Trigg S N, Roy D P
Department of Geography, University of Maryland, 2181 LeFrak Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
J Environ Manage. 2007 Jan;82(1):95-110. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.12.008. Epub 2006 May 4.
Semi-structured focus group interviews were employed to examine factors that affect the likelihood that resource managers in southern Africa will use information on vegetation fires provided by two satellite-derived products: an active fire product and a burned area product. The two products are updated regularly and aim to deliver the state-of-the-art in the global monitoring of fires from satellite remote-sensing. Both products are derived from data transmitted by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors carried onboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. The active fire product can be accessed for free via the internet and on media by users working anywhere in the world; the burned area product will be accessible in a similar manner in 2006. The MODIS fire products provide systematic, near-global coverage and are freely available; as such, they give resource managers new opportunities to obtain or supplement information they need to manage vegetation fires effectively. However, the availability of these products does not mean that resource managers will use them, and many other factors are involved. To understand factors that affect whether southern African resource managers will use the two products, two focus groups were held with members of the Southern African Fire Network (SAFNet) in Malawi, Africa, August 2004. Analysis of the group discussions reveals a number of factors that influence whether they will use the products. The qualitative, in depth nature of the group discussions revealed 12 main factors that influence product use; not least the low international internet bandwidths for African countries outside of South Africa. Analysis of the group discussions also suggests how the uptake of MODIS fire products by resource managers in southern Africa might be enhanced by affecting specific changes to how MODIS products are packaged and delivered.
采用半结构化焦点小组访谈来研究影响南部非洲资源管理者使用由两种卫星衍生产品提供的植被火灾信息可能性的因素，这两种产品分别是活性火灾产品和烧毁面积产品。这两种产品定期更新，旨在在利用卫星遥感进行全球火灾监测方面提供最先进的技术。这两种产品均源自美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的Aqua和Terra卫星搭载的中分辨率成像光谱仪（MODIS）传感器传输的数据。活性火灾产品可供世界各地的用户通过互联网和媒体免费获取；烧毁面积产品将于2006年以类似方式提供。MODIS火灾产品提供系统的、近乎全球范围的覆盖且免费可得；因此，它们为资源管理者提供了新机会，使其能够获取或补充有效管理植被火灾所需的信息。然而，这些产品的可得性并不意味着资源管理者就会使用它们，还涉及许多其他因素。为了解影响南部非洲资源管理者是否会使用这两种产品的因素，2004年8月在非洲马拉维与南部非洲火灾网络（SAFNet）的成员举行了两次焦点小组会议。对小组讨论的分析揭示了一些影响他们是否会使用这些产品的因素。小组讨论的定性、深入性质揭示了12个影响产品使用的主要因素；尤其是南非以外非洲国家的国际互联网带宽较低。对小组讨论的分析还表明，如何通过对MODIS产品的包装和交付方式进行特定改变来提高南部非洲资源管理者对MODIS火灾产品的采用率。
