Penn State\u27s Center for Travel and Tourism

Based on the findings of a feasibility study, a tourism research center was created at Penn State University in the spring of 1987. The primary purpose of the center was to foster interdisciplinary tourism research at the university. Studies have been undertaken to determine the economic and social impact of tourism within the state and to establish benchmark data which will be used to evaluate the state\u27s tourism promotion efforts. Initial problems include personnel and financial constraints

Verifying Assumptions: A Case Study of an Annual Event in Pennsylvania

The purposes of this study were to determine the economic impact of a state farm show on the surrounding region and to provide the show management with information that would be useful in planning the next year\u27s event. Approximately 1400 individuals took part in the study. The results indicated that the overall economic impact on a seven-county region was in excess of $3.8 million. Based on the economic, and profile information, management justified a large capital expenditure, made changes in the configuration of the show, and revised the concessionaire contract

Program Modification Through Program Evaluation

Program evaluations can serve a number of functions. From a marketing standpoint, one important function is the generation of information upon which a program or product can be modified. A case study approach is used to show two methods for gathering information for the purposes of program modification. Both are relatively easy to use and involve minimum costs

The Focus Group Interview: An Untapped Resource

Focus groups have become a popular method of research for firms in the private sector who want to learn more about the attitudes and feelings their potential and actual customers have about the firm\u27s products and services. The technique has also been useful in determining a company\u27s image and possible new products and services that various companies might develop. Focus groups can provide the same kinds of information to practitioners in the field of recreation and parks, regardless of whether it is a public or private sector operation. This paper describes why the focus group technique has become so popular, the various steps that are involved in conducting a focus group, and some traps that might be avoided if it is to be used successfully

Family Life Cycle Analysis: An Applied Example in a Tourism Setting

Researchers have utilized the concept of family life cycle to better understand leisure behavior. In fact, it has been proposed as a potentially useful variable for both recreation product companies and recreation administrators to use in segmenting markets and predicting demand . (9) The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences between couples who traveled either with or without children. In all, 2,700 surveys were mailed to persons who had requested the North Carolina Travel Information Packet. A total of 1,887 (69.9%) were received. A factor analysis was performed on 26 reasons (benefits sought) for taking a trip. Four factors or benefit scales resulted. Significant differences were found between couples who had traveled either with or without children as to the types of benefits sought and a number of trip-related behaviors

The Influence of a Spouse or Partner in Travel Decision-making

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a spouse or partner influences the decision-making process in travel to a historic destination. Individuals were asked to indicate to what extent their spouse or partner was involved in five different decisions. Results indicated that all of the travel-related decisions were influenced to some degree by a spouse or partner. Additionally, a significant difference was found between decision making behavior and trip type. The results of this exploratory study indicate that the role played by a spouse or partner in pleasure travel decision-making, especially that which is related to heritage travel, needs to be incorporated into future research

Elements of an Integrated Phenotyping System for Monitoring Crop Status at Canopy Level

Great care is needed to obtain spectral data appropriate for phenotyping in a scientifically rigorous manner. This paper discusses the procedures and considerations necessary and also suggests important pre-processing and analytical steps leading to real-time, non-destructive assessment of crop biophysical characteristics. The system has three major components: (1) data-collection platforms (with a focus on backpack and tractor-mounted units) including specific instruments and their configurations; (2) data-collection and display software; and (3) standard products depicting crop-biophysical characteristics derived using a suite of models to transform the spectral data into accurate, reliable biophysical characteristics of crops, such as fraction of green vegetation, absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, leaf area index, biomass, chlorophyll content and gross primary production. This system streamlines systematic data acquisition, facilitates research, and provides useful products for agriculture

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.Peer reviewe