Using social media/online data to understand human use of coastal-marine environments

[me...@sdcarr.com]

Dear SCB members,

 

A recent article in the MEAM newsletter covers how researchers and practitioners are gleaning information from social media and other online data to better understand how people are using coastal and marine environments and resources, as well as conduct coastal and marine monitoring. In the article, we explore:

- applications of the new social science of “culturomics” to identify conservation emblems and conservation constituencies and provide metrics and tools for near-real-time environmental monitoring

- how online forums can be used to understand the dynamics of a fishing communities

- how Flickr was used to estimate values of coral reef tourism

- how Twitter can be used to help monitor and model flooding, and

- how Facebook can be used to understand how ocean and coastal resources are used.

 

This topic was absolutely fascinating to cover, and we hope these case studies provide some inspiration for other resource managers and conservation practitioners.

 

And as always, the newsletter provides a summary of the latest news and resources for ocean planners and managers.

 

Apologies for any cross-postings.

 

Best wishes,

Sarah Carr

Sarah D. Carr. Ph.D.

Editor, Marine Ecosystems and Management

E-mail: me...@sdcarr.com
Phone: 202-302-3059
Skype: sdcarr