Multimodality for Passive Experience: Effects of Visual, Auditory, Vibration and Draught Stimuli on Sense of Presence

Adequate use of multimodal stimuli plays a crucial role in help forming the sense of presence within a virtual environment. While most of the presence research attempts to engage more sensory modalities to induce a higher sense of presence, this paper investigates the relevance of each sensory modality and different combinations on the subjective sense of presence using a specifically designed scenario of a passive experience. We chose a neutral test scenario of “waiting at a train station while a train is passing by” to avoid the potential influence of story narrative on mental presence and replicated realistic multimodal stimuli that are highly relevant to our test setting. All four stimuli -visual, auditory, vibration, and draught -with 16 possibilities of combinations were systematically evaluated with 24 participants. The evaluation was performed on one crucial aspect of presence –“realness” to reflect user presence in general. The perceived realism value was assessed using a scalometer. The findings of main effects indicate that the auditory stimuli had the most significant contribution in creating the sense of presence. The results of interaction effects suggest the impact of draught stimuli is significant in relation to other stimuli -visual and auditory. Also, the gender effects revealed that the sense of presence reported by female participants is influenced by more factors than merely adding more sensory modalities

Exponential Growth Pattern of Consumer Well-Being and Attractiveness of Tourism Digital Destination

This research aims to explore the connective patterns of 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being (environmental altruism, spiritual attunement, inspirational mindfulness, bio-psychological aspect, entrepreneurship, social connectedness, and cultural identity) to induce more tourism growth attractiveness in visiting the digital destination of the My Trip My Adventure (MTMA) Labuan Bajo YouTube platform. The study stems from a postmodern approach where the virtual world and reality are eroded in digital technology development. This study enriches that postmodern perspective by elaborating on 7 dimensions of tourism consumer welfare and the 4 V’s of digital technology innovation (volume, variety, velocity, and veracity). This study collected comments, replies, and ‘like’ expressions on YouTube from October 2016 to October 2019 from the My Trip My Adventure (MTMA) Labuan Bajo YouTube platform. The researchers then analyzed through thematic analysis and social network analysis. This research confirms the polynomial growth pattern from the 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being. In general, the pattern goes up from environmental well-being to inspirational mindfulness. Then, it descends to biophysical well-being. It is because to have exponential growth; tourism needs to be absent temporarily. Suddenly after that, the growth goes up in terms of social and cultural well-being. The findings can benefit tourism practitioners in orchestrating their 7 dimensions of tourism consumer well-being as destination orchestrators

Exploring the Importance of Values, Place, and Perceptions in Conservation Decision-making in Maine: a Mixed Methods Approach

Conservation inherently involves intertwined ecological systems and human societies. In Maine, USA conservation decision-making brings together many viewpoints, values, motivations, and experiences to balance diverse goals. Socio-cultural, experiential, financial, and ecological factors can all influence an individual’s ability to make or support a decision. This dissertation aimed to broadly explore how people perceive their role in conservation decision-making in Maine. In doing so, we articulate a diverse set of perspectives, experiences, and values. We used a mixed methods approach which enabled an in-depth understanding of the complexity of conservation decision-making while providing the opportunity for different voices to be heard. Specifically, we focused on the experiences and perspectives of conservation practitioners, students and partners engaged in collaborative natural resource management, and those who are affected by and/or affect conservation decisions. We first conducted a qualitative interview study of practitioner experiences and values, which informed a quantitative survey study of public values and preferences, as well as a case study of a university-community conservation partnership. In Chapter 2, we describe the diverse values, goals, and motivations for conservation based on interviews with conservation practitioners. In Chapter 3, we further explore a particular subset of values from Chapter 2 related to practitioner perspectives around involving people in conservation based on the interviews. Chapter 4 introduces a case study to understand the role of place-based education within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) college-level course. In doing so, we describe a specific application of engagement in a local context while also exploring student perceptions of engaging with conservation practitioners. In Chapter 5, we surveyed diverse individuals to understand their perceptions of moose and moose management in Maine. The survey results highlight hunter, recreationist, and landowner perspectives around environmental change. Together, this dissertation describes a diverse set of values, motivations, and experiences, which illuminate the following in the context of Maine: (1) whom or what is conserved, (2) how it is conserved, (3) who benefits from its conservation, and (4) how is power shared within decision-making or collaboration. Additionally, we share implications for conservation participation and engagement, communication, and education

