park also has the necessary infrastructure for its visitors with disabilities. Today, it has become a home for many educational institutions training specialists in the field of landscape design, as well as for the employees of the country’s parks, agronomists and gardeners.

In situ anisotropic parameter determination using refraction seismic and VSP methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie, J.M.; Lawton, D.C. (Calgary Univ., AB (Canada))

1999-01-01

A prime concern in the time-to-depth conversion of reflection seismic data is seismic anisotropy, because it can produce velocity anomalies in seismic data that mimic the structural plays of interest to the petroleum prospector in both size and shape. Ongoing techniques of time-to-depth conversion of P-wave seismic data do not handle the travel time and velocity distortions caused by seismic anisotropy, particularly in areas of complex geologic structures. To address this problem, the first step is to know which rock units are anisotropic and measure their anisotropic parameters. Laboratory means are available, but there are problems with these mainly with shales because of their fissile nature. In situ measurements are preferable because they yield a more robust value, and at the University of Calgary such measurements were undertaken using refraction seismic and vertical seismic profiling (VSP) methods. Results indicate that the two Thomsen anisotropic parameters of interest can be determined from the VSP experiment, but these values are slightly less than those obtained using the refraction technique. This may be because of the sensitivity of the shot statics which arises from the direct travel time measurement of the technique. The experiment yields another method to measure velocity anisotropy, in situ, where steeply dipping strata outcrop, which allows for the accurate measurement of the anisotropic parameters for use in depth migration routines. 4 refs.

In situ anisotropic parameter determination using refraction seismic and VSP methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie, J.M.; Lawton, D.C. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada)

1999-11-01

A prime concern in the time-to-depth conversion of reflection seismic data is seismic anisotropy, because it can produce velocity anomalies in seismic data that mimic the structural plays of interest to the petroleum prospector in both size and shape. Ongoing techniques of time-to-depth conversion of P-wave seismic data do not handle the travel time and velocity distortions caused by seismic anisotropy, particularly in areas of complex geologic structures. To address this problem, the first step is to know which rock units are anisotropic and measure their anisotropic parameters. Laboratory means are available, but there are problems with these mainly with shales because of their fissile nature. In situ measurements are preferable because they yield a more robust value, and at the University of Calgary such measurements were undertaken using refraction seismic and vertical seismic profiling (VSP) methods. Results indicate that the two Thomsen anisotropic parameters of interest can be determined from the VSP experiment, but these values are slightly less than those obtained using the refraction technique. This may be because of the sensitivity of the shot statics which arises from the direct travel time measurement of the technique. The experiment yields another method to measure velocity anisotropy, in situ, where steeply dipping strata outcrop, which allows for the accurate measurement of the anisotropic parameters for use in depth migration routines. 4 refs.

Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundby, Alicia; Mutoh, Hiroki; Dimitrov, Dimitar

2008-01-01

Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current) measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development...

Winter visitor use planning in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Science.gov (United States)

John A. Sacklin; Kristin L. Legg; M. Sarah Creachbaum; Clifford L. Hawkes; George Helfrich

2000-01-01

Winter use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks increased dramatically in the 1980s and early 1990s. That increase and the emphasis on snowmobiles as the primary mode of transportation brought into focus a host of winter-related issues, including air pollution, unwanted sound, wildlife impacts and the adequacy of agency budgets, staff and infrastructure to...

Unintended de-marketing manages visitor demand in Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

OpenAIRE

Burgin, Shelley; Hardiman, Nigel

2014-01-01

Kotler and Levy (1971, p.76) introduced the term ‘de-marketing’, defined as ‘that aspect of marketing that deals with discouraging customers in general or a certain class of customers in particular on either a temporary or permanent basis’. Subsequently, Groff (1998) interpreted the concept in the context of parks and recreation administration. Recently, Armstrong and Kern (2011) used the concept to underpin their investigation of visitor demand management within the Greater Blue Mountains Wo...

Visitor injuries in Hawai'i.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Hao Chih; Speck, Cora S R; Kumasaki, Jennifer

2009-12-01

Over seven million tourists visit the Hawaiian Islands each year. Popular visitor activities such as surfing, scuba diving, ocean kayaking, parasailing, bicycle tours and hiking each have risks of serious injury. This study reviews visitors' activities that led to serious injuries requiring treatment at the state's only trauma center while vacationing in Hawai'i. A retrospective electronic medical record review was conducted of all visitor and resident trauma patients admitted to The Queen's Medical Center (QMC) from January 2002-December 2006. Patient demographics, injury type and severity, mechanism of injury, and discharge status were collected and analyzed. A total of 8244 patients were admitted to QMC for major traumatic injuries over the five year study period. Of these, 466 (5.7%) were visitors. The most common mechanisms of visitor injuries were falls (23.6%), water-related injuries (22.8%), motor vehicle crashes (18.7%), motorcycle, moped, and recreational vehicle crashes (12.2%), assaults (7.3%), and bicycle crashes (4.0%). A disproportionate number of visitors sustained serious injuries while engaging in water-related activities: Visitors account for only 12.6% of the population on any given day, yet comprise 44.2% of the total admissions for Hawai'i's water-related injuries. Head and spine injuries make up over two-thirds (68.2%) of these water-related visitor injuries. As a general category, falls were responsible for the highest number of visitor trauma admissions. Of the recreational activities leading to high numbers of trauma admissions, water-related activities are the leading causes of serious injuries among visitors to Hawai'i. Water-related injury rates are significantly higher for Hawai'i's visitors than residents. Water safety education for visitors should be developed in multiple languages to educate and protect Hawai'i's visitors and visitor industry.

Twenty-eight years of wilderness campsite monitoring in Yosemite National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Laurel Boyers; Mark Fincher; Jan van Wagtendonk

2000-01-01

The research, resource management and wilderness staffs in Yosemite National Park recently completed the third 10-year cycle of a wilderness campsite impact monitoring program. Initial results indicate an overall improvement in conditions due to a strong restoration program, decreased use and increased visitor education. Lessons learned point to the necessity for ample...

A Study of the Effects of Congestion Information and a Priority Boarding Pass in a Theme Park with Multi-Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Tone, Tetsuya; Kohara, Kazuhiro

We have investigated ways to reduce congestion in a theme park with multi-agents. We constructed a theme park model called Digital Park 1.0 with twenty-three attractions similar in form to Tokyo Disney Sea. We consider not only congestion information (number of vistors standing in line at each attraction) but also the advantage of a priority boarding pass, like Fast Pass which is used at Tokyo Disney Sea. The congestion-information-usage ratio, which reflects the ratio of visitors who behave according to congestion information, was changed from 0% to 100% in both models, with and without priority boarding pass. The “mean stay time of visitors" is a measure of satisfaction. The smaller mean stay time, the larger degree of satisfaction. Here, a short stay time means a short wait time. The resluts of each simulation are averaged over ten trials. The main results are as follows. (1) When congestion-information-usage ratio increased, the mean stay time decreases. When 20% of visitors behaved according to congestion information, the mean stay time was reduced by 30%. (2) A priority boarding pass reduced congestion, and mean stay time was reduced by 15%. (3) When visitors used congestion information and a priority boarding pass, mean stay time was further reduced. When the congestion-information-usage ratio was 20%, mean stay time was reduced by 35%. (4) When congestion-information-usage ratio was over 50%, the congestion reduction effects reached saturation.

Roadside camping on forest preserve lands in the Adirondack Park: A qualitative exploration of place attachment and resource substitutability

Science.gov (United States)

David A. Graefe; Chad Dawson; Rudolph M. Schuster

2012-01-01

Roadside camping is a popular and widespread public outdoor recreation activity on New York State Forest Preserve (FP) lands within the Adirondack Park (AP). While several roadside camping areas exist on FP lands throughout the Park, little is known about these camping areas or the visitors who use them. Recently, debate has developed over how to define and manage...

Visitor's Computer Guidelines | CTIO

Science.gov (United States)

Visitor's Computer Guidelines Network Connection Request Instruments Instruments by Telescope IR Instruments Guidelines Library Facilities Outreach NOAO-S EPO Program team Art of Darkness Image Gallery EPO/CADIAS ‹› You are here CTIO Home » Astronomers » Visitor's Computer Guidelines Visitor's Computer

Estimation of recreational value of Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka: A decision making strategy for natural resourcemanagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. M. W. Rathnayake

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Horton Plains National Park (HPNP is an area of high biodiversity and exceptional endemism receiving high visitation (166,613 visitors in 2009, both by local and foreigners. Although, tourism causes negative impacts on the environment, environmental valuation could be used for taking decisions on natural resources management. The study shows that the recreational value of HPNP is Rs. 51.68 million rupees per year, but the total economic value could be many times higher than this. Calculations showed the maximum revenue from the park could be obtained if the entrance fee is raised to Rs. 472.00. This may however reduce the present visitor number by 65%, but it will improve the total revenue of the park by 314 %.  These differences strengthen the common argument by both officials and the public regarding insufficient allocation of man power and funds for natural resources management.Key words: wildlife, recreational value, travel cost method

A new approach to determine geomechanical parameters of Vertical Transverse Isotropic media using VSP data

Science.gov (United States)

Gholami, Raoof; Moradzadeh, Ali; Rasouli, Vamegh; Hanachi, Javid

2014-12-01

Conventionally, high frequency Dipole Shear sonic Imager (DSI) logs are used for anisotropic modeling where fast and slow shear wave's velocities are required. However, the results obtained from a DSI log are restricted to a specific and possibly short interval of the wellbore. The aims of this paper are to use Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) data and show its application in geomechanical analysis of subsurface layers under anisotropic condition. After processing and separating upgoing and downgoing P- and S-waves, a methodology based Vertical Transverse Isotropic (VTI) condition was presented to determine elastic stiffness parameters. Having stiffness parameters determined, elastic modulus, strength and in-situ stress parameters were estimated and calibrated against the field and core sample data. Although the VSP based geomechanical parameters were calibrated against the real field data, the accuracy of the method cannot be as much as that of the well logs. However, the method presented in this paper may become a very good asset for geomechanical evaluation of the intervals where well log data are not available.

Assessing Tourists’ Preferences for Recreational Trips in National and Natural Parks as a Premise for Long-Term Sustainable Management Plans

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Diana E. Dumitras

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Sustainable tourism management plans rely on relevant and consistent information about factors that can influence the decision to visit a protected area. This paper uses the choice experiment method to investigate tourists’ preferences with regard to recreational trip characteristics in national and natural parks in Romania. An on-site survey questionnaire was administered to visitors. The multinomial logit model was employed to investigate the preference orderings of the identified groups of recreational users. Overall, results indicate that tourists gain benefits after visiting the parks. Main preference differences were found for information sources and location of campsites. Visitors who stated that the park was the main trip destination were willing to have access to more information sources, the marks on trails being insufficient. Camping is preferred only in organized places, expressing the concern for environmental protection. The results of this study have management implications, highlighting the importance of assessing tourists’ preferences as a foundation for developing sustainable tourism strategies.

Factors affecting quality of social interaction park in Jakarta

Science.gov (United States)

Mangunsong, N. I.

2018-01-01

The existence of social interactions park in Jakarta is an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. Parks is a response to the need for open space as a place of recreation and community interaction. Often the social interaction parks built by the government does not function as expected, but other functions such as a place to sell, trash, unsafe so be rarely visited by visitors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that affect the quality of social interaction parks in Jakarta by conducting descriptive analysis and correlation analysis of the variables assessment. The results of the analysis can give an idea of social interactions park based on community needs and propose the development of social interactioncity park. The object of study are 25 social interaction parks in 5 municipalities of Jakarta. The method used is descriptive analysis method, correlation analysis using SPSS 19 and using crosstab, chi-square tests. The variables are 5 aspects of Design, Plants composition: Selection type of plant (D); the beauty and harmony (Ind); Maintenance and fertility (P); Cleanliness and Environmental Health (BS); Specificity (Drainage, Multi Function garden, Means, Concern/Mutual cooperation, in dense settlements) (K). The results of analysis show that beauty is the most significant correlation with the value of the park followed by specificity, cleanliness and maintenance. Design was not the most significant variable affecting the quality of the park. The results of this study can be used by the Department of Parks and Cemeteries as input in managing park existing or to be developed and to improve the quality of social interaction park in Jakarta.

Analysis of the Touristic Valorization of Maksimir Park in Zagreb (Croatia

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Nika Dolenc

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The modern pace of life imposes new needs and demands of the tourist market as well as the need for rest and recreation in areas of preserved nature. Maksimir Park dates from the 19th century, and since 1964, it has been protected as a monument of park architecture. Today, the park is the space for recreation and relaxation with cultural monuments and natural heritage. They make a strong and attractive potential factor that has been underused in the tourist offer of the City of Zagreb. The paper examines the attractiveness of the park for visitors, whilst also making the comparison with some of the parks of London (Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Kew Gardens. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the existing resources of the park and to identify their weaknesses in order to complement and enhance the offer of the park as a tourist attraction. The methodology is based on the analysis of material of the origin and the development of Maksimir Park, the evaluation survey conducted in 2009 and 2010 in the park area (case study and SWOT analysis of the significant resource for tourism development of the park. The results show that Maksimir Park contains many resources, but they are not recognized as a tourist attraction of Zagreb. Tourist services in the park are not harmonized with visitors’ needs and should be complemented with traditional and cultural events, better cuisine, education about resources of the park and improved range of activities throughout the year.

Co-existence of Coral Reef Conservation and Tourism at Pigeon Island National Park

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Nishanthi Marian Perera

2016-11-01

Full Text Available AbstractPigeon islands National Park (PINP is one of the three Marine National Parks in Sri Lanka with coral reefs being the major habitat protected. A study was undertaken at PINP with the objective of understanding the challenges encountered and opportunities available for managing the park addressing both coral reef conservation and increasing tourism potential. Field visits, formal and informal group discussions, expert opinions, web based information and literature surveys were the methodology utilized.  Despise the impose of an entrance fee in May 2011,  146,375 tourists visited the 471 ha park within 40 month period indicating that one hectare of coral reefs can earn more revenue than larger terrestrial parks with charismatic species such as elephants.  Foreign tourist arrivals had increased from 11.9% in 2011 to 25.13% by 2014.  Visitor reviews indicates that their experience was either excellent (46% or very good (30% due to abundance of marine life, while12% had either a poor or a terrible visitor experience at the site owing to overcrowding, reef damage and high price. With only 21% of live coral cover in 2013, it is evident that the reef is being degraded, indicating that a Protected Area which emphasizes on collecting user-fee revenues can lose sight of its primary conservation objectives and is not undertaking sustainable tourism.  Park management effectiveness is not at desirable level (43%, mainly due to non- implementation of a scientifically based management plan. A continuous monitoring programme to check the health of the reef is need, while the introduction of a multi-tiered user fee structures can enhance the economic reruns.  Incorporating PINP into wider Seascape/landscape management through utilizing Special Area Management approach needed to be promoted. Key Words: Coral Reefs; Pigeon Island National Park; Management Effectiveness; Sustainable Tourism; Stakeholders     

22 CFR 62.28 - International visitors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false International visitors. 62.28 Section 62.28 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND EXCHANGES EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM Specific Program Provisions § 62.28 International visitors. (a) Purpose. The international visitor category is for...

3D imaging of geological structures by R-VSP utilizing vibrations caused by shaft excavations at the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuoka, T.; Hodotsuka, Y.; Ishigaki, K.; Lee, C.

2009-12-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency is now conducting the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) project. The MIU consists of two shafts (main shaft: 6.5m, ventilation shaft: 4.5m diameter) and horizontal research galleries, in sedimentary and granitic rocks at Mizunami City, Central Japan. The MIU project is a broad scientific study of the deep geological environment providing the basis for research and development for geological disposal of high level radioactive waste. One of the main goals is to establish techniques for investigation, analysis and assessment of the deep geological environment in fractured crystalline rock. As a part of the MIU project, we carried out the Reverse-Vertical Seismic Profile (R-VSP) using vibrations from the blasting for the shaft excavations and drilling of boreholes in the horizontal research galleries and examined the applicability of this method to imaging of geological structures around underground facilities, such as the unconformity between the sedimentary rocks and the basal granite, and faults and fracture zones in the granite. R-VSP method is a seismic method utilizing the receiver arrays on surface and seismic sources underground (e.g. in boreholes). This method is advantageous in that planning of 3-dimensional surveys is easy compared with reflection seismic surveying and conventional VSP because seismic source arrays that are major constraint for conducting surveys on surface are unnecessary. The receiver arrays consist of six radial lines on surface with a central focus on the main shaft. Seven blast rounds for the main shaft excavation from GL-52.8m to GL-250m and the borehole drilling in the GL-200m horizontal research gallery were observed. Three types of data processing, conventional VSP data processing (VSP-CDP transform and VSP migration), Reflection data processing utilizing Seismic interferometry method (“Seismic interferometry”) and Reflection mapping utilizing Image Point transform method (“IP transform�

NONPROFIT MARKETING IN KOPAČKI RIT NATURE PARK AS TOURIST DESTINATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Vučemilović

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Eastern part of the Republic of Croatia as a tourist destination is not fully valorized yet, despite its natural values and rich cultural heritage. Stronger contribution to touristic development could be ensured by Kopački rit Nature Park as potentially great tourist attractor. Its flora and fauna attract people for educational and tourist reasons. Tourism in nature parks has certain limitations due to primary goals which are protection and preservation of nature together with sustainable management of nature resources and ensuring an undisturbed course of natural processes. The aim of this research is to emphasize importance of marketing tools implementation in process of tourist activities development. Through application of marketing techniques and especially nonprofit marketing, primary goals related to nature protection can be harmonized with development of self-financing through tourism activities. Research was conducted by using case study methodology. Relevant persons for the topic were interviewed and from collected information SWOT analysis was made which may be used for policy suggestions in process of creation adequate tourist products and services together with ensuring quality education for visitors and minimizing visitors influence on natural resources.

“Take in two parks and call me in the morning” – Perception of parks as an essential component of our healthcare system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.J. Mowen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available As a feature of the built neighborhood environment, parks have been associated with a range of positive health outcomes. Recognition of these contributions has prompted advocates to suggest parks are a part of our healthcare system. Despite these developments, park investments have declined over the past decade nationally, lagging behind expenditures on other community services such as health. Perhaps the idea of parks as a solution to the nation's health concerns has not diffused across the population. To date, however, public perception of parks' role in healthcare has not been documented. This study responds to this gap by assessing whether parks are perceived as an essential part of the healthcare system. Self-administered surveys were completed by a statewide sample of Pennsylvania adults (2014 and by a sample of primary care clinic visitors in Hershey, Pennsylvania (2015. Participants from both studies were asked the extent they agreed with the following statement: Parks, trails, and open space are an essential component of our healthcare system. Response was also compared across demographic characteristics to assess whether this belief was universally held. Findings indicate 73% of the statewide sample and 68% of the clinical sample agreed parks, trails, and open space are an essential element of the healthcare system. Males, those with lower levels of educational attainment, and rural residents were statistically less likely to agree with this statement. Results indicate widespread belief in parks as an essential part of the healthcare system, suggesting consideration of health-sector investments in these settings.

"We actually care and we want to make the parks better": A qualitative study of youth experiences and perceptions after conducting park audits.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallerani, David G; Besenyi, Gina M; Wilhelm Stanis, Sonja A; Kaczynski, Andrew T

2017-02-01

This study explored youths' experiences and perceptions about community engagement as a result of participating in a community-based data collection project using paper and mobile technology park environmental audit tools. In July 2014, youth (ages 11-18, n=50) were recruited to participate in nine focus groups after auditing two parks each using paper, electronic, or both versions of the Community Park Audit Tool in Greenville County, SC. The focus groups explored the youths' experiences participating in the project, changes as a result of participation, suggested uses of park audit data collected, and who should use the tools. Four themes emerged related to youths' project participation experiences: two positive (fun and new experiences) and two negative (uncomfortable/unsafe and travel issues). Changes described as a result of participating in the project fell into four themes: increased awareness, motivation for further action, physical activity benefits, and no change. Additionally, youth had numerous suggestions for utilizing the data collected that were coded into six themes: maintenance & aesthetics, feature/amenity addition, online park information, park rating/review system, fundraising, and organizing community projects. Finally, six themes emerged regarding who the youth felt could use the tools: frequent park visitors, community groups/organizations, parks and recreation professionals, adults, youth, and everyone. This study revealed a wealth of information about youth experiences conducting park audits for community health promotion. Understanding youth attitudes and preferences can help advance youth empowerment and civic engagement efforts to promote individual and community health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between drought and tourist arrivals: A case study of Kruger National Park, South Africa

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Fhumulani I. Mathivha

2017-07-01

Full Text Available National parks around the world have been recognised as important sources of nature experiences for both local and international visitors. In South Africa, national parks are similarly important recreational and nature tourism attractions. They offer visitors an unparalleled diversity of tourism opportunities, including game viewing, bush walks and exposure to culture and history. South African National Parks (SANParks, established in 1926, is one of the world’s leading conservation and scientific research bodies and a leading agent in maintaining the country’s indigenous natural environment. The study aims to analyse the correlation between drought and the number of tourist arrivals to the Kruger National Park (KNP. Rainfall data, as well as data on tourist arrivals at KNP for the period from 1963 to 2015 were obtained from the South African Weather Services (SAWS and SANParks, respectively. Rainfall data were used to determine the drought years at the KNP through computing the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI for various stations around the park. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used as a statistical measure of the strength of a linear relationship between drought and tourist arrivals. The results showed that KNP experienced both negative and positive tourist arrivals, although the former was the case, tourist arrivals showed an increasing trend. The correlation relationship showed that 19.36% of the drought years corresponded to a negative change in tourist arrivals to the park. The results obtained confirm that the tourism industry is a fragile industry which is prone to environmental, social and economic state of a region.

Institutional models of Bunaken National Park (BNP management to ensure sustainability of ecological and economic functions

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Kholil

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Bunaken Marine Park is one of the world's most beautiful marine tourism which has a unique coral reefs, turtles and diversity of pelagic fish. Currently Bunaken Marine Park has become an excellent tourist attraction for diving. Since the number of visitors and community activities around the park are continues to increase; there have been severe damages to coral reefs as well as polluting the environment around the marine park. Therefore, the sustainability of economic and social benefits is threatened. To avoid damage to coral reefs and pollutions, it is necessary the institute manager which can ensure the sustainability of he sustainability of the tourism attraction. Interpretative Method Structure Modeling (ISM was chosen to design the institutional model appropriate to the conditions surrounding the object, which is able to manage Bunaken Marine Park as a sustainable tourist attraction.

Museums as Theme Parks - A Possible Marketing Approach?

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Alexandra ZBUCHEA

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Museums compete increasingly more with very diverse entertainment providers, such as theme parks, despite the fact that their offer is mainly cultural. Museums have had to be more active and they have had to diversify their offer, in order to be more popular, therefore to better achieve their complex cultural missions. They should be more “market oriented” and aim to develop their programs according with their visitors’ needs and desires, as well as with the evolutions in the contemporary society.  One answer to this challenge would be the controversial theme parkisation of museums. The paper discusses in what extent the market approach of theme parks could be a viable marketing strategy for museums. It underlines several differences and similarities between the marketing approaches of museums and theme parks, in order to better understand how a museum could preserve its cultural functions, while obtaining economic success. Only the latter would allow it to better develop its cultural activity and thus to better serve its visitors and the community.

Field Guide to the Plant Community Types of Voyageurs National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Faber-Langendoen, Don; Aaseng, Norman; Hop, Kevin; Lew-Smith, Michael

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION The objective of the U.S. Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program is to classify, describe, and map vegetation for most of the park units within the National Park Service (NPS). The program was created in response to the NPS Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Guidelines issued in 1992. Products for each park include digital files of the vegetation map and field data, keys and descriptions to the plant communities, reports, metadata, map accuracy verification summaries, and aerial photographs. Interagency teams work in each park and, following standardized mapping and field sampling protocols, develop products and vegetation classification standards that document the various vegetation types found in a given park. The use of a standard national vegetation classification system and mapping protocol facilitate effective resource stewardship by ensuring compatibility and widespread use of the information throughout the NPS as well as by other Federal and state agencies. These vegetation classifications and maps and associated information support a wide variety of resource assessment, park management, and planning needs, and provide a structure for framing and answering critical scientific questions about plant communities and their relation to environmental processes across the landscape. This field guide is intended to make the classification accessible to park visitors and researchers at Voyageurs National Park, allowing them to identify any stand of natural vegetation and showing how the classification can be used in conjunction with the vegetation map (Hop and others, 2001).

The relationship between perceptions of wilderness character and attitudes toward management intervention to adapt biophysical resources to a changing climate and nature restoration at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Alan Watson; Steve Martin; Neal Christensen; Gregg Fauth; Dan Williams

2015-01-01

In a recent national survey of federal wilderness managers, respondents identified the high priority need for scientific information about public attitudes toward biophysical intervention to adapt to climate change and attitudes of the public toward restoration of natural conditions. In a survey of visitors to one National Park wilderness in California, visitors...

The inauguration of Robert-Bourassa Park at James Bay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valiquette, M.

1997-01-01

Robert Bourassa's contributions to the hydroelectric development at James Bay were acknowledged with the inauguration of a park in the ex-prime minister's name. Phase 1 of the James Bay hydroelectric project constituted the world's biggest construction site, employing more than 180,000 people from beginning to project completion. The James Bay project allowed Hydro-Quebec to gain one of the world's largest electric power utilities and to gain significant competitive edge over its competitors. The Robert Bourassa Park contains a picnic area and a visitor interpretation centre which describes the history of the project. A sequence of 5 signposts summarize the contributions that Robert Bourassa made to the megaproject which cost over $20.6 billion. The complex consists of 65 turbines which produce 15,235 megawatts of electricity. 1 fig

Why travel motivations and socio-demographics matter in managing a National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melville Saayman

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The Addo Elephant National Park is one of only a few national parks in the world that offers the Big 7 experience and is therefore one of South Africa’s prime tourism destinations. The park plays an important role in the regional economy and has become a hub for tourism development. The aim of this article is to determine the extent to which socio-demographic and behavioural and motivational indicators influence the spending of tourists to the park. A better understanding of the latter could help marketers and planners to increase the economic impact of the park. Since 2001, surveys have been conducted among tourists to the park and have included a number of socio-demographic, behavioural and motivational questions. In this analysis, 537 questionnaires were used. The methodology used includes factor analysis, cross-sectional regression analysis and pseudo-panel data analysis to determine and compare possible influences on spending. The research identifies six motives for tourists travelling to the Addo Elephant National Park; these are nature, activities, family and socialisation, escape, attractions and photography. The research found that a combination of socio-demographic and motivational factors influences visitor spending decisions. Added to this, the research confi rms that tourist attractions, including national parks, differ from one another and that the variables that influence spending therefore also differ.

Attract Visitors to Your Site

CERN Document Server

MacDonald, Matthew

2010-01-01

To be a success, a website has to attract-and keep--visitors. This Mini Missing Manual shows you how to attract new and return visitors and use the power of keywords and Web search engines to rise up in the rankings of search results. You'll also learn how to use a powerful-and free--service that tracks visitor activity on your site so you know which of your Web pages they love, and-just as important--which pages don't work for them. Using this information, you can fine-tune your site to keep the visitors coming. This Mini Missing Manual is excerpted from Creating a Web Site: The Missing Man

Vulnerability of National Park Service beaches to inundation during a direct hurricane landfall: Fire Island National Seashore

Science.gov (United States)

Stockdon, Hilary F.; Thompson, David M.

2007-01-01

Waves and storm surge associated with strong tropical storms are part of the natural process of barrier-island evolution and can cause extensive morphologic changes in coastal parks, leading to reduced visitor accessibility and enjoyment. Even at Fire Island National Seashore, a barrier-island coastal park in New York where extratropical storms (northeasters) dominate storm activity, the beaches are vulnerable to the powerful, sand-moving forces of hurricanes. The vulnerability of park beaches to inundation, and associated extreme coastal change, during a direct hurricane landfall can be assessed by comparing the elevations of storm-induced mean-water levels (storm surge) to the elevations of the crest of the sand dune that defines the beach system. Maps detailing the inundation potential for Category 1-4 hurricanes can be used by park managers to determine the relative vulnerability of various barrier-island parks and to assess which areas of a particular park are more susceptible to inundation and extreme coastal changes.

CERN fellows and visitors

CERN Multimedia

Penney, R. W.

1963-01-01

This article describes the Fellowship and Visitor Programme as it is at present, detailing the various headings under which the visitors come and indicating the methods by which they are chosen. The way in which their work is integrated into the general scientific activity of CERN is discussed briefly.

