The Deployment of A Map Application Prototype for

Information Provision, and Collection of User Data at

Two Protected Areas in Tobago.

GEOG 596ACAPSTONE PROPOSAL

OUTLINE• SITE CONTEXT

• CITIZEN SCIENCE AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATORY GIS (PPGIS) IN TOBAGO

• CHALLENGES FOR PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT

• PROJECT CONCEPT

• PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• PROCESS

Site Context• English speaking Caribbean• Sister Isle of the twin island Republic of Trinidad &

Tobago

• Governing Body, the TOBAGO HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

(THA) http://www.tha.gov.tt/

• Approximately 116 square miles

• Currently three (3) designated Protected Areas

The Little Tobago Wildlife SanctuaryThe Buccoo Reef Marine Park

The Main Ridge Forest Reserve

Main Ridge Forest Reserve

• Established in 1765

• Oldest in the western hemisphere

• Approximately 3,937 hectares in size

• Mainly lower montane tropical forest

The Main Ridge Interpretative Centre Photo Courtesy the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE)

• Home to the White-tailed Sabrewinged Hummingbird ‘Campylopterus ensipennis’

White-tailed Sabrewinged Hummingbird ‘Campylopterus ensipennis’

Photo by Richard Beard http://www.newtongeorge.com/hummingbirds.htm

Buccoo Reef Marine Park

• Established in 1973 under the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act

• Located on the South West of the island• The largest and most complex reef system in

Tobago (coastal mangroves, lagoons, sea grass beds)

Image by Buccoo Reef Trust http://buccooreeftrust.org/

Image Sourced From Ramsar Sites Information Service //rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1496

• Designated as a RAMSAR site the Buccoo Reef/Bon Accord Lagoon Complex in 2005 (1, 287 hectares)

• According to a 2006 study by World Resources Institute (WRI), direct and indirect activities related to the park contributed between (US $110-130 million) to the national economy

Photo by Crystal Lawrence

Citizen Science & Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS);

The Tobago Experience

• Audubon Christmas Bird Count

• Environmental NGO’s

• Sea turtle protection and conservation

• Typical methods of engagement include stakeholder and community meetings

Photo by Crystal Lawrence

• Participatory 3D modelling training in 2012 facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)

Photo courtesy of the DNRE

Photo courtesy of the DNRE

Challenges• Large scale areas to manage with limited human

resources • {Department of Natural Resources and the

Environment (DNRE), Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries (DMRF)}

• Available information distributed across various resources and agencies; limited data collection activities specific to the protected areas

• Branded as ‘Clean, Green, Safe and Serene’ by the THA ; huge focus on building the eco-tourism product

Project Concept• A consolidated space for providing information to

the general public and users of the protected areas

• Established within the digital environment (for broader audience and ease of access)

• The use of web technologies for data collection and citizen engagement

• Demonstrate how PPGIS be further developed in Tobago

Project Objectives• Develop of a mobile responsive web based map

application for distributing information and data collection

• Use Free and Open Source (FOSS) tools

• Data collection on user activities, expected experiences, motivations

2 locations per Site

Quick Response (QR) code

Trails, Features of Interests, Open Street Map

User ConditionsCONDITION OPTIONS

User has no QR code reader Provide paper based map containing web address

User has a reader but no internet service

Encourage user to scan the code for use later

User can read the code and has internet service

Encourage user to switch on geolocation services in order to have a richer user experience

User has geolocation services switched on

FOSS Stack• OpenLayers or Leaflet API• GeoServer• PostgreSQL/PostGIS extension• Quantum GIS• PHP application

Process• Refine data requirements and collect relevant

information• Data collection and manipulation for web

purposes- OpenStreetMap- trails, features of interest

• Develop mobile and desktop sketches & wireframes

• Develop prototype and obtain user feedback• * Conduct a two week trial run (late March –early

April)

Implementation Schedule

• FOSS 4G / May 2 – 5, 2016 (North Carolina)• URISA Caribbean/ September 5-8, 2016

(Barbados)

ACTIVITY PROJECTED TIMELINE

DATA COLLECTION (historical data, photos,

trails etc.)

Mid December 2015

DEVELOP WIREFRAMES

(mobile and desktop versions of the applications)

Mid December 2015

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

Mid February 2016

OBTAIN USER FEEDBACK

Mid March 2016

* TRIAL RUN Late March to early April 2016

REFERENCES• Buccoo Reef / Bon Accord Lagoon Complex | Ramsar Sites

Information Service. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2015, from https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1496

• Burke, L., Prager, D., Cooper, E., & Suzie Greenhalgh. (2008, June). Coastal Capital: Economic Valuation of Coral Reefs in Tobago and St. Lucia. Retrieved from http://www.wri.org/publication/coastal-capital-economic-valuation-coral-reefs-tobago-and-st-lucia

• CANARI.pdf. (n.d.).• National Protected Areas Policy 2011.pdf. (2011).• Trinidad and Tobago. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_and_Tobago• Wildlife Sanctuaries in Trinidad and Tobago. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://sites.google.com/a/marineparks.org/brmc/management-overview/wildlife-sanctuaries

THANKSANY QUESTIONS ????