Recreation, tourism and nature in a changing world : proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 2010

Proceedings of the fifth international conference on monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas : Wageningen, the Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 201

The Architecture and Measurement of an Ecosystem Services Index

This paper describes the construction of an ecological services index (ESI). An ESI is meant to summarize and track over time the magnitude of beneficial services arising from the natural environment. A central task of this paper is to define rigorously ecosystem services so that services can be counted in an economically and ecologically defensible manner—a requirement if ecological contributions to welfare are to be incorporated into the national accounts. This paper advocates a particular economic structure and relates it to index theory and makes concrete recommendations for the measurement of such an index.ecosystem services, Green GDP, index numbers, ecological economics

A methodological framework for analysis of participatory mapping data in research, planning, and management

Today, various methods are applied to analyze the data collected through participatory mapping, including public participation GIS (PPGIS), participatory GIS (PGIS), and collecting volunteered geographic information (VGI). However, these methods lack an organized framework to describe and guide their systematic applications. Majority of the published articles on participatory mapping apply a specific subset of analyses that fails to situate the methods within a broader, more holistic context of research and practice. Based on the expert workshops and a literature review, we synthesized the existing analysis methods applied to the data collected through participatory mapping approaches. In this article, we present a framework of methods categorized into three phases: Explore, Explain, and Predict/Model. Identified analysis methods have been highlighted with empirical examples. The article particularly focuses on the increasing applications of online PPGIS and web-based mapping surveys for data collection. We aim to guide both novice and experienced practitioners in the field of participatory mapping. In addition to providing a holistic framework for understanding data analysis possibilities, we also discuss potential directions for future developments in analysis of participatory mapping data.Peer reviewe

Together alone: an exploration of the virtual event experience

After 50 years in development, virtual reality (VR) has now become commercially available to consumers. The events industry has started to adopt this transformational technology, by implementing it into live events, or using it as an alternative method for providing event experiences. However, little research attempts to compare real to virtual event experiences to understand perceived user benefits and drawbacks. Using Uses and Gratifications (UG) Theory, this study aims to understand the possible user benefits provided from virtual event experiences. A process was designed that incorporated the viewing of a VR experience that was similar to an event previously attended by respondents. They were then interviewed and performed a Product Reaction Card exercise to compare their experiences. Analysis of the data suggests that current 360 VR technology can be used to extend the experiencescape but not replace live events. Respondents indicate that VR provides emotional gratifications that may build positive associations with event organizations and brands. However, VR in its current form does not provide the social and sensory gratifications of live events. VR can therefore be used to deepen relationships with existing participants or encourage future participation at events

Connecting to nature via ecotourism as sustainable development

2014 Spring.This dissertation presents a case study of ecotourism as sustainable development focused on the potential of the tourist as agent of sustainable development when she returns to the global North. This possibility is framed in terms of a tourist "connecting to nature" and thus becoming an agent of sustainable development. This potential is investigated via the comparison of a "real" rainforest and its "simulation" and this also investigates the role of the biophysical in shaping this connection. After describing an initial period of data collection the author explains why he adopted the framework of "environmental imaginaries" as a language to describe the multiple and often conflicting natures to which tourists connect. Using this framework two forms of connecting are identified, "recruiting" and "reinforcing". The role of the biophysical is explored for both forms of connecting as well as the implications for both upon the tourist's return home

Assessing the Benefit Produced by Marine Protected Areas: The Case of Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area (Italy)

The article focuses on the integrated environmental accounting model called ‘eValue’, developed for protected areas and applied in the research programme coordinated by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and aimed at implementing an environmental accounting system for Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). eValue adopts a cost-benefit analysis approach. Financial accounting based on costs and revenues is integrated with environmental accounting, which reflects environmental costs and environmental revenues, i.e., environmental benefits. The environ-mental costs assess the impacts related to human activities in the MPA expressed by calculating the carbon footprint and the environmental benefits of the marine ecosystem services calculated by applying monetary valuation techniques. The values thus estimated flow into the annual flow account, where the value produced (or consumed) by the MPA is estimated by difference. The eValue model was applied to the Porto Cesareo MPA (Italy). eValue showed that the annual benefit-cost ratio reaches a value of 3.4. Furthermore, the ratio of net benefit to public funding is 3.7, completely covering the number of public transfers and thus summarizing the MPA overall value for money