National Parks as Curators of Change

For almost a century, the US National Park Service (NPS) has existed as an institution which protects our cultural and natural resources. Through conservation, preservation, and traditional resource curation the NPS has frozen in time the history of our changing land and culturally diversifying peoples.

I propose that a new model be developed by the NPS which seeks to curate our cultural and natural changes as they occur.

The process of curation would be inclusive and would engage the public as citizen scientists in the process of documentation. A living document would result, curating what we see every day on a micro and macro scale.

This model could be implemented by park managers and visitors while within the U.S. National Park Service and therefor would take a different shape based on its people groups and locations. Glacial retreats and animal habitation are some examples to consider.

The primary delivery and collection method of information and visualizations would be through a user generated interface which chronicles these changes over time and provides opportunities for experiential and quantifi able data extraction.

Base image: Louis H. Pedersen (1917)

Cameron R. Rodman

PARK DECLINESYMPTOMS

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17%

16DAY

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5%NATIONAL PARKS VISITATION

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS REALLY SAY???

140 MILLIONREDUCTION IN FUNDINGIN 2011

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ALL PARK TYPES - REC. VISITORS

HTTP://WWW.NPCA.ORG

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ICON CREDIT: JAMES CHRISTOPHER,

13.5 MILLION

4.8 MILLION

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THE SPORTSMEN’S HERITAGE ACT

ANTIQUITIES ACT

CLEAN WATER PROTECTION RULE

FUTURE PARK DESIGNATIONS

NATIONAL PARK FUNDING

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS

FRACKING THREATENS HEALTH OF NATIONAL PARKS

IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

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VISITOR ENGAGEMENT METHODS

While in the nation’s parks, visitors are engaged in a variety of ways. Some are actively engaged while others are passively engaged. Each of these engagement types creates a typified response which alters the actions and experience of the park visitor. Much like traditional marketing and current social media marketing trends, engagement is everything. Without engagement, the consumer, in our case the park visitor leaves without buying into the idea or product (the national park). This can be detrimental to our national parks longevity and the successful sharing of our countries greatest idea through generations and culture groups. Actively engaging park visitors and those who have yet to come to the parks is essential to creating a feeling of empowerment within the visitor. An accurate understanding of which areas need improved engagement techniques and those that are currently working but can be further built upon is essential.

IDENTIFY LANDS IDENTIFY LANDS

STORY FROZEN IN TIMESTORY GROWS

WITH TIMEREINTERPRETATION

CONSERVE CONSERVEPRESERVE PRESERVE

TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION

Our parks each tell a story. The decades of history, cultural richness, ecological variations, and scenic wonders are all wrapped up in the container that are the national parks.

These lands, through local movements and political legislation, have been bound up and protected by the people and for the people for generations to come. Each park unit is often maintained to represent before a specific time in history. Meaning that at a certain point cultural associations and relationships no longer develop as part of the identity of the place.

The place is locked in time. While staff continue to work with ever changing dynamics within the parks (pollution, landscape systems, animals, plants, etc.), cultural and historical changes fail to find integration into the curated identify of the parks.

Many may ask why change should be introduced and recognized within the parks. Is this the goal and duty of the parks? Does this new idea not threaten the idea of the parks? Should people be included as part of the parks ever changing image and history?

DYNAMIC INTERPRETATION

If parks are ever changing and the experience of people within these parks is always changing...why not then include these experiences as part of the story? While nature has the ability to exist without our presence and contribution to the story line, it is our experience of and in nature that enriches our memory of the place. This is true culturally, spiritually, and physically.

What would happen if we injected the concept and ideas that these landscape are always changing and that the political climates, amongst other things, all play a role in the development and identity of these places?

We will see that the park stories change. This doesn’t mean that we have to build signs at the entrance of each park that says ‘this park made possible by your state senator’. Rather, the engagement of these changing stories helps us identify with these special lands in a way that creates and promotes ownership by park visitors.

The inclusion of people and their experiences, as a means of developing pride and ownership, is essential for creating future success for these wonderful places.

