HOP!: a PGIS and citizen science approach to monitoring the condition of upland paths

Abstract

This research project was inspired by the increase in popularity of hillwalking and the problem of the lack of monitoring and maintenance of upland paths which may lead to serious deterioration of those paths. Wicklow Mountains National Park (WMNP), just south of Dublin City in Ireland, has a large network of mostly informal upland paths. A comprehensive baseline survey of many of these paths was carried out by a professional in 2002/3, but they have not been surveyed since.
The aim of the research is to design an app to collect data on the condition of hiking paths in WMNP using a PGIS approach combined with citizen science, and to compare the current condition with that recorded in 2002/3 surveys.
The PGIS approach to collecting data on path condition involved consultations with the District Conservation Officer of WMNP and with hillwalkers, which were held at a number of stages during the project. These consultations informed the design of the path condition survey, the app, and the format of the presentation of the results in GIS. They also resulted in the recruitment of citizen scientists to carry out the surveys.
An app called HOP! (which stands for How’s Our Path!) was developed in PhoneGap and runs on iOS and Android mobile devices. The app prompts the user to record path condition indicators, including path width, depth and braiding, and to take photographs at pre-set target points along a chosen hiking path. Eight of the twenty four WMNP paths surveyed in 2002/3 were successfully surveyed in 2016/17 with the HOP! app by five hillwalkers, acting as volunteer data collectors. The 2002/3 path condition data was converted into a structured format in order to display it in ArcGIS and in the app, and to compare the current condition with that recorded in 2002/3.
The HOP! app was found to be easy to use and effective, and geolocated photographs, including a hiking pole to assist in judging scale, were found to be very valuable in recording the path condition. While 60% of the locations surveyed showed some improvement or no change in overall path condition, 71% of these locations had deteriorated in some way – path widening, deepening or braiding. The overall condition of six of the eight paths was found to have disimproved since they were surveyed in 2002/3. It is concluded that valuable path condition data can be collected by volunteers using the HOP! app.

Popular Abstract

Hill walking is a popular and growing activity in Ireland, where there are large areas of relatively unspoilt and beautiful hills and mountains with lots of wildlife. This healthy pastime has many benefits, but unfortunately it can have a damaging effect in some areas, including erosion, litter and disturbance of ecosystems.

In particular, hiking trails can become so over-used that they are reduced to muddy areas which are impassable in wet weather. Paths are made wider by walkers avoiding the main muddy trail, and gradually a large area is destroyed. However, these problems can be minimised by regularly monitoring the condition of the paths and by doing repair work, as appropriate.

Unfortunately, the cost of monitoring means that it often cannot be carried out as regularly as required. For example, the hiking paths in Wicklow Mountains National Park (WMNP) were surveyed in 2002/2003 by a professional surveyor, but no subsequent professional surveys have been carried out due to lack of funds. This spectacular park is over 20,000 hectares and is very popular, mainly because it is close to the capital city Dublin and it includes the well-known historic site of Glendalough.

This research project addresses the problem of the lack of funds for path monitoring by enlisting the help of the WMNP management and hillwalkers to devise a solution using Geographic Information System (GIS) concepts, mobile technology, and “citizen science”. An app called HOP! (How’s Our Path!) was specially designed to enable hillwalkers, acting as “citizen scientists”, to carry out a basic path survey. Incorporating the latest mobile technology and open source software, HOP! was developed using a Participatory GIS (PGIS) approach in cooperation with WMNP and hillwalkers. It enabled the volunteer surveyors to easily record the path condition, including path width and depth, the number of parallel paths (braiding), and geolocated photographs. The data collected for eight paths was then reviewed in a GIS to see how the condition of the paths had changed in the intervening 15 years.

40% of the locations surveyed showed overall disimprovement, and a huge 71% of all locations had deteriorated in some way – path widening, deepening or braiding. The general condition of six of the eight paths was found to have disimproved since they were surveyed in 2002/3.

This project has shown the valuable potential of the monitoring of path conditions by hillwalkers. A full campaign of recording path conditions in WMNP using HOP! is a feasible proposition. The research enables hillwalkers, who really care for the environment, to contribute in a very positive and useful way to the conservation of the paths they love.

• author: Harty, Niamh
• supervisor: Micael Runnström
• organization: Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
• course: GISM01 20182
• year: 2018
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• keywords: geography, GIS, Participatory GIS, Citizen Science, path surveys
• publication/series: Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science
• report number: 91
• language: English
• id: 8962644
• date added to LUP: 2018-10-31 15:01:44
• date last changed: 2018-10-31 15:01:44