Visitor characteristics and alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispenser locations at the hospital entrance: Effect on visitor use rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Hobbs, Mary A; Robinson, Susan; Neyens, David M; Steed, Connie

2016-03-01

Hospital visitors' hand hygiene (HH) is an important aspect of preventing health care-associated infections, but little is known about visitors' use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (AHS). The study aim was to examine if use of AHS is influenced by visitor characteristics and the location of AHS within the lobby of a large hospital. An observational study was conducted with AHS placed in 3 different locations. The data included visitor characteristics and if AHS were used. The results suggest that visitors are 5.28 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.68-7.82) more likely to use AHS when dispensers are located in the middle of the lobby with limited landmarks or barriers, 1.35 times more likely to use the AHS in the afternoon compared with the morning, or when they are younger visitors (adjusted odds ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.09-1.97). Individuals in a group are more likely (adjusted odds ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.84) to use AHS. In addition to location, time of day, and age, there is a group effect that results in visitors being more likely to use AHS when in a group. The increased use related to groups may serve as a mechanism to encourage visitor HH. The results suggest future research opportunities to investigate the effect of group dynamics and social pressure on visitor AHS use and to identify strategies for improving visitor HH. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation of and Response to 2 Plague Cases, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Danforth, Mary; Novak, Mark; Petersen, Jeannine; Mead, Paul; Kingry, Luke; Weinburke, Matthew; Buttke, Danielle; Hacker, Gregory; Tucker, James; Niemela, Michael; Jackson, Bryan; Padgett, Kerry; Liebman, Kelly; Vugia, Duc; Kramer, Vicki

2016-12-01

In August 2015, plague was diagnosed for 2 persons who had visited Yosemite National Park in California, USA. One case was septicemic and the other bubonic. Subsequent environmental investigation identified probable locations of exposure for each patient and evidence of epizootic plague in other areas of the park. Transmission of Yersinia pestis was detected by testing rodent serum, fleas, and rodent carcasses. The environmental investigation and whole-genome multilocus sequence typing of Y. pestis isolates from the patients and environmental samples indicated that the patients had been exposed in different locations and that at least 2 distinct strains of Y. pestis were circulating among vector-host populations in the area. Public education efforts and insecticide applications in select areas to control rodent fleas probably reduced the risk for plague transmission to park visitors and staff.

One park, many experiences: socially-explicit improvements to recreation management frameworks with application to Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

James D. Absher

2010-01-01

Park management frameworks developed in the US (e.g., VERP, etc.) are being applied in other countries, notably Taiwan. The social forces that drive visitor experiences and how they are reflected in practice are very important in these new contexts. The diversity of meanings, types of experiences desired or expected, and the ways to gauge "success"...

Joint inversion of time-lapse VSP data for monitoring CO2 injection at the Farnsworth EOR field in Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, M.; Gao, K.; Balch, R. S.; Huang, L.

2016-12-01

During the Development Phase (Phase III) of the U.S. Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP), time-lapse 3D vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data were acquired to monitor CO2 injection/migration at the Farnsworth Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) field, in partnership with the industrial partner Chaparral Energy. The project is to inject a million tons of carbon dioxide into the target formation, the deep oil-bearing Morrow Formation in the Farnsworth Unit EOR field. Quantitative time-lapse seismic monitoring has the potential to track CO2 movement in geologic carbon storage sites. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has recently developed new full-waveform inversion methods to jointly invert time-lapse seismic data for changes in elastic and anisotropic parameters in target monitoring regions such as a CO2 reservoir. We apply our new joint inversion methods to time-lapse VSP data acquired at the Farnsworth EOR filed, and present some preliminary results showing geophysical properties changes in the reservoir.

A critique of wildlife radio-tracking and its use in National Parks: a report to the National Park Service

Science.gov (United States)

Mech, L. David; Barber, Shannon M.

2002-01-01

Because of the naturalness of National Parks and because of the public’s strong interest in the parks, the National Park Service (NPS) must gather as much information as needed to help understand and preserve the natural functioning of its ecosystems, and especially of its wildlife. The most useful technique for studying wildlife is radio-tracking, or wildlife telemetry. Radio-tracking is the technique of determining information about an animal through the use of radio signals from or to a device carried by the animal.The basic components of a traditional radio-tracking system are (1) a transmitting subsystem consisting of a radio transmitter, a power source and a propagating antenna, and (2) a receiving subsystem including a “pick-up” antenna, a signal receiver with reception indicator (speaker and/or display) and a power source. Most radio tracking systems involve transmitters tuned to different frequencies (analogous to different AM/FM radio stations) that allow individual identification.Three distinct types of radio-tracking are in use today: (1)conventional, very-high-frequency (VHF) radio tracking, (2) satellite tracking, and (3) Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking. VHF radio-tracking is the standard technique that has been in use since 1963.However, radio-tracking can be considered intrusive in that it requires live-capturing animals and attaching a collar or other device to them. A person must then monitor signals from the device, thus usually requiring people in the field in vehicles, aircraft, and on foot. Nevertheless, most national parks have recognized the benefits of radio-tracking and have hosted radio-tracking studies for many years; in some parks, hundreds of animals have been, or are being, so studied.As a result, some NPS staff are concerned about actual or potential intrusiveness of radio-tracking. Ideally, wildlife studies would still be done but with no intrusion on animals or conflict with park visitors.Thus the NPS has decided to

Estimating the Economic Value of Environmental Amenities of Isfahan Sofeh Highland Park (The Individual Revealed and Expressed Travel Cost Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Amirnejad

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Natural resources and the environment, such as mountains are considered public goods. The main features of these public goods are lack of market and price for exchange. This issue leads to a worthless impression about these goods, lack of effort for their conservation and preventing resource degradation. One of the major benefits of environmental resources, such as mountains, is their function as environmental amenities (for leisure and recreation. The estimation of their recreational worth is important as a part of the total value of such resources. In this context, the aim of this study is to estimate the economic value of environmental amenities of Sofeh Highland Park in Isfahan by individual travel cost method. Materials and Methods: Travel cost method is used for the evaluation of public goods or environmental non-market commodities. It is applied to a wide range of areas, including tourism values of lakes and wetlands, coral reefs, biodiversity and national parks, recreational fishing and mountaineering. The travel cost approach does not ask willingness to pay directly, but imputes it from the observed behavior of other visitors through an estimated demand function, which relates the number of observed trips to the incurred travel cost. Underpinning the travel cost method is for the estimation of the recreational demand function, from which consumer surplus estimates can be derived. Consumer surplus -the measure of non-market benefits to the visitors- is the difference between what the visitor would be (theoretically willing to pay to go the intended recreational location, and what they are actually required to pay. In this research, the individual travel cost method was used. For this purpose, a 290 item questionnaire with simple random sampling was filled by travelers in the area in 2013. Then the demand function of environmental amenities (tourism demand was estimated in two scenarios by using negative binomial regression

Reproduction and distribution of bald eagles in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 1973-1993

Science.gov (United States)

Grim, Leland H.; Kallemeyn, Larry W.

1995-01-01

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is classified as a threatened species in Minnesota. In 1973, the National Park Service began monitoring the distribution and reproduction of bald eagles in and immediately adjacent to Voyageurs National Park to obtain data that park management could use to protect bald eagles from the effects of use of the park by visitors and from the expansion of park facilities. Thirty-seven breeding areas were identified during 1973-93. Annual productivity ranged from 0.00 to 1.42 fledglings/occupied nest and averaged 0.68 during the 21 breeding seasons. The annual number of breeding pairs tripled, the mean number of fledged eaglets increased 5 times, and reproductive success doubled during the study. However, in more than 15 of the breeding seasons, the mean productivity and the annual reproductive success in Voyageurs National Park were below the 1 fledgling/occupied nest and the 70% reproductive success that are representative of healthy bald eagle populations. We suspect that toxic substances, human disturbance, severe weather, and lack of food in early spring may have kept bald eagles in Voyageurs National Park from achieving a breeding success that was similar to that of conspecifics in the nearby Chippewa National Forest. The cumulative effect of these variables on reproduction and on habitat of bald eagles in Voyageurs National Park is unknown and should be determined.

Basic diagnosis of solid waste generated at Agua Blanca State Park to propose waste management strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Laines Canepa, José Ramón; Zequeira Larios, Carolina; Valadez Treviño, Maria Elena Macías; Garduza Sánchez, Diana Ivett

2012-03-01

State parks are highly sensitive areas of great natural importance and tourism value. Herein a case study involving a basic survey of solid waste which was carried out in 2006 in Agua Blanca State Park, Macuspana, Tabasco, Mexico with two sampling periods representing the high and low tourist season is presented. The survey had five objectives: to find out the number of visitors in the different seasons, to consider the daily generation of solid waste from tourist activities, to determine bulk density, to select and quantify sub-products; and to suggest a possible treatment. A daily average of 368 people visited the park: 18,862 people in 14 days during the high season holiday (in just one day, Easter Sunday, up to 4425 visitors) and 2092 visitors in 43 days during the low season. The average weight of the generated solid waste was 61.267 kg day(-1) and the generated solid waste average per person was 0.155 kg person(-1 ) day(-1). During the high season, the average increased to 0.188 kg person(-1 ) day(-1) and during the low season, the average decreased to 0.144 kg person(-1 ) day(-1). The bulk density average was 75.014 kg m(-3), the maximum value was 92.472 kg m(-3) and the minimum was 68.274 kg m(-3). The sub-products comprised 54.52% inorganic matter; 32.03% organic matter, 10.60% non-recyclable and 2.85% others. Based on these results, waste management strategies such as reuse/recycling, aerobic and anaerobic digestion, the construction of a manual landfill and the employment of a specialist firm were suggested.

The importance of visitors' knowledge of the cultural and natural history of the Adirondacks in influencing sense of place in the high peaks region

Science.gov (United States)

Laura Fredrickson

2002-01-01

This study examined various dimensions of the sense of place experience felt by visitors to the High Peaks of the Adirondack Park. More specifically, a 6-page questionnaire (mail-back postage-paid) was distributed to 803 people over a three-month period (June, July & August, 1999). The two primary objectives of this study were to: 1) explore the various...

Detecting vegetation change using multi-temporal aerial photographs at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine

Science.gov (United States)

Min Kook Kim; Andrea J. Ednie; John J. Daigle

2007-01-01

Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak on the Eastern Seaboard, is a major destination for Acadia National Park visitors. Managing vegetation impacts on Cadillac is extremely challenging given the high use and fragile environmental conditions. A number of direct and indirect management strategies have been employed to help to reduce the amount of vegetation impact. The...

A Novel Location-Centric IoT-Cloud Based On-Street Car Parking Violation Management System in Smart Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinh, Thanh; Kim, Younghan

2016-06-02

Nowadays, in big cities, parking management is a critical issue from both the driver's side and the city government's side. From the driver's side, how to find an available parking lot in a city is a considerable concern. As a result, smart parking systems recently have received great interest, both in academia and industry. From the city government's side, how to manage and distribute such a limited public parking resource efficiently to give every visitor a fair chance of finding an on-street parking lot is also a considerable concern. However, existing studies of smart parking management focus only on assisting the driver's side to find available parking spaces. This study aims to raise a new perspective on such smart parking management and to propose a novel location-centric IoT-cloud-based parking violation management system. The system is designed to assist authoritative officers in finding parking violations easily and recommends the least cost path for officers so that officers can achieve their highest productivity in finding parking violations and issuing parking tickets. Experimental results show that the system not only improves the productivity of officers in finding parking violations and issuing tickets, but also helps reduce the traveling cost of officers and to reduce the average violation period of violating cars considerably.

Factors That Are Associated With Physical Activity Among Visitors To Urban National Parks: Are There Group Differences

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-15

1 = Baseball/ Softball 2 = Basketball 3 = Biking 4 = Bird Watching 5 = Boating (sailing, kayaking, canoeing) 6 = Fishing 7 = Flying a Kite 8...visit to Fort Dupont Park today: Select all that apply. 1 = Baseball/ Softball 2 = Basketball 3 = Biking 4 = Bird Watching 5 = Boating (sailing...select which of the following activities you did during your visit to Rock Creek Park today: Select all that apply. 1 = Baseball/ Softball 2

Carrying capacity of Peucang Island for ecotourism management in Ujung Kulon National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Wiyono, K. H.; Muntasib, E. K. S. H.; Yulianda, F.

2018-05-01

Peucang Island is one of island in Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP), appointed as priority area and welcome area for tourism. This research aimed to calculate the carrying capacity of Peucang Island for ecotourism development (Study sites of this research are Karang Copong jungle trail and 8 sites of Peucangs beach). This research used observation method (wildlife exploration, measure the lenght of jungle track, and measure 10 parameters of beach), literature study and and interview method to collect data. The data of jungle track analyzed use Cifuentes’s formula. The result showed that Karang Copong jungle trekking had 20,000 visitors/day for Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC), 4 838 visitors/day for Real Carrying Capacity (RCC), and 6 visitors/day for Efective Carrying Capacity (ECC). Observation of biological aspect showed that there were some damages of vegetation along the track, and the changes in animal behavior. The data of beach carrying capacity analyzed use Yulianda’s formula that measured with the suitability map approach. Based on the suitability map, two beaches were classified in suitable category, while six beaches) were classified in highly suitable category for tourism activities. All of the beaches had different number of carrying capacity, specifically there are 70 visitors/day in highly suitable beach and 27 visitors/day in suitable beach. The number of visitor nowadays still not exceed from carrying capacity number of PCC, RCC of jungle trails and carrying capacity of the beach area, but the number has exceeded from the ECC numbers.

Ecological Conservation, Ecotourism, and Sustainable Management: The Case of Penang National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Kaffashi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Penang National Park (PNP, as Malaysia’s smallest national park, is one of the few naturally forested areas left on Penang Island, in Peninsular Malaysia. The main objective was to analyse users’ preferences and willingness to pay to enhance improved management of PNP for the dual aim of conservation and recreation. Structural equation modelling (SEM was used to analyse the formation of attitudes towards different aspects of PNP. Results showed that implementing enforcements with rules and regulations and imposing permits and charges on certain activities were the most influential variables of PNPs’ perceptions. The results of a random parameter logit model (RPL demonstrated that visitors placed the highest value on having adequate information about PNP, and the second-highest value on improvements in the park’s ecological management. The welfare measure for improvement in management of PNP against status quo is estimated at about MYR 9. Results also showed that demand for better conservation and management of PNP is relatively price-inelastic. Simulations of the results showed, under a MYR10 admission fee, that improvement in management would have 96% of market share compared with status quo. This study concluded that visitor entrance fees can and ought to be introduced as a means of financing conservation initiatives and possibly preventing congestion.

Utah Valley University Field Station at Capitol Reef National Park: A Venue for Improved Student Learning and Retention

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, K.; Schultz, M.; Williams, B.; Gay, J.; Johnson, S.; Dunn, P.

2015-12-01

The unique geo-environment offered in Capitol Reef National Park and its surrounding areas has a long-standing history of inspiring geological scientific exploration. The Capitol Reef Field Station was established in 2008 as part of collaboration between the National Park and Utah Valley University in order to support teaching and research of the natural environment found within the park and on the Colorado Plateau. The facility itself situated deep within the park, well off any public road system offers state of the art alternative energy and sustainable construction and makes extensive use of passive heating and cooling, in order to maintain its status of being "off-grid." The field station is a 6200 square foot complex of classrooms and dormitories supporting university level education and field studies of the Colorado Plateau. The complex includes a classroom and dining area, professional kitchen, and two separate dormitories, which can sleep up to 24 overnight visitors, while the daytime usage can accommodate up to 40 visitors. The vision of the facility is to support teaching and research toward responsible, respectful, and sustainable stewardship of the natural world - including Interdisciplinary learning between arts and sciences Student internships and service learning in collaboration with the National Park Service Field-based scientific research (as well as inventorying and assessing Park ecosystems changes) Field training in scientific research Collaboration between National Park Service scientists and local, regional, and national institutions The park is situated at 38°N 249°E at elevations greater than 2000 m in Southern Utah. In contrast to the more famous neighboring sister parks such as Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, which are in relatively close proximity to large road systems and cities, Capitol Reef offers what is believed to be the darkest night sky in the US. The culmination of features creates an ideal location for studies of the

Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 4: Wilderness visitors, experiences, and visitor management; 1999 May 23-27; Missoula, MT

Science.gov (United States)

David N. Cole; Stephen F. McCool; William T. Borrie; Jennifer O' Loughlin

2000-01-01

Thirty-seven papers are presented on wilderness visitors, experiences, and visitor management. Three overview papers synthesize knowledge and research about wilderness visitors, management of visitor experiences, and wilderness recreation planning. Other papers contain the results of specific research projects on wilderness visitors, information and education, and...

Visitor Safety and Security in Barbados: Stakeholder Perceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clifford Griffin

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Is information about the nature, location and incidence of crimes against tourists/visitors sufficient to develop meaningful visitor safety and security policy? Are the views of key tourism stakeholder groups useful in informing and enhancing visitor safety and security policy? To answer these questions, this study analyzes 24 years of recorded crime data against visitors to Barbados and survey data of key tourism stakeholder groups and concludes: 1 that information about the nature, location and incidence of crimes against visitors is necessary but not sufficient to inform visitor safety and security policy; and 2 that the views and input of key stakeholders are essential if destinations are to become more effective in enhancing visitor safety and security.

Investigation of and Response to 2 Plague Cases, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Danforth, Mary; Novak, Mark; Petersen, Jeannine; Mead, Paul; Kingry, Luke; Weinburke, Matthew; Buttke, Danielle; Hacker, Gregory; Tucker, James; Niemela, Michael; Jackson, Bryan; Padgett, Kerry; Liebman, Kelly; Vugia, Duc

2016-01-01

In August 2015, plague was diagnosed for 2 persons who had visited Yosemite National Park in California, USA. One case was septicemic and the other bubonic. Subsequent environmental investigation identified probable locations of exposure for each patient and evidence of epizootic plague in other areas of the park. Transmission of Yersinia pestis was detected by testing rodent serum, fleas, and rodent carcasses. The environmental investigation and whole-genome multilocus sequence typing of Y. pestis isolates from the patients and environmental samples indicated that the patients had been exposed in different locations and that at least 2 distinct strains of Y. pestis were circulating among vector–host populations in the area. Public education efforts and insecticide applications in select areas to control rodent fleas probably reduced the risk for plague transmission to park visitors and staff. PMID:27870634

Health visitor education for today's Britain: Messages from a narrative review of the health visitor literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Mary; Whittaker, Karen A; Cowley, Sarah; Ezhova, Ivanka; Maben, Jill

2016-09-01

This paper draws on a narrative review of the literature, commissioned to support the Health Visitor Implementation Plan, and aimed at identifying messages about the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by health visitors to work within the current system of health care provision. The scoping study and narrative review used three complementary approaches: a broad search, a structured search, and a seminal paper search to identify empirical papers from the health visitor literature for review. The key inclusion criteria were messages of relevance for practice. 378 papers were reviewed. These included empirical papers from the United Kingdom (UK) from 2004 to February 2012, older research identified in the seminal paper search and international literature from 2000 to January 2016. The review papers were read by members of the multidisciplinary research team which included health visitor academics, social scientists, and a clinical psychologist managed the international literature. Thematic content analysis was used to identify main messages. These were tabulated and shared between researchers in order to compare emergent findings and to confirm dominant themes. The analysis identified an 'orientation to practice' based on salutogenesis (health creation), human valuing (person-centred care), and viewing the person in situation (human ecology) as the aspirational core of health visitors' work. This was realised through home visiting, needs assessment, and relationship formation at different levels of service provision. A wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities were required, including knowledge of health as a process and skills in engagement, building trust, and making professional judgments. These are currently difficult to impart within a 45week health visitor programme and are facilitated through ad hoc post-registration education and training. The international literature reported both similarities and differences between the working practices of health

Technology-Enhanced Physics Programme for Community-Based Science Learning: Innovative Design and Programme Evaluation in a Theme Park

Science.gov (United States)

Tho, Siew Wei; Chan, Ka Wing; Yeung, Yau Yuen

2015-01-01

In this study, a new physics education programme is specifically developed for a famous theme park in Hong Kong to provide community-based science learning to her visitors, involving her three newly constructed rides. We make innovative use of digital technologies in this programme and incorporate a rigorous evaluation of the learning…

77 FR 65166 - Information Collection; Request for Comment; Visitor Permit and Visitor Registration Card

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-25

..., number of dogs and number of pack and saddle stock (that is, the number of animals either carrying people... dogs, number of pack and saddle stock (that is, the number of animals either carrying people or their... people. The information collected from the Visitor's Permit (FS-2300-30) and Visitor Registration Card...

Local determination of weak anisotropy parameters from walkaway VSP qP-wave data in the Java Sea region

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gomes, E.; Zheng, Xuyao; Pšenčík, Ivan; Horne, S.; Leaney, S.

2004-01-01

Roč. 48, č. 1 (2004), s. 215-231 ISSN 0039-3169 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA3012309; GA AV ČR KSK3012103 Grant - others:CHJFSS(CN) No.103021 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z3012916 Keywords : weak anisotropy * qP waves * walkaway VSP Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 0.447, year: 2004

Analysis of the urban green areas of Nicosia: the case study of Linear Park of Pedieos River

Science.gov (United States)

Zanos, Pavlos; Georgi, Julia

2017-09-01

At present, the need for creating outdoor green areas is unquestionable. Their value is shown through their use for recreation, sports, cultural and socioeconomic purposes, the ecology and especially biodiversity, which has always been considered as one of the most important factors in recent years, as well as in the future. With the creation of new parks and open green spaces, the legacy will be continued for the next generations, with designs that will be pleasantly utilized through the years. In the first part of this study, we examined the way the largest urban green spaces in Nicosia affect and contribute to the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the city, as well as the reasons why the citizens of Cyprus embraced urban parks in their everyday life, making them so popular. The present paper, therefore, analyses both the effect and the changes in the urban structure while urban green spaces in the city of Nicosia are being created, as well as which areas are affected, how they are affected and to what extent. We have conducted a field-based survey, providing the urban parks' visitors with questionnaires. This enabled us to draw a wealth of essential conclusions concerning the visitors' preferences. We have also listed both the positive and negative impacts of urban green spaces on both the economic and urban design sectors, as well as on Cypriots' recreation time. The green areas of Nicosia, along with their detailed analysis, are extensively presented in this study. Moreover, in the second part of this study, the G.I.S program was used to create a space presentation of the urban linear park of Pedieos, where the area was mapped and the positive and negative elements of the park were analysed. In this part, ways to address the emerging issues are also proposed.

A Novel Location-Centric IoT-Cloud Based On-Street Car Parking Violation Management System in Smart Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Dinh, Thanh; Kim, Younghan

2016-01-01

Nowadays, in big cities, parking management is a critical issue from both the driver’s side and the city government’s side. From the driver’s side, how to find an available parking lot in a city is a considerable concern. As a result, smart parking systems recently have received great interest, both in academia and industry. From the city government’s side, how to manage and distribute such a limited public parking resource efficiently to give every visitor a fair chance of finding an on-street parking lot is also a considerable concern. However, existing studies of smart parking management focus only on assisting the driver’s side to find available parking spaces. This study aims to raise a new perspective on such smart parking management and to propose a novel location-centric IoT-cloud-based parking violation management system. The system is designed to assist authoritative officers in finding parking violations easily and recommends the least cost path for officers so that officers can achieve their highest productivity in finding parking violations and issuing parking tickets. Experimental results show that the system not only improves the productivity of officers in finding parking violations and issuing tickets, but also helps reduce the traveling cost of officers and to reduce the average violation period of violating cars considerably. PMID:27271620

A Novel Location-Centric IoT-Cloud Based On-Street Car Parking Violation Management System in Smart Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanh Dinh

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, in big cities, parking management is a critical issue from both the driver’s side and the city government’s side. From the driver’s side, how to find an available parking lot in a city is a considerable concern. As a result, smart parking systems recently have received great interest, both in academia and industry. From the city government’s side, how to manage and distribute such a limited public parking resource efficiently to give every visitor a fair chance of finding an on-street parking lot is also a considerable concern. However, existing studies of smart parking management focus only on assisting the driver’s side to find available parking spaces. This study aims to raise a new perspective on such smart parking management and to propose a novel location-centric IoT-cloud-based parking violation management system. The system is designed to assist authoritative officers in finding parking violations easily and recommends the least cost path for officers so that officers can achieve their highest productivity in finding parking violations and issuing parking tickets. Experimental results show that the system not only improves the productivity of officers in finding parking violations and issuing tickets, but also helps reduce the traveling cost of officers and to reduce the average violation period of violating cars considerably.

Wildlife feeding in parks: methods for monitoring the effectiveness of educational interventions and wildlife food attraction behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Dvorak, Robert G.; Manning, Robert E.

2008-01-01

Opportunities to view and interact with wildlife are often an important part of high quality recreational experiences. Such interactions frequently include wildlife feeding, resulting in food-conditioned behaviors that may cause harm to both wildlife and visitors. This study developed and applied efficient protocols for simultaneously evaluating wildlife feeding-related behaviors of visitors and related foraging behaviors of chipmunks along a trail in Zion National Park. Unobtrusive observation protocols permitted an evaluation of educational messages delivered, and documentation of wildlife success in obtaining human food and the strength of their food attraction behavior. Significant improvements were documented for some targeted visitor behaviors and human food available to chipmunks, with minor differences between treatments. Replication of these protocols as part of a long-term monitoring program can help protected area managers evaluate and improve the efficacy of their interventions and monitor the strength of food attraction behavior in wildlife.

Climate change is advancing spring onset across the U.S. national park system

Science.gov (United States)

Monahan, William B.; Rosemartin, Alyssa; Gerst, Katharine L.; Fisichelli, Nicholas A.; Ault, Toby R.; Schwartz, Mark D.; Gross, John E.; Weltzin, Jake F.

2016-01-01

Many U.S. national parks are already at the extreme warm end of their historical temperature distributions. With rapidly warming conditions, park resource management will be enhanced by information on seasonality of climate that supports adjustments in the timing of activities such as treating invasive species, operating visitor facilities, and scheduling climate-related events (e.g., flower festivals and fall leaf-viewing). Seasonal changes in vegetation, such as pollen, seed, and fruit production, are important drivers of ecological processes in parks, and phenology has thus been identified as a key indicator for park monitoring. Phenology is also one of the most proximate biological responses to climate change. Here, we use estimates of start of spring based on climatically modeled dates of first leaf and first bloom derived from indicator plant species to evaluate the recent timing of spring onset (past 10–30 yr) in each U.S. natural resource park relative to its historical range of variability across the past 112 yr (1901–2012). Of the 276 high latitude to subtropical parks examined, spring is advancing in approximately three-quarters of parks (76%), and 53% of parks are experiencing “extreme” early springs that exceed 95% of historical conditions. Our results demonstrate how changes in climate seasonality are important for understanding ecological responses to climate change, and further how spatial variability in effects of climate change necessitates different approaches to management. We discuss how our results inform climate change adaptation challenges and opportunities facing parks, with implications for other protected areas, by exploring consequences for resource management and planning.

Public management of urban hospitality: a case study of Agua Branca Park, São Paulo city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciana Carla Sagi

2008-10-01

Full Text Available This article is a qualitative study about the public management of Água Branca Park in São Paulo city and its impacts on the hospitality of this area. The research began in 2005 in master's degree in Hospitality at Anhembi Morumbi University and was pursuing independent until 2008. It is examined the three major dimensions of management: administrative and institutional, socio-political and economic-financial. It was possible to see how aspects related to human resources training, political projects of greater magnitude, physical resources, planning systematic and relationships with the various social actors ultimately result in the hospitality that the park offers to its visitors. Água Branca Park is having a good performance in that sense, since the various components of public management appear to be moving towards the park to be an area full of leisure, which includes the 3 D's of Dumazedier (1980: rest, fun and development, minimizing the pressures that affect Sao Paulo metropolis.

22 CFR Appendix B to Part 62 - Exchange Visitor Program Services, Exchange-Visitor Program Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exchange Visitor Program Services, Exchange-Visitor Program Application B Appendix B to Part 62 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY... Media and Communications; 03—Education; 04—Business and Commercial; 05—Banking and Financial; 06...

Thinking outside the lines: Parks and the quality of life in area communities

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, J.G.; Burkardt, N.; Caughlan, L.; Lamb, B.L.

