Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (Ioos): A Prototype User Valuation, Charles S. Colgan, Castelletto Anthony

Publications

The Integrated Ocean Observing System of the United States provides a large variety of oceanographic and related data at no charge through 11 Regional Associations. Since the data is distributed without price it is difficult to determine the economic value of the data. That value is useful in explaining and justifying the investment in ocean observing. This study applies discrete choice modeling to determine valuation of the data for users of data through the RA websites. The study found annual values of $190 to $220 million, and these estimates are considered highly conservative. A guide for replication of the valuation …

The Evolution Of Ai On The Commercial Flight Deck: Finding Balance Between Efficiency And Safety While Maintaining The Integrity Of Operator Trust, Mark Miller, Sam Holley, Leila Halawi

Publications

As artificial intelligence (AI) seeks to improve modern society, the commercial aviation industry offers a significant opportunity. Although many parts of commercial aviation including maintenance, the ramp, and air traffic control show promise to integrate AI, the highly computerized digital flight deck (DFD) could be challenging. The researchers seek to understand what role AI could provide going forward by assessing AI evolution on the commercial flight deck over the past 50 years. A modified SHELL diagram is used to complete a Human Factors (HF) analysis of the early use for AI on the commercial flight deck through introduction of the …

Science Communication As A Collective Intelligence Endeavour: A Manifesto And Examples For Implementation, Maria Petrescu

Publications

Effective science communication is challenging when scientific messages are informed by a continually updating evidence base and must often compete against misinformation. We argue for the need for a new programme of science communication as collective intelligence—a collaborative approach, supported by technology. This would have four key advantages over the typical model where scientists communicate as individuals: scientific messages would be informed by (1) a wider base of aggregated knowledge, (2) contributions from a diverse scientific community, (3) participatory input from stakeholders, and (4) better responsiveness to ongoing changes in the state of knowledge.

Cyber Social Threats 2020 Workshop Meta-Report: Covid-19, Challenges, Methodological And Ethical Considerations, Ugur Kursuncu, Yelena Mejova, Jeremy Blackburn, Amit Sheth

Publications

Online platforms have been increasingly misused by ill-intentioned actors, affecting our society, often leading to real-world events of social significance. On the other hand, recog-nizing the narratives related to harmful behaviors is challeng-ing due to its complex and sensitive nature. The Cyber SocialThreats Workshop 2020 aimed to stimulate research for thechallenges on methodological and ethical considerations indeveloping novel approaches to analyze online harmful con-versations, concerning social, cultural, emotional, commu-nicative, and linguistic aspects. It provided a forum to bringtogether researchers and practitioners from both academiaand industry in the areas of computational social sciences, so-cial network analysis and mining, natural language process-ing, …

Can Simulated Nature Support Mental Health? Comparing Short, Single-Doses Of 360-Degree Nature Videos In Virtual Reality With The Outdoors, Michael H.E.M. Browning, Katherine J. Mimnaugh, Carena J. Van Riper, Heidemarie K. Laurent, Steven M. Lavalle

Publications

Nature exposure in virtual reality (VR) can provide emotional well-being benefits for people who cannot access the outdoors. Little is known about how these simulated experiences compare with real outdoor experiences. We conduct an experiment with healthy undergraduate students that tests the effects of 6 min of outdoor nature exposure with 6 min of exposure to a 360-degree VR nature video, which is recorded at the outdoor nature exposure location. Skin conductivity, restorativeness, and mood before and after exposure are measured. We find that both types of nature exposure increase physiological arousal, benefit positive mood levels, and are restorative compared …

Iran, Diane M. Zorri

Publications

Internet access in Iran is characterized by strong censorship, limited access, surveillance, and widespread state-sanctioned propaganda. The regime in Tehran views internet freedom as a critical threat to its national security (Henry, Pettyjohn, and York 2014). Using an index of variables such as obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights, the nongovernmental organization Freedom House rates Iran’s internet access as “not free” (Freedom House 2018). On a scale of zero to one hundred, where zero is “free” and one hundred is “not free,” Freedom House scores Iran at an eighty-five, making it the least free nation …

Research Incentive Programs For Closures Of Public And Private Grade Crossings, Julius Codjoe

