Visitation Rate Analysis of Geoheritage Features from Earth Science Education Perspective Using Automated Landform Classification and Crowdsourcing: A Geoeducation Capacity Map of the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

Abstract

The increase in geoheritage studies has secured recognition globally regarding the importance of abiotic natural features. Prominent in geoheritage screening practices follows a multicriteria assessment framework; however, the complexity of interest in values often causes decision making to overlook geoeducation, one of the primary facets of geosystem services. Auckland volcanic field in New Zealand stretches through the whole area of metropolitan Auckland, which helps preserve volcanic cones and their cultural heritage around its central business district (CBD). They are important sites for developing tourist activities. Geoeducation is becoming a significant factor for tourists and others visiting geomorphological features, but it cannot be achieved without sound planning. This paper investigates the use of big data (FlickR), Geopreservation Inventory, and Geographic Information System for identifying geoeducation capacity of tourist attractions. Through landform classification using the Topographic Position Index and integrated with geological and the inventory data, the underpromoted important geoeducation sites can be mapped and added to the spatial database Auckland Council uses for urban planning. The use of the Geoeducation Capacity Map can help resolve conflicts between the multiple objectives that a bicultural, metropolitan city council need to tackle in the planning of upgrading open spaces while battling of growing demand for land.

The Evolution of Ecotourism on Geoheritage in Scientific Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…However, its usefulness is limited due to its concentration in certain regions and the need for broader data. This research acknowledges the lack of conceptual uniformity and unanimity in this field, as noted by Németh's and Procter (2021), this paper discusses the challenges in decision-making due to the complexity of value interests and how this often neglects geo-education. Researchers used automated landform classification and crowdsourcing through platforms such as Flickr to analyze visitation rates and identify key geoeducational sites.…”

Understanding Landscape Aesthetics Using a Novel Viewshed Assessment of Social Media Locations Within the Troodos UNESCO Global Geopark, Cyprus

“…Some authors have tried to normalize the skewed distribution of Flickr data by transforming visitation rates. (Németh et al, 2021b). While other studies clean social media data using the "Photo User Days" (PUD) metric introduced by Wood et al (2013), filters social media data to represent a single photograph per user per day.…”

“…Here, social media datasets, such as those from Flickr, Twitter, and Reddit, are an invaluable resource, due to their high spatiotemporal resolution and the relative ease with which they can be obtained (Fox et al, 2020a). In particular, social media datasets are effective at assessing a range of cultural ecosystem services including aesthetic appeal (Figueroa-Alfaro and Tang, 2017;Van Berkel et al, 2018;Johnson et al, 2019); recreational activities (Mancini et al, 2018;Graham and Eigenbrod, 2019;Fox et al, 2021a); spiritual and religious beliefs (Thiagarajah et al, 2015;Fox et al, 2021b); and identifying trends in geoeducation and geoconservation at tourist attractions (Németh et al, 2021b). However, not all social media posts are related to CES, for example, posts may not pertain to interactions with nature (e.g., photographs of food, text posts about a film), and where posts are about interactions with nature, they may not reflect a positive relationship (e.g., a picture of a fallen tree accompanied text post about damage from a flood).…”

“…Data from Flickr has previously been used to assess the relationship between geodiversity and cultural ecosystem services (Fox et al, 2022), geoconservation (Németh et al, 2021b), as well as aesthetic services (Figueroa-Alfaro and Tang, 2017;Van Berkel et al, 2018). However, to date, no such study exists that uses Flickr data to assess aesthetic services where geodiversity or geoconservation are intersected with the visual context the user engages with.…”

Landslides, a Key Landform in the Global Geological Heritage

“…Education and public outreach allow great progress in any geoconservation field (Németh et al, 2021) and contribute to disseminate the importance of geoheritage (Reynard and Coratza, 2016). Therefore, raising awareness of students, politicians, stakeholders, and the public on the scientific importance of landslides, on their causes -including those directly and indirectly induced by anthropic actions -on their impact in shaping the landscape, and on their hazardous and economic effects on society, can provide them with important knowledge about how landslides can affect the environment and, consequently, human life (e.g., Giordan et al, 2015).…”