Community-based Monitoring Research Articles

Accurate, Low Cost PM2.5 Measurements Demonstrate the Large Spatial Variation in Wood Smoke Pollution in Regional Australia and Improve Modeling and Estimates of Health Costs

The accuracy and utility of low-cost PM2.5 sensors was evaluated for measuring spatial variation and modeling population exposure to PM2.5 pollution from domestic wood-heating (DWH) in Armidale, a regional town in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to obtain estimates of health costs and mortality. Eleven ‘PurpleAir’ (PA) monitors were deployed, including five located part of the time at the NSW government station (NSWGov) to derive calibration equations. Calibrated PA PM2.5 were almost identical to the NSWGov tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) and Armidale Regional Council’s 2017 DustTrak measurements. Spatial variation was substantial. National air quality standards were exceeded 32 times from May–August 2018 at NSWGov and 63 times in one residential area. Wood heater use by about 50% of households increased estimated annual PM2.5 exposure by over eight micrograms per cubic meter, suggesting increased mortality of about 10% and health costs of thousands of dollars per wood heater per year. Accurate real-time community-based monitoring can improve estimates of exposure and avoid bias in estimating dose-response relationships. Efforts over the past decade to reduce wood smoke pollution proved ineffective, perhaps partly because some residents do not understand the health impacts or costs of wood-heating. Real-time Internet displays can increase awareness of DWH and bushfire pollution and encourage governments to develop effective policies to protect public health, as recommended by several recent studies in which wood smoke was identified as a major source of health-hazardous air pollution.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Citizen Science to Complement Traditional Data Gathering Approaches for Medically Important Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States.

Tick-borne diseases are increasing in North America. Knowledge of which tick species and associated human pathogens are present locally can inform the public and medical community about the acarological risk for tick bites and tick-borne infections. Citizen science (also called community-based monitoring, volunteer monitoring, or participatory science) is emerging as a potential approach to complement traditional tick record data gathering where all aspects of the work is done by researchers or public health professionals. One key question is how citizen science can best be used to generate high-quality data to fill knowledge gaps that are difficult to address using traditional data gathering approaches. Citizen science is particularly useful to generate information on human-tick encounters and may also contribute to geographical tick records to help define species distributions across large areas. Previous citizen science projects have utilized three distinct tick record data gathering methods including submission of: 1) physical tick specimens for identification by professional entomologists, 2) digital images of ticks for identification by professional entomologists, and 3) data where the tick species and life stage were identified by the citizen scientist. We explore the benefits and drawbacks of citizen science, relative to the traditional scientific approach, to generate data on tick records, with special emphasis on data quality for species identification and tick encounter locations. We recognize the value of citizen science to tick research but caution that the generated information must be interpreted cautiously with data quality limitations firmly in mind to avoid misleading conclusions.

Individual tree detection and species classification of Amazonian palms using UAV images and deep learning

Information regarding the spatial distribution of palm trees in tropical forests is crucial for commercial exploitation and management. However, spatially continuous knowledge of palms occurrence is scarce and difficult to obtain with conventional approaches such as field inventories. Here, we developed a new method to map Amazonian palm species at the individual tree crown (ITC) level using RGB images acquired by a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Our approach is based on morphological operations performed in the score maps of palm species derived from a fully convolutional neural network model. We first constructed a labeled dataset by dividing the study area (135 ha within an old-growth Amazon forest) into 28 plots of 250 m × 150 m. Then, we manually outlined all palm trees seen in RGB images with 4 cm pixels. We identified three palm species: Attalea butyracea, Euterpe precatoria and Iriartea deltoidea. We randomly selected 22 plots (80%) for training and six plots (20%) for testing. We changed the plots for training and testing to evaluate the variability in the classification accuracy and assess model generalization. Our method outperformed the average producer’s accuracy of conventional patch-wise semantic segmentation (CSS) in 4.7%. Moreover, our method correctly identified, on average, 34.7 percentage points more ITCs than CSS, which tended to merge trees that are close to each other. The producer’s accuracy of A. butyracea, E. precatoria and I. deltoidea was 78.6 ± 5.5%, 98.6 ± 1.4% and 96.6 ± 3.4%, respectively. Fortunately, one of the most exploited and commercialized palm species in the Amazon (E. precatoria, a.k.a, Açaí) was mapped with the highest classification accuracy. Maps of E. precatoria derived from low-cost UAV systems can support management projects and community-based forest monitoring programs in the Amazon.