2000-01-01

Many national parks, national forests, and other public land units exist in highly changeable regional environments. Often the parks and forests themselves serve as important catalysts of change in the levels of tourism, outdoor recreation participation, and contribution of traveling publics to local and regional economies. Resource managers are called upon to protect lands in their jurisdictions while juggling a variety of inputs and expectations. In each agency, resource decisions are bound by law and agency policy. In this context, the decision space of the national park manager is quite different from that of those in multiple-use land management agencies. Management actions must stand up, not only to law and policy and to scientific scrutiny, but they must also be sensitive to the needs of residents in surrounding communities, to county and state governing bodies, and to visitors from across the nation and around the world. Balancing these needs while protecting resources in an ongoing challenge made more difficult as the mix of stakeholders growsa?|

On-board measurement of particle numbers and their size distribution from a light-duty diesel vehicle: Influences of VSP and altitude.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jia; Ge, Yunshan; Wang, Xin; Hao, Lijun; Tan, Jianwei; Peng, Zihang; Zhang, Chuanzhen; Gong, Huiming; Huang, Ying

2017-07-01

In this study, the particle size-resolved distribution from a China-3 certificated light-duty diesel vehicle was measured by using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS). In order to examine the influences of vehicle specific power (VSP) and high-altitude operation, measurements were conducted at 8 constant speeds, which ranged from 10 to 80km/hr at 10km/hr intervals, and two different high altitudes, namely 2200 and 3200m. The results demonstrated that the numbers of particles in all size ranges decreased significantly as VSP increased when the test vehicle was running at lower speeds (vehicle resulted in increased particle number emissions at low and high driving speeds; however, particle numbers obtained at moderate speeds decreased as altitude rose. When the test vehicle was running at moderate speeds, particle numbers measured at the two altitudes were very close, except for comparatively higher number concentrations of nanoparticles measured at 2200m. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

More than A to B: Understanding and managing visitor spatial behaviour in urban forests using public participation GIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Korpilo, Silviya; Virtanen, Tarmo; Saukkonen, Tiina; Lehvävirta, Susanna

2018-02-01

Planning and management needs up-to-date, easily-obtainable and accurate information on the spatial and social aspects of visitor behaviour in order to balance human use and impacts, and protection of natural resources in public parks. We used a web-based public participation GIS (PPGIS) approach to gather citizen data on visitor behaviour in Helsinki's Central Park in order to aid collaborative spatial decision-making. The study combined smartphone GPS tracking, route drawing and a questionnaire to examine differences between user groups in their use of formal trails, off-trail behaviour and the motivations that affect it. In our sample (n = 233), different activity types were associated with distinctive spatial patterns and potential extent of impacts. The density mapping and statistical analyses indicated three types of behaviour: predominantly on or close to formal trails (runners and cyclists), spatially concentrated off-trail behaviour confined to a few informal paths (mountain bikers), and dispersed off-trail use pattern (walkers and dog walkers). Across all user groups, off-trail behaviour was mainly motivated by positive attraction towards the environment such as scenic view, exploration, and viewing flora and fauna. Study findings lead to several management recommendations that were presented to city officials. These include reducing dispersion and the spatial extent of trampling impacts by encouraging use of a limited number of well-established informal paths away from sensitive vegetation and protected habitats. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspen Ecology in Rocky Mountain National Park: Age Distribution, Genetics, and the Effects of Elk Herbivory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuskan, Gerald A [ORNL; Yin, Tongming [ORNL

2008-10-01

Lack of aspen (Populus tremuloides) recruitment and canopy replacement of aspen stands that grow on the edges of grasslands on the low-elevation elk (Cervus elaphus) winter range of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado has been a cause of concern for more than 70 years (Packard, 1942; Olmsted, 1979; Stevens, 1980; Hess, 1993; R.J. Monello, T.L. Johnson, and R.G. Wright, Rocky Mountain National Park, 2006, written commun.). These aspen stands are a significant resource since they are located close to the park's road system and thus are highly visible to park visitors. Aspen communities are integral to the ecological structure of montane and subalpine landscapes because they contain high native species richness of plants, birds, and butterflies (Chong and others, 2001; Simonson and others, 2001; Chong and Stohlgren, 2007). These low-elevation, winter range stands also represent a unique component of the park's plant community diversity since most (more than 95 percent) of the park's aspen stands grow in coniferous forest, often on sheltered slopes and at higher elevations, while these winter range stands are situated on the low-elevation ecotone between the winter range grasslands and some of the park's drier coniferous forests.

75 FR 82400 - Development of Health Risk Assessment Guidance; Public Forum

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-30

... Visitor's Center parking guard station. Visitors will be asked for identification and the purpose of the... identification card. Parking spaces for visitors are available in the parking lot adjacent to the CDC Visitor's... or some other means in the physician's office, internet, mail-in paper form, other non-traditional...

More items on visitors' menu

CERN Document Server

2005-01-01

Visitors to CERN will now be able to appreciate first-hand the sheer scale of the computing challenge associated with the LHC, during guided visits to the Computing Centre. Two more of CERN's experimental facilities have recently been added to the itineraries offered to the public by the Visits Service. The general public will now be able to see the COMPASS experiment and CERN's Computing Centre. Over the past few years, there has been an increasing demand for visits. Last year, 25 000 visitors came to see sites at CERN. 'Visitors to CERN are impressed by the sheer scale of the experiments, interested to find out how they work and amazed at how they are often located underground,' says Dominique Bertola, Head of the CERN Visits Service. COMPASS is the first fixed-target experiment available for viewing to the general public. The linear structure of the detector makes it an ideal exhibit for the visitors, because it permits them to see the different stages of the experiment and intuitively appreciate how it ...

Visitor Safety and Security in Barbados: Stakeholder Perceptions

OpenAIRE

Clifford Griffin

2010-01-01

Is information about the nature, location and incidence of crimes against tourists/visitors sufficient to develop meaningful visitor safety and security policy? Are the views of key tourism stakeholder groups useful in informing and enhancing visitor safety and security policy? To answer these questions, this study analyzes 24 years of recorded crime data against visitors to Barbados and survey data of key tourism stakeholder groups and concludes: 1) that information about the nature, locatio...

Attitudes of stakeholders towards the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park in the Czech Republic.

Science.gov (United States)

Cihar, Martin; Stankova, Jindriska

2006-11-01

In August 2000, a survey of public opinion was carried out among visitors, local residents and representatives of local self-governments in the territory of the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National Park in the Czech Republic. The goal was to obtain stakeholders' opinions and attitudes towards nature conservation, the National Park and tourism within the territory which used to be closed to the public for 40 years due to the Iron Curtain. Without the knowledge of opinions of stakeholders it is not possible to manage nature conservation and development in the protected area properly. Using the method of direct interviews, 646 questionnaires where collected, of which 523 were from visitors and tourists, 115 from local residents and 8 from mayors of towns/villages. The questionnaires were analysed in order to detect differences in attitudes among the respondent groups in the following thematic areas: (a) the National Park, its environment and perception of it by respondents; (b) relationship of respondents to the territory; (c) tourism and attitudes towards recreational activities; (d) the Administration of the National Park and evaluation of its work; and (e) economic impact of tourism for local communities. One section of the study focused on comparing the attitudes between local inhabitants and mayors and the other section presents a collation of opinions from locals, mayors and tourists. Although a positive evaluation of the national park dominated the results, some negative attitudes and experiences were identified among locals. In addition, the situation also differed within communities. Results also indicated a relatively strong relationship to the territory by locals, but low job opportunities and income from tourism. The level of tourism intensity was perceived as an increasing and sometimes disturbing factor for local communities; motoring was observed as being the most negative activity for nature. The Administration of the Podyji/Thaya River Basin National

Is this a one-night stand or the start of something meaningful? Developing relationships to place in National Park backcountry.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey J. Brooks; George N. Wallace; Daniel R. Williams

2007-01-01

This paper presents empirical evidence that helps to understand how some visitors develop relationships with Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The paper describes relationship to place as the active construction and accumulation of meaning, which involves both physical and social interactions over time. The discussion is organized around three themes evident in...

An Evaluation of Snorkeling Experience in Pulau Payar Marine Park, Kedah, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salim Nurbaidura

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Marine Parks in Malaysia receive almost 7.4 million tourists for the past ten years from all over the world. Continuous growth in the number of tourists and mass tourism has resulted in uncontrolled number of tourists, sometimes surpassing the carrying capacity of the site. Due to the lack of control and enforcement, many tour boat operators are bringing snorkelers to small fragile sites at the same timeframe. Such situation has resulted in reduced quality of tourist experience and satisfaction level, among others, as they need to cram in with others at the designated snorkeling areas. Taking Pulau Payar Marine Park for an example, this study evaluates the snorkeling experience of 259 selected respondents in the marine park. The results employed Importance-satisfaction analysis (ISA and Gap analysis on both satisfaction and importance level. The research result showed that the perceived mean is less than the expected mean for all attributes except for ‘lack of crowd’ and ‘fish feeding activity’. Over sixty eight percent were satisfied with their snorkeling experience but there are several issues need to be managed by the Marine Park Department. Suggestions, such as limiting the number of visitors to the park, improving public facilities and solid waste management of the park to protect the island and its sustainability were introduced. This study highlights the importance of site management in environmentally sensitive areas, for resort and tour operators towards developing better service quality for a better tourist experience.

Characteristics of the Las Vegas/Clark County visitor economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a review of the Clark County visitor economy and the Clark County visitor. The review, undertaken in support of NWPO's two objectives mentioned above, addressed a number of topics including performance of the Clark County visitor economy as a generator of employment, earnings and tax base; importance of the Clark County visitor economy to the Nevada economy as a whole; elements of the Clark County visitor economy outside the Las Vegas strip and downtown areas; current trends in the Clark County visitor industry; and indirect economic effects of Clark County casino/hotel purchases

Optimizing the design of vertical seismic profiling (VSP) for imaging fracture zones over hardrock basement geothermal environments

Science.gov (United States)

Reiser, Fabienne; Schmelzbach, Cedric; Maurer, Hansruedi; Greenhalgh, Stewart; Hellwig, Olaf

2017-04-01

A primary focus of geothermal seismic imaging is to map dipping faults and fracture zones that control rock permeability and fluid flow. Vertical seismic profiling (VSP) is therefore a most valuable means to image the immediate surroundings of an existing borehole to guide, for example, the placing of new boreholes to optimize production from known faults and fractures. We simulated 2D and 3D acoustic synthetic seismic data and processed it through to pre-stack depth migration to optimize VSP survey layouts for mapping moderately to steeply dipping fracture zones within possible basement geothermal reservoirs. Our VSP survey optimization procedure for sequentially selecting source locations to define the area where source points are best located for optimal imaging makes use of a cross-correlation statistic, by which a subset of migrated shot gathers is compared with a target or reference image from a comprehensive set of source gathers. In geothermal exploration at established sites, it is reasonable to assume that sufficient à priori information is available to construct such a target image. We generally obtained good results with a relatively small number of optimally chosen source positions distributed over an ideal source location area for different fracture zone scenarios (different dips, azimuths, and distances from the surveying borehole). Adding further sources outside the optimal source area did not necessarily improve the results, but rather resulted in image distortions. It was found that fracture zones located at borehole-receiver depths and laterally offset from the borehole by 300 m can be imaged reliably for a range of the different dips, but more source positions and large offsets between sources and the borehole are required for imaging steeply dipping interfaces. When such features cross-cut the borehole, they are particularly difficult to image. For fracture zones with different azimuths, 3D effects are observed. Far offset source positions

An extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior to predict willingness to pay for the conservation of an urban park.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Mosquera, Natalia; García, Teresa; Barrena, Ramo

2014-03-15

This paper relates the concept of moral obligation and the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior to determine their influence on the willingness to pay of visitors for park conservation. The sample consists of 190 visitors to an urban Spanish park. The mean willingness to pay estimated was 12.67€ per year. The results also indicated that moral norm was the major factor in predicting behavioral intention, followed by attitudes. The new relations established between the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior show that social norms significantly determine the attitudes, moral norms and perceived behavioral control of individuals. The proportion of explained variance shows that the inclusion of moral norms improves the explanatory power of the original model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (32-40%). Community-based social marketing and local campaigns are the main strategies that should be followed by land managers with the objective of promoting responsible, pro-environmental attitudes as well as a greater willingness to pay for this type of goods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seismic VSP and HSP surveys on preliminary investigation areas in Finland for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keskinen, J.; Cosma, C.; Heikkinen, P.

1992-10-01

Seismic reflection surveys in boreholes were carried out for Teollisuuden Voima Oy at five sites in Finland (Eurajoki Olkiluoto, Hyrynsalmi Veitsivaara, Konginkangas Kivetty, Kuhmo Romuvaara and Sievi Syyry). The vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) surveys were a part of the investigation programme for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The purpose was to detect fractured zones, lithological contacts and other anomalies in the structure of the rockmass and to determine their position and orientation. Horizontal Seismic Profiling (HSP) was used at the Olkiluoto site, additionally to VSP. The data has been organized in profiles containing seismograms recorded from the same shotpoint (shot gathers). One of the most powerful processing methods used with this project has been the Image Space Filtering, a new technique, which has been developed (in the project) for seismic reflection studies in crystalline rock. The method can be applied with other rock types where steeply inclined or vertical anomalies are of interest. It acts like a multichannel filter, enhancing the reflected events and also as an interpretation tool, to estimate the strength and position of the reflectors. This approach has been of great help in emphasizing the weak reflections from uneven and sometimes vanishing interfaces encountered in crystalline

The Perceived Implications of an Outsourcing Model on Governance within British Columbia Provincial Parks in Canada: A Quantitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Eagles, Paul; Havitz, Mark; McCutcheon, Bonnie; Buteau-Duitschaever, Windekind; Glover, Troy

2010-06-01

Good governance is of paramount importance to the success of parks and protected areas. This research utilized a questionnaire for 10 principles of governance to evaluate the outsourcing model used by British Columbia Provincial Parks, where profit-making corporations provide all front country visitor services. A total of 246 respondents representing five stakeholder groups evaluated the model according to each principle, using an online survey. Principal component analysis resulted in two of the 10 principles (equity and effectiveness) each being split into two categories, leading to 12 governance principles. Five of the 12 criteria received scores towards good governance: effectiveness outcome; equity general; strategic vision; responsiveness; and effectiveness process. One criterion, public participation, was on the neutral point. Six criteria received scores below neutral, more towards weak governance: transparency; rule of law; accountability; efficiency; consensus orientation; and, equity finance. The five stakeholder groups differed significantly on 10 of the 12 principles ( P < .05). The 2 exceptions were for efficiency and effectiveness process. Seven of the 12 criteria followed a pattern wherein government employees and contractors reported positive scores, visitors and representatives of NGOs reported more negative scores, and nearby residents reported mid-range scores. Three criteria had government employees and contractors reporting the most positive scores, residents and visitors the most negative scores, and NGO respondents reporting mid-range scores. This research found evidence that perceptions of governance related to this outsourcing model differed significantly amongst various constituent groups.

The perceived implications of an outsourcing model on governance within British Columbia Provincial Parks in Canada: a quantitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Eagles, Paul; Havitz, Mark; McCutcheon, Bonnie; Buteau-Duitschaever, Windekind; Glover, Troy

2010-06-01

Good governance is of paramount importance to the success of parks and protected areas. This research utilized a questionnaire for 10 principles of governance to evaluate the outsourcing model used by British Columbia Provincial Parks, where profit-making corporations provide all front country visitor services. A total of 246 respondents representing five stakeholder groups evaluated the model according to each principle, using an online survey. Principal component analysis resulted in two of the 10 principles (equity and effectiveness) each being split into two categories, leading to 12 governance principles. Five of the 12 criteria received scores towards good governance: effectiveness outcome; equity general; strategic vision; responsiveness; and effectiveness process. One criterion, public participation, was on the neutral point. Six criteria received scores below neutral, more towards weak governance: transparency; rule of law; accountability; efficiency; consensus orientation; and, equity finance. The five stakeholder groups differed significantly on 10 of the 12 principles (P < .05). The 2 exceptions were for efficiency and effectiveness process. Seven of the 12 criteria followed a pattern wherein government employees and contractors reported positive scores, visitors and representatives of NGOs reported more negative scores, and nearby residents reported mid-range scores. Three criteria had government employees and contractors reporting the most positive scores, residents and visitors the most negative scores, and NGO respondents reporting mid-range scores. This research found evidence that perceptions of governance related to this outsourcing model differed significantly amongst various constituent groups.

Visitor constraints to physical activity in park and recreation areas: differences by race and ethnicity

Science.gov (United States)

Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis; Ingrid E. Schneider; Deborah J Chavez; Kimberly J. Shinew

2009-01-01

Health benefits of physical activity are well recognized and documented, yet inactivity and obesity rates remain high in the U.S., particularly among racially and ethnically diverse populations. A greater understanding of factors that constrain physical activity in parks and recreation areas across various racial and ethnic groups may improve an agency’s ability to...

Survey of Visitors to Bornholm 1996

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartl, Ann; Rassing, Charlotte

The overall objective was to provide a comprehensive description of visitors to Bornholm that was in keeping with the standard analysis of destination surveys.......The overall objective was to provide a comprehensive description of visitors to Bornholm that was in keeping with the standard analysis of destination surveys....

Perception study about visitors related to development of Rowo Bayu attractions in Kecamatan Songgon Banyuwangi

Science.gov (United States)

Mahayu, A. G.

2017-06-01

The development of tourism was a process of sustainability, and it was not stand-alone activity because it must involve various sectors. Tourism planning must take into consideration the existing condition and supporting capacity because it should create a long-term mutual interaction in achieving goals such as increasing community welfare and ensuring the sustainability of environmental supporting capacity in the future. Rowo Bayu Tourist Object was greatly potential to be developed into historical and also natural objects of scenery. Some historical heritages of Tawangalun Palace were exposed beautifully by the marsh and this situation could be cultivated into water-based tourism. However, Rowo Bayu Tourist Object still lacked of supporting facilities such as security post, parking lot, cleaning service, prayer house, and others that led only to the inconvenience of the visitors. In this research, the perception of visitors on importance and satisfaction rates of tourist object-related variables was measured. These variables included attraction, accomodation, accessibility, facility, information, and utility, which were then subjected to the analysis technique of IPA. Result of analysis found 14 attributes that were important for tourist object development but in bad condition. These attributes were: the availability of security guard, the availability of food and beverage providers, the availability of transportation modes to the tourist object, the availability of parking lot, the availability of toilet, the availability of garbage can, the availability of information center, the availability of prayer house, the availability of ATM, the availability of fuel-station (SPBU), the availability of tourist object promotion tools, the availability of tour guide, the availability of electricity, and the signal strength of mobile phones. After IPA was finished, it was followed by AHP analysis.

Photometric Assessment of Night Sky Quality over Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Li-Wei; Duriscoe, Dan M.; White, Jeremy M.; Meadows, Bob; Anderson, Sharolyn J.

2018-06-01

The US National Park Service (NPS) characterizes night sky conditions over Chaco Culture National Historical Park using measurements in the park and satellite data. The park is located near the geographic center of the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico and the adjacent Four Corners state. In the park, we capture a series of night sky images in V-band using our mobile camera system on nine nights from 2001 to 2016 at four sites. We perform absolute photometric calibration and determine the image placement to obtain multiple 45-million-pixel mosaic images of the entire night sky. We also model the regional night sky conditions in and around the park based on 2016 VIIRS satellite data. The average zenith brightness is 21.5 mag/arcsec2, and the whole sky is only ~16% brighter than the natural conditions. The faintest stars visible to naked eyes have magnitude of approximately 7.0, reaching the sensitivity limit of human eyes. The main impacts to Chaco’s night sky quality are the light domes from Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington, Bloomfield, Gallup, Santa Fe, Grants, and Crown Point. A few of these light domes exceed the natural brightness of the Milky Way. Additionally, glare sources from oil and gas development sites are visible along the north and east horizons. Overall, the night sky quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park is very good. The park preserves to a large extent the natural illumination cycles, providing a refuge for crepuscular and nocturnal species. During clear and dark nights, visitors have an opportunity to see the Milky Way from nearly horizon to horizon, complete constellations, and faint astronomical objects and natural sources of light such as the Andromeda Galaxy, zodiacal light, and airglow.

Ropes parks as a way of increase of the motor activity of students [Verevochnye parki kak sredstvo povysheniia dvigatel'noj aktivnosti uchashchejsia molodezhi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozіna Zh.L.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Psychological and physiological reasons of attractiveness of rope parks are considered for studying young people. 25 sources of network are analysed in the Internet. The questionnaire of 52 visitors of rope park is conducted (youths in age 16-19 years. It is set that overcoming of rope obstacles helps to get the necessary physical loading. Also to get feelings, characteristic for the extreme types of sport. It is found out that overcoming of rope obstacles helps people to be delivered from fear before difficulties and agitation before important events.

A new visitor centre for CMS

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

At the inauguration of the new CMS visitor centre. The CMS experiment inaugurated a new visitor centre at its Cessy site on 14 June. This will allow the thousands of people who come to CERN each year to follow the construction of one the Laboratory's flagship experiments first-hand. CERN receives over 20,000 visitors each year. Until recently, many of them were taken on a guided tour of one of the LEP experiments. With the closure of LEP, however, trips underground are no longer possible, and the Visits' Service has put in place a number of other itineraries (Bulletin 46/2000). Since the CMS detector will be almost entirely constructed in a surface hall, it is now taking a big share of the limelight. The CMS visitor centre has been built on a platform overlooking CMS construction. It contains a set of clear descriptive posters describing the experiment, along with a video projection showing animations and movies about CMS construction. In the coming weeks, a display of CMS detector elements will be added, as...

A close-up on laboratory visitors

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

"Inside the Big Black Box" is a European survey of responses by visitors to five laboratories, including CERN. Its findings will be presented at a two-day meeting to be held at CERN on 29 and 30 March. Can the visits programme of a research laboratory, such as a particle physics laboratory, satisfy the public's curiosity? What are the impressions of visitors to such laboratories? "Inside the Big Black Box" (IN3B), a study sponsored by the European Commission, provides the answers to these previously unanswered questions. The results of this survey, conducted among 4000 visitors to five laboratories (CERN in Switzerland, LNGS in Italy, Demokritos in Greece and DESY and Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany), will be presented at a meeting hosted by CERN on 29 and 30 March. The detailed programme and a registration form for those wishing to attend can be found at: http://www.cern.ch/info/IN3B. Visitors to the DESY laboratory inside the hall of the TESLA (Tera Electr...

Visualizing, clustering, and predicting the behavior of museum visitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martella, Claudio; Miraglia, Armando; Frost, Jeana; Cattani, Marco; van Steen, Maarten

2017-01-01

Fine-arts museums design exhibitions to educate, inform and entertain visitors. Existing work leverages technology to engage, guide and interact with the visitors, neglecting the need of museum staff to understand the response of the visitors. Surveys and expensive observational studies are

Carrying Capacity Model Applied to Coastal Ecotourism of Baluran National Park, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Armono, H. D.; Rosyid, D. M.; Nuzula, N. I.

2017-07-01

The resources of Baluran National Park have been used for marine and coastal ecotourism. The increasing number of visitors has led to the increasing of tourists and its related activities. This condition will cause the degradation of resources and the welfare of local communities. This research aims to determine the sustainability of coastal ecotourism management by calculating the effective number of tourists who can be accepted. The study uses the concept of tourism carrying capacity, consists the ecological environment, economic, social and physical carrying capacity. The results of the combined carrying capacity analysis in Baluran National Park ecotourism shows that the number of 3.288 people per day (151.248 tourists per year) is the maximum number of accepted tourists. The current number of tourist arrivals is only 241 people per day (87.990 tourists per year) which is far below the carrying capacity.

Analysis of the CMS visitors feedback Poster

CERN Multimedia

Davis, Siona Ruth

2016-01-01

CMS welcomed over 5500 visitors underground during the 2013 CERN Open Days and more than 4500 during the Neighbourhood Days of 2014 on the occasion of CERN’s 60th anniversary. During the latter event, visitors gave their feedback on the visit experience by answering three questions: • In one sentence, what will you tell your friends about what you saw today? • What fact or story that you heard today impressed you the most? • Describe the CMS detector in three words. This poster will show the analysis of the answers given by visitors.

Analysis of the CMS visitors feedback Poster

CERN Multimedia

Davis, Siona Ruth

CMS welcomed over 5500 visitors underground during the 2013 CERN Open Days and more than 4500 during the Neighbourhood Days of 2014 on the occasion of CERN’s 60th anniversary. During the latter event, visitors gave their feedback on the visit experience by answering three questions: • In one sentence, what will you tell your friends about what you saw today? • What fact or story that you heard today impressed you the most? • Describe the CMS detector in three words. This poster will show the analysis of the answers given by visitors.

Analysis of P- and S-wave VSP (vertical seismic profile) data from the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daley, T.M.

1987-09-01

To understand any geophysical data, geologic information is necessary. This thesis will begin with a summary of the geology of the Salton Trough region and the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF). The information available from the SSSDP will also be summarized. After the geologic summary, the design of the VSP will be discussed, including acquisition equipment and procedures. The data processing procedures and software used will be discussed as a separate section. Processing procedures will also be described at various times in the thesis where more specialized procedures are used. Data analysis makes up the bulk of the thesis and it is divided into a number of sections detailing the basic VSP interpretation, the anisotropy analysis and the fracture detection and orientation analysis. A combined interpretation of the results, with probable geologic causes for observed events, is presented as a separate section from the data analysis. Finally, a summary of results for each of the goals stated above will be given. The reader should note that a large volume of data were collected and various display methods were used (from the standard wiggle-trace to three-component hodographs). Much of these data are left in the appendices with important or representative figures given in the body of the thesis. Also given in the appendices are listings of FORTRAN programs developed in conjunction with the thesis work. 46 refs., 63 figs., 12 tabs.

Radon Concentration in Caves of Croatia - Assesing Effective Radon Doses for Occupational Workers and Visitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radolic, V.; Miklavcic, I.; Poje, M.; Stanic, D.; Vukovic, B.; Paar, D.

2011-01-01

Radon monitoring at potentially highly radioactive location such as caves is important to assess the radiological hazards to occupational workers and occasional visitors. In its Publication 65 the ICRP has produced recommendations dealing with exposure to elevated background radiation, in particular, the risk associated with the inhalation of radon and radon progeny. Recommended annual effective dose from radon 222Rn and its short-lived progeny for workers should not exceed 20 mSv and for occasional users (visitors) the same recommendation is 1 mSv. Measurements were performed with series of track etched detectors (LR115 - type II) in several caves in Croatia. The obtained values for the radon concentration ranged from ambient values up to several thousand Bq m -3 . Radon concentration was measured in about 20 caves of Velebit and Zumberak mountains and the highest radon concentration was in Lubuska jama (3.8 kBq m -3 ) and cave Dolaca (21.8 kBq m -3 ), respectively. Djurovica cave is especially interesting because of its huge tourist potential due to its location bellow Dubrovnik airport. Its mean annual radon concentration of 17.6 kBq m -3 classifies Djurovica cave among caves with high radon concentration. A visitor during half an hour visit at summer time would receive an effective dose of 30.6 μSv. Calculated mean dose rate of 44 μSv/h means that workers (mainly tourist guides) should limit their time inside cave to 454 hours per year. Manita pec is the only cave open for tourists on the territory of Paklenica National Park. The preliminary radon measurements performed during summer 2010, gave an average radon concentration of 1.1 kBq m -3 . An exposure to average dose rate of 3.7 μSv/h means that the tourist guides would receive an effective dose of 0.42 mSv during summer period according to their working schedule. A visitor during half an hour visits would receive an effective dose of 1.86 μSv. (author)

Visitor attitudes towards fire and wind disturbances in wilderness

Science.gov (United States)

Robert G. Dvorak; Erin D. Small

2011-01-01

This study examines visitor attitudes across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness regarding the effects of natural disturbances on visitor planning and wilderness conditions. Visitors were intercepted at entry points and permit distribution locations during 2007. Results suggest that respondents were aware of recent wind and fire disturbances. Few respondents...

Heterogeneous Parking Market Subject to Parking Rationing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Asadi Bagloee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Different types of drivers and parking spaces delineate a heterogeneous parking market for which the literature has yet to provide a model applicable to the real world. The main obstacle is computational complexities of considering various parking restrictions along with traffic congestion on the road network. In this study, the heterogeneity aspects are considered within a Logit parking choice model. A mathematical programming problem was introduced to explicitly consider parking capacities and parking rationing constraints. The parking rationing is defined as any arrangement to reserve parking space for some specific demand such as parking permit, private parking, VIP parking, and different parking durations. Introduction of parking rationing in the presence of other constraints is a unique factor in this study which makes the model more realistic. The algorithm was tested on a central business district case study. The results prove that the algorithm is able to converge rapidly. Among the algorithm’s output are shadow prices of the parking capacity and parking rationing constraints. The shadow prices contain important information which is key to addressing a variety of parking issues, such as the location of parking shortages, identification of fair parking charges, viability of parking permits, and the size of reserved parking.

