Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
presents the most appropriate option for reducing the effect of arbitrary data
boundaries (modifiable areal unit problem). The distance buffer method increases
the total number of polygons in the sample, but allows for more information
program boundaries that are less dependent on (potentially irrelevant) political
boundaries (Omer
2006
). In this representation technique, residents from one
city are permitted to attend events hosted in another city if they are closer to their
home. It was proposed that to determine the radius of the circle by assuming that
rational behavior would encourage information seekers to go to the closer of two
similar information sources. Average distance between similar points was used to
determine the radius of the buffer. Using the interviews with water educators as
justification for the coding system, unstaffed permanent information kiosks were
classified points, staffed temporary information booths, classes, billboard
advertisements, and interactive permanent staffed demonstrations or exhibits (buffer
radii: information kiosk
10 km, booth
17 km, class
15 km, ad
34 km,
¼
¼
¼
¼
exhibit
45 km). Values inside overlapping buffers were summed. This is a simplis-
tic approach sometimes used in transportation research (Kim and Kwan
2003
).
¼
3.6.2 Reconciling Effort
The second problem with the data representation involves the expected impact of
one program versus another. Research on the diffusion of innovation suggests that
there may be differences in the effectiveness of broadly applied informational
materials and those targeted to community leaders or those with a pre-existing
interest (Rogers
1995
). To try to accommodate the differences in the likely impact
of a course in arid landscaping that attracts a few people, but offers deep knowledge
in a variety of issues, with more popular advertising through newspapers, which
reach substantially larger audiences, but contain less information and can be easily
ignored, an economic proxy was developed to create a relative ranking across
programs requiring different types of user participation. This method assumes
that each organization strives to allocate resources (including financial and volun-
teer capital) effectively and efficiently, maximizing information transfer and the
potential for use (O'Reilly
1982
; Saunders and Jones
1990
). The economic proxy
uses a combination of real expenses and estimated costs to create standardized “per
program” estimates. Each estimate can then be calculated as a per capita expense
for the intended reach of the program.
Economic Proxy
hourly wage
for similar work as a paid position + total paid wages] + [material development
and implementation costs]}/[total population of estimated service area].
{[material production cost] + [volunteer hours
¼
The proxy can be summed across all programs operating in the same geographic
extent to calculate the cumulative effort to inform the public across all
organizations. Example calculations for programs appear in Table
3.2
.