Publications

Vehicle-train crashes that occur at highway-rail crossings result in injuries, fatalities, and damage to equipment. In order to reduce the number of vehicle-train crashes, Federal Railroad Administration requires states which have challenges with crossing safety, including Louisiana, to develop a State Action Plan to improve grade crossing safety. Consequently, identification of specific solutions for improving safety at crossings was included in the 2015 Louisiana Transportation Plan as one of its objectives. This study seeks to identify and evaluate current and new incentive programs that encourage closure of at-grade railroad crossings to reduce the number of potential vehicle-train collision points, and …

State Of The U.S. Ocean And Coastal Economies 2014, Judith T. Kildow, Charles S. Colgan, Jason D. Scorse, Pat Johnston, Matt Nichols

Publications

The nation's coasts and oceans contribute much to the United States economy. For the past 14 years, the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP), now a program of the Center for the Blue Economy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, has compiled time-series data that track economic activities, demographics, ports and cargo volume and value, natural resource production and value, non-market values, and federal expenditures in the U.S. coastal zone both on land and in the water. A report on the ocean and coastal economies of the United States was released by NOEP in 2009 covering data through 2005. The …

Coastal And Ocean Economic Summaries Of The Coastal States 2014, Pat Johnston

Publications

The following summaries of the ocean and coastal economies were prepared by the National Ocean Economics Program as a companion the State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies 2014. The U.S. report, its appendices, and these state summary reports are available on the NOEP website at www.OceanEconomics.org/download.

State Of The U.S. Ocean And Coastal Economies 2009, Judith T. Kildow, Charles S. Colgan, Jason D. Scorse

Publications

This nation’s coasts and oceans contribute much to the United States economy. For the past ten years, the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) has compiled time-series data that track economic activities,demographics, natural resource production, non-market values, and federal expenditures in the U.S. coastal zone both on land and in the water. On the website www.oceaneconomics.org, the public—government officials,academics, industry, and advocacy groups—have had interactive access to this information and used it widely for many different purposes. This report features highlights from this collection to heighten appreciation for the value of the ocean and this nation’s coasts among an even …

Book Review: Tourists In Space: A Practical Guide, T. D. Oswalt

Publications

This document is Dr. Oswalt’s review of Tourists in Space : a Practical Guide by Erik Seedhouse. Springer/Praxis, 2008 314p, 9780387746432 $34.95

Phase Ii Florida’S Ocean And Coastal Economies Report, Judith T. Kildow Dr

Publications

Phase II of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economics Report was prepared for the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council and funded under contract #RM077 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Phase I report of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies provided basic information that the NOEP compiles for all coastal states about employment, wages and output of those activities located geographically along Florida’s shoreline (Coastal Economy) as well as those activities directly dependent upon the oceans (Ocean Economy). That information not only described the status and trends of Florida’s Coastal and Ocean Economy but allowed comparison to economies in other …

California Ocean And Coastal Investment Study Final Report, Kildow

Publications

The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP), in cooperation with the California Coastal Conservancy and the Ocean Protection Council (OPC), completed this study to provide an inventory of state expenditures for the coast and ocean for fiscal years 2005-06 (FY 2006) and 2006-07 (FY 2007). The purpose of the study is to understand where current public investments are being made and whether further investments need to occur to be consistent with the OPC Strategic Plan as well as those of various state programs.

The Economic Contribution Of Marine Science And Education Institutions In The Monterey Bay Crescent, Judith T. Kildow Dr, Nathaniel Miller

Publications

Ocean and coastal areas of the United States contribute significantly to our nation’s overall economy. The extent to which our economy benefits from the wide range of marine and coastal activities is not completely understood. The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) has attempted to track and value the ocean and coastal- related economic activities in the United States. To date six sectors are included in its information system (www.oceaneconomics.org). The economic contribution of marine research and education institutions is a sector of activity that lies outside of the normal federal government datasets, but one which seemed to have growing importance …

The Value Of Marine Institutions: An Economic Survey Of Marine Research And Education Institutions In Monterey And Santa Cruz Counties, Judith T. Kildow Dr, Nathaniel Miller