ECOTOURISM AS FEASIBLE DEVELOPMENT MODEL, MINIMUM IMPACTS, MAXIMUM EXPERIENCE : Case Sauraha and Chitwan National Park

OpenAIRE

Gurung, Prabin

2015-01-01

The thesis was written in order to find workable ideas and techniques of ecotourism for sustainable development and to find out the importance of ecotourism. It illustrates how ecotourism can play a beneficial role to visitors and local people. The thesis was based on ecotourism and its impact, the case study was Sauraha and Chitwan National Park. How ecotourism can be fruitful to local residents and nature, what are the drawbacks of ecotourism? Ecotourism also has negative impacts on both th...

Elk Monitoring Protocol for Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Version 1.0

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Kurt J.; Griffin, Paul C.; Boetsch, John R.; Cole, Carla

2011-01-01

Maintaining elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) herds that frequent Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (NHP) is central to the park’s purpose of preserving the historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources. Elk were critical to sustaining the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition by providing food and clothing over the winter of 1805-1806. Today, elk viewing opportunities in the park and surrounding region generate broad appeal with the visiting public, which number over 250,000 per year at the Fort Clatsop visitor center. This protocol describes procedures for monitoring trends in the use of the Fort Clatsop area by Roosevelt elk. Specific objectives of elk monitoring in Lewis and Clark NHP are to measure the relative use and proportion of area used by elk during winter in the Fort Clatsop Unit of the park, and the rate at which elk are sighted from roads in and around the park. Relative use and the proportion of area used by elk are determined from elk fecal pellet surveys conducted every other year in the Fort Clatsop park unit. Pairs of observers visit a systematic array of permanent plots in the fall to clear them of elk fecal pellets, and return to the plots in late winter to count elk fecal pellets that have accumulated during winter. Half of the subplots are counted by two independent observers, which allows for the estimation of relative use and proportion of area occupied by elk with analyses of detection biases that account for unseen elk pellet groups. Standardized road surveys are conducted in and near the Fort Clatsop park unit three or four times monthly during alternate months. Data from road surveys are used to quantify the rate that park visitors would be expected to see elk, when driving the selected set of routes. The monitoring protocol is based on three field seasons of development and testing. The protocol narrative describes the background, rationale, sampling design, field methods, analytical methods, data management, reporting

Perceived Authenticity of the Visitor Experience in Museums

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hede, Anne-Marie; Garma, Romana; Josiassen, Alexander

2014-01-01

of perceived authenticity, resonating with Bal's (1996) research in this area. Findings also confirm that consumer scepticism and expectations are antecedents to perceived authenticity of the visitor experience in museums, and that perceived authenticity in turn affects visitor satisfaction and perceived...... corporate hypocrisy. Practical implications -This research provides a framework for museums to manage visitors' perceptions of authenticity, and to plan and design exhibits accordingly. Originality/value - Our research, set in the museum context, articulates the basis of perceived authenticity, its....... To investigate authenticity in a model with two antecedents and two outcomes, an additional data set was collected. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. Findings -The results show that perceived authenticity of the museum, the visitor and the materials in the museum are dimensions...

Visitor satisfaction of international cultural events in Belgrade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zečević Bojan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In modern tourism, events are of great importance. The increase in the number of events on a global scale has influenced the growth of competitive pressure and the need for a marketing approach in managing event development. Consumer satisfaction (service user is one of the basic elements in managing tourism development generally seen, and thus it is also important to manage and measure the satisfaction of event visitors. The satisfaction of event visitors is important bearing in mind its influence onto passing over positive experience, re-visits and tourism affirmation in areas where the event takes place. The paper analyzes the visitor satisfaction of three most important cultural events in Belgrade-BITEF, Jazz Festival and Belgrade book fair. The focus of the analysis is on visitor satisfaction which is the result of event participation, the contents which the event offers, as well as the following tourism contents of Belgrade, as a tourism destination. The analysis has been conducted based on an empirical research in which 450 participants, event visitors, took part in.

Capacity and levels of utilization of tourism potentials of Yankari and Cross River National Parks – implications for optimistic ecotourism development in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PC Ngoka

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Development of sustainable tourism constitutes an essential component of Nigeria’s agenda for attaining sustainable development by the year 2020. The level of utilization of existing tourism capacities of national parks can affect the attainment of this goal. The present study examined capacity and levels of utilization of tourism potentials of Yankari National Park (YNP and Cross River National Park (CRNP. Mean visitor holding capacity (MVHC of each park over the period 2002 – 2006 was determined. Further, mean visitation of the parks during the study period was obtained from records of tourism visitation of the parks. From these, capacity utilizations were determined. Cross sectional survey of levels of utilization of attractions in each park was conducted using questionnaire. YNP recorded 49.3% capacity utilization; while CRNP had 3.5%. Both parks witnessed varying levels of utilization of their existing potentials. In YNP, game viewing and warm spring bathing had high levels of utilization (91% and 64% respectively. Old iron smelting sites and Dukkey Wells recorded low levels of utilization (1.0% each. In CRNP, rainforest experience and cave adventure had high utilization levels (93.3% and 68.3% respectively. Neither park had optimum use of its potentials. Updating of parks’ tourism infrastructure and creation of better awareness of the parks as tourist destinations were recommended for beefing up capacity and levels of utilization of the parks.

Motivations for recreating on farmlands, private forests, and state or national parks.

Science.gov (United States)

Sotomayor, Sandra; Barbieri, Carla; Wilhelm Stanis, Sonja; Aguilar, Francisco X; Smith, Jordan W

2014-07-01

This study explores the importance of different motivations to visit three types of recreational settings--farms, private forests, and state or national parks. Data were collected via a mail-back questionnaire administered to a stratified random sample of households in Missouri (USA). Descriptive and inferential statistics reveal both similarities and discontinuities in motivations for visiting farms, private forests, and state or national parks for recreation. Being with family, viewing natural scenery, and enjoying the smells and sounds of nature were all highly important motivations for visiting the three types of settings. However, all 15 motivations examined were perceived to be significantly more important for visits to state or national parks than to farms or private forests. Findings suggest that individuals are more strongly motivated to recreate at state and national parks relative to farmlands or forests. Post hoc paired t tests comparing motivations between both agricultural settings (farms and private forests) revealed significant differences in eight different recreational motivations. Individuals tended to place more importance on the ability to use equipment and test their skills when considering recreating on private forests. Conversely, social motivations (e.g., doing something with the family) were more important when individuals were considering recreating on farmland. Collectively, the findings suggest individuals expect distinctly different outcomes from their visits to farmlands, private forests, or state or national parks. Consequently, all three types of recreational settings have competitive advantages that their managers could capitalize on when making decisions about how to attract new visitors or produce the most desirable experiences for current recreationists.

Impacts of visitor number on Kangaroos housed in free-range exhibits.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwen, Sally L; Hemsworth, Paul H; Butler, Kym L; Fanson, Kerry V; Magrath, Michael J L

2015-01-01

Free range exhibits are becoming increasingly popular in zoos as a means to enhance interaction between visitors and animals. However very little research exists on the impacts of visitors on animal behaviour and stress in free range exhibits. We investigated the effects of visitor number on the behaviour and stress physiology of Kangaroo Island (KI) Kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus, and Red Kangaroos, Macropus rufus, housed in two free range exhibits in Australian zoos. Behavioural observations were conducted on individual kangaroos at each site using instantaneous scan sampling to record activity (e.g., vigilance, foraging, resting) and distance from the visitor pathway. Individually identifiable faecal samples were collected at the end of each study day and analysed for faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentration. When visitor number increased, both KI Kangaroos and Red Kangaroos increased the time spent engaged in visitor-directed vigilance and KI Kangaroos also increased the time spent engaged in locomotion and decreased the time spent resting. There was no effect of visitor number on the distance kangaroos positioned themselves from the visitor pathway or FGM concentration in either species. While there are limitations in interpreting these results in terms of fear of visitors, there was no evidence of adverse effects animal welfare in these study groups based on avoidance behaviour or stress physiology under the range of visitor numbers that we studied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Information seeking behaviour of online museum visitors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, Mette

visitors pursuing a long-standing interest or hobby. The second part of the talk will present preliminary findings from a study of user motivation in the context of Europeana.eu. The talk will invite to reflections and a discussion of how we can explore and evaluate motivation of virtual museum visitors....

Understanding and managing experiential aspects of soundscapes at Muir woods national monument.

Science.gov (United States)

Pilcher, Ericka J; Newman, Peter; Manning, Robert E

2009-03-01

Research has found that human-caused noise can detract from the quality of the visitor experience in national parks and related areas. Moreover, impacts to the visitor experience can be managed by formulating indicators and standards of quality as suggested in park and outdoor recreation management frameworks, such as Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP), as developed by the U.S. National Park Service. The research reported in this article supports the formulation of indicators and standards of quality for human-caused noise at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Phase I identified potential indicators of quality for the soundscape of Muir Woods. A visitor "listening exercise" was conducted, where respondents identified natural and human-caused sounds heard in the park and rated the degree to which each sound was "pleasing" or "annoying." Certain visitor-caused sounds such as groups talking were heard by most respondents and were rated as annoying, suggesting that these sounds may be a good indicator of quality. Loud groups were heard by few people but were rated as highly annoying, whereas wind and water were heard by most visitors and were rated as highly pleasing. Phase II measured standards of quality for visitor-caused noise. Visitors were presented with a series of 30-second audio clips representing increasing amounts of visitor-caused sound in the park. Respondents were asked to rate the acceptability of each audio clip on a survey. Findings suggest a threshold at which visitor-caused sound is judged to be unacceptable, and is therefore considered as noise. A parallel program of sound monitoring in the park found that current levels of visitor-caused sound sometimes violate this threshold. Study findings provide an empirical basis to help formulate noise-related indicators and standards of quality in parks and related areas.

Title 16 united states code §55 and its implications for management of concession facilities in Yosemite National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Lemons, John

1987-08-01

Yosemite National Park is one of the nation's most scenic and ecologically/geologically important parks. Unfortunately, the park is subject to extensive development of concession facilities and associated high levels of visitor use. Those concerned with preservation of the park's resources have attempted to limit the types and extent of such facilities to reduce adverse impacts. Strictly speaking, resolution of the preservation versus use controversy must be based on whether the National Park Service is adhering to its legislative mandate to regulate development and use in the parks. The common interpretation of legislative mandates for national parks, including Yosemite, is that they call for a difficult balancing between the conflicting goals of preservation and use. Accordingly, although concession developments cause significant impacts, they usually have been interpreted to be within the legal discretion allowed the secretary of the interior. However, the usual interpretations of the meanings of legislative mandates for Yosemite National Park have not considered Title 16 United States Code §55, which is a very restrictive statute limiting concession facilities. Many of the limitations imposed on concession facilities by the plain language of the statute have been exceeded. If it can be shown that 16 United States Code §55 is a valid statute, the policy implications for park management in Yosemite National Park would be considerable — namely, that significant reductions in concession facilities could be required. This article examines whether the statute can reasonably be thought to be valid and encourages others to conduct further examination of this question.

Towards automating measurements and predictions of Escherichia coli concentrations in the Cuyahoga River, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio, 2012–14

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Amie M. G.; Meg B. Plona,

2015-07-30

Nowcasts are systems that can provide estimates of the current bacterial water-quality conditions based on predictive models using easily-measured, explanatory variables; nowcasts can provide the public with the information to make informed decisions on the risk associated with recreational activities in natural water bodies. Previous studies on the Cuyahoga River within Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) have found that predictive models can be used to provide accurate assessments of the recreational water quality. However, in order to run the previously developed nowcasts for CVNP, manual collection and processing of samples is required on a daily basis to acquire the required explanatory variable data (laboratory-measured turbidity). The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service collaborated to develop a more automated approach to provide more timely results to park visitors regarding the recreational water quality of the river.

Designing museum exhibits that facilitate visitor reflection and discussion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skydsgaard, Morten Arnika; Andersen, Hanne Møller; King, Heather

2016-01-01

This paper explores how four design principles (curiosity, challenge, narratives and participation) facilitate reflection and discussion among young visitors in the issues-based exhibition Dear, Difficult Body. The investigation is based on a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire and inte......This paper explores how four design principles (curiosity, challenge, narratives and participation) facilitate reflection and discussion among young visitors in the issues-based exhibition Dear, Difficult Body. The investigation is based on a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire...... and interview data. The implementation of design principles resulted in a variety of exhibits which variously prompted reflection and discussion on the part of visitors. Exhibits with narratives, for example, here defined as both personal and expert narratives, were found to be effective in facilitating...... personal reflection but also prompted discussion. Participation, defined as including both physical interaction with exhibits, and dialogic interaction between visitors, facilitated the sharing of ideas and feelings between visitors. Exhibits with elements of curiosity and challenge were found to attract...

The economics of roadside bear viewing

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Leslie; Rosen, Tatjana; Gunther, Kerry; Schwartz, Chuck

2014-01-01

Viewing bears along roadside habitats is a popular recreational activity in certain national parks throughout the United States. However, safely managing visitors during traffic jams that result from this activity often requires the use of limited park resources. Using unique visitor survey data, this study quantifies economic values associated with roadside bear viewing in Yellowstone National Park, monetary values that could be used to determine whether this continued use of park resources is warranted on economic grounds. Based on visitor expenditure data and results of a contingent visitation question, it is estimated that summer Park visitation would decrease if bears were no longer allowed to stay along roadside habitats, resulting in a loss of 155 jobs in the local economy. Results from a nonmarket valuation survey question indicate that on average, visitors to Yellowstone National Park are willing to pay around $41 more in Park entrance fees to ensure that bears are allowed to remain along roads within the Park. Generalizing this value to the relevant population of visitors indicates that the economic benefits of allowing this wildlife viewing opportunity to continue could outweigh the costs of using additional resources to effectively manage these traffic jams.

Survey of Visitors to Bornholm 2001

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartl, Ann; Rassing, Charlotte

In July 1995 the Research Centre of Bornholm (now: Centre for Regional and Tourism Research) began conducting a survey among visitors to Bornholm. The survey is being conducted in order to assess the nature of tourism demand in peripheral areas, using Bornholm as a case example for the purposes...... of fieldwork. During the first year people arriving and departing by ferry and plane were interviewed. Since July 1996 only people departing by ferry have been interviewed. The overall objective is to provide a comprehensive description of visitors to Bornholm that was in keeping with the standard analysis...... of destination surveys. Because the survey has been conducted for six and a half year (since July 1995) the data can also disclose trends in visitor patterns. The passenger survey carried out by the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research is, to our knowledge, the largest of its kind carried out in Denmark....

Survey of Visitors to Bornholm 2002

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartl, Ann

In July 1995 the Research Centre of Bornholm (now: Centre for Regional and Tourism Research) began conducting a survey among visitors to Bornholm. The survey was conducted in order to assess the nature of tourism demand in peripheral areas, using Bornholm as a case example for the purposes...... of fieldwork. During the first year people arriving and departing by ferry and plane were interviewed. From July 1996 only people departing by ferry were interviewed. The overall objective is to provide a comprehensive description of visitors to Bornholm that was in keeping with the standard analysis...... of destination surveys. Because the survey has been conducted for seven and a half year altogether, the data can also disclose trends in visitor patterns. The passenger survey carried out by the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research is, to our knowledge, the largest of its kind carried out in Denmark....

Evaluation of visitor profiles and motivations at Ankara museums

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eda Gürel

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Museums all over the world appear to be targeting their visitors for resources, thanks to diminishing state support. The purpose of this study is to recognize the profiles and motivations of visitors to museums in Ankara, in order to provide for the development of strategies that will help translate these visits to regular active participation. The results of the study conducted at Ankara’s five principal museums show that these museums play a significant part in education for the visitors. Certain internal and external factors – such as advertising and promotion – are essential to boost museum visits. Study results call attention to external factors in particular, as driving forces for recurrent museum visitors.

An approach for recreation suitability analysis to recreation planning in Gölcük Nature Park.

Science.gov (United States)

Gül, Atila; Orücü, M Kamil; Karaca, Oznur

2006-05-01

Gölcük Nature Park (GNP) is an area protected by law in Turkey. It is an important nature park with rich flora, fauna, geomorphologic forms, landscape features, and recreational potential in the region. However, GNP does not have a recreation management plan. The purpose of this study was to determine the actual natural, cultural, and visual resources of GNP, determine the most suitable recreational sites with multiple factors, evaluate the demands and tendencies of visitors, and suggest recreational activities and facilities for the most suitable sites of GNP. However, it was also conceived as leading to a recreational plan and design of GNP in the future and identifying the entire appropriate and current data of GNP with the creation of various maps. This study used multifactor analysis to determine the most suitable recreation sites of GNP. Used recreation factors were established including degree of slope, proximity to water resources, accessibility, elevation, vegetation, soil, climate, aspect, current cultural facilities, visual values, and some limiting factors in accordance with the characteristics of GNP. Weighting and suitability values of factors were determined by 30 local expert surveys. All obtained data were evaluated and integrated in the Geographical Information Systems base. Obtained maps were overlapped. Thus, recreational suitability zones map were created manually. However, the demands and behaviours from visitor surveys in GNP were focused on the most suitable recreation sites of the park. Finally, 10% of GNP was identified as the most suitable sites for recreational use. Various recreational facilities and activities (including picnicking, sports facilities and playgrounds, camping sites, walking paths, food and local outlets, etc.) were recommended for nine of the most suitable areas on the proposed recreational map.

First-time versus repeat visitors at a national arts festival

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This method of segmentation has proved to be successful and is used .... aimed at potential tourists (visitors) to maximise their marketing return on investment ... satisfaction; (3) repeat visitors are the type of tourists most likely to revisit a festival, ...... visitor relationships', Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 2(2/3): 3–20.

Visitors' perceptions of tourism development in West Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

Jinyang Deng; Maureen Young Bender

2008-01-01

Previous studies indicate that tourists' destination choices are increasingly influenced by perceptions of sustainability but research into tourists' insights and sensitivities about sustainability is lacking. This study examines how visitors to West Virginia perceive tourism development in the state. Findings indicate that visitors' perceptions are...

Analyzing traffic source impact on returning visitors ratio in information provider website

Science.gov (United States)

Prasetio, A.; Sari, P. K.; Sharif, O. O.; Sofyan, E.

2016-04-01

Web site performance, especially returning visitor is an important metric for an information provider web site. Since high returning visitor is a good indication of a web site’s visitor loyalty, it is important to find a way to improve this metric. This research investigated if there is any difference on returning visitor metric among three web traffic sources namely direct, referral and search. Monthly returning visitor and total visitor from each source is retrieved from Google Analytics tools and then calculated to measure returning visitor ratio. The period of data observation is from July 2012 to June 2015 resulting in a total of 108 samples. These data then analysed using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to address our research question. The results showed that different traffic source has significantly different returning visitor ratio especially between referral traffic source and the other two traffic sources. On the other hand, this research did not find any significant difference between returning visitor ratio from direct and search traffic sources. The owner of the web site can focus to multiply referral links from other relevant sites.

Strategic Plan for Coordinating Rural Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Transit Development in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truett, L.F.

2002-12-19

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located along the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, is the most visited national park in the United States. This rugged, mountainous area presents many transportation challenges. The immense popularity of the Smokies and the fact that the primary mode of transportation within the park is the personal vehicle have resulted in congestion, damage to the environment, impacts on safety, and a degraded visitor experience. Access to some of the Smokies historical, cultural, and recreational attractions via a mass transit system could alleviate many of the transportation issues. Although quite a few organizations are proponents of a mass transit system for the Smokies, there is a lack of coordination among all parties. In addition, many local residents are not completely comfortable with the idea of transit in the Smokies. This document provides a brief overview of the current transportation needs and limitations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, identifies agencies and groups with particular interests in the Smokies, and offers insights into the benefits of using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies in the Smokies. Recommendations for the use of rural ITS transit to solve two major transportation issues are presented.

ParkIndex

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaczynski, Andrew T; Schipperijn, Jasper; Hipp, J Aaron

2016-01-01

using ArcGIS 9.3 and the Community Park Audit Tool. Four park summary variables - distance to nearest park, and the number of parks, amount of park space, and average park quality index within 1 mile were analyzed in relation to park use using logistic regression. Coefficients for significant park......, planners, and citizens to evaluate the potential for park use for a given area. Data used for developing ParkIndex were collected in 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO). Adult study participants (n=891) reported whether they used a park within the past month, and all parks in KCMO were mapped and audited...

Asinara National Park. An Example of Growth and Sustainability in Tourism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donatella CARBONI

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Despite its recent foundation (1997, the Asinara National Park (located in island not far from the northwestern coasts of Sardinia, Italy has recorded a growing trend in tourism demand and visitors of all types in recent years. However, irresponsible tourism can have negative environmental impacts often made worse by the concentration of tourists in space and time. After analyzing the attractions, services offered, activities available, access and transport and quantifying the flow of tourism, arrivals and stays, availability of accommodation, water resources, etc. this paper aims to identify the actions needed to create an appropriate model for the evaluation of the tourism carrying capacity that the Park’s territory can sustain.

Quantitative rock-fall hazard and risk assessment for Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, Greg M.; Luco, Nicolas; Collins, Brian D.; Harp, Edwin L.; Reichenbach, Paola; Frankel, Kurt L.

2014-01-01

Rock falls are common in Yosemite Valley, California, posing substantial hazard and risk to the approximately four million annual visitors to Yosemite National Park. Rock falls in Yosemite Valley over the past few decades have damaged structures and caused injuries within developed regions located on or adjacent to talus slopes highlighting the need for additional investigations into rock-fall hazard and risk. This assessment builds upon previous investigations of rock-fall hazard and risk in Yosemite Valley and focuses on hazard and risk to structures posed by relatively frequent fragmental-type rock falls as large as approximately 100,000 (cubic meters) in volume.

Presentation of TVO's visitor's centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aemmaelae, V.M.

1993-01-01

There are four nuclear power plant units in Finland, two of which are PWR's owned by Imatran Voima Oy. The two BWR units are located at Olkiluoto and owned by Teollisuuden Voima Oy. This presentation tells about TVO's concept of informing the visitors at Olkiluoto. At the site there are located, in addition to the two nuclear power plant units, the intermediate storage for spent fuel, the repository for low and medium-active waste as well as the training centre. At the Olkiluoto Visitor's Centre all the activities of the company are presented using varied audio-visual aids. The centre has several exhibits and there are also different installations to show how the plant works. (author)

Visitors' Motivation and Willingness to Pay for Conservation in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF HORSFALL

2018-04-20

Apr 20, 2018 ... Relationship exists between the visitors' motivation (r = 0.23, p = 0.00) and their level of satisfaction. ... decisions which are reflected in travel behaviour. Visitors' travel ..... family holiday purchase decision-making process” ...

ATLAS Visitors Centre

CERN Multimedia

claudia Marcelloni

2009-01-01

ATLAS Visitors Centre has opened its shiny new doors to the public. Officially launched on Monday February 23rd, 2009, the permanent exhibition at Point 1 was conceived as a tour resource for ATLAS guides, and as a way to preserve the public’s opportunity to get a close-up look at the experiment in action when the cavern is sealed.

Elements of museum mobile augmented reality for engaging hearing impaired visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Esraa Jaffar; Bakar, Juliana Aida Abu; Zulkifli, Abdul Nasir

2017-10-01

Nowadays, designers are more concern with the issue of engagement and informal learning at museum and gallery sites. This has made studies to focus more on the use of Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) at museum and gallery sites. However, most of the MAR applications for museum visitors are largely tailored to normal hearing visitors while the hearing-impaired (HI) visitors are not supported. The hearing impaired (HI) community account for over 5% of the world's populace which is about 360 million people. Thus, this paper explores the design elements of mobile augmented reality for engaging hearing impaired visitors at the museum site. The findings of this paper argues that there are eleven major elements of engagement of MAR needed for the design of an efficient museum MAR app for hearing impaired visitors. These eleven elements include Aesthetics, Curiosity, Usability, Interaction, Motivation, Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, Perceived Control, Enjoyment, Focused Attention and Interest. This study pointed out that for an efficient and engaged MAR app for the HI community especially HI visitors to museum sites, these eleven elements are critical. This finding will help MAR designers and developers on how to design an efficient and engaged MAR app for the HI community at large and museum HI visitors specifically.

Visitor centres at nuclear facility sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Communications strategies in the nuclear field are often based on the creation of visitor centres at nuclear facility sites. Today, the design, as well as the realization and management of such centres has become a specialized function, and its role is very complementary to the nuclear operator's. It also uses the latest technology in the field of audio-visual, experiment and interactivity. This publication contains the proceedings of an international seminar organized by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency on the role of visitor centres at nuclear facility sites. It includes the main papers presented at this Seminar

75 FR 2153 - National Fire Academy Board of Visitors

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-14

...] National Fire Academy Board of Visitors AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Teleconference Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The National Fire Academy Board of Visitors will meet by teleconference on February 2, 2010. DATES: The teleconference will...

75 FR 44276 - National Fire Academy Board of Visitors

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-28

...] National Fire Academy Board of Visitors AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Notice of cancellation of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Fire Academy Board of Visitors public teleconference [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a Notice...

76 FR 10498 - Exchange Visitor Program-Fees and Charges

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-25

...--Fees and Charges AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Department of State is amending its regulations regarding fees and charges for Exchange Visitor Program services. The fees permit the Department to recoup the cost of providing such Exchange Visitor Program services. DATES...

77 FR 9633 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-17

... to academic affairs; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement during... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

76 FR 62787 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-11

... relating to academic affairs; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of Meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

Historical rock falls in Yosemite National Park, California (1857-2011)

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, Greg M.; Collins, Brian D.; Santaniello, David J.; Zimmer, Valerie L.; Wieczorek, Gerald F.; Snyder, James B.

2013-01-01

Inventories of rock falls and other types of landslides are valuable tools for improving understanding of these events. For example, detailed information on rock falls is critical for identifying mechanisms that trigger rock falls, for quantifying the susceptibility of different cliffs to rock falls, and for developing magnitude-frequency relations. Further, inventories can assist in quantifying the relative hazard and risk posed by these events over both short and long time scales. This report describes and presents the accompanying rock fall inventory database for Yosemite National Park, California. The inventory database documents 925 events spanning the period 1857–2011. Rock falls, rock slides, and other forms of slope movement represent a serious natural hazard in Yosemite National Park. Rock-fall hazard and risk are particularly relevant in Yosemite Valley, where glacially steepened granitic cliffs approach 1 km in height and where the majority of the approximately 4 million yearly visitors to the park congregate. In addition to damaging roads, trails, and other facilities, rock falls and other slope movement events have killed 15 people and injured at least 85 people in the park since the first documented rock fall in 1857. The accompanying report describes each of the organizational categories in the database, including event location, type of slope movement, date, volume, relative size, probable trigger, impact to humans, narrative description, references, and environmental conditions. The inventory database itself is contained in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Yosemite_rock_fall_database_1857-2011.xlsx). Narrative descriptions of events are contained in the database, but are also provided in a more readable Adobe portable document format (pdf) file (Yosemite_rock_fall_database_narratives_1857-2011.pdf) available for download separate from the database.

WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN SANTUBONG NATIONAL PARK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thalany Kamri

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Gunung Santubong National Park (GSNP is one of the attractions in Sarawak that needs attention forconservation. A contingent valuation method of survey was conducted to estimate the conservation value ofGSNP and to elicit the willingness to pay among respondents. Through the random survey, the estimatedmean of willingness to pay for conservation fee per respondent was RM8.41. With the number of visitors of24066 in year 2016, it is estimated that there is an additional RM 202,395.06 that could be used for theimprovement in environmental conservation. This study shows that contingent valuation method is a usefultool to guide decision makers in policy purposes of natural resources management of protected area indeveloping countries.

Evaluating Education and Science in the KSC Visitor Complex Exhibits

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Lance K.

2000-01-01

The continuing development of exhibits at the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex is an excellent opportunity for NASA personnel to promote science and provide insight into NASA programs and projects for the approximately 3 million visitors that come to KSC annually. Stated goals for the Visitor Complex, in fact, emphasize science awareness and recommend broadening the appeal of the displays and exhibits for all age groups. To this end, this summer project seeks to evaluate the science content of planned exhibits/displays in relation to these developing opportunities and identify specific areas for enhancement of existing or planned exhibits and displays. To help expand the educational and science content within the developing exhibits at the Visitor Complex, this project was structured to implement the goals of the Visitor Center Director. To accomplish this, the exhibits and displays planned for completion within the year underwent review and evaluation for science content and educational direction. Planning emphasis for the individual displays was directed at combining the elements of effective education with fundamental scientific integrity, within an appealing format.

