Chapter IV. The Construction of an Analytical Framework
Step 3: Revising and overlapping
The results of step 2 show the relationship between individual service and certain type of land use. Even if some data may come from local statistics, it is still common that this relationship may be quite universal. This step tries to use “add-on” information contained by local land use and land management to revise this problem. In specialized planning and regulations, extra data can be extracted. For example, conservation area refers to higher level protection of “habitats for species” and human facilities like roads and benches lead to higher potential of aesthetic appreciation and recreation. Also there is potential disadvantages in some circumstances, like the fragmentation of roads lower the “maintenance of genetic diversity” and bring with higher pollution. The overlapping of these information, transformed as positive or negative changes in percentage, give the universal result a tailored revising.
The interactions especially the synergies among services at local level will mostly investigate through qualitative methods and present in narrative ways. Other parts of the local level could follow same but simpler approaches as descripted above.
Fig 4.2. 2 The Reality-based approach
4.2.3 Data collection and analysis methods
Literature review
Literature study codified common sense, a refinement of ways that might be used to describe and explain aspects of related research. It is particularly valuable as means of gathering comprehensive evidence on a particular question. It provides a key source of evidence-based information to support and develop practices. In this study, the review of literatures helps to trace the complex development of multifunctionality as well as its different emphasis within the diverse concepts which are the base of the conceptual framework.
ES collection Targeted ES ES weight Land cover organized data Land use data Indicator selection Data combing Output 1: Spatial distribution of individual ES Standardized
data Extend of revising
Output 2: Revised Spatial distribution of individual ES Output 4:Spatial distribution of multifunctionality stock Output 3: Multifunctionality stock by each ES Literature review Overlying Equivalent data Expert based valuation Or Value transfer Additional info Data collection Expert based valuation Or Value transfer Land cover raw data Selection Literature review Data collection Mapping Study case
1
2
3
Moreover, literature study is also applied in the Reality-based approach as a pre-study of the expert-based evaluation on land cover and land use. In order to get better communication and more substantial information, the land use evaluation matrix is first prepared according to the results from other similar studies, especially that in European and Germany where the geographical conditions are similar with that in the studies area. In this case, experts don’t need to evaluate from nothing, but based on an average results of others which could greatly increase the accuracy. Similar step is done for the coding of planning documents, which have taken references from former researches for the coding protocol.
GIS method
Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies are computer tools for analyzing landscape by collecting, storing, retrieving, transforming and displaying spatial data. It can quickly access a large amount of data to link different datasets and analysis their relationships and connections. GIS mapping is often necessary to establish the distribution and coincidence of resources to demonstrate functions of green open space. It has been widely applied in related studies especially in the quantitative evaluation of multiple ecosystem services distribution.
In this study, GIS method plays a vital role in the semi-quantitative approach of the mapping of services and functions in the study area on urban level. The analyses are carried based on the detailed local land use and land cover data, the 4th version Biotope Type Map made by the project
group of the Senckenberg Research Institute, which provides with detailed land use and land cover information, as well as the usage status in certain type. The basic expert evaluation results can be then added in the information system for further spatial analyzing. The additional information from other sources are also re-edit to combine with this dataset for the revising of spatial distribution.
Interview
Expert interview as a research method typically involves the researcher asking questions and hopefully receiving answers from selected participants. The interview denotes an unstructured or semi-structured approach. In an interview, the person interviewed is altered much more flexibility of response. The interviewees may provide highly relevant and insightful comments during the process. Also, interviewers can depart significantly from their schedule or guide. They might ask new questions that follow up interviewee’s replies and can vary the order and even the wording of questions.
In this study, expert interview is used first of all as an approach to get into the background of the case since the author is not native. It is not the main information source for the study, but rather
a guidance to further documentation and a direct way to understand the back stories behind formal records. Also due to the limitation of time and conditions, interviews are taken in a selective and extensive way and using the semi-structured approach. For all the interviews (Appendix 4.1), normally three parts are taken in sequences: first, a brief introduction of the main study aims and interview purpose by the author, including necessary illustrations of pre-studies; second, prepared questions to the interviewee due to their expertise or professional experiences; third, further extended questions due to the answers in the second part. These interviews help to get access to the core documents of the case study, especially the GIS dataset and internal reports of the study area; moreover, through institutional structure is not the center of the study, the explanation of experiencers help to understand the real problems in actual practice.
For some of the experts, an additional part is taken into interview, which involves the discussion with the experts on how each land use type would typically performs for each ecosystem function; as well as how each function is relevant for the district (section 5.2.1).
In this study, expert interview is used in both semi-quantitative and qualitative approaches. The former one is structural interviews involves the discussion with experts on how each land use type would typically performs for each function or services; the latter one is more complex and is taken in a semi-structure way. The interviewees based on their working focuses are being asked from the general development stories to the specific local problems. Due to research limitation, this method is not used as the main information source but the assisting part to compare with the table analyses.