WEATHER

MOST COMMON VIEWS

AVERAGE SPEEDS

TRAIL ELEVATION

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

TRAIL CONDITIONS

TRAIL DIFFICULTY

TRAIL TRACKING

PHENOLOGY DATA COLLECTED

TAGGED IMAGES

SHARES TO SOCIAL MEDIA

FAVORITE MOMENTS IN PARK

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

FAVORITE VIEWS

SKILLS DEVELOPED

HIKE DIFFICULTY

PUREDATA

VISITOR EXPERIENCES INTERPRETED

INPUT OUTPUT

BIG DATA EXPERIENCE - MAPPING

SOCIOLOGY

USER DATA - SOCIAL SCIENTIST PICS/PHENOLOGY/ANIMALS

PERSONALIZE EXPERIENCE: TRIP AND TAKE HOME

USER SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE - FB - YEARBOOK

EXPERIENTIAL

Younger generations have begun to view their world in a very different way. Digital technology is one of the methods through which these generations view their world. A misconception is

that younger generations need technology to view nature.

Instead, viewing is now layered. Current generations are now learning to view the world with multiple layers of information. Our desire for layering information on almost everything has

driven the successful development of digital technologies. People don’t need to simply have a friend. For example, many people now look to have a friend, understand their friends social

network, their personal interests, their travels, and much more.

Nature is the same. Now, when people look at nature they want to understand the relationship to climate change, food production, endangered species, and local/regional implications. Nature, for this generation, needs to be more than just a bear walking through the woods. This logical

and educational complexity helps layer reasons that they should prioritize their concern for this object. These layers can be viewed through any tool. Magazine, book, hiking group, interpretive

ranger, or an ipad. They all accomplish a similar goal. They diversify and layer the story.

ENHANCING OUR PERCEPTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

THROUGH A DIGITAL LENS

NATIONALPARKS

USE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

PRESERVE

RESEARCH

ENGAGEMENTSOCIAL MEDIA

YEAR BOOK

ADVENTURE LOG BOOK

RESOURCE CURATION

MAPPING

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TRADITIONAL PARK EXPERIENCE

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BIG DATA

VIP’S

TRAIL USE/DEGRADATION

TRAIL DAMAGE

INVASIVE

FRONT AND BACKCOUNTRY USE

TAGS

TRAFFIC

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

VISITOR DATA

PLANTS

ANIMALS

TAGS

JOURNAL

BADGES

FRIENDS

DESTINATIONS

TRAILS

IMAGE

VIDEOS

500 MILE PLUS CLUB

RESOURCE PROTECTION

NATURAL SYSTEMS

ANIMALS

HABITAT

PERSONAL DEVICE

RENTAL DEVICE

Phenology

UPLOAD MOBILE CLIENT

TABLET

MOBILE

WARNINGS

CAN CONNECT TO SOCIAL PROFILES

INTELLIGENT USER INTERFACE

AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE (AI)

QUESTIONNAIRE

VISUALIZE HOTSPOTS W/APP

APPROACH - PUSH NOTIFICATION (I.E. WATERFALL, OVERLOOKS)

SELFIE UP/LOAD W TAG RECOMMENDATIONS

VIDEO/IMAGES/SOUNDS/TRIVIA/GAMES

INPUT PERSONAL SELECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

Project NOAH

INP

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OUTPUT

CITIZEN SCIENCE

CAN CONNECT TO SOCIAL PROFILES

HOW I SUPPORT THE PARKWHO I MET WHAT I LEARNED

WHERE I HIKED

WHAT I SAW

FRANCOIS

PICSICONS: SIMON CHILD, MONIKA CIAPALA, EALANCHELIYAN S

BASE IMAGE: NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

VIDEO FIRE SWIMMING TRACKINGXU

LAUREN

CLARK

MY PARK EXPERIENCETHE PERSONALIZED PARK EXPERIENCE

The digital platform has the current ability to collect and organize a person’s individualized experience throughout the park system. A large variety of data can be automatically collected and additional information can be supplemented with the goal of generating a takeaway that reminds the visitor of their experience, the relationships they developed, and the knowledge that they acquired while visiting.

Pictures, videos, linking to new friends via social networking, and an account of the trails and locations that they visited are all captured in this living document which grows with each subsequent park visit. Each park unit visit adds to the experience and the story that people relate to our national park units. This living document places value on the place of our national parks and the resources that we strive to protect.