Service elements influencing the emotions of visitors to an international airport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L du Plessis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Emotions constitute a crucial element in understanding a service experience. When a service experience is evaluated by airport visitors, their evaluation is influenced by their emotional reactions. Furthermore, since emotions represent a primary source of human motivation, positive emotions are likely to lead to positive responses, increased satisfaction and favourable behaviour. These introductory statements give rise to the aim of this article, which is to explore those service elements influencing visitors' emotions and, consequently, also their experiences at an international airport. In order to achieve the aim, a questionnaire survey (N=490 was conducted at an international airport in South Africa after which a factor analysis was performed to identify the primary elements of the airport service environment that influence the emotions of visitors. Structural equation modelling was then employed to test the significance of the relationship between the service elements and the emotions of visitors. Five distinct service elements were identified, namely Physical comfort, Amenities, Visitor facilities, Passenger services and Accessibility. These elements further showed significant correlations with the emotions of visitors. This research was the first of its kind conducted at an international airport in South Africa and contributes significantly to management practices regarding specific elements of an international airport environment, i.e. the emotions, experiences and behaviour of international airport visitors.

76 FR 18768 - Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-05

..., parking, and security procedures is available on the Internet at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index... http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorsecurity.htm . Due to the limited available parking, visitors are...

Serving culturally diverse visitors to forests in California: a resource guide

Science.gov (United States)

Nina S. Roberts; Deborah J. Chavez; Benjamin M. Lara; Emilyn A. Sheffield

2009-01-01

The national forests of California are experiencing an increase in new visitors yet, in some areas, a continued lack of ethnic diversity persists. In addition, changing demographics has led to a need for keeping up with trends while also being aware of constraints to visitor use. Knowing how to serve culturally diverse visitors in ways that are innovative and inclusive...

Reviewing Automated Sensor-Based Visitor Tracking Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mygind, Lærke; Bentsen, Peter

2017-01-01

The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems. This literat......The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems...... methods in terms of obtained level of detail, accuracy, level of obtrusiveness, automation of data entry, ability to time concurrent behaviors, and amount of observer training needed. Although individual sensor-based and traditional, observational methods had both strengths and weaknesses, all sensor......-based timing and tracking methods provided automated data entry and the opportunity to track a number of visitors simultaneously regardless of the available personnel....

Hospital admissions for traumatic brain injury of Austrian residents vs. of visitors to Austria.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauritz, Walter; Brazinova, Alexandra; Majdan, Marek; Leitgeb, Johannes

2014-01-01

The goal was to compare epidemiology of hospital admissions for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Austrian residents vs. visitors to Austria. Data on all hospital admissions due to TBI (ICD-10 codes S06.0-S06.9; years 2009-2011) was provided by the Austrian Statistical Office. Data on Austrian population and on tourism (visitor numbers, nights spent) was retrieved from www.statistik.at . Age, sex, mechanism of injury, season and mortality was analysed for Austrian residents vs. visitors. Visitors contributed 3.9% to the total population and 9.2% of all TBI cases. Incidence of hospital admissions was 292/100,000/year in Austrian residents and was 727/100,000/year in visitors. Male:female ratio was 1.39:1 in Austrian residents and 1.55:1 in visitors. Austrian cases were older than visitors' cases (mean age 41 vs. 28 years). Austrian cases were distributed evenly over the seasons, while 75% of the visitors' cases happened during winter and spring. The most frequently observed causes of TBI in Austrian residents were private accidents, while sports caused almost half of the visitors' cases. Hospital mortality was lower in visitors than in Austrian residents (0.8 vs. 2.1%). Sports-related TBI of visitors causes a significant workload for Austrian hospitals. Better prevention is warranted.

76 FR 10341 - Air University Board of Visitors Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-24

...; research; future learning and technology; and institutional advancement. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Air University Board of Visitors Meeting ACTION: Notice of Meeting of the Air University Board of Visitors. SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal...

The bumblebee Bombus hortorum is the main pollinating visitor to Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove in a U.K. population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Broadbent

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Specialization in plant-pollinator systems represents an important issue for both the ecological understanding and conservation of these systems. We investigated the extent to which the bumblebee Bombus hortorum (Linnaeus is the main potential pollinator of Common Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea L. Twenty D. purpurea patches were selected in North Yorkshire, U.K., ten each in woodland and garden or park habitat. All insects visiting D. purpurea within the patches were recorded over seventy 30-min bouts. The relative frequency of insect visitors to other flowering plant species within 15 m of each patch was also determined. B. hortorum and B. pascuorum were the two most frequent visitors to D. purpurea, accounting for 82 - 92% and 3 -17%, respectively, of all insect visits (n = 1682, depending on habitat. B. hortorum showed a significant preference for visiting D. purpurea relative to its frequency of visits to other available plant species. The relationship of D. purpurea with B. hortorum, which pollinates several plant species with long corollas, therefore represents a potential case of asymmetric specialization, albeit one that may vary spatially. Because D. purpurea reproduction appears dependent on insect pollination, B. hortorum and B. pascuorum may help underpin the viability of D. purpurea populations.

The Fernald Preserve Visitors Center The Fernald Experience-Revealing, Engaging, and Preserving

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, J.; Griffiths, G.; Walpole, S.; Lutz, M.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management's public involvement activities at the Fernald, Ohio, site include continued communication about groundwater remediation, the management of legacy waste, and the future of the Fernald site. The completion of the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center, in August 2008, ensures that information continues to be readily available and effectively communicated to the public. A primary goal of the Visitors Center is to function as an informational and educational center within the surrounding community, with the information available at the Visitors Center serving as an institutional control. By offering information on a variety of topics, from the site's history to its current condition, the Visitors Center increases public awareness and helps prevent unsafe disturbances to and uses of the site. The Office of Legacy Management maintains and operates the Visitors Center, continues to solicit stakeholder opinion, and will periodically reevaluate the use of the Visitors Center and its programming. (authors)

Parking Navigation for Alleviating Congestion in Multilevel Parking Facility

OpenAIRE

Kenmotsu, Masahiro; Sun, Weihua; Shibata, Naoki; Yasumoto, Keiichi; Ito, Minoru

2012-01-01

Finding a vacant parking space in a large crowded parking facility takes long time. In this paper, we propose a navigation method that minimizes the parking time based on collected real-time positional information of cars. In the proposed method, a central server in the parking facility collects the information and estimates the occupancy of each parking zone. Then, the server broadcasts the occupancy data to the cars in the parking facility. Each car then computes a parking route with the sh...

SH-wave reflection seismic and VSP as tools for the investigation of sinkhole areas in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Wadas, Sonja; Tschache, Saskia; Polom, Ulrich; Buness, Hermann; Krawczyk, Charlotte M.

2017-04-01

Sinkholes can lead to damage of buildings and infrastructure and they can cause life-threatening situations, if they occur in urban areas. The process behind this phenomenon is called subrosion. Subrosion is the underground leaching of soluble rocks, e.g. anhydrite and gypsum, due to the contact with ground- and meteoric water. Depending on the leached material, and especially the dissolution rate, different kinds of subrosion structures evolve in the subsurface. The two end members are collapse and depression structures. For a better understanding of the subrosion processes a detailed characterization of the resulting structures is necessary. In Germany sinkholes are a problem in many areas. In northern Germany salt and in central and southern Germany sulfate and carbonate deposits are affected by subrosion. The study areas described here are located in Thuringia in central Germany and the underground is characterized by soluble Permian deposits. The occurrence of 20 to 50 sinkholes is reported per year. Two regions, Bad Frankenhausen and Schmalkalden, are investigated, showing a leaning church tower and a sinkhole of 30 m diameter and 20 m depth, respectively. In Bad Frankenhausen four P-wave and 16 SH-wave reflection seismic profiles were carried out, supplemented by three zero-offset VSPs. In Schmalkalden five SH-wave reflection seismic profiles and one zero-offset VSP were acquired. The 2-D seismic sections, in particular the SH-wave profiles, showed known and unknown near-surface faults in the vicinity of sinkholes and depressions. For imaging the near-surface ( 2,5, probably indicating unstable areas due to subrosion. We conclude, that SH-wave reflection seismic offer an important tool for the imaging and characterization of near-surface subrosion structures and the identification of unstable zones, especially in combination with P-wave reflection seismic and zero-offset VSP with P- and S-waves. Presumably there is a connection between the presence of large

36 CFR 51.1 - What does this part cover?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... and supplemented, 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq. and Title IV of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of...) to provide visitor services in park areas. All concession contracts are to be consistent with the... contracts to authorize the provision of visitor services in park areas, except as may otherwise be...

Providing Japanese health care information for international visitors: digital animation intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishikawa, Mariko; Yamanaka, Masaaki; Kiriya, Junko; Jimba, Masamine

2018-05-21

Over 24 million international visitors came to Japan in 2016 and the number is expected to increase. Visitors could be at a risk of illness or injury that may result in hospitalization in Japan. We assessed the effects of a four-minute digital animation titled Mari Info Japan on the level of anxiety experienced by international visitors to Japan. We conducted a non-randomized, controlled study at Narita International Airport outside Tokyo in December 2014. On the first day, we recruited international visitors for the intervention group at predetermined departure gates and, the following day, we sampled visitors for the control group at the same gates. We repeated this procedure twice over 4 days. The intervention group watched the digital animation and the control group read a standard travel guidebook in English. After receiving either intervention, they completed a questionnaire on their level of anxiety. The outcome was assessed using the Mari Meter-X, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI-Y), and a face scale, before and immediately after the intervention. We analyzed data with Wilcoxon rank sum tests. We recruited 265 international visitors (134 in the intervention group, 131 in the control group), 241 (91%) of whom completed the questionnaire. Most of them had no previous Japanese health information before arrival in Japan. The level of anxiety about health services in Japan was significantly reduced in the intervention group (Mari Meter-X median: - 5 and 0, p animation is more effective in reducing anxiety among international visitors to Japan compared with reading a standard brochure or guidebook. Such effective animations of health information should be more widely distributed to international visitors. UMIN-CTR (University Hospital Medical Information Network Center Clinical Trials Registry), UMIN000015023 , September 3, 2014.

VSP [Vertical Seismic Profiling] and cross hole tomographic imaging for fracture characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majer, E.L.; Peterson, J.E.; Myer, L.R.; Karasaki, K.; Daley, T.M.; Long, J.C.S.

1989-09-01

For the past several years LBL has been carrying out experiments at various fractured rock sites to determine the fundamental nature of the propagation of seismic waves in fractured media. These experiments have been utilizing high frequency (1000 to 10000 Hz.) signals in a cross-hole configuration at scales of several tens of meters. Three component sources and receivers are used to map fracture density, and orientation. The goal of the experiments has been to relate the seismological parameters to the hydrological parameters, if possible, in order to provide a more accurate description of a starting model for hydrological characterization. The work is ultimately aimed at the characterization and monitoring of the Yucca Mountain site for the storage of nuclear waste. In addition to these controlled experiments multicomponent VSP work has been carried out at several sites to determine fracture characteristics. The results to date indicate that both P-wave and S-wave can be used to map the location of fractures. In addition, fractures that are open and conductive are much more visible to seismic waves that non-conductive fractures. The results of these tests indicate direct use in an unsaturated environment. 12 refs., 10 figs

A Recreational Visitor Travel Simulation Model as an Aid to Management Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Robert C.; Shechter, Mordechai

1977-01-01

The article describes the use of a simulation for outdoor recreation management which is applicable for any type of dispersed recreation area where visitor flows are of concern, where there are capacity constraints, where visitor encounters are significant, and where it is desired to allow visitors substantial freedom to move about flexibly. (MJB)

VEGF, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 immunoreactivity in the porcine arteries of vascular subovarian plexus (VSP during the estrous cycle.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Andronowska

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF is an important angiogenic factor in the female reproductive tract. It binds to cell surface through ligand-stimulatable tyrosine kinase receptors, the most important being VEGFR-1 (flt-1 and VEGFR-2 (flk-1. The broad ligament of the uterus is a dynamic organ consisting of specialized complexes of blood vessels connected functionally to the uterus, oviduct and ovary. Endothelial cells form an inner coating of the vessel walls and thus they stay under the influence of various modulators circulating in blood including ovarian steriods involved in developmental changes in the female reproductive system. The aim of the present study was to immunolocalize VEGF and its two receptors: VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 in the broad ligament of the uterus in the area of vascular subovarian plexus during different phases of the estrous cycle in pig and to determine the correlation between immunoreactivity of the investigated factors and phases of the estrous cycle. The study was performed on cryostat sections of vascular subovarian plexus stained immunohistochemically by ABC method. Specific polyclonal antibodies: anti-VEGF, anti-VEGFR-1 and anti-VEGFR-2 were used. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Our study revealed the presence of VEGF and its receptors in endothelial and smooth muscle cells of VSP arteries. All agents displayed phase-related differences in immunoreactivity suggesting the modulatory effect of VEGF, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 on the arteries of the VSP in the porcine broad ligament of the uterus.

Smart parking barrier

KAUST Repository

Alharbi, Abdulrazaq M.

2016-05-06

Various methods and systems are provided for smart parking barriers. In one example, among others, a smart parking barrier system includes a movable parking barrier located at one end of a parking space, a barrier drive configured to control positioning of the movable parking barrier, and a parking controller configured to initiate movement of the parking barrier, via the barrier drive. The movable parking barrier can be positioned between a first position that restricts access to the parking space and a second position that allows access to the parking space. The parking controller can initiate movement of the movable parking barrier in response to a positive identification of an individual allowed to use the parking space. The parking controller can identify the individual through, e.g., a RFID tag, a mobile device (e.g., a remote control, smartphone, tablet, etc.), an access card, biometric information, or other appropriate identifier.

Does loyalty pay? First-time versus repeat visitors at a national arts ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Both first-time and repeat visitor groups play a fundamental role in the overall well-being and success of a festival, and festival organisers must strive to achieve a balance between first-time and repeat visitors. Festival managers should therefore be aware of the festival attributes that differentiate between the first-time visitor ...

Visitor Management, a Tool for Sustainable Tourism Development in Protected Areas

OpenAIRE

Candrea A. N.; Ispas A.

2009-01-01

The article analyzes visitor management techniques as a way to develop sustainable tourism in protected areas. Visitor management is an important tool in recreational and protected areas, as increasing use levels can negatively impact the quality of recreational experience as well as natural resources. To meet the requirements of both nature and visitors, a prudent and careful management is necessary. In order to manage protected areas within acceptable ecological and social carrying capacit...

78 FR 17183 - Information Collection: Grey Towers Visitor Comment Card

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-20

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Information Collection: Grey Towers Visitor Comment Card... request: (1) An extension from the Office of Management and Budget; and (2) to merge the currently approved information collection 0596- 0222, ``Grey Towers Visitor Comment Card'' with 0596-0226, ``Forest...

Is Alaska really different? A review of CUSTOMER recreation visitor survey data

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick C. Reed

1995-01-01

Many believe that Alaska is unique and that its location, resources, and population influence the use patterns and attitudes of its National Forest recreation visitors so that they seem notably different from visitors to other National Forests outside Alaska. Data from a recreation visitor survey called CUSTOMER were analyzed for the years 1991 to 1993 to identify...

Categorizing "frequent visitors" in the psychiatric emergency room: a semistructured interview study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buus, Niels

2011-01-01

Nurses can become demoralized and hostile toward frequent visitors in psychiatric emergency rooms because of the number of visits. The aim of this study was to develop more knowledge about the ways in which nurses categorize frequent visitors. Eleven nurses were interviewed, and their categorizing...... practices were examined from a social constructionist perspective. The results showed that the nurses did not categorize frequent visitors as particularly unlikeable or difficult to treat. Like other visitors, they could be categorized as difficult if they obstructed a smooth flow of successful referrals...... through the emergency room and/or there was poor rapport with the nurses....

Health visitors and breastfeeding support: influence of knowledge and self-efficacy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kronborg, Hanne; Væth, Michael; Olsen, Jørn

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Little is known about what influences health visitors' breastfeeding support. The objective was to describe health visitors' breastfeeding experiences, beliefs, knowledge and self-efficacy in breastfeeding guidance and determine the impact of a training course on these factors, and how...... to learn the mechanisms of breastfeeding. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires before the intervention and after the follow-up period. One hundred and six (97%) health visitors and 1302 (82%) mothers responded. RESULTS: At baseline no substantial differences were seen between...... the two groups on years since education, own breastfeeding experiences, beliefs or self-efficacy in breastfeeding guidance except that health visitors in the intervention group, who had completed the course, demonstrated significantly higher scores on knowledge questions (P

Improving customer generation by analysing website visitor behaviour

OpenAIRE

Ramlall, Shalini

2011-01-01

This dissertation describes the creation of a new integrated Information Technology (IT) system that assisted in the collection of data about the behaviour of website visitors as well as sales and marketing data for those visitors who turned into customers. A key contribution to knowledge was the creation of a method to predict the outcome of visits to a website from visitors’ browsing behaviour. A new Online Tracking Module (OTM) was created that monitored visitors’ behaviour while they brow...

Rokkasho visitors center and the status of its activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, T.; Mochizuki, H.

1993-01-01

The Rokkasho Visitors Center was built as a base for furthering the understanding of a large number of people, mainly Aomori Prefecture residents, of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project. The Center plays a key role in transmitting various information concerning the nuclear fuel cycle. The Visitors Center introduces in a simple manner the role and system of the nuclear fuel cycle by featuring various exhibits using electronics, graphic presentations and actual-size models. It also serves as a forum for communication with local communities and corporations. The Center has already attracted roughly 140 000 visitors in the year since its opening. Thus, it is fulfilling the objectives set in the beginning and giving shape to one form of nuclear energy public relations. (author)

Visitor evaluations of management actions at a highly impacted Appalachian Trail camping area.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Melissa L; Marion, Jeffrey L

2006-12-01

Protected area management involves balancing environmental and social objectives. This is particularly difficult at high-use/high-impact recreation sites, because resource protection objectives may require substantial site management or visitor regulation. This study examined visitors' reactions to both of these types of actions at Annapolis Rocks, Maryland, a popular Appalachian Trail camping area. We surveyed visitors before and after implementation of camping policies that included shifting camping to designated newly constructed campsites and prohibiting campfires. Survey results reveal that visitors were more satisfied with all social and environmental indicators after the changes were enacted. An Importance-Performance analysis also determined that management actions improved conditions for factors of greatest concern to campers prior to the changes. Posttreatment visitors were least satisfied with factors related to reduced freedom and to some characteristics of the constructed campsites. Although there was evidence of visitor displacement, the camping changes met management goals by protecting the camping area's natural resources and improving social conditions.

Heuristics Miner for E-Commerce Visitor Access Pattern Representation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kartina Diah Kesuma Wardhani

2017-06-01

Full Text Available E-commerce click stream data can form a certain pattern that describe visitor behavior while surfing the e-commerce website. This pattern can be used to initiate a design to determine alternative access sequence on the website. This research use heuristic miner algorithm to determine the pattern. σ-Algorithm and Genetic Mining are methods used for pattern recognition with frequent sequence item set approach. Heuristic Miner is an evolved form of those methods. σ-Algorithm assume that an activity in a website, that has been recorded in the data log, is a complete sequence from start to finish, without any tolerance to incomplete data or data with noise. On the other hand, Genetic Mining is a method that tolerate incomplete data or data with noise, so it can generate a more detailed e-commerce visitor access pattern. In this study, the same sequence of events obtained from six-generated patterns. The resulting pattern of visitor access is that visitors are often access the home page and then the product category page or the home page and then the full text search page.

parkITsmart: minimization of cruising for parking

OpenAIRE

Tsiaras, Christos; Hobi, Livio; Hofstetter, Fabian; Liniger, Samuel; Stiller, Burkhard

2015-01-01

Finding a parking space in urban areas is a daily challenge for drivers across the world, due to the increasing amount of vehicles and the limited amount of parking spaces. Drivers who are looking for a parking space in peak hours are often forced to drive around city blocks until they spot a free parking space. This process is termed in literature “cruising for parking” and is proven to (a) cost a lot of time and gas for drivers, (b) generate unnecessary traffic load, and (c) affect the envi...

Exploring en-route parking type and parking-search route choice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaplan, Sigal; Bekhor, Sholomo

2011-01-01

This paper describes the first phase of an on-going research investigating the joint choice of parking type, parking facility and cruising-for-parking route. The importance of this issue derives from the significant share of cruising-for-parking traffic in urban areas, the relevance of parking po...

Measurements of seasonal and daily radon daughter concentration fluctuations in National Park Service caves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yarborough, K.A.

1977-01-01

The National Park Service (NPS) is studying levels of airborne alpha radiation from radon and thoron in all NPS administered caves in which tours for visitors are regularly conducted. The NPS research has the dual but complementary objectives of safeguarding health at the NPS administered caves, and to develop data on alpha radiation levels and on natural airflows in NPS caves. The results reported here for NPS caves describe concepts hypothesized for the objectives. In addition the data can be used by various agencies to clarify health standards for exposures to low airborne alpha radiation levels in cave environments. These results show daily and seasonal trends and the influence of natural ventilation by air circulation for each cave investigated

iParking: an intelligent indoor location-based smartphone parking service.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jingbin; Chen, Ruizhi; Chen, Yuwei; Pei, Ling; Chen, Liang

2012-10-31

Indoor positioning technologies have been widely studied with a number of solutions being proposed, yet substantial applications and services are still fairly primitive. Taking advantage of the emerging concept of the connected car, the popularity of smartphones and mobile Internet, and precise indoor locations, this study presents the development of a novel intelligent parking service called iParking. With the iParking service, multiple parties such as users, parking facilities and service providers are connected through Internet in a distributed architecture. The client software is a light-weight application running on a smartphone, and it works essentially based on a precise indoor positioning solution, which fuses Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signals and the measurements of the built-in sensors of the smartphones. The positioning accuracy, availability and reliability of the proposed positioning solution are adequate for facilitating the novel parking service. An iParking prototype has been developed and demonstrated in a real parking environment at a shopping mall. The demonstration showed how the iParking service could improve the parking experience and increase the efficiency of parking facilities. The iParking is a novel service in terms of cost- and energy-efficient solution.

iParking: An Intelligent Indoor Location-Based Smartphone Parking Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Chen

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Indoor positioning technologies have been widely studied with a number of solutions being proposed, yet substantial applications and services are still fairly primitive. Taking advantage of the emerging concept of the connected car, the popularity of smartphones and mobile Internet, and precise indoor locations, this study presents the development of a novel intelligent parking service called iParking. With the iParking service, multiple parties such as users, parking facilities and service providers are connected through Internet in a distributed architecture. The client software is a light-weight application running on a smartphone, and it works essentially based on a precise indoor positioning solution, which fuses Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN signals and the measurements of the built-in sensors of the smartphones. The positioning accuracy, availability and reliability of the proposed positioning solution are adequate for facilitating the novel parking service. An iParking prototype has been developed and demonstrated in a real parking environment at a shopping mall. The demonstration showed how the iParking service could improve the parking experience and increase the efficiency of parking facilities. The iParking is a novel service in terms of cost- and energy-efficient solution.

iParking: An Intelligent Indoor Location-Based Smartphone Parking Service

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jingbin; Chen, Ruizhi; Chen, Yuwei; Pei, Ling; Chen, Liang

2012-01-01

Indoor positioning technologies have been widely studied with a number of solutions being proposed, yet substantial applications and services are still fairly primitive. Taking advantage of the emerging concept of the connected car, the popularity of smartphones and mobile Internet, and precise indoor locations, this study presents the development of a novel intelligent parking service called iParking. With the iParking service, multiple parties such as users, parking facilities and service providers are connected through Internet in a distributed architecture. The client software is a light-weight application running on a smartphone, and it works essentially based on a precise indoor positioning solution, which fuses Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signals and the measurements of the built-in sensors of the smartphones. The positioning accuracy, availability and reliability of the proposed positioning solution are adequate for facilitating the novel parking service. An iParking prototype has been developed and demonstrated in a real parking environment at a shopping mall. The demonstration showed how the iParking service could improve the parking experience and increase the efficiency of parking facilities. The iParking is a novel service in terms of cost- and energy-efficient solution. PMID:23202179

National Parks

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — National Park Service unit boundaries (NTAD). These park boundaries signify legislative boundary definitions and local park names have been consolidated according to...

Smart parking barrier

KAUST Repository

Alharbi, Abdulrazaq M.

2016-01-01

positioning of the movable parking barrier, and a parking controller configured to initiate movement of the parking barrier, via the barrier drive. The movable parking barrier can be positioned between a first position that restricts access to the parking

Research needs for a better understanding of wilderness visitor experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen F. McCool; Chad P. Dawson

2012-01-01

What information is needed to facilitate enhanced management of visitor experiences in wilderness? The final session of the workshop comprised a facilitated process with the 20 participants to identify research and information needs to support wilderness visitor experience management. The Wilderness Act and the previous presentations and discussions not only provided a...

Attendance motivations and visitor segments within a university agricultural festival

Science.gov (United States)

Carla Barbieri; Yasuharu Katsube; Christine Tew

2010-01-01

Festivals attract a variety of visitors driven by a complex set of motivations. The objective of this study was to identify and classify motivations for attending the South Farm Showcase (SFS), a university-based agricultural festival in Missouri. The study further developed a motivation-based segmentation of festival visitors and examined their distinct...

Effect of stress on serum lipid levels in lady health visitors and housewives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wattoo, F.H.; Memon, M.S.; Memon, A.N.; Wattoo, M.H.S.; Tirmizi, S.A.; Iqbal, J.

2007-01-01

To study the effects of stress among lady health visitors and housewives in regard to their serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The study was performed at the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan during the years 2003 to 2005. Seventy lady health visitor and housewives aged between 25-40 years participated in this study and were selected from Hyderabad and its adjoining areas. Environmental, psychological and physiological stress levels were measured with likert scale. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured. Environmental, psychological and physiological stresses were significantly higher in housewives as compared to lady health visitors. A low level of HDL cholesterol was observed in housewives as compared to lady health visitors. The levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride were found higher in housewives than lady health visitors. Housewives are under more stress than lady health visitors. The levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride increases but HDL cholesterol decrease with stress. (author)

The Relationship between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Snorkeling Satisfaction in Pulau Payar Marine Park, Kedah

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurbaidura Salim

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Due to its popularity and lucrative business opportunity, snorkeling has become the predominant activity in many marine parks. Continuous growth in the number of tourists and mass tourism has resulted in uncontrolled number of tourists, sometimes to pass over the carrying capacity of the site. Due to the lack of control and enforcement, many tour boat operators are seen bringing snorkelers to small fragile sites at the same timeframe. Such situation has resulted in reduced quality of tourist experience and satisfaction level as they need to cram in with others at the designated snorkeling areas. This study analyzes the influence of tourist demographic profile on the satisfaction level with snorkeling experience in the Pulau Payar Marine Park, a small coral island in Malaysia. A total of 259 snorkelers answered the survey that forms the basis of this paper. The results tested using t-tests and ANOVA, show significant differences between satisfaction level and respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics. Findings of the study indicated that only origin and education level positively associated with visitor satisfaction. Several issues, such as limiting the numbers of boats to be allowed at the site and facilities management such as toilets, changing rooms and solid waste management were among issues need to be considered by the Marine Park Department, in order to protect the island and its sustainability. This study highlights the importance of site management, in environmentally sensitive areas, for marine park managers and tour operators toward developing strategic marketing mixes for the different market segments.

Baby walkers--health visitors' current practice, attitudes and knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendrick, Denise; Illingworth, Rachel; Hapgood, Rhydian; Woods, Amanda J; Collier, Jacqueline

2003-09-01

Baby walkers are a commonly used item of nursery equipment. Between 12% and 50% of parents whose infant uses a walker report that their child has suffered a walker-related injury. Health visitors' knowledge, attitudes and practice with regard to walkers and related health education has not been explored so far. The aim of the study was to describe health visitors' knowledge of walkers and walker-related injuries, their attitudes towards walkers and current practice with regard to walker health education, and to examine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes and knowledge and practice. A survey was carried out with 64 health visitors prior to participation in a randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of an educational package in reducing baby walker use. The response rate was 95%. Half of the health visitors always discussed walkers postnatally, most frequently at the 6-9 month check. Most did not usually discuss the frequency of walker-related injuries. Most had negative attitudes towards walkers, but believed that parents hold positive attitudes to them and that it is hard to persuade parents not to use them. Health visitors had a limited knowledge of walker use and walker-related injuries. Those giving advice on walkers most often had higher knowledge scores than those giving advice less often (P = 0.03). Those with higher knowledge scores held more negative attitudes towards walkers (rs = 0.29, P = 0.023) and believed parents to have more positive attitudes towards walkers (rs = -0.49, P negotiating alternatives to their use. The provision of audio-visual aids for discussing walkers might also be helpful.