Indigenous guardians as an emerging approach to indigenous environmental governance.

Over the past 3 decades, indigenous guardian programs (also known as indigenous rangers or watchmen) have emerged as an institution for indigenous governments to engage in collaborative environmental governance. Using a systematic review of peer‐reviewed literature for research conducted in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa‐New Zealand, and the United States, we sought to characterize the emergence of indigenous guardians in the literature and explore whether guardian approaches are representative of Indigenous approaches to environmental governance. Using a multistep relevance‐screening method, we reviewed 83 articles published since 1995, that report on, critique, or comment on Indigenous guardians. Our findings indicated that most articles on the topic were published in the last decade (88%), focused on Australia (65%), and were in a social science discipline (53%). The lead author of the majority of articles was an academic, although only half of the articles included an indigenous scholar or member of an indigenous group or organization as a coauthor. Finally, 11 articles were on research of guardian programs that were locally led and only 5 exemplified indigenous governance, based on 2 well‐known community‐based monitoring typologies. Our findings indicate that more research is required to understand the implications of current guardian programs for indigenous self‐determination, particularly when such programs are embedded in a broader western environmental governance structure.

Widespread Use of Traditional Techniques by Local People for Hunting the Yellow-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus) Across the Amazon

Understanding the repertoire of hunting techniques used by traditional peoples in tropical forests is crucial for recognizing the role of traditional knowledge in hunting activities, as well as assessing the impact of harvests on game species. We describe the hunting techniques used across Amazonia by Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples for hunting yellow-footed tortoises ( Chelonoidis denticulatus), one of the most consumed species in the biome. We interviewed 178 local people in 25 communities living in seven study areas in the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon. We used a Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) and Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM) to compare the hunting techniques between ethnic groups and the ages of the interviewees. Four different techniques were reported: (1) trapping with bait (46%; n = 122); (2) hunting with dogs (35%; n = 92); (3) active searching (14 %; n = 37); and (4) visiting fruiting trees (5%; n = 14). Trapping with bait was alleged to be the most cost-effective technique by 67% of the interviewees. Among the baits used, 93% involved the use of wild species as rotten meat. Hunting with dogs was also frequently cited and involved eight different methods of training. The hunting techniques recorded were not significantly different among ethnic groups or generations. The consonance among the technique repertoire likely reflects a shared knowledge still in use across different cultural groups. There is a potential for applying the hunting techniques to large scale community-based monitoring and management programs, but the impact on additional species affected, such as species intentionally captured to be used as bait, should be considered. Local assessments and community-based management plans that incorporate traditional ecological knowledge are recommended to guarantee the maintenance of livelihoods and ensure the species' conservation in Amazonia.

Metrics extracted from a single wearable sensor during sit-stand transitions relate to mobility impairment and fall risk in people with multiple sclerosis

BackgroundApproximately half of the 2.3 million people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) will fall in any three-month period. Currently clinicians rely on self-report measures or simple functional assessments, administered at discrete time points, to assess fall risk. Wearable inertial sensors are a promising technology for increasing the sensitivity of clinical assessments to accurately predict fall risk, but current accelerometer-based approaches are limited. Research questionWill metrics derived from wearable accelerometers during a 30-second chair stand test (30CST) correlate with clinical measures of disease severity, balance confidence and fatigue in PwMS, and can these metrics be used to accurately discriminate fallers from non-fallers? MethodsThirty-eight PwMS (21 fallers) completed self-report outcome measures then performed the 30CST while triaxial acceleration data were collected from inertial sensors adhered to the thigh and chest. Accelerometer metrics were derived for the sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions and relationships with clinical metrics were assessed. Finally, the metrics were used to develop a logistic regression model to classify fall status. ResultsAccelerometer-derived metrics were significantly associated with multiple clinical metrics that capture disease severity, balance confidence and fatigue. Performance of a logistic regression for classifying fall status was enhanced by including accelerometer features (accuracy 74%, AUC 0.78) compared to the standard of care (accuracy 68%, AUC 0.74) or patient reported outcomes (accuracy 71%, AUC 0.75). SignificanceAccelerometer derived metrics were associated with clinically relevant measures of disease severity, fatigue and balance confidence during a balance challenging task. Inertial sensors could feasibly be utilized to enhance the accuracy of functional assessments to identify fall risk in PwMS. Simplicity of these accelerometer-based metrics could facilitate deployment for community-based monitoring.

