Squeezing the most from volunteered geographic information to monitor mountain biking in peri-urban protected and recreational areas at a metropolitan scale

Recent studies have proved that volunteered geographic information is a valid data source to monitor outdoor activities within protected and recreational areas. However, these studies were carried out mainly at local scales, overlooking the real potential of such data for managing recreational activ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Nogueira Mendes, Ricardo Manuel, Farías Torbidoni, Estela Inés, Pereira da Silva, Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
Repositorio:Repositori Obert UdL
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/463167
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2023.100624
https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/463167
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:VGI
Mountain bikers
Peri-urban parks
Monitoring
GPS tracks
Descripción
Sumario:Recent studies have proved that volunteered geographic information is a valid data source to monitor outdoor activities within protected and recreational areas. However, these studies were carried out mainly at local scales, overlooking the real potential of such data for managing recreational activities on larger scales. In this research, using 9526 mountain bike tracks shared by 1319 identified riders, we studied 5 different peri-urban parks in a large metropolitan area. We learned that mountain biking actively targets these areas and that recreational behaviours shift according to each location. Users' commitment could be inferred from the dataset, adding new value to previous studies. This broader scale can also provide insights regarding riders’ preferences and behaviours, providing park staff and managers with better information ranging from use intensity in the entire area to identifying environmental and social conflicts, thereby allowing measures to be taken to mitigate these. Management implications •GPS tracks from volunteered geographic information (VGI) can provide park managers with information regarding recreational uses in their territories. •Uses and behaviours vary among local protected and recreational areas (P&RAs) regarding mountain biking in a metropolitan context. •These datasets can help managers of P&RAs to monitor mountain biking activity, its displacement and intensity. The datasets also help to identify suitable locations for implementing real counts, surveys, or awareness campaigns targeting this particular user group.