The Water-Quality Partnership for National Parks—U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service, 1998–2016

Science.gov (United States)

Nilles, Mark A.; Penoyer, Pete E; Ludtke, Amy S.; Ellsworth, Alan C.

2016-07-13

National Park in Florida, and from Acadia National Park in the Northeast to park lands in Hawaii and Pacific Island territories in the West. Project goals range from periodic stream monitoring, to determining the occurrence and concentrations of contaminants and the potential for them to exceed human health or aquatic life criteria, to conducting interpretive studies to evaluate the effect(s) on or vulnerability of national park resources to visitor usage and other natural and anthropogenic activities.

77 FR 69648 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-20

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Teleconference Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet via teleconference on Wednesday, December...

Rural Latino youth park use: characteristics, park amenities, and physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Cynthia K; Saelens, Brain E; Thompson, Beti

2011-06-01

Less than half of youth engage in sufficient physical activity to achieve health benefits. Key environmental factors of park and recreation spaces may influence youth physical activity. We sought to ascertain youth characteristics and behaviors that attract youth to parks with specific amenities and encourage physical activity while at the parks in a rural, predominantly Latino community. We examined the quality of amenities in the 13 parks and recreation spaces that middle school aged youth have access to in their community using the Environmental Assessment of Parks and Recreation Spaces (EAPRS) tool. Middle school students completed surveys in the school classroom (n = 1,102) regarding park use, physical activity, and intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., motivators). We used logistic regression to identify correlates of any park use, use of higher quality field and court parks, and active and sedentary park use. Younger age, participation in an after school activity, and identification of a team as a motivator were positively associated with any park use. Use of higher quality court and field parks was associated with participation in an after school activity and being Latino. The odds of being active in the parks were greater for boys and Latinos. Older age and alcohol use are correlated with being sedentary at the park, while odds of being sedentary at the park were lower for boys and youth who met physical activity guidelines. Organized team activities may encourage active use of higher quality fields and courts parks by Latino youth; thereby, increasing their level of physical activity.

How Do Zoos "Talk" to Their General Visitors? Do Visitors "Listen"? A Mixed Method Investigation of the Communication between Modern Zoos and Their General Visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Roe, Katie; McConney, Andrew; Mansfield, Caroline F.

2014-01-01

Modern zoos utilise a variety of education tools for communicating with visitors. Previous research has discussed the benefits of providing multiple education communications, yet little research provides an indication of what communications are being employed within zoos today. This research is a two-phased, mixed-methods investigation into the…

Visits to the ATLAS cavern - A record of 20000 visitors in 2006!

CERN Document Server

Alessandra Ciocio

The year 2006 closed with the impressive record of just under 20000 visitors to the ATLAS cavern. These visitors come from all walks of life - people within ATLAS, groups from other CERN divisions, retired CERN staff, school groups both from the local area and from far away, companies looking for something different as a special outing, celebrities (Cirque du Soleil, Black Eyed Peas hip-hop group) passing through Geneva who had read Angels and Demons, a stream of VIP visitors and now, more and more, Press visitors. There have been public visits in the ATLAS cavern since the middle of 2003. At that time a lot of the visitors were guided by Bernard Lebegue and Francois Butin. The total number of visits in 2003 was 2220 people. Not bad for just two guides! Over the following three years demand for visits increased to such an extent that the ATLAS Visits Service was created and is now run very successfully under the supervision of Connie Potter in the ATLAS Secretariat in close collaboration with the ever-helpfu...

78 FR 72094 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-02

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for... Academy (NFA) and advise the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through the...

78 FR 59045 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-25

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for... National Fire Academy (NFA) and advise the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA...

77 FR 5818 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-06

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee management; notice of open federal advisory committee teleconference meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet by teleconference on February 21, 2012...

77 FR 41196 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-12

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Teleconference Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet by teleconference on July 26, 2012. The...

76 FR 36933 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-23

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Teleconference Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet by teleconference on July 12, 2011. The...

Analysis of Parking Reliability Guidance of Urban Parking Variable Message Sign System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenyu Mei

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Operators of parking guidance and information systems (PGIS often encounter difficulty in determining when and how to provide reliable car park availability information to drivers. Reliability has become a key factor to ensure the benefits of urban PGIS. The present paper is the first to define the guiding parking reliability of urban parking variable message signs (VMSs. By analyzing the parking choice under guiding and optional parking lots, a guiding parking reliability model was constructed. A mathematical program was formulated to determine the guiding parking reliability of VMS. The procedures were applied to a numerical example, and the factors that affect guiding reliability were analyzed. The quantitative changes of the parking berths and the display conditions of VMS were found to be the most important factors influencing guiding reliability. The parking guiding VMS achieved the best benefit when the parking supply was close to or was less than the demand. The combination of a guiding parking reliability model and parking choice behavior offers potential for PGIS operators to reduce traffic congestion in central city areas.

78 FR 43226 - Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Glacier National...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-19

... effort will result in an integrated visitor and transportation management plan for the Going-to-the Sun... sustainability of the park's shuttle system, management of visitor use, and congestion and protection of natural...] Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, Glacier National Park...

Measuring the operational efficiency of individual theme park attractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Changhee; Kim, Soowook

2016-01-01

This study assesses the operation efficiency of theme park attractions using the data envelopment analysis, utilizing actual data on 15 attractions at Samsung Everland located in Yongin-si, Republic of Korea. In particular, this study identifies crowding and waiting time as one of the main causes of visitor's satisfaction, and analyzes the efficiency of individual attractions in terms of waiting time. The installation area, installation cost, and annual repair cost are set as input factors and the number of annual users and customer satisfaction as output factors. The results show that the roller coaster-type attractions were less efficient than other types of attractions while rotating-type attractions were relatively more efficient. However, an importance performance analysis on individual attraction's efficiency and satisfaction showed that operational efficiency should not be the sole consideration in attraction installation. In addition, the projection points for input factors for efficient use of attractions and the appropriate reference set for benchmarking are provided as guideline for attraction efficiency management.

Magnetic monitoring in Saguaro National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Jeffrey J.; Finn, Carol A.; Gamez Valdez, Yesenia C.; Swann, Don

2017-06-02

On a sandy, arid plain, near the Rincon Moun­tain Visitor Center of Saguaro National Park, tucked in among brittlebush, creosote, and other hardy desert plants, is an unusual type of observatory—a small unmanned station that is used for monitor­ing the Earth’s variable magnetic field. Named for the nearby city of Tucson, Arizona, the observatory is 1 of 14 that the Geomagnetism Program of the U.S. Geological Survey operates at various locations across the United States and Ter­ritories.Data from USGS magnetic observatories, including the Tucson observatory, as well as observatories operated by institutions in other countries, record a variety of signals related to a wide diversity of physical phenomena in the Earth’s interior and its surrounding outer-space environment. The data are used for geomagnetic mapping and surveying, for fundamental scientific research, and for assessment of magnetic storms, which can be hazardous for the activities and infra­structure of our modern, technologically based society. The U.S. Geological Survey observatory service is an integral part of a U.S. national project for monitoring and assessing space weather hazards.

Visitor Intake Processing Re-write Management Information

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — The data store houses detail information pertaining to visitors' wait times, visits, calls, and other customer relationship information relating to VIPR and CHIP....

Generalization versus specialization in pollination systems: visitors, thieves, and pollinators of Hypoestes aristata (Acanthaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Padyšáková, Eliška; Bartoš, Michael; Tropek, Robert; Janeček, Stěpán

2013-01-01

Many recent studies have suggested that the majority of animal-pollinated plants have a higher diversity of pollinators than that expected according to their pollination syndrome. This broad generalization, often based on pollination web data, has been challenged by the fact that some floral visitors recorded in pollination webs are ineffective pollinators. To contribute to this debate, and to obtain a contrast between visitors and pollinators, we studied insect and bird visitors to virgin flowers of Hypoestes aristata in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. We observed the flowers and their visitors for 2-h periods and measured the seed production as a metric of reproductive success. We determined the effects of individual visitors using 2 statistical models, single-visit data that were gathered for more frequent visitor species, and frequency data. This approach enabled us to determine the positive as well as neutral or negative impact of visitors on H. aristata's reproductive success. We found that (i) this plant is not generalized but rather specialized; although we recorded 15 morphotaxa of visitors, only 3 large bee species seemed to be important pollinators; (ii) the carpenter bee Xylocopa cf. inconstans was both the most frequent and the most effective pollinator; (iii) the honey bee Apis mellifera acted as a nectar thief with apparent negative effects on the plant reproduction; and (iv) the close relationship between H. aristata and carpenter bees was in agreement with the large-bee pollination syndrome of this plant. Our results highlight the need for studies detecting the roles of individual visitors. We showed that such an approach is necessary to evaluate the pollination syndrome hypothesis and create relevant evolutionary and ecological hypotheses.

Generalization versus specialization in pollination systems: visitors, thieves, and pollinators of Hypoestes aristata (Acanthaceae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliška Padyšáková

Full Text Available Many recent studies have suggested that the majority of animal-pollinated plants have a higher diversity of pollinators than that expected according to their pollination syndrome. This broad generalization, often based on pollination web data, has been challenged by the fact that some floral visitors recorded in pollination webs are ineffective pollinators. To contribute to this debate, and to obtain a contrast between visitors and pollinators, we studied insect and bird visitors to virgin flowers of Hypoestes aristata in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. We observed the flowers and their visitors for 2-h periods and measured the seed production as a metric of reproductive success. We determined the effects of individual visitors using 2 statistical models, single-visit data that were gathered for more frequent visitor species, and frequency data. This approach enabled us to determine the positive as well as neutral or negative impact of visitors on H. aristata's reproductive success. We found that (i this plant is not generalized but rather specialized; although we recorded 15 morphotaxa of visitors, only 3 large bee species seemed to be important pollinators; (ii the carpenter bee Xylocopa cf. inconstans was both the most frequent and the most effective pollinator; (iii the honey bee Apis mellifera acted as a nectar thief with apparent negative effects on the plant reproduction; and (iv the close relationship between H. aristata and carpenter bees was in agreement with the large-bee pollination syndrome of this plant. Our results highlight the need for studies detecting the roles of individual visitors. We showed that such an approach is necessary to evaluate the pollination syndrome hypothesis and create relevant evolutionary and ecological hypotheses.

NWIS casting measurements taken during demonstrations to Russian visitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullens, J.A.; Valentine, T.E.; Mihalczo, J.T.

1998-01-01

This report describes a set of NWIS measurements made during demonstrations to Russian visitors on August 28, 1997. These measurements will be given to the Russian visitors from Arzamus-16 as part of their NWIS training (part of a DOE laboratory-to-laboratory exchange program). These measurements are made on standard highly enriched Uranium annular castings (as used for storage). Associated NWIS calibration runs were made in air (no casting, just the NWIS Californium source and detectors)

Challenges to natural resource monitoring in a small border park: terrestrial mammals at Coronado National Memorial, Cochise County, Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Swann, Don E.; Bucci, Melanie; Kuenzi, Amy J.; Alberti, Barbara N.; Schwalbe, Cecil R.; Halvorson, William L.; van Riper, Charles; Schwalbe, Cecil R.

2010-01-01

Long-term monitoring in national parks is essential to meet National Park Service and other important public goals. Terrestrial mammals are often proposed for monitoring because large mammals are of interest to visitors and small mammals are important as prey. However, traditional monitoring strategies for mammals are often too expensive and complex to sustain for long periods, particularly in small parks. To evaluate potential strategies for long-term monitoring in small parks, we conducted an intensive one-year inventory of terrestrial mammals at Coronado National Memorial, located in Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico international border, then continued less-intensive monitoring at the site for 7 additional years. During 1996-2003 we confirmed 44 species of terrestrial mammals. Most species (40) were detected in the intensive first year of the study, but we continued to detect new species in later years. Mark-recapture data on small mammals indicated large inter-annual fluctuations in population size, but no significant trend over the 7-year period. Issues associated with the international border affected monitoring efforts and increased sampling costs. Our study confirms that sustained annual monitoring of mammals is probably not feasible in small park units like Coronado. However, comparisons of our data with past studies provide insight into important changes in the mammal community since the 1970s, including an increase in abundance and diversity of grassland rodents. Our results suggest that intensive inventories every 10-20 years may be a valuable and cost-effective approach for detecting long-term trends in terrestrial mammal communities in small natural areas.

Analysis of Parking Reliability Guidance of Urban Parking Variable Message Sign System

OpenAIRE

Zhenyu Mei; Ye Tian; Dongping Li

2012-01-01

Operators of parking guidance and information systems (PGIS) often encounter difficulty in determining when and how to provide reliable car park availability information to drivers. Reliability has become a key factor to ensure the benefits of urban PGIS. The present paper is the first to define the guiding parking reliability of urban parking variable message signs (VMSs). By analyzing the parking choice under guiding and optional parking lots, a guiding parking reliability model was constru...

A stakeholders' analysis of potential sustainable tourism development strategies in Piatra Craiului National Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adina Nicoleta Candrea

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Tourism is a major management issue for many protected areas as thepresence and actions of visitors can present serious problems for biodiversity conservation.Therefore, tourism has to be managed carefully and site managers must assess and balance the costs and benefits of tourism in protected areas. It is also important to find ways for local people and communities to benefit from tourism linked to conservation.Using a stakeholder analysis, the article assesses benefits and threats oftourism development in Piatra Craiului National Park. Through a range of interviews with local stakeholders, the article identifies the main challenges that tourism brings to the protected area: ensuring the effective participation of communities in tourism development, effectively managing tourism to prevent it from undermining conservation goals, encouraging all stakeholders, particularly the private sector, to support the conservation of biodiversity and channelling a portion of tourism revenues towards supporting conservation. The ecotourism, as a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves welfare of local people, is consideredthe best solution for a sustainable tourism development in Piatra CraiuluiNational Park.

Exploring barriers for health visitors' adaption of the Danish children's database

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pape-Haugaard, Louise; Haugaard, Karin; Carøe, Per

2013-01-01

show redundant records. This redundancy can be explained by multiple transmissions conducted by end users or systems, or a lack of validation methods in the National CDB. In our results three types of cases are presented: from health visitors at school, from health visitors visiting families and from...

76 FR 58028 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-19

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet on October 14 and 15, 2011. The meeting will be open to...

Floral visitors of Ananas comosus in Ghana: A preliminary assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Kwapong

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Ananas comosus var comosus (L. Merr. is the third most important tropical fruit in the world production and the leading foreign exchange earner among fresh fruits exported from Ghana. A survey was conducted in pineapple farms in the Central region of Ghana to identify floral visitors and their activities on the flowers. Nectar concentration and energetics and effect of floral visitors on fruit production were determined. Fourteen species of butterflies and one ant species were the main insect floral visitors as well as four species of sunbirds. The mean nectar concentration was 23.3% (± 0.39, SE and pollination limitation did not significantly affect fruit yield (weight: p = 0.285; length: p = 0.056; width: p= 0.268. The study showed that butterflies, ants and sunbirds are the main floral visitors on A. comosus. However their visits did not results in pollination and fruit production was not affected in any way by floral visitation. Still, it was found that A. comosus provides an important nectar resource for its foragers. Even if pollination is not crucial in pineapple cultivation, it is still essential in pineapple breeding programs to promote genetic diversity and conservation.

Rating the quality of the landscape of Sierra de las Quijadas National Park, Province of San Luis, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maero, I.; Rivarola, D.; Tognelli, G.

2007-01-01

The National Park Sierra de las Quijadas is located to 120 km to the northwest of the Province of San Luis, Argentina. The study area is of 24,000 hectares, that correspond to 32 % of the total surface, this surface covers the totality with the Potrero de la Aguada and the next zones, the same one was selected because it conforms at the present time the zone of greater frequency of visitors within the Park. The objective of this work is centered in the obtaining of the Total Quality of the Landscape, having compared the demand of beauty to the rest of the other natural resources, to be able to make proposals to improve the Plan of Handling that takes ahead the Administration of National Parks. The used Methodology is the described one by Cendrero et. al. (1987), it is an indirect valuation that is carried out through the components of the landscape and allows to determine the Intrinsic Visual Quality and the Fragility of each one of the Environmental Units in which the park is divided. This analysis allowed to determine 2 Total Qualities of Landscape, that have been mapped using aerial photography equipment and materials and SIG, with field control. This investigation is developed within the Project of Investigation Geology of the Neogeno and Cuaternario of the Mountain range of San Luis, Faculty of Sciences Physical, Mathematics and Natural - National University of San Luis, Argentina. (author)

75 FR 47605 - Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-06

... information about transportation and directions to the NIH campus, parking, and security procedures is available on the Internet at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm . (FDA has verified the Web site.../visitorsecurity.htm . Due to the limited available parking, visitors are encouraged to use public transportation...

75 FR 65640 - Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-26

... information about transportation and directions to the NIH campus, parking and security procedures is available on the Internet at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm . (FDA has verified the Web site.../visitorsecurity.htm . Due to the limited available parking, visitors are encouraged to use public transportation...

While visitors conserve, residents splurge: Patterns and changes in energy consumption, 1997-2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasseri, Iman; Assané, Djeto; Konan, Denise Eby

2015-01-01

This study analyzes changes in energy consumption in Hawai‘i between 1997 and 2007 using input-output analysis. Residents increase their energy use by 33% in electricity and 18% in fuel, largely due to direct consumption. In contrast, visitors contract energy demand by 9% and 4% in electricity and fuel, respectively. The findings are robust at per-capita levels. Key drivers are the significant drops in energy intensity of primarily three industries: air transportation, hotels, and restaurants. Further analysis decomposes the change to evaluate the underlying factors. - Highlights: • Residents and visitors exhibit differences in their energy consumption profile. • Increase/decrease in energy consumption for residents/visitors from 1997 to 2007. • Visitor factor for fuel consumption dropped from 3.5 in 1997 to 2.3 in 2007. • Visitor factor for electricity consumption dropped from 2.4 in 1997 to 1.5 in 2007. • Decrease in energy intensity firmly establishes improvement in energy efficiency

Human values and codes of behavior: Changes in Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness visitors and their attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Alan E. Watson; John C. Hendee; Hans P. Zaglauer

1996-01-01

A study of visitors to Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness in 1965 offered a baseline against which to evaluate how those who recreate in wilderness have changed their views of wilderness. A study of visitors to that same wilderness area in 1993 provided comparative data. Some characteristics of the visitors changed in ways that would suggest that the values visitors...

The influence of visitor interaction on the behavior of captive crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus) and implications for welfare.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, H; McGregor, P K; Farmer, H L A; Baker, K R

2016-05-01

Research suggests that zoo visitors can have positive, negative, and neutral impacts on captive primate welfare; however, research investigating the implications of visitor-animal feeding experiences is extremely limited. In the UK, a large proportion of BIAZA zoos that house lemur species offer visitor interaction experiences (16 out of 33). This study investigated the impact on the behavior of a family group of crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus) housed at Newquay Zoo, UK of visitors, accompanied by a keeper, entering the enclosure to feed the lemurs. Behavior was observed under four conditions: (i) during visitor feed; (ii) 30 min post-visitor feed; (iii) during a keeper feed; and (iv) 30 min post-keeper feed. Keeper feeds were conducted by keepers only, on the day after visitor feeds. The lemur group spent significantly less time performing aggressive behavior and was also significantly more interactive with keepers during visitor feeds compared with keeper-only feeds. There was no significant difference in behaviors performed immediately after interacting with visitors. Over the study period, there was a tendency for interactions with visitors to increase, and for interactions with keepers during visitor feeds to decrease. After a 28-day interval without visitor interaction, the lemurs' interaction with visitors had returned to the level recorded at the start of the study. In conclusion, visitor interaction did not compromise the welfare of the study subjects in either the short- or long-term, while an increase in visitor interactions over time has interesting implications for the enrichment properties of, or habituation to, unfamiliar humans. Zoo Biol. 35:222-227, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The geologic story of Isle Royale National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, N. King

1975-01-01

Isle Royale is an outstanding example of relatively undisturbed northwoods lake wilderness. But more than simple preservation of such an environment is involved in its inclusion in our National Park System. Its isolation from the mainland provides an almost untouched laboratory for research in the natural sciences, especially those studies whose very nature depends upon such isolation. One excellent example of such research is the intensive study of the predator-prey relationship of the timber wolf and moose, long sponsored by the National Park Service and Purdue University. In probably no other place in North America are the necessary ecological conditions for such a study so admirably fulfilled as on Isle Royale. The development of a natural laboratory with such conditions is ultimately dependent upon geologic processes and events that although not unique in themselves, produced in their interplay a unique result, the island archipelago as we know it today, with its hills and valleys, swamps and bogs the ecological framework of the plant and animal world. Even the most casual visitor can hardly fail to be struck by the fiordlike nature of many of the bays, the chains of fringing islands, the ridge-and-valley topography, and the linear nature of all these features. The distinctive topography of the archipelago is, of course, only the latest manifestation of geologic processes in operation since time immemorial. Fragments of geologic history going back over a billion years can be read from the rocks of the island, and with additional data from other parts of the Lake Superior region, we can fill in some of the story of Isle Royale. After more than a hundred years of study by man, the story is still incomplete. But then, geologic stories are seldom complete, and what we do know allows a deeper appreciation of one of our most naturally preserved parks and whets our curiosity about the missing fragments.

A case study of communication with Anglo and Hispanic wilderness visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Julia Dawn Parker; Patricia L. Winter

1998-01-01

Educating, interpreting for, and communicating with wilderness visitors is necessary to promote appropriate low-impact wilderness recreation. The Angeles National Forest is located northeast of Los Angeles and is surrounded by a large and ethnically diverse population that provided a potentially ethnically diverse sample ofwilderness visitors for the purpose of this...

Attitude Change When Presenting Science Museum Visitors with Risk-Benefit Information

Science.gov (United States)

Phelan, Siëlle; Specht, Inga; Schnotz, Wolfgang; Lewalter, Doris

2017-01-01

Visitors to modern science museums are likely to encounter exhibitions presenting conflicting information, such as risks and benefits of new scientific developments. Such exhibitions encourage visitors to reflect upon different sides of a story and to form or adjust their attitudes toward the topic on display. However, there is very little…

77 FR 57102 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-17

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet on October 5 and 6, 2012. The meeting will be open to the...

Determinants of Visitor Pro-Environmental Intentions on Two Small Greek Islands: Is Ecotourism Possible at Coastal Protected Areas?

Science.gov (United States)

Kafyri, Andriani; Hovardas, Tasos; Poirazidis, Konstantinos

2012-07-01

A relatively under-researched question is whether there is a possibility of influencing environmentally aware tourists regarding ecotourism at destinations that continue to develop under a pattern of mass `seaside' tourism. Our objective was to assess the pro-environmental intentions of visitors at two small Greek islands, which are within a Natura 2000 site, specifically Paxoi and Antipaxoi. Intentions involved willingness to receive information about the protected area, willingness to accept pro-environmental limitations on recreational experience, and willingness-to-pay a conditional environmental conservation value added tax. In addition, we aimed to identify determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions among visitor and visit characteristics, visitor satisfaction, and self-reported environmental knowledge, as well as anticipated outcomes of tourism development and suggestions for protected area management. We randomly collected 324 usable questionnaires during the summer season; 242 (74.69 %) by Greek visitors and 82 (25.31 %) by foreign visitors. Visitor satisfaction was quite high; however, visitors reported low levels of environmental knowledge. Our findings showed that the unique characteristics of the destination were not salient among visitors and that there is a lack of effective outreach campaigns, interpretation, and on-site environmental education programs. However, our study revealed high levels of visitor pro-environmental intentions that might support the promotion of ecotourism on the two islands. We provide recommendations based on determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions, which might assist towards advancing visitor participation in environmental education projects, environmentally responsible behavior among visitors, and financial contribution to environmental conservation by visitors.

Determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions on two small Greek islands: is ecotourism possible at coastal protected areas?

Science.gov (United States)

Kafyri, Andriani; Hovardas, Tasos; Poirazidis, Konstantinos

2012-07-01

A relatively under-researched question is whether there is a possibility of influencing environmentally aware tourists regarding ecotourism at destinations that continue to develop under a pattern of mass 'seaside' tourism. Our objective was to assess the pro-environmental intentions of visitors at two small Greek islands, which are within a Natura 2000 site, specifically Paxoi and Antipaxoi. Intentions involved willingness to receive information about the protected area, willingness to accept pro-environmental limitations on recreational experience, and willingness-to-pay a conditional environmental conservation value added tax. In addition, we aimed to identify determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions among visitor and visit characteristics, visitor satisfaction, and self-reported environmental knowledge, as well as anticipated outcomes of tourism development and suggestions for protected area management. We randomly collected 324 usable questionnaires during the summer season; 242 (74.69 %) by Greek visitors and 82 (25.31 %) by foreign visitors. Visitor satisfaction was quite high; however, visitors reported low levels of environmental knowledge. Our findings showed that the unique characteristics of the destination were not salient among visitors and that there is a lack of effective outreach campaigns, interpretation, and on-site environmental education programs. However, our study revealed high levels of visitor pro-environmental intentions that might support the promotion of ecotourism on the two islands. We provide recommendations based on determinants of visitor pro-environmental intentions, which might assist towards advancing visitor participation in environmental education projects, environmentally responsible behavior among visitors, and financial contribution to environmental conservation by visitors.

Crowding related norms in outdoor recreation: U.S. versus international visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Megha Budruk; Robert Manning

2003-01-01

Research on crowding-related norms has begun to explore differences across settings, time, activities, and visitor characteristics such as age, economic status, and country of origin. The literature examining visitors' country of origin suggests a mixed pattern. While there is some evidence of differences across country of origin, other studies have not indicated...

The relationship between visitor characteristics and learning-associated behaviors in a science museum discovery space

Science.gov (United States)

Lozowski Boisvert, Dorothy; Jochums Slez, Brenda

As informal educational institutions, science museums must do more than entertain and amaze visitors. Museum educators must design exhibits that attract and hold the attention of visitors long enough so that the visitors become engaged with the exhibits and learn from them. In order for museum educators to develop such exhibits, more information is needed about the variables associated with learning in museums. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on informal education by examining the relationship between visitor characteristics and attraction, holding power, and visitor engagement.One hundred fifty-four visitors to a science museum discovery space were observed as they interacted freely with the exhibits. Trained volunteers recorded the subjects' movements including the exhibits at which they stopped (attraction), the amount of time spent at each exhibit (holding power), and behaviors indicative of subjects' engagement levels with the exhibits. Data indicated significant differences between age group and the holding power of exhibits. Though not significant statistically, a similar trend was noted between age group and attraction and visitor engagement level. No significant differences were found between gender or social grouping and attraction, holding power, or engagement levels.

78 FR 25289 - Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy Teleconference

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-30

...] Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy Teleconference AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management... National Fire Academy (Academy) and advise the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.... SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (Board) will meet via teleconference on...