Publications

It is recognized that ocean and coastal areas of the United States contribute significantly to our nation’s overall economy. What is not completely understood is the extent to and manner in which our economy benefits from the wide range of marine and coastal activities. One area of the ocean economy that has not been collectively measured or examined is the contribution of marine research and education institutions. The goal of the project was to create a prototype strategy at a local level for collecting data at a national level, in order to create an economic sector of these institutions and …

Hurricane Damage To The Ocean, Charles S. Colgan, Jefferey Adkins

Publications

In 2005, insured losses from hurricanes and other catastrophes were greater than in any other year in U.S. history. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center estimates that $85 billion of total damages resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone. One year later, the region affected by these two hurricanes still struggles to recover, both as a place to live and as a viable economy. Using data from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the National Ocean Economics Program has developed a data series that allows the economic damage to coastal regions to be seen in a new light: what happens …

Phase I Florida's Ocean And Coastal Economies Report, Judith T. Kildow Dr

Publications

This report was prepared for and funded by the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection with the encouragement of members from the Florida Ocean Alliance, Florida Oceans and Coastal Resources Council and other groups with deep interests in the future of Florida’s coast. It is a preliminary study of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies based only on information currently found within the datasets of the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP). It reflects only a portion of the value of Florida’s coastal-related economy and should not be considered comprehensive. A more customized study based on the unique coastal and ocean-dependent economic …

Digital Democracy And Its Application To The International Arena – From “Deliberation” To “Decision”, Alexander Siedschlag

Publications

Apart from the discussion about computer-mediated change in community and domestic political affairs, there is a pending debate on general effects of internet- or “net”-based communication on international politics. The reference to international politics rather than international relations is a consciously chosen one – for this paper focuses on net effects on collective decision-making rather than international-society processes. IP/IR driven research on internet-induced political change does not very much link itself to the state of knowledge in internet-and-politics research. Rather, it commonly departs from sub-discipline specific concepts such as neorealist power analysis or post-international turbulence analysis (cf. Allison 2002).

Measurement Of The Ocean And Coastal Economy: Theory And Methods, Charles S. Colgan

Publications

This paper supplements reports and data released on the coastal and ocean economy of the United States by the National Ocean Economics Project. It provides a discussion of the relevant literature involved in the investigation of the ocean and coastal related economy, the theoretical background of measures such as gross domestic and gross state product, and provides details on sources, methods, assumptions, and limitations of the data provided by NOEP.

Mitigating The Negative Effects Of Stress In Space Flight: A Transactional Approach, Haydee Maria Cuevas

Publications

The primary goal of this theoretical paper is to highlight how a transactional approach to investigating stressor effects during space flight can lead to a greater understanding of the complex processes by which humans adapt psychologically and physically to the adverse conditions encountered in this extreme environment.Transactional approaches conceptualize stress as occurring in the nature of the "transaction" (Le., interaction) between the individual and the stimulus environment, emphasizing the role of cognitive appraisal (Le., perceived ability to cope with the situation). Interventions that positively influence this cognitive appraisal process may, therefore, lessen the experience of stress and optimize human performance …

Developing Better Economic Information About Coastal Resources As A Tool For Integrated Coastal Management, Judith T. Kildow Dr, Brian Baird, Charles S. Colgan, Hauke Kite-Powell, Rodney Weiher

Publications

Measuring economic activity associated with the ocean through examination of the goods and services produced by specified industries and in coastal locations will provide answers to many of the most commonly asked questions about the ocean economy. But even this data will still be incomplete. Beyond are a variety of "non-market" values, which are needed to complete the picture. When someone goes to the beach in Florida or boats on Chesapeake Bay, there may be little that is directly purchased on that day. But the popularity of such activities is testament to their underlying value. Economists have developed a variety …

Estimating The Economic Value Of The Ocean In A National Income Accounting Framework, Charles S. Colgan

Publications

A key part of the effort to estimate the economic value of the ocean is to develop estimates of the appropriate values of the goods and services traded in the market economy. Such estimates should include the output of industries associated with the ocean, as well as other measures of economic activity, including income generated, employment, the number of firms, etc. Providing the information that permits seeing the economy of the ocean within the context of other economic activity requires preparing estimates that are consistent with the National Income and Product

Accounts (NIPA). The key component is Gross Product Originating …