{
"USGS Publications Warehouse": { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "additionalType": "Journal Article", "name": "Scenarios for valuing sample information in natural resources", "identifier": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "USGS Publications Warehouse IndexID", "value": "70248965", "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70248965" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "USGS Publications Warehouse Internal ID", "value": 70248965 }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "DOI", "value": "10.1111/2041-210X.13487", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13487" } ], "journal": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "Methods in Ecology and Evolution", "volumeNumber": "11", "issueNumber": "12" }, "inLanguage": "en", "isPartOf": [ { "@type": "CreativeWorkSeries", "name": "Methods in Ecology and Evolution" } ], "datePublished": "2020", "dateModified": "2023-09-27", "abstract": "Uncertainty is ubiquitous in natural resource systems, science and management. Sample data are obtained in order to reduce uncertainty, thereby increasing knowledge and improving resource management, but sampling always comes at a cost of some sort. Is that cost worthwhile? Analysis of the value of sample information (VSI) addresses this question.In this paper we develop the valuation of sample information in terms of five elements: (a) a\u00a0system\u00a0whose attributes are the focus of analysis; (b) a range of management\u00a0actions\u00a0that affect the system's status; (c)\u00a0uncertainty\u00a0about system status or structure, as characterized by initial (prior) probabilities of possible system states or structures; (d) an\u00a0experiment\u00a0or other information source that produces new data points and updated (posterior) probabilities; and (e) a\u00a0value measure\u00a0that is a function of the management action taken, conditional on either the system state or structure.We describe five scenarios for analysing the\u00a0VSI\u00a0under uncertainty about system structure and state. Scenarios 1\u20133 comprise analyses of conditional, expected and optimal expected values of sample information. They focus primarily on choice of management adaptations with new information. Scenarios 4 and 5 involve pre-selected management actions, and are useful for comparing designs of data collection rather than for choosing a management action. These last scenarios expand the framework for\u00a0VSI\u00a0to include actions that have been selected independently of the updating of uncertainty.We discuss other extensions of\u00a0VSI\u00a0analysis, which include spatial applications, hybrid scenarios, applications involving dynamic systems, and a focus on costs rather than net benefits.Value of sample information analysis holds promise in emerging areas of ecology such as ecological forecasting and the use of remote sensing in conservation, where potential new data from models and satellites can be evaluated in advance, thereby allowing more efficient prioritization of scientific efforts. More generally,\u00a0VSI\u00a0can contribute to better ecological understanding and more effective management in a wide range of ecological situations.", "description": "16 p.", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "British Ecological Society" }, "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Williams, Byron K.", "givenName": "Byron K.", "familyName": "Williams", "affiliation": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The Wildlife Society" } ] }, { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brown, Eleanor D. ebrown@usgs.gov", "givenName": "Eleanor D.", "familyName": "Brown", "email": "ebrown@usgs.gov", "identifier": { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "ORCID", "value": "0000-0001-7798-830X", "url": "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7798-830X" }, "affiliation": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Science and Decisions Center", "url": "https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-and-decisions-center" } ] } ], "funder": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Science and Decisions Center", "url": "https://www.usgs.gov/programs/science-and-decisions-center" } ] }
}