Nuclear Electric Visitor Centres - Innovation and inspiration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fenton, Bob

1998-01-01

Full text: This eight minute video demonstrates the approach taken by Nuclear Electric to exhibitions that are open to the public. The information is given both visually - with excerpts from some of the attractions on display at the centres - and in comments from interviews with visitors, the centre guides and the man responsible for many of the exhibits featured in the video. on one side are the schoolchildren who are visiting the exhibition and are seen both playing and learning as they press buttons, watch videos, 'meet' Michael Faraday, and learn about radiation - its disposal and its safe transportation. The headmaster of the school is interviewed and explains that the exhibition is helping his children understand the importance of electricity to their world. on the other side is Jackie Lucas, the visitor centre manager, explaining what the public make of the exhibition. We see her staff greeting the children and helping them to understand the show. The designer of the exhibition, Len Upton explains how you go about making an exhibition such as this both informative and fun. Also interviewed is the man behind many of the exhibitions featured at Nuclear Electric's visitor centres up and down the country, Nicholas Mullane. He explains the purpose of the exhibition and what messages it imparts. The video is presented in split-screen or composite format, whereby the interviewee and children are often presented together. Excerpts from the various videos on display are presented as both how they are seen from the floor, as well as the full screen effect of the various programmes. The video gives much of the feeling of fun to be gained at the exhibition, as well as showing the educational benefits to be gained from a couple of hours at one of Nuclear Electric's visitor centres. Copies of the video can be obtained from Bob Fenton at Nuclear Electric. (Fax: ++44 1 452 652 443). (author)

Frequent visitors at the psychiatric emergency room - A literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Manuela

2018-03-01

Frequent visitors at the psychiatric emergency room (PER) constitute a small subgroup of patients, yet they are responsible for a disproportionate number of visits and thus claim considerable resources. Their needs are often left unmet and their repetitive visits reflect their dissatisfaction as well as that of PERs' staff. Motivated by these dilemmas, this study systematically reviews the literature about frequent visitors at PER and seeks to answer two questions: What characterizes frequent visitors at PER in the literature? and What characterizes PER in the literature? Based on 29 studies, this paper offers answers to the two questions based on a strength weakness opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. The results of the review and subsequent analysis of the literature revealed the multiplicity and complexity of frequent visitors' characteristics and how they appear to converge. Commonalities were more difficult to identify in PER characteristics. In some cases, this happened because the characteristics were poorly described or were context specific. As a result, it was not easy to compare the studies on PER. Based on SWOT and the findings of the analysis, the paper proposes new venues of research and suggests how the field of mental health might develop by taking into account its opportunities and threats.

Recreation visitor preferences for and perceptions of outdoor recreation setting attributes

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Tarrant; Erin Smith; H. Ken Cordell

1999-01-01

Between 1990 and 1994, a comprehensive national survey was conducted by the USDA Forest Service (FS), Southern Research Station, to measure visitor preferences for, and perceptions of, setting attributes at a variety of outdoor recreation sites. Over 11,000 visitors at 31 outdoor recreation sites across the country were interviewed in this study. The study was entitled...

U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Visitors Guide 2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2015-09-03

The U.S. Department of Energy 2015 Visitors Guide is a free, hard-copy publication distributed free to those attending the Solar Decathlon event. The publications' objectives are to serve as the primary information resource for those in attendance, and to deliver a compelling message about the Solar Decathlon's success as a proven workforce development program and its role in educating students and the public about clean energy products and design solutions. The U.S. Department of Energy 2015 Visitors Guide SD15 Visitors Guide goals are to guide attendees through the Solar Decathlon village; List and explain the 10 contests; educate attendees about the participating teams and their competition houses; provide access to more information on the Solar Decathlon website through the use of QR codes; and acknowledge the support of all event sponsors.

76 FR 45543 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD. ACTION: Notice; cancellation. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center meeting scheduled for August 3 and 4, 2011...

76 FR 6149 - National Fire Academy Board of Visitors; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-03

...] National Fire Academy Board of Visitors; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Open Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. SUMMARY: The National Fire Academy Board of Visitors will meet on February 22, 2011. DATES: The teleconference will take...

Implementation of ergonomics in the management of parking increasing the quality of living parking park in mall Robinson Denpasar city

Science.gov (United States)

Sutapa, I. K.; Sudiarsa, I. M.

2018-01-01

The problems that often arise in the area of Denpasar City mostly caused by parking problems at the centers of activities such as shopping centers. The problems that occur not only because of the large number of vehicles that parked but also the result of the condition of parking officers who have not received attention, there is no concern about the physical condition of parking attendants because doing night guard duty. To improve the quality of parking officer, ergonomic parking lot is improved through the application of appropriate technology with systemic, holistic, interdisciplinary and participatory approach. The general objective of the research is to know the implementation of ergonomics in parking management on the improvement of the quality of parking officer in Robinson shopping center. The indicator of the quality of the parking officer work is the decrease of musculoskeletal complaints, fatigue, workload, boredom and increasing work motivation. The study was conducted using the same subject design, involving 10 subjects as a simple random sample. Intervention is done by arrangement of ergonomic basement motorcycle parking. Measurements done before and after repair. Washing out (WO) for 14 days. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively, tested normality (shapirowilk) and homogeneity (Levene Test). For normal and homogeneous distribution data, different test with One Way Anova, different test between Period with Post Hoc. Normally distributed and non-homogeneous data, different test with Friedman Test, different test between periods using Wilcoxon test. Data were analyzed with significance level of 5%. The results showed that the implementation of ergonomic in the management of parking area of the court decreased musculoskeletal complaints by 15.10% (p management of the parking lot improves the quality of the parking officer work from: (1) decrease of musculoskeletal complaints, (2) decrease of melting rate, (3) decrease of parking workload

iParking: An Intelligent Indoor Location-Based Smartphone Parking Service

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jingbin; Chen, Ruizhi; Chen, Yuwei; Pei, Ling; Chen, Liang

2012-01-01

Indoor positioning technologies have been widely studied with a number of solutions being proposed, yet substantial applications and services are still fairly primitive. Taking advantage of the emerging concept of the connected car, the popularity of smartphones and mobile Internet, and precise indoor locations, this study presents the development of a novel intelligent parking service called iParking. With the iParking service, multiple parties such as users, parking facilities and service p...

Assessing Uncertainty and Repeatability in Time-Lapse VSP Monitoring of CO2 Injection in a Brine Aquifer, Frio Formation, Texas (A Case Study)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nazari, Siamak [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Daley, Thomas M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division

2013-02-07

This study was done to assess the repeatability and uncertainty of time-lapse VSP response to CO₂ injection in the Frio formation near Houston Texas. A work flow was built to assess the effect of time-lapse injected CO₂ into two Frio brine reservoir intervals, the ‘C’ sand (Frio1) and the ‘Blue sand’ (Frio2). The time-lapse seismic amplitude variations with sensor depth for both reservoirs Frio1 and Frio2 were computed by subtracting the seismic response of the base survey from each of the two monitor seismic surveys. Source site 1 has been considered as one of the best sites for evaluating the time-lapse response after injection. For site 1, the computed timelapse NRMS levels after processing had been compared to the estimated time-lapse NRMS level before processing for different control reflectors, and for brine aquifers Frio1, and Frio2 to quantify detectability of amplitude difference. As the main interest is to analyze the time-lapse amplitude variations, different scenarios have been considered. Three different survey scenarios were considered: the base survey which was performed before injection, monitor1 performed after the first injection operation, and monitor2 which was after the second injection. The first scenario was base-monitor1, the second was basemonitor2, and the third was monitor1-monitor2. We considered three ‘control’ reflections above the Frio to assist removal of overburden changes, and concluded that third control reflector (CR3) is the most favorable for the first scenario in terms of NRMS response, and first control reflector (CR1) is the most favorable for the second and third scenarios in terms of NRMS response. The NRMS parameter is shown to be a useful measure to assess the effect of processing on time-lapse data. The overall NRMS for the Frio VSP data set was found to be in the range of 30% to 80% following basic processing. This could be considered as an estimated baseline in assessing the utility

Long-Term Prediction of Emergency Department Revenue and Visitor Volume Using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chieh-Fan Chen

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study analyzed meteorological, clinical and economic factors in terms of their effects on monthly ED revenue and visitor volume. Monthly data from January 1, 2005 to September 30, 2009 were analyzed. Spearman correlation and cross-correlation analyses were performed to identify the correlation between each independent variable, ED revenue, and visitor volume. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA model was used to quantify the relationship between each independent variable, ED revenue, and visitor volume. The accuracies were evaluated by comparing model forecasts to actual values with mean absolute percentage of error. Sensitivity of prediction errors to model training time was also evaluated. The ARIMA models indicated that mean maximum temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, non-trauma, and trauma visits may correlate positively with ED revenue, but mean minimum temperature may correlate negatively with ED revenue. Moreover, mean minimum temperature and stock market index fluctuation may correlate positively with trauma visitor volume. Mean maximum temperature, relative humidity and stock market index fluctuation may correlate positively with non-trauma visitor volume. Mean maximum temperature and relative humidity may correlate positively with pediatric visitor volume, but mean minimum temperature may correlate negatively with pediatric visitor volume. The model also performed well in forecasting revenue and visitor volume.

76 FR 39076 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: Under the... Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Date: August 3 and 4, 2011. Time of Meeting...

75 FR 43496 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: Under the... Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Date: August 10 and 11, 2010. Time of Meeting...

77 FR 62223 - Board of Visitors Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Board of Visitors Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: Under the... Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Date: October 31, 2012 and November 1, 2012...

Hospital visitors as controls in case-control studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gulnar Azevedo S Mendonça

2001-10-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Selecting controls is one of the most difficult tasks in the design of case-control studies. Hospital controls may be inadequate and random controls drawn from the base population may be unavailable. The aim was to assess the use of hospital visitors as controls in a case-control study on the association of organochlorinated compounds and other risk factors for breast cancer conducted in the main hospital of the "Instituto Nacional de Câncer" -- INCA (National Cancer Institute in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil. METHODS: The study included 177 incident cases and 377 controls recruited among female visitors. Three different models of control group composition were compared: Model 1, with all selected visitors; Model 2, excluding women visiting relatives with breast cancer; and Model 3, excluding all women visiting relatives with any type of cancer. Odds ratios (OR and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to test the associations. RESULTS: Age-adjusted OR for breast cancer associated with risk factors other than family history of cancer, except smoking and breast size, were similar in the three models. Regarding family history of all cancers, except for breast cancer, there was a decreased risk in Models 1 and 2, while in Model 3 there was an increased risk, but not statistically significant. Family history of breast cancer was a risk factor in Models 2 and 3, but no association was found in Model 1. In multivariate analysis a significant risk of breast cancer was found when there was a family history of breast cancer in Models 2 and 3 but not in Model 1. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that while investigating risk factors unrelated to family history of cancer, the use of hospital visitors as controls may be a valid and feasible alternative.

Trail impacts and trail impact management related to ecotourism visitation at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, T.A.; Marion, J.L.

2002-01-01

Ecotourism and protected area visitation in Central and South America are largely dependent upon a relatively undisturbed quality of natural resources. However, visitation may impact vegetation, soil, water and wildlife resources, and degrade visitor facilities such as recreation sites and trails. Findings are reported from trail impact research conducted at Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile. The frequency and magnitude of selected trail impacts and the relative effect of the amount of use, vegetation type, trail position and trail grade are investigated. Findings differed from previous studies in that amount of use was significantly related to both trail width increases and trail erosion. Management actions to minimize trail impacts are offered.

Parks, Place and Pedagogy - Education Partnerships with the National Park Service

Science.gov (United States)

Vye, E. C.; Rose, W. I.; Nash, B.; Klawiter, M.; Huntoon, J. E.; Engelmann, C. A.; Gochis, E. E.; MiTEP

2011-12-01

The Michigan Teaching Excellence Program (MITEP) is a multi-year program of teacher leadership development that empowers science teachers in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Jackson to lead their schools and districts through the process of improving science teaching and learning. A component of this program is facilitated through partnership between academia, K-12 educators, and the National Park Service (NPS) that aims to develop place-based education strategies that improve diversity and Earth Science literacy. This tangible education method draws upon both the sense of place that National Parks offer and the art of interpretation employed by the park service. Combined, these deepen cognitive process and provide a more diverse reflection of what place means and the processes behind shaping what we see. Our partnerships present participants the opportunity to intern in a Midwest national park for 3-8 weeks during their third year in the program. In summer 2011, eleven teachers from the Grand Rapids school district participated in this innovative way of learning and teaching Earth Science. One goal was to develop geological interpretive materials desired and needed for the parks. Secondly, and important to place-based educational methodologies, these deliverables will be used as a way of bringing the parks to urban classrooms. Participants lived in the parks and worked directly with both national park and Michigan Tech staff to create lesson plans, podcasts, media clips, video, and photographic documentation of their experiences. These lesson plans will be hosted in the Views of the National Park website in an effort to provide innovative teaching resources nationally for teachers or free-choice learners wishing to access information on Midwest national parks. To the benefit of park staff, working with teachers from urban areas offered an opportunity for park staff to access diverse learners in urban settings unable to visit the park. The foundation has been laid for

Integrating social marketing into sustainable resource management at Padre Island National Seashore: an attitude-based segmentation approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Po-Hsin; Sorice, Michael G; Nepal, Sanjay K; Cheng, Chia-Kuen

2009-06-01

High demand for outdoor recreation and increasing diversity in outdoor recreation participants have imposed a great challenge on the National Park Service (NPS), which is tasked with the mission to provide open access for quality outdoor recreation and maintain the ecological integrity of the park system. In addition to management practices of education and restrictions, building a sense of natural resource stewardship among visitors may also facilitate the NPS ability to react to this challenge. The purpose of our study is to suggest a segmentation approach that is built on the social marketing framework and aimed at influencing visitor behaviors to support conservation. Attitude toward natural resource management, an indicator of natural resource stewardship, is used as the basis for segmenting park visitors. This segmentation approach is examined based on a survey of 987 visitors to the Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) in Texas in 2003. Results of the K-means cluster analysis identify three visitor segments: Conservation-Oriented, Development-Oriented, and Status Quo visitors. This segmentation solution is verified using respondents' socio-demographic backgrounds, use patterns, experience preferences, and attitudes toward a proposed regulation. Suggestions are provided to better target the three visitor segments and facilitate a sense of natural resource stewardship among them.

Dark destinations – Visitor reflections from a holocaust memorial site

OpenAIRE

Liyanage, Sherry; Coca-Stefaniak, Andres; Powell, Raymond

2015-01-01

Abstract\\ud \\ud Purpose – Dark tourism and, more specifically, visitor experiences at Nazi concentration camp memorials are emerging fields of research in tourism studies and destination management. This paper builds on this growing body of knowledge and focuses on the World War II Nazi concentration camp at Dachau in Germany to explore the psychological impact of the site on its visitors as well as critical self-reflection processes triggered by this experience.\\ud \\ud Design/methodology/app...

Exploring staff perceptions and experiences of volunteers and visitors on the hospital ward at mealtimes using an ethnographic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ottrey, Ella; Palermo, Claire; Huggins, Catherine E; Porter, Judi

2018-04-01

To explore multiple perspectives and experiences of volunteer and visitor involvement and interactions at hospital mealtimes. In addition, to understand how the volunteer and visitor role at mealtimes is perceived within the hospital system. Mealtime assistance can improve patients' food intake and mealtime experience. Barriers to providing mealtime assistance include time pressures, staff availability and inadequate communication. Volunteers and visitors can encourage and assist patients at mealtimes. There is a lack of evidence on the relationship between hospital staff, volunteers and visitors. A qualitative, ethnographic approach. Sixty-seven hours of fieldwork were conducted on two subacute wards within an Australian healthcare network in 2015. Mealtime practices and interactions of hospital staff, volunteers and visitors were observed. Sixty-one staff, volunteers and visitors were interviewed in 75 ethnographic and semi-structured interviews. Data were inductively and thematically analysed. Three key themes emerged as follows: "help"-volunteers and visitors were considered helpful when they assisted patients at mealtimes, supported well-being and aided staff-patient communication; "hindrance"-staff perceived visitors as negative presences when they inhibited patient progress and impacted staff work practices; and "reality of practice"-visiting hours, visitor engagement in patient therapy and communication between staff, volunteers and visitors were important practical considerations of mealtime involvement. The findings show how and why volunteers and visitors can be helpful and unhelpful at hospital mealtimes on subacute wards. More research on the role and contribution of volunteers and visitors on hospital wards will inform future practice in healthcare settings. This healthcare organisation should continue to encourage volunteer and visitor involvement at hospital mealtimes. More effort is needed to educate visitors about patients' therapeutic goals and

Lakes and ponds recreation management: a state-wide application of the visitor impact management process

Science.gov (United States)

Jerry J. Vaske; Rodney R. Zwick; Maureen P. Donnelly

1992-01-01

The Visitor Impact Management (VIM) process is designed to identify unacceptable changes occurring as a result of visitor use and to develop management strategies to keep visitor impacts within acceptable levels. All previous attempts to apply the VIM planning framework have concentrated on specific resources. This paper expands this focus to an entire state. Based on...

The generalist Inga subnuda subsp. luschnathiana (Fabaceae): negative effect of floral visitors on reproductive success?

Science.gov (United States)

Avila, R; Pinheiro, M; Sazima, M

2015-05-01

Inga species are characterised by generalist or mixed pollination system. However, this feature does not enhance reproductive rates in species with very low fruit set under natural conditions. Some ecological and genetic factors are associated with this feature, and to test the effect of massive visits on pollination success in Inga subnuda subsp. luschnathiana, we studied the efficacy of polyads deposited on stigmas of flowers isolated from visitors and polyads exposed to visitors. The proportion of polyads fixed in stigmas decreased after exposure to visitors (24 h) in comparison to stigmas isolated from visitors (hummingbirds, bees, wasps, hawkmoths and bats), and fruit set was very low. Furthermore, nectar production, sugar composition and other floral biology traits were evaluated. Increased nectar production, sugar availability and sucrose dominance during the night indicates adaptation to nocturnal visitors and supports their role as main pollinators; although the brush-flower morphology, time of anthesis, nectar dynamics and chemical composition also allow daytime visitors. Thus the species is an important resource for a diverse group of floral visitors. We conclude that excess visits (diurnal and nocturnal) are responsible for the decrease in fixed polyads in stigmas of I. subnuda subsp. luschnathiana flowers, thus contributing, with others factors, to its low fruit set. Therefore, the generalist pollination system does not result in reproductive advantages because the low fruit set in natural conditions could be the result of a negative effect of visitors/pollinators. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Visitors' perception of thermal comfort during extreme heat events at the Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Loughnan, Margaret; Tapper, Nigel

2018-01-01

Outdoor thermal comfort studies have mainly examined the perception of local residents, and there has been little work on how those conditions are perceived differently by tourists, especially tourists of diverse origins. This issue is important because it will improve the application of thermal indices in predicting the thermal perception of tourists. This study aims to compare the differences in thermal perception and preferences between local and overseas visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) in Melbourne during summer. An 8-day survey was conducted in February 2014 at four sites in the garden ( n = 2198), including 2 days with maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C. The survey results were compared with data from four weather stations adjacent to the survey locations. One survey location, `Fern Gully', has a misting system and visitors perceived the Fern Gully to be cooler than other survey locations. As the apparent temperature exceeded 32.4 °C, visitors perceived the environment as being `warm' or `hot'. At `hot' conditions, 36.8 % of European visitors voted for no change to the thermal conditions, which is considerably higher than the response from Australian visitors (12.2 %) and Chinese visitors (7.5 %). Study results suggest that overseas tourists have different comfort perception and preferences compared to local Australians in hot weather based at least in part on expectations. Understanding the differences in visitors' thermal perception is important to improve the garden design. It can also lead to better tour planning and marketing to potential visitors from different countries.

Influence of Parking Price on Parking Garage Users’ Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jelena Simićević

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Parking charge is a powerful tool for solving parking and traffic congestion problems. In order to achieve the expected effects without any adverse impact it is necessary to understand well the users’ responses to this policy. This paper, based on a sample of interviewed parking garage users, has developed binary logit model for identification and quantification of characteristics of users and trips, on which the acceptance of parking price is dependent. In addition, multinomial logit model has been made in order to predict what the users will opt for when faced with an increase in parking price. For the first time the parameter “shorten duration” has been introduced which has shown to be the most significant in making behaviour-related decisions. The results show that the users with the purpose work are the most sensitive to an increase in parking charge, what can be deemed positive for policy makers. However, great sensitivity of the users with the purpose shopping should cause their concern. The results of the multinomial model show that they would not discontinue coming into the area after all.

Mathematical model of parking space unit for triangular parking area

Science.gov (United States)

Syahrini, Intan; Sundari, Teti; Iskandar, Taufiq; Halfiani, Vera; Munzir, Said; Ramli, Marwan

2018-01-01

Parking space unit (PSU) is an effective measure for the area size of a vehicle, including the free space and the width of the door opening of the vehicle (car). This article discusses a mathematical model for parking space of vehicles in triangular shape area. An optimization model for triangular parking lot is developed. Integer Linear Programming (ILP) method is used to determine the maximum number of the PSU. The triangular parking lot is in isosceles and equilateral triangles shape and implements four possible rows and five possible angles for each field. The vehicles which are considered are cars and motorcycles. The results show that the isosceles triangular parking area has 218 units of optimal PSU, which are 84 units of PSU for cars and 134 units of PSU for motorcycles. Equilateral triangular parking area has 688 units of optimal PSU, which are 175 units of PSU for cars and 513 units of PSU for motorcycles.

Experiencing polar bears in the zoo: feelings and cognitions in relation to a visitor's conservation attitude

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marseille, M.M.; Elands, B.H.M.; Brink, van den M.L.

2012-01-01

This article explores which feelings and cognitions are involved in visitor experiences of zoo polar bears and how this experience relates to a visitor's conservation attitude. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 30 visitors in two Dutch zoos. Most respondents believed that a

'The End of Sitting' in a public space: observations of spontaneous visitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Renaud, Lidewij R; Huysmans, Maaike A; Speklé, Erwin M; van der Beek, Allard J; van der Ploeg, Hidde P

2017-12-08

Sitting too much has been associated with negative health outcomes. 'The End of Sitting' is a newly developed office landscape that moves away from the traditional chair-desk setup. The landscape aims to reduce sitting time by offering a variety of (supported) standing positions. The aim of this study was to determine the usage of the landscape after being placed in the main entrance hall of the VU University in Amsterdam. We observed the number of spontaneous visitors as well as the duration of visits, changes to another location within the landscape, and adopted postures. Using questionnaires reasons (not) to visit the landscape, perceived affordances of the landscape and associations with long-term use were determined. Observed numbers of visitors were relatively low and duration of visits were short, which seemed to indicate visitors were trying out the landscape. The majority of visitors were in an upright position, reflecting the designers' intentions. Visitors indicated that long-term use would be pleasant to them. 'The End of Sitting' landscape received positive reactions but number of visits were limited in the few months that it was placed in the university main entrance hall. The landscape might be better suited for designated working or study spaces, for which it was originally intended. It might also be worth to explore the landscapes suitability for short stay environments, such as waiting rooms.

SVM to detect the presence of visitors in a smart home environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Johanna; Larimer, Nicole; Kaye, Jeffrey A; Pavel, Misha; Hayes, Tamara L

2012-01-01

With the rising age of the population, there is increased need to help elderly maintain their independence. Smart homes, employing passive sensor networks and pervasive computing techniques, enable the unobtrusive assessment of activities and behaviors of the elderly which can be useful for health state assessment and intervention. Due to the multiple health benefits associated with socializing, accurately tracking whether an individual has visitors to their home is one of the more important aspects of elders' behaviors that could be assessed with smart home technology. With this goal, we have developed a preliminary SVM model to identify periods where untagged visitors are present in the home. Using the dwell time, number of sensor firings, and number of transitions between major living spaces (living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom) as features in the model, and self report from two subjects as ground truth, we were able to accurately detect the presence of visitors in the home with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.90 and 0.89 for subject 1, and of 0.67 and 0.78 for subject 2, respectively. These preliminary data demonstrate the feasibility of detecting visitors with in-home sensor data, but highlight the need for more advanced modeling techniques so the model performs well for all subjects and all types of visitors.

The newly expanded KSC Visitors Complex features a new ticket plaza, information center, exhibits an

Science.gov (United States)

1999-01-01

The newly added Robot Scouts exhibit at the KSC Visitor Complex is situated next to the Rocket Garden. Part of the $13 million expansion to the Visitor Complex, the exhibit helps describe for visitors the accomplishments of unsung space heroes - space probes - and their role in space exploration. It also includes a display of how data from robotic probes might be used to build a human habitat for Mars. Visitors can witness a simulated Martian sunset. Other additions include a new foyer, films, and an International Space Station-themed ticket plaza, featuring a structure of overhanging solar panels and astronauts performing assembly tasks. The KSC Visitor Complex was inaugurated three decades ago and is now one of the top five tourist attractions in Florida. It is located on S.R. 407, east of I-95, within the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

New opening hours for the Reception foyer and the visitor facilities in Building 33

CERN Document Server

DSU Unit

2008-01-01

New hours for visitors Monday to FridayReception: 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.Microcosm: 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Shop: 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Globe: 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (on days the Globe is open)SaturdayReception: 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Microcosm: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Shop: 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Globe: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (on days the Globe is open) The new opening hours will be displayed on both sides of the entrance to Building 33. People working at CERN should note the modified closing times: Access times for CERN staff Monday to Friday:\tThe foyer in Building 33 opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 5:45 p.m. Saturday:\tThe foyer in Building 33 opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 5:15 p.m. Outside these hours, CERN staff must use the small entrance that opens directly onto the car park.

Validation of the visitor and resident framework in an e-book setting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelsmann, Hazel C.; Greifeneder, Elke Susanne; Lauridsen, Nikoline D.

2014-01-01

Introduction. By applying the visitor and resident framework on e-book usage, the article explores whether the concepts of a resident and a visitor can help to explain e-book use, and can help to gain a better insight into users' motivations for e-book use. Method. A questionnaire and semi-struct...

Evaluating urban parking policies with agent-based model of driver parking behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martens, C.J.C.M.; Benenson, I.

2008-01-01

This paper presents an explicit agent-based model of parking search in a city. In the model, “drivers” drive toward their destination, search for parking, park, remain at the parking place, and leave. The city’s infrastructure is represented by a high-resolution geographic information system (GIS)

Analysis on Time Window of Shared Parking in Hospitals Based on Parking Behaviors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qin Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Hospitals are essential components of a city; huge traffic demand is generated and attracted, causing contradiction between parking supply and demand. By sharing parking berths, limited space can serve more demand which is beneficial to alleviating parking problems. Aimed at improving the capacity of shared parking, the paper analyzes four parking groups in typical hospitals, which are medical staff, outpatients, emergency patients, and visiting groups. The parking demand of medical staff is rigid. For outpatients and visiting groups, longer walking distance is acceptable and more attention is paid to parking fee. By contrast, emergency patients can accept shorter walking distance and focus more on convenience due to urgency. Under this circumstance, parking behaviors selection models are established by means of Multinomial Logit Model. On this basis, time value is adopted to calculate the tolerance of alterative parking time. Moreover, this paper explores the variation of time window, under different parking impedance. A case study is conducted and suggests that start and end point of a certain time window can be influenced by external factors.

Asignación de recursos, satisfaccción del visitante, administración y manejo de parques nacionales en Costa Rica, Honduras y Nicaragua

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aguirre González, Juan Antonio

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid growth forecasted of new visitors arriving to Central America national parks will make essential for park managers to consider visitor satisfaction in its planning process. A total of 915 surveys, 312 to local and 603 to foreign visitors were conducted in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, to determine using a gap form of the expectations-disconfirmation model the satisfaction of local and foreign visitors with the infrastructure, services and recreational options. The study found that there were important differences and similarities between local and foreign visitors in socio demographics and in the satisfaction rating awarded to key infrastructure, services and recreational options. Standardized regression model identified using stepwise procedure single out the variables that influence the overall gap in satisfaction with the visit. The material permitted improved resource allocation and management decisions by the parks administrator in terms of the elements they needed to consider in their site main-tenance and investment planning in order to increase the visitor’s satisfaction with the visit.

Finding the key to success: A visitors' perspective at a National Arts Festival

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Saayman

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose and/or objectives: The purpose of this article was to segment festival visitors at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK based on their travel motives and their ratings of the Key Success Factors (KSFs in terms of their festival experience. Problem investigated: Previous research has indicated that the success and sustainability of an arts festival is dependent on the number of tickets sold for shows and productions during the festival. Therefore, success depends on attracting visitors who attend and buy tickets for different types of shows and productions. To achieve this festival organisers need to understand the aspects that visitors regard as satisfying their needs and which create a unique festival experience. Methodology: A survey was conducted using a questionnaire at the festival. A total of 450 questionnaires were administered and 443 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Factor analysis was used to identify visitors' motivation to travel to and attend the KKNK. Cluster analysis followed the factor analysis to segments visitors based their identified travel motives. ANOVAs, Chi-square tests, two-way frequency tables and Tukey's multiple comparisons were conducted to investigate and determine any significant differences between the clusters based on demographics, behavioural variables and KSFs. Analysis and interpretation of findings: The findings of this study revealed that the travel motives that are important to visitors to the arts festival are: Festival Attractiveness, Novelty and Escape and Socialisation. Furthermore, different markets have different travel motives, clustered as Escapists, Festival Junkies and Culture Seekers. These different clusters have different tastes and needs, for example the Culture Seekers are more interested in Rock shows and all three clusters enjoy Drama, Music Theatre and Cabaret and Comedy shows and productions. Different markets also focus on different KSFs that

Ambiente sonoro e percezione di alcune caratteristiche dei parchi urbani: analisi e modelli - Sonic environment and perception of some features of urban parks: analysis and models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Brambilla

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Sui dati raccolti in otto parchi urbani, comprendenti alcuni parametri acustici e le valutazioni dei fruitori sulla qualità complessiva del parco percepita e di alcune sue caratteristiche, si è proceduto a diverse analisi statistiche. L’analisi delle componenti principali e quella cluster gerarchica sui dati acustici ha fornito una classificazione in tre gruppi risultata poco sovrapponibile a quella ottenuta con l’analisi cluster e delle corrispondenze multiple condotta sui responsi soggettivi. La discrepanza, confermata anche da alcuni modelli di regressione logistica multinomiale, evidenzia l’influenza di altri fattori non acustici sulla percezione dell’ambiente dei parchi urbani. ------ Different statistical analyses have been carried out on data collected in eight urban parks, including some acoustical parameters and the appraisals of park visitors on the perceived overall quality of the park and some of its features. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster one on the acoustic data have identified three groups. This classification poorly overlaps that obtained by hierarchical cluster analysis and multiple correspondence one performed on subjective appraisals data. The difference, confirmed also by models developed by multinomial logistic regression, points out the influence of other non-acoustic factors on the perception of the urban parks environment.