Can indigenous community-based monitoring act as a tool for sustainable self-determination?

This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the implications of Indigenous community-based monitoring (ICBM) for Indigenous governance in resource extractive regions. Using a comprehensive review of the literature and the author team's personal involvement, we review an ICBM program in the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada. We use sustainable self-determination, as a sub-set of Indigenous governance, as a critical theoretical lens to assess outcomes of this program and its role in the broader environmental governance of the oil sands region. To conclude, we propose some recommendations to advance a sustainable self-determination lens for ICBM. As these programs continue to proliferate across the country, now is the time to incorporate such a lens in order to simultaneously support meaningful monitoring of environmental, economic, and social change, while also advancing the resurgence of Indigenous Nations.

Cancer patients' perspectives on participating in a community pharmacy-based hyperglycaemia screening service - A qualitative exploration of enablers and barriers.

Patients diagnosed with cancer are often treated with high dose glucocorticosteroids, increasing their risk of developing hyperglycaemia or steroid-induced diabetes, which can be reduced by regular monitoring of blood glucose levels. Community pharmacies can provide easily accessible monitoring services to patients, but may not be convenient or acceptable for people with a cancer diagnosis. To explore patients' motivations, perceptions of benefits and barriers influencing their decisions to participate in a novel community pharmacy-based hyperglycaemia screening and monitoring program. Patients initiated on high-dose-glucocorticosteroids at a quaternary cancer centre, who were meeting risk factor-based inclusion criteria and offered participation in a community-based blood glucose monitoring program, were purposively recruited to semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed using content analysis and the Framework Method. Twenty-four patients participated in the interviews, of whom eighteen enrolled into the monitoring program and six declined participation. Interview analysis identified themes of motivators and barriers which were interpreted within the Health Belief Model. Patients individually balanced perceptions of risk and susceptibility to hyperglycaemia with the illness and treatment burden of a cancer diagnosis and the ability to access the program. Health concerns, accessibility of the community pharmacy, trust in healthcare professionals and altruism of patients (giving back) were identified as enablers to enrol. Barriers were inaccessibility of the community pharmacy, extra burden to deal with monitoring appointments, and initial misunderstandings about the screening and monitoring program. Ascertaining individual tipping points based on motivators or enablers and barriers with subsequent tailoring of supportive care programs will be more likely to meet patients' individual needs and may increase the likelihood of delivering appropriate care via community pharmacies.

Democratizing water monitoring: Implementation of a community-based qPCR monitoring program for recreational water hazards.

Recreational water monitoring can be challenging due to the highly variable nature of pathogens and indicator concentrations, the myriad of potential biological hazards to measure for, and numerous access points, both official and unofficial, that are used for recreation. The aim of this study was to develop, deploy, and assess the effectiveness of a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) community-based monitoring (CBM) program for the assessment of bacterial and parasitic hazards in recreational water. This study developed methodologies for performing qPCR ‘in the field,’ then engaged with water management and monitoring groups and tested the method in a real-world implementation study to evaluate the accuracy of CBM using qPCR both quantitatively and qualitatively. This study found high reproducibility between qPCR results performed by non-expert field users and expert laboratory results, suggesting that qPCR as a methodology could be amenable to a CBM program.

Community Monitoring and Crime: Evidence from Chicago's Safe Passage Program

This paper investigates the effect of community-based monitoring on crime in the context of a school safety initiative that employed community members to monitor city blocks during students' travel to and from school. Although we find that total crime decreased by 17% relative to neighboring non-treated blocks, these main effects are not the complete story. We find evidence of treatment spillovers in blocks closest to treated areas, but we also uncover cross-crime substitution within treated blocks, intertemporal reallocation of crime to non-monitored periods, and spatial displacement of crime into areas farther away from treated blocks.

Aiming for Sustainability and Scalability: Community Engagement in Forest Payment Schemes

Community-based forest monitoring is seen as a way both to improve community engagement and participation in national environmental payment schemes and climate mitigation priorities and to implement reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). There is a strong assumption among community-based monitoring advocates that community monitoring is a desirable approach. However, it is unclear why community members would want to participate in their own surveillance or be involved in a program likely to limit livelihood uses of forest areas and possibly even sanction them based on the data provided. This paper explores these issues by examining three communities involved in Peru’s Conditional Direct Transfer Program, in which indigenous communities are compensated for protecting communal forests through various mechanisms, including forest monitoring. The case studies focus specifically on communities that received smartphones and were trained in their use for monitoring. The results affirm the importance that benefits outweigh the costs of local participation to sustain motivation. They also point to key factors supporting the legitimacy of the program, specifically to overcome historical tensions between the state and indigenous communities. These include the nature of engagement by program implementers and the importance of building trust over time.

