title: Analysis of intensity and spatial patterns of public use in natural treatment systems using geotagged photos from social media.
abstract: Patterns of public use in 273 natural treatment systems worldwide are investigated by means of geotagged data from two popular photo-sharing websites, using spatial analysis and regression techniques. Standardized Major Axis (SMA) regression is found to perform better than other univariate calibration models in terms of goodness of fit with reported visitation frequencies and predictive accuracy, and is used to predict visitation rates in 139 systems that are associated with at least one geotagged photograph. High visitation rates are found in free-water surface (FWS) constructed wetlands and mixed pond-constructed wetlands systems, as well as systems treating surface water or stormwater runoff. Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques are used to map hot and cold spots of public use in two highly visited systems. Binomial logit regression reveals that the probability to be associated with at least one geotagged photograph is a function of system size, system type, and influent water quality. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the evaluation of public use in multifunctional ecologically engineered systems as well as the applicability of the proposed methodology to other natural and man-made ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel. Electronic address: aghermand@univ.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghermandi
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D061005:Ponds; D061108:Social Media; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D060753:Water Quality; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: Ancillary benefits; Constructed wetlands; Cultural ecosystem services; Ecological engineering; Recreation demand; Waste stabilization ponds