President RooseveltSept. 2 1940Park Dedication

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2000

“Educational and historical platforms can provide visitors with an unique user specific experience.”

INTERESTS VISUALIZED

Decades of historical information swim around our national monuments and in our national parks. The decreasing funding to our national parks reduces the ability of our park staff to interact with visitors. Having the opportunity to more fully understand the cultural and historical significance of our treasured lands and landmarks is available.

The Roosevelt Monument is one example of technologies ability to present the decades of events that surround the monument. Visitors can learn about the grassroots movement to secure the lands for the park from the timber industry, the dedication of the park, the efforts of the CCC throughout the park, how the Appalachian trail crosses through this location, and how the weather fluctuates atop this wondrous gap.

Visitors can watch events such as the 75th anniversary celebration or view images from the original park dedication by President Roosevelt. Previously input personal preferences would highlight specific info over others. If a visitor is more interested in plants or animals instead of history this would be shown.

INTERESTS VISUALIZED

image credit: ADAM BRIMER/NEWS SENTINELimage credit: NPSColor calender credit: https://www.behance.net/Emigo

“Rangers would now have additional assistance in educating visitors on the dangers of approaching and feeding wildlife through on-screen prompts.”

WILDLIFE EDUCATION

Millions of visitors enter our park each year looking to view wildlife. Wildlife viewing is one of the largest recreational industries in our nation and in the world. In-ear tracking can be used by the parks to embed information for veterinary care. This information can be pared with visitor programs which provided educational material to visitors.

Visitors can learn about the habitat, feeding habits, hibernation patterns, and even the history of the specific animal. This helps the visitor view the animal as something worth protecting and communicates value of the animal in the overall system of the park.

Some may worry that this would encourage visitors to get closer to the animals. This would be untrue. Locating technology would be at a far distance and would actually encourage responsible visitor behavior through on screen warnings and educational material. When visitors tap the ‘more info’ tab, an on screen prompt would pop up which required a type of interaction indicating that visitors have read and understand the danger of wild animals and the potential impacts that the human presence can have.

WILDLIFE EDUCATION

VISITOR CENTERS

Over 9 million visitors enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year. Numerous visitors stop at the Oconaluftee and Sugarlands visitor centers. These two visitors centers are among numerous information hubs located throughout the park.

Visitor centers, heritage centers, research facilities, educational facilities, and even basic facilities offer opportunities for the park to reach out to visitors and provide education, information, and resources.

Current information curation within these facilities and at outdoor centers allow for limited user engagement. An information center like the one pictured below on the far wall is only able to receive the 6-8 people comfortably. Other than the TV. the information presented is static and unlayered.

If paired with digital technology a visitor could use the display from across the room, watch videos, download interactive educational material, download maps, they could even share the information with their friends and social media networks.

“Digitally curated information is the future. Presenting layered information multiplies the reach of the park staff and diversifies the information available.”

VISITORCENTERS

INTERACTIVE INFO

Current visitor center displays can be enhanced with additional layered information. The 3d topo and trails/road map below can be enhanced by introducing an overhead projection system which projects user generated information onto the surface below. This resource would augment the presence and abilities of volunteers within the visitor center.

Park visitors could visit this table for traffic directions, trail information, areas to avoid due to traffic jams or icy road conditions, and most popular sites within the park. Features like this can also serve the park by providing visitors with recommended alternative destinations so they can avoid overcrowded and stressed resource sites.

The information panels, as well as the table as a whole, can be embedded with mobile interactivity. As visitors walk around the table they can hold their mobile device between the table and themselves. They will then see options to learn more about the geology or phenology of the park. They could learn about the history of the parks original inhabitants (Native Americans) and their displacement by European settlers.

WEATHERSnow and rain can set in fast in the Smokies. Be prepared with the proper hiking supplies and always know your abilities and the forecast.

DANGER:Numerous people have lost their lives attempting to get near dangerous features. Always exercise caution around cliffs, water, and in the park.

“The availability of information allows people to act with a more informed mindset. Delivering this information in a variety of ways is essential to accomplishing this.”

INTERACTIVE INFO

Traffic

heritage centergrassy

baldgreat views