Examining the Consistency of Folk Identifications of Trees to Implement Community-Based Biodiversity Monitoring

Several factors may compromise plant identifications provided by local informants, affecting the basis for incorporating local ecological knowledge (LEK) in scientific biodiversity assessments. Our study analyzes how site, informants’ background, and tree characteristics affect the consistency of folk identifications and the apparent correspondence between folk and Linnaean taxonomies. Twenty-eight informants performed in situ identifications of randomly selected trees at two sites in Indonesia and Vietnam. At both sites, older informants and informants who actively used trees had higher probabilities of proposing names for the trees. Naming consistency was higher where informants had good access to and daily use of the forest. Trees with particular morphological and anatomical characteristics, useful species, and landmark trees were more likely to be consistently named. Correspondences between folk and Linnaean taxonomies were clearer in the site with higher folk naming consistency. Findings contribute empirical evidence to inform research design and use of LEK in forest monitoring.

A Rapid Review of Available Evidence to Inform Indicators for Routine Monitoring and Evaluation of Respectful Maternity Care.

Some opportunities to routinely capture and improve respectful maternity care (RMC) during facility-based childbirth include quality improvement (QI) initiatives, community-based monitoring efforts through community score cards (CSC), and performance-based financing (PBF) initiatives. But there is limited guidance on which types of RMC indicators are best suited for inclusion in these initiatives. We sought to provide practical evidence-based recommendations on indicators that may be used for routine measurement of RMC in programs. We used a rapid review approach, which included (1) reviewing existing documents and publications to extract RMC indicators and identify which have or can be used in facility-based QI, CSCs, and PBF schemes; (2) surveying RMC and maternal health experts to rank indicators, and (3) analyzing survey data to select the most recommended indicators. We identified 49 indicators spanning several domains of RMC and mistreatment including dignified/nondignified care, verbal and physical abuse, privacy/confidentiality, autonomy/loss of autonomy, supportive care/lack thereof, communication, stigma, discrimination, trust, facility environment/culture, responsiveness, and nonevidence-based care. Based on the analysis of the survey data, we recommend 33 indicators (between 2 and 6 indicators for each RMC domain) that may be suited for incorporation in both facility-based QI and CSC-related monitoring efforts. Integrating RMC indicators into QI and CSC initiatives, as well as in other maternal and neonatal health programs, could help improve RMC at the facility and community level. More research is needed into whether RMC can be integrated into PBF initiatives. Integration of RMC indicators into programs to improve quality of care and other health system outcomes will facilitate routine monitoring and accountability around experience of care. Measurement and improvement of women's experiences will increase maternal health service utilization and improve quality of care as a means of reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Air Pollution Emissions 2008-2018 from Australian Coal Mining: Implications for Public and Occupational Health.

Occupational exposure limits for respirable coal dust are based on exposure during working hours, but coal miners may experience additional community-based exposures during nonworking hours. We analyzed Australia National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) data for the years 2008–2018 to estimate air pollutants (metals, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter ≤ 10 micrometers (PM10) and ≤2.5 micrometers (PM2.5)) originating from coal mines. PM10 levels from community-based air monitors in Queensland and New South Wales were also compared between mining and nonmining communities. Results indicated that tons of coal mined increased over the study period, and that levels of particulate matter, metals, and nitrogen oxides increased significantly over time as well. Coal mines accounted for 42.1% of national PM10 air emissions from NPI sites. PM2.5 from coal mines accounted for 19.5% of the national total, metals for 12.1%, and nitrogen oxides for 10.1%. Coal mining occurred in 57 different post codes; the 20 coal-mining post codes with the highest PM10 emissions were home to 160,037 people. Emissions of all studied pollutants were significantly higher from coal mining sites than from other types of NPI sites. Results from community-based air monitoring stations indicated significantly higher population PM10 exposure in coal mining communities than in nonmining communities. The health of the public at large is impacted by coal mining, but to the extent that miners also live near coal mining operations, their total exposure is underestimated by consideration of exposure only during working hours.