Self-Regulated Learning in the Museum: Understanding the Relationship of Visitor's Goals, Learning Strategies, and Appraisals

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ji; Urhahne, Detlef

2017-01-01

Self-regulated learning (SRL) in the museum was explored by 2 investigations. The first one investigated 233 visitors on their goals and intended learning strategies by questionnaire before they visited the science museum. Results indicated visitors' learning goals can predict their intended deep-learning strategy. Moreover, visitors can be…

Relationships between trip motivations and selected variables among Allegheny National forest visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Alan R. Graefe; Brijesh Thapa; John J. Confer; James D. Absher

2000-01-01

To meet visitors’ needs, managers must understand the motivations driving visitors to wilderness areas. This paper compares the motivations of different segments of Allegheny National Forest users. Factor analysis identified 5 motivation factors (social, escape, fun, nature and learning), with two items retained as single item dimensions (close to home and challenge)....

SMART VEHICLE PARKING

OpenAIRE

S.Bharath Ram

2016-01-01

The goal of this project is to count the number of empty car parking areas and to display them in a Website. This system consists of sensors attached to several parking areas. These sensors located in different parking area’s detects the presence of vehicle and sends information to Microcontroller, which calculates the number of available empty parking areas and uploads them in a website. This basically works on the principle of Internet of Things here the sensors are connected to internet.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among visitors to faith healers in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alosaimi, Fahad D; Alshehri, Youssef; Alfraih, Ibrahim; Alghamdi, Ayedh; Aldahash, Saleh; Alkhuzayem, Haifa; Albeeeshi, Haneen

2014-09-01

We investigated the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among visitors to Faith Healers (FHs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We also studied the sociodemographic profiles for these visitors, in addition to their past psychiatric history, reason(s) for seeking FH help, and past and current treatment experience with FHs. We conducted a cross-sectional study among the visitors (n=321) to a number of faith healing settings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia using a specially designed questionnaire and validated Arabic version of The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Most of the participants were young adults (35.1±10.8 years) and males with intermediate and secondary levels of education who had not sought medical help prior to their visits. A high proportion of the FH visitors have diagnosable mental illnesses. Depressive and anxiety disorders were the most prevalent among the study participants; few visitors were affected by psychotic or bipolar disorders. The present study provides insight for understanding the type of patients with psychiatric disorders who visit Faith Healers.(FHs). The study highlights the tendency of psychiatric patients in Saudi Arabia to visit FHs, which could reflect the importance of further studies to clarify the impact of FHs on the management of those patients.

Midwives' and health visitors' collaborative relationships: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Aquino, Maria Raisa Jessica Ryc V; Olander, Ellinor K; Needle, Justin J; Bryar, Rosamund M

2016-10-01

Interprofessional collaboration between midwives and health visitors working in maternal and child health services is widely encouraged. This systematic review aimed to identify existing and potential areas for collaboration between midwives and health visitors; explore the methods through which collaboration is and can be achieved; assess the effectiveness of this relationship between these groups, and ascertain whether the identified examples of collaboration are in line with clinical guidelines and policy. A narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies. Fourteen electronic databases, research mailing lists, recommendations from key authors and reference lists and citations of included papers. Papers were included if they explored one or a combination of: the areas of practice in which midwives and health visitors worked collaboratively; the methods that midwives and health visitors employed when communicating and collaborating with each other; the effectiveness of collaboration between midwives and health visitors; and whether collaborative practice between midwives and health visitors meet clinical guidelines. Papers were assessed for study quality. Eighteen papers (sixteen studies) met the inclusion criteria. The studies found that midwives and health visitors reported valuing interprofessional collaboration, however this was rare in practice. Findings show that collaboration could be useful across the service continuum, from antenatal care, transition of care/handover, to postnatal care. Evidence for the effectiveness of collaboration between these two groups was equivocal and based on self-reported data. In relation, multiple enablers and barriers to collaboration were identified. Communication was reportedly key to interprofessional collaboration. Interprofessional collaboration was valuable according to both midwives and health visitors, however, this was made challenging by several barriers such as poor communication, limited resources, and

Assessing trail conditions in protected areas: Application of a problem-assessment method in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Y.-F.; Marion, J.

1999-01-01

The degradation of trail resources associated with expanding recreation and tourism visitation is a growing management problem in protected areas worldwide. In order to make judicious trail and visitor management decisions, protected area managers need objective and timely information on trail resource conditions. This paper introduces a trail survey method that efficiently characterizes the lineal extent of common trail problems. The method was applied to a large sample of trails within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a highuse protected area in the USA. The Trail ProblemAssessment Method (TPAM) employs a continuous search for multiple indicators of predefined tread problems, yielding census data documenting the location, occurrence and extent of each problem. The present application employed 23 different indicators in three categories to gather inventory, resource condition, and design and maintenance data of each surveyed trail. Seventy-two backcountry hiking trails (528 km), or 35% of the Park's total trail length, were surveyed. Soil erosion and wet soil were found to be the two most common impacts on a lineal extent basis. Trails with serious tread problems were well distributed throughout the Park, although wet muddy treads tended to be concentrated in areas where horse use was high. The effectiveness of maintenance features installed to divert water from trail treads was also evaluated. Water bars were found to be more effective than drainage dips. The TPAM was able to provide Park managers with objective and quantitative information for use in trail planning, management and maintenance decisions, and is applicable to other protected areas elsewhere with different environmental and impact characteristics.

Capacity Analysis Of Parking Lot And Volume Of Vehicle Toward Sustainable Parking Convenience

Science.gov (United States)

Herdiansyah, Herdis; Sugiyanto; Guntur Octavianto, Andrew; Guntur Aritonang, Edison; Nova Imaduddin, Malya; Dedi; Rilaningrum, Magfira

2017-10-01

The development of human's population is having effect on the increase of facilities and transportation needs. One of the primary problems is the availability of parking area. This has occurred in Universitas Indonesia (UI), mainly in Salemba Campus. The availability of land is not as equal as the number of vehicles, which are to be parked, that is why the convenience of students, lecturers and employees at UI is unsatisfactory. The purpose of this paper is to know the level of parking convenience that is affected by the capacity of parking lots and the volume of vehicles in UI Salemba Campus. The results of this research indicate Salemba campus's parking index. The motor index is still in the category of medium (index 0.945) and the car parking index has less category with a parking index 0.485. While with the location of research object being behind the UI Salemba campus, the results obtained were both the motor and the car are still in the category of “enough” with the parking index of, that is 0.657 for the motor and 0.777 for the car. So theoretically, the parking management at Salemba Campus is in an unsustainable parking degree because, if there is no long-term solution, it will increase congestion in the surrounding area and intensify the dissatisfaction of existing parking users.

Interpretive signs designed to trigger naturalist intelligence at two American zoos

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Martha

An investigation of interpretive graphics was conducted in 2005 at two mid-sized AZA-accredited zoos, Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida and Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville, Tennessee. The Lowry Park Zoo study investigated signs at a red-tailed hawk and sandhill crane exhibit. Combination signs and wordless signs were more effective helping visitors see animals, increasing holding time, and number of engagements than treatments of no signs, or signs with words only. A second study, at Knoxville Zoo, tested combination and wordless signs in a children's zoo, investigating 31 signs at a 3.5-acre exhibit. Comparisons of visitors seeing the animals/using interactive exhibit elements, holding time, and engagement activities, showed wordless signs were more effective than combination signs. Differences in gender ratio, age, group size, and other demographics were not significant. Visit motivation differed between zoos, with visitors from Lowry Park Zoo more often articulating reason for a visit as wanting to see animals. Visitors at Knoxville Zoo most often said they wanted to spend time with family and friends. Differences in potential for naturalist intelligence were probably related to local practices rather than to innate differences in naturalist intelligence. The number of communities in Florida that regulate pet ownership and provide lawn service could account for the lower number of people who have pets and plants. At both institutions, behaviors supported educational theories. The importance of signs as advanced organizers was shown where signs were removed at the bird exhibit at Lowry Park Zoo, with fewer visitors seeing the animals. Social interaction was noted at both zoos, with intra- and inter-group conversations observed. If naturalist intelligence is necessary to see animals, visitors run a continuum. Some are unable to see animals with signs and assistance from other visitors; others see animals with little difficulty. The importance of honing naturalist

Visitors' motives for attending a hybrid event: A case study of agricultural fair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivkov Milan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Management of a complex events such as hybrid ones, relies on understanding a modern market trends. The purpose of this study is to determine visitors' motives for attending a hybrid event, to identify clusters based on those motives, and to help organizers and exhibitors to meet visitors' expectations. Therefore, authors performed ANOVA analysis, factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. The findings clearly indicate elements of trade fairs and consumer exhibitions integrated in hybrid event and therefore, some of the main motives for visiting those two types of events are also present among hybrid event visitors. However, hybrid event tends to be more than just place for business meetings. It is also a venue for education and leisure time activities. Moreover, event organizers and exhibitors need to pay more attention on their strategic approach to managing their event activities. The paper suggests that hybrid event organizers should focus on establishing dialogue with both exhibitors and visitors.

El modelo v.s.p. en lechuga batavia lactuca sativa var. capitata l. y respuesta de dos variedades a las aplicaciones de compuestos orgánicos

OpenAIRE

Vélez M., José F.; Garzón, José L.; Bruzón C., Serapio F.

2010-01-01

En el Corregimiento Pavitas, municipio de La Cumbre, en la Finca Santafé, a 1.480 msnm en un suelo de la Asociación Pavas (Aeric Tropaquept) se probó el modelo vaso-sustrato-planta (VSP), en la producción de plántulas de lechuga Batavia L. sativa var. capitata y el efecto en la producción de los compuestos orgánicos, cachaza, lombricompuesto, gallinaza y bovinaza, incorporados al suelo. Los 22 tratamientos con cuatro repeticiones, repartidos en dos variedades (Great Lake 118 y Pacific) corres...

Viewshed and sense of place as conservation features: A case study and research agenda for South Africa's national parks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaco Barendse

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Sense of place (SoP refers to the meanings and values that people attach to places. The concept can be used to frame how people engage or form a connection with the natural environment. At a sensory level, SoP is influenced by people’s visual experiences, which in turn can be linked to the concept of viewsheds. Viewsheds can be transformed, either abruptly (e.g. by infrastructure development such as wind turbines or more gradually (e.g. by non-native trees invading a landscape. In this study, we focus on the Garden Route National Park to explore the potential importance of viewsheds as a conservation feature, specifically in the context of non-native (especially invasive tree species. Using mixed information sources, we explore the potential role of invasive trees on experiences of visitors to this protected area and speculate on how viewsheds may shape SoP associations and how such associations may inform protected area management. Our investigation shows that people’s experiences regarding natural and modified viewsheds are varied and intricate. Both SoP and viewsheds have the potential to inform conservation action, and these concepts should form an integral part of objective hierarchies and management plans for national parks. However, while legislation and park management plans make provision for the use of these concepts, associated research in South Africa is virtually non-existent. We conclude by proposing a conceptual model and research agenda to promote the use of viewsheds and SoP in the management of national parks in South Africa. Conservation implications: Viewshed and sense of place can be used as boundary concepts to (1 facilitate interdisciplinary research between social and natural scientists, (2 help understand the connectedness and feedbacks between people and nature and (3 promote communication between science, management and stakeholders regarding desired conditions of landscapes in and around parks.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - Flagstaff Car-Park and Park-and-Ride (P+R)

CERN Document Server

GS Department

2011-01-01

As part of the new arrangements following the arrival of the tram-line at CERN, an Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) system has been installed restricting access to the Flagstaff Car-park and the Park-and-Ride (P+R) zone according to the conditions set out below: Holders of a valid P+R user card may enter the car-park at all hours but may only park in the area specifically designated as the P+R zone. P+R user cards can be purchased from the Fondation des Parkings de Genève (http://www.ge.ch/parkings/abonnements.html)   Members of CERN personnel and of contractors' personnel, whatever their status, may freely access the Flagstaff Car-Park at all hours, as long as their vehicle is duly registered with CERN, but they may not use the P+R zone, which is reserved for holders of P+R user cards. Please check that your vehicle number-plates are properly registered via AdaMS (http://cern.ch/adams). If this is not the case, the following action must be taken: - for private or co...

Effects of stock use and backpackers on water quality in wilderness in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Clow, David W.; Forrester, Harrison; Miller, Benjamin; Roop, Heidi; Sickman, James O.; Ryu, Hodon; Santo Domingo, Jorge

2013-01-01

During 2010-2011, a study was conducted in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) to evaluate the influence of pack animals (stock) and backpackers on water quality in wilderness lakes and streams. The study had three main components: (1) a synoptic survey of water quality in wilderness areas of the parks, (2) paired water-quality sampling above and below several areas with differing types and amounts of visitor use, and (3) intensive monitoring at six sites to document temporal variations in water quality. Data from the synoptic water-quality survey indicated that wilderness lakes and streams are dilute and have low nutrient and Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations. The synoptic survey sites were categorized as minimal use, backpacker use, or mixed use (stock and backpackers), depending on the most prevalent type of use upstream from the sampling locations. Sites with mixed use tended to have higher concentrations of most constituents (including E.coli) than those categorized as minimal-use (p≤0.05); concentrations at backpacker-use sites were intermediate. Data from paired-site sampling indicated that E.coli, total coliform, and particulate phosphorus concentrations were greater in streams downstream from mixed-use areas than upstream from those areas (p≤0.05). Paired-site data also indicated few statistically significant differences in nutrient, E. coli, or total coliform concentrations in streams upstream and downstream from backpacker-use areas. The intensive-monitoring data indicated that nutrient and E. coli concentrations normally were low, except during storms, when notable increases in concentrations of E.coli, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, and turbidity occurred. In summary, results from this study indicate that water quality in SEKI wilderness generally is good, except during storms; and visitor use appears to have a small, but statistically significant influence on stream water quality.

Scaffolding the Next Wave of Digital Visitor Interaction in Museums

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudloff, Maja

2013-01-01

Over the last ten years the possibilities for engaging in dialogue and participation with museum visitors have been greatly improved by developments in digital technologies. Throughout the world museums are experimenting with inclusive and participatory digital projects that can enhance the museum...... visitor experience. Many of these projects are unique and creative in their use of cutting edge technology, and in their search for finding new ways to reach differentiated groups of users. However, building on insights from user studies at a Danish digital museum installation, this paper also suggests...

Visitor effects on a zoo population of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).

Science.gov (United States)

de Vere, Amber J

2018-04-19

The effects of visitor presence on zoo and aquarium animals have become increasingly well studied, using measures such as behavioral responses and exhibit usage. Many taxa remain underrepresented in this literature; this is the case for marine mammals, despite widespread public concern for their welfare in managed care settings. The current study therefore used behavioral activity budgets and exhibit usage to assess the responses of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) to visitors at the Seal Cove exhibit at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo CA. Data was collected via focal follow video recordings over the summer season of 2016, and analyzed using MANCOVAs, discriminant analyses, and modified Spread of Participation Indices. The sea lions showed no significant changes in behavior when visitors were present, but did show greater preference for the water bordering visitor viewing areas during these times. Two sea lions gave birth during the study period, and showed greater preference for land areas both adjacent to and out of sight of visitors when nursing compared to while pregnant. In contrast, the harbor seals showed significant behavioral changes in the presence of visitors, including increased vigilance and feeding. This was associated with increased preferential use of water areas adjacent to the visitor viewing area. Visitors were able to purchase fish to throw to the animals, which likely contributed to the differences observed. Overall, this study found little evidence for negative visitor impacts on two pinniped species in a zoo setting. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Potential pollinators and robbers: a study of the floral visitors of Heliconia angusta (Heliconiaceae and their behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hensen, Isabell

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Floral syndromes are traditionally thought to be associated with particular pollinator groups. Ornithophilous flowers tend to have traits that facilitate bird pollination such as having long, narrow, tubular corollas, often vivid coloration and diluted, sucrose-rich nectar. However, recent studies have shown that flowers attract a broader spectrum of visitors than might be expected. Furthermore, the classification of floral visitors as ‘robbers’ or ‘pollinators’ often is not as simple as it seems, as pollinators can at times act as robbers and vice versa. We studied the species composition, behaviour and ecology of floral visitors, including potential pollinators and robbers, of Heliconia angusta (Heliconiaceae, an endemic understorey herb of the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. In addition, the impact of the plant inflorescence attractiveness and of weather and light conditions on visitor abundance and frequency was investigated. Flower visitors were found to be scarce with a total of only 151 visits being observed during 120 h of field observations. A stingless bee species (Trigona sp. appeared to be the most abundant visitor to the ornithophilous flowers of H. angusta, along with four different species of hummingbirds and two species of butterflies. We consider Trigona sp. rather as pollen robber, but which still has the potential to be a secondary pollinator, whereas the hummingbirds were the principle legitimate visitors. Most flower visitors were recorded between 9.00 am and 1.00 pm with a higher number visiting under semi-shaded conditions than in full shade. Hummingbird numbers increased with flower abundance while the other visitor group numbers were not affected.

Imaging the Alpine Fault: preliminary results from a detailed 3D-VSP experiment at the DFDP-2 drill site in Whataroa, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Vera; Bodenburg, Sascha; Buske, Stefan; Townend, John; Kellett, Richard; Savage, Martha; Schmitt, Douglas; Constantinou, Alexis; Eccles, Jennifer; Lawton, Donald; Hall, Kevin; Bertram, Malcolm; Gorman, Andrew

2017-04-01

The plate-bounding Alpine Fault in New Zealand is an 850 km long transpressive continental fault zone that is late in its earthquake cycle. The Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) aims to deliver insight into the geological structure of this fault zone and its evolution by drilling and sampling the Alpine Fault at depth. Previously analysed 2D reflection seismic data image the main Alpine Fault reflector at a depth of 1.5-2.2 km with a dip of approximately 48° to the southeast below the DFDP-2 borehole. Additionally, there are indications of a more complex 3D fault structure with several fault branches which have not yet been clearly imaged in detail. For that reason we acquired a 3D-VSP seismic data set at the DFDP-2 drill site in January 2016. A zero-offset VSP and a walk-away VSP survey were conducted using a Vibroseis source. Within the borehole, a permanently installed "Distributed Acoustic Fibre Optic Cable" (down to 893 m) and a 3C Sercel slimwave tool (down to 400 m) were used to record the seismic wavefield. In addition, an array of 160 three-component receivers with a spacing of 10 m perpendicular and 20 m parallel to the main strike of the Alpine Fault was set up and moved successively along the valley to record reflections from the main Alpine Fault zone over a broad depth range and to derive a detailed 3D tomographic velocity model in the hanging wall. We will show a detailed 3D velocity model derived from first-arrival traveltime tomography. Subsets of the whole data set were analysed separately to estimate the corresponding ray coverage and the reliability of the observed features in the obtained velocity model. By testing various inversion parameters and starting models, we derived a detailed near-surface velocity model that reveals the significance of the old glacial valley structures. Hence, this new 3D model improves the velocity model derived previously from a 2D seismic profile line in that area. Furthermore, processing of the dense 3C data

How do exhibition visitors describe aesthetic qualities?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Bente Dahl; Ravn, Anders Peter

2007-01-01

In this investigation, visitors to an art and design exhibition have used an interactive computer program to express the qualities they consider important for an art or design object (artefact). They have then used the program with their individually selected qualities to assess the artefacts. In...

Are TODs Over-Parked?

OpenAIRE

Cervero, Robert; Adkins, Arlie; Sullivan, Cathleen

2009-01-01

This study empirically investigates the proposition that TOD, and specifically housing near suburban rail stops, is “over-parked†in the U.S. This is done by comparing parking generation rates for 31 housing complexes near rail stops in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland, Oregon with on-site parking supplies and with ITE parking generation rates. Factors that explain parking demand for transit-oriented housing are also investigated, both statistically and through case analyses. The re...

Graduates from dual qualification courses, registered nurse and health visitor: a career history study.

Science.gov (United States)

Drennan, Vari M; Porter, Elizabeth M J; Grant, Robert L

2013-08-01

Educationalists and managers internationally are challenged to find ways of preparing, recruiting early in their careers, and retaining nurses into public health roles in primary care. Public health nursing qualifications are post-initial nurse registration in the United Kingdom as in some other countries. In the mid twentieth century there were a number of innovative programmes of dual qualification: registered nurse and health visitor (the United Kingdom term for public health nurse). To investigate the career histories of graduates from courses integrating both nursing and health visitor qualifications. An observational, survey study. The United Kingdom. A purposive sample of graduates from integrated registered nurse and health visitor programmes, 1959-1995, from one University. Self completed, anonymous, survey sent to graduates, with contact details known to the University and through snowballing techniques, in 2011. Forty five women (56%), graduates in all four decades, returned the survey. A significant majority (82%) had taken up health visitor posts on completing the course. Over their careers, 42% of all jobs held were as health visitors. Only four never worked in a post that required a health visiting qualification. Most had undertaken paid work throughout their careers that focused on aspects of public health, often linked to child, maternal and/or family wellbeing. Many held teaching/lecturing and management posts at some point in their career. Those holding management posts were more likely to report leaving them as a result of organisational re-structuring or redundancy than those in non-management posts. Courses that prepare students to be both nurses and health visitors result in a majority of graduates who take up posts as health visitors on qualification and subsequently. Nurse education planners may find this evidence of value in determining ways of providing a future workforce for public health nursing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All

Highlighting High Performance: National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Visitors Center, Golden, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgert, S.

2001-01-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitors Center, also known as the Dan Schaefer Federal Building, is a high-performance building located in Golden, Colorado. The 6,400-square-foot building incorporates passive solar heating, energy-efficient lighting, an evaporative cooling system, and other technologies to minimize energy costs and environmental impact. The Visitors Center displays a variety of interactive exhibits on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and the building includes an auditorium, a public reading room, and office space

Bark in the Park: A Review of Domestic Dogs in Parks

Science.gov (United States)

Weston, Michael A.; Fitzsimons, James A.; Wescott, Geoffrey; Miller, Kelly K.; Ekanayake, Kasun B.; Schneider, Thomas

2014-09-01

The presence of domestic dogs Canis familiaris in public open spaces is increasingly controversial. In our review of the literature, we located 133 publications of various types (papers, reports etc.) that examine some aspect of dogs in parks and open spaces (50 % focussed solely on dogs). There has been an exponential growth in the cumulative number of articles ( R 2 = 0.96; 82 % published since 1997); almost all pertain to temperate latitudes (97 %) and most to the northern hemisphere (62 %). Most articles focus on impacts on wildlife (51 %), zoonotic diseases (17 %), and people's perceptions regarding dogs (12 %). Articles mostly describe problems associated with dogs, while reports of low compliance with dog regulations are common. We outline six major findings regarding dogs in parks: (1) there is a paucity of information on dogs in parks, particularly in relation to their interactions with wildlife and regarding their management; (2) published studies are mainly restricted to a handful of locations in developed countries; (3) sectors of societies hold different views over the desirability of dogs in parks; (4) the benefits and risks of dogs to humans and park values are poorly documented and known; (5) dogs represent a notable disease risk in some but not all countries; and (6) coastal parks are over-represented in the literature in terms of potential negative impacts. Park managers globally require better information to achieve conservation outcomes from dog management in parks.

77 FR 73974 - Information Collection: Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest Visitor Surveys for Recreation...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-12

... conditions are being collected. In the summer of 2013, the Forest Service will collect feedback from visitors... amended, 5. Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 [Pub. L. 103-62] as amended, 6. Executive Order... managers better serve the public by translating visitor input into future strategic plans for these sites...

78 FR 90 - Defense Intelligence Agency National Intelligence University Board of Visitors Closed Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-02

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Intelligence Agency National Intelligence University Board of Visitors Closed Meeting AGENCY: National Intelligence University, Defense Intelligence... hereby given that a closed meeting of the National Intelligence University Board of Visitors has been...

Exploration of Science Parks

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiong Huibing; Sun Nengli

2005-01-01

Science parks have developed gready in the world, whereas empirical researches have showed that science parks based on linear model cannot guarantee the creation of innovation. Hi-tech innovation is derived from flow and management of information. The commercial and social interactions between in-parks and off-park firms and research institutions act as the key determinant for innovation.Industrial clustering is the rational choice for further developing Chinese science parks and solving some problems such as the lack of dear major industries and strong innovation sense, etc.

Sustainable Design and Construction of the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, J.; Sizemore, M.; Cornils, K.

2009-01-01

In September 2008, the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center was awarded the platinum certification level by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the highest level achievable under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) rating system. The Visitors Center, which is maintained and operated under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management, is the first building in Ohio, the second DOE building and one of approximately 100 buildings worldwide to achieve platinum certification. As a sustainable building, the Visitors Center includes a ground source heat pump, a bio-treatment wetland system, recycled construction materials, native and no-irrigation plants and numerous other components to reduce energy, electricity, and water consumption and to lessen the building's impact on the environment. The building's conceptual design was originally developed by the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), with input from the community, and the building was designed and built by the Megen Construction Company-glaserworks team, under the direction of S.M. Stoller, Corporation, the Legacy Management contractor for the Fernald Preserve and the DOE Office of Legacy Management. The project required a committed effort by all members of the project team. This is the first sustainable building constructed as part of the cleanup of the environmental legacy of the Cold War. The Visitors Center's exhibits, reading room, and programs will help to educate the community about the Fernald Preserve's environmental legacy and show how our decisions affect the environment. (authors)

Evidence of public engagement with science: visitor learning at a zoo-housed primate research centre.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bridget M Waller

Full Text Available Primate behavioural and cognitive research is increasingly conducted on direct public view in zoo settings. The potential of such facilities for public engagement with science is often heralded, but evidence of tangible, positive effects on public understanding is rare. Here, the effect of a new zoo-based primate research centre on visitor behaviour, learning and attitudes was assessed using a quasi-experimental design. Zoo visitors approached the primate research centre more often when a scientist was present and working with the primates, and reported greater awareness of primates (including conservation compared to when the scientist was not present. Visitors also reported greater perceived learning when the scientist was present. Installation of information signage had no main effect on visitor attitudes or learning. Visitors who interacted with the signage, however, demonstrated increased knowledge and understanding when asked about the specific information present on the signs (which was related to the ongoing facial expression research at the research centre. The findings show that primate behaviour research centres on public view can have a demonstrable and beneficial effect on public understanding of science.

Evidence of public engagement with science: visitor learning at a zoo-housed primate research centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, Bridget M; Peirce, Kate; Mitchell, Heidi; Micheletta, Jerome

2012-01-01

Primate behavioural and cognitive research is increasingly conducted on direct public view in zoo settings. The potential of such facilities for public engagement with science is often heralded, but evidence of tangible, positive effects on public understanding is rare. Here, the effect of a new zoo-based primate research centre on visitor behaviour, learning and attitudes was assessed using a quasi-experimental design. Zoo visitors approached the primate research centre more often when a scientist was present and working with the primates, and reported greater awareness of primates (including conservation) compared to when the scientist was not present. Visitors also reported greater perceived learning when the scientist was present. Installation of information signage had no main effect on visitor attitudes or learning. Visitors who interacted with the signage, however, demonstrated increased knowledge and understanding when asked about the specific information present on the signs (which was related to the ongoing facial expression research at the research centre). The findings show that primate behaviour research centres on public view can have a demonstrable and beneficial effect on public understanding of science.

Sellafield visitor centre: techniques for bringing technology to the community