Remote Sensing Technology Applications in Forestry and REDD+

Advances in close-range and remote sensing technologies drive innovations in forest resource assessments and monitoring at varying scales. Data acquired with airborne and spaceborne platforms provide us with higher spatial resolution, more frequent coverage and increased spectral information. Recent developments in ground-based sensors have advanced three dimensional (3D) measurements, low-cost permanent systems and community-based monitoring of forests. The REDD+ mechanism has moved the remote sensing community in advancing and developing forest geospatial products which can be used by countries for the international reporting and national forest monitoring. However, there still is an urgent need to better understand the options and limitations of remote and close-range sensing techniques in the field of degradation and forest change assessment. This Special Issue contains 12 studies that provided insight into new advances in the field of remote sensing for forest management and REDD+. This includes developments into algorithm development using satellite data; synthetic aperture radar (SAR); airborne and terrestrial LiDAR; as well as forest reference emissions level (FREL) frameworks.

Community-Based Monitoring for the Tuxtla Quail-Dove Zentrygon carrikeri: A Contribution to the Natural History of an Elusive, Endangered and Micro-Endemic Species of Mexico

The Tuxtla Quail-Dove Zentrygon carrikeri is a poorly known, micro-endemic, and endangered species of southern Mexico. Almost no information has been published about this dove. We provide new information about its natural history, which resulted from community-based bird monitoring programs. We describe unknown breeding, feeding, bathing, social, alert, and roosting behaviors of the species. Moreover, we highlight the relevance of participatory science for studying and engaging society in the conservation of the Tuxtla Quail-Dove. Our observations on the species provide valuable information for guiding future research and enhancing conservation activities on this species.

Community-Based Monitoring of Jaguar (Panthera onca) in the Chinantla Region, Mexico

Successful community-based wildlife monitoring necessitates a high degree of local participation during sampling design and data collection. Here, we describe a community-based monitoring framework...

Community action for health in India: evolution, lessons learnt and ways forward to achieve universal health coverage.

The role of civil society and community-based organizations in advancing universal health coverage and meeting the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has received renewed recognition from major global initiatives. This article documents the evolution and lessons learnt through two decades of experience in India at national, state and district levels. Community and civil society engagement in health services in India began with semi-institutional mechanisms under programmes focused on, for example, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio and immunization. A formal system of community action for health (CAH) started with the launch of the National Rural Health Mission in 2005. By December 2018, CAH processes were being implemented in 22 states, 353 districts and more than 200 000 villages in India. Successive evaluations have indicated improved performance on various service delivery parameters. One example of CAH is community-based monitoring and planning, which has been continuously expanded and strengthened in Maharashtra since 2007. This involves regular, participatory auditing of public health services, which facilitates the involvement of people in assessing the public health system and demanding improvements. At district level, CAH initiatives are successfully reaching "last-mile" communities. The Self-Employed Women's Association, a cooperative-based organization of women working in the informal sector in Gujarat, has developed community information hubs that empower clients to access government social and health sector services. CAH initiatives in India are now being augmented by regular activities led and/or participated in by civil society organizations. This is contributing to the democratization of community and civil society engagement in health. Additional documentation on CAH and the further formalization of civil society engagement are needed. These developments provide a valuable opportunity both to improve governance and accountability in the health sector and to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. Lessons learnt may be applicable to other countries in South-East Asia, as well as to most low- and middle-income countries.

Sustainability ofTeredo navalis Land Environmental Management Strategies in the Pandemic Era COVID-19

The Wailukum Mangrove Ecosystem requires a community based environmental management strategy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of mangrove roots and stems in medium tide zones, the dominance index ofTeredo navalis Land environmental management strategies in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of research is a case study. The research location is divided into two points, namely in the North and South. Sampling using the line transect method. Root and stem samples were observed using the quadratic method. The results of this study found that there are three types of mangroves that live in the medium tide zone, namelyRhizophora mucronata(Lamk.)Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophora stylosa Griff. Characteristics of roots and stems have gaps and brittle easily. The dominance index ofTeredo navalis Lon the roots and stems is in the low category with the index range 0.01-0.62. Strategies that need to be used for environmental management of mangroves in Wailukum, East Halmahera Regency, are to open employment opportunities for the community, organize socialization and training of silvofishery systems for workers, make regulations to control community-based mangrove use and monitor violations of mangrove management.

Overview of Sanjiangyuan Community-based Camera-trapping Monitoring Platform

Overview of Sanjiangyuan Community-based Camera-trapping Monitoring Platform