The primary aim of the research conducted for this thesis was to develop a predictive model of information systems success for a publicly-available, web-based application that provides information to users on both the value of carbon credits that result from sequestration of carbon in a forest as well as potential earnings from supply of saleable timber. The application, also developed as part of this research, is called the CO2 Calculator. In addition attitudes of respondents to climate change and carbon sequestration were also gauged to ascertain their knowledge of key environmental issues relevant to the system.The model used as the foundation for the research is the DeLone and McLean (1992, 2002, 2003) model of information systems success. This model was adapted to measure information systems success for the CO2 Calculator which is a publicly available, web-based application rather than a proprietary, task-specific, organizationally focused application as measured in the prior research.Data was collected via a survey dispatched by email to users who accessed the CO2 Calculator. The survey instrument used builds on the existing work of Torkzadeh and Doll (1988, 1999), Seddon and Kiew (1994) and Torkzadeh et al. (2005). All of these researchers used variations of the End User Survey (EUS) to collect data on end users’ perceptions of the success of various applications, all of which were internal, organisationally-focussed, task specific, proprietary systems. This meant the survey items used for the current research were adapted to measure users’ attitudes to a publicly-available, web-based application that had no task-specific roles in an organisation.Analysis of the data proceeded in two distinct phases. The first phase was the examination and presentation of descriptive information about the demographic characteristics of the sample and the users’ attitudes to climate change, carbon sequestration and the overall success of the CO2 Calculator. The descriptive data indicated the respondents are a technologically literate group who have concerns related to environmental management and the use of land for sustainable practices. It also showed that the users were extremely satisfied with the CO2 Calculator.In the second phase Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to examine the constructs underlying the data and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among the constructs. Both the EFA and SEM resulted in structures and relationships that differed from the hypothesised outcomes and revealed a set of constructs and relationships that were clearly associated with the success of a publicly-available, web based application with different theoretical associations than those found by previous researchers examining organisationally-focussed, proprietary applications.Regression analyses were also conducted to check the relationships among constructs that were omitted from the final structural model, but were on the hypothesised model. Support for their inclusion in further studies was found as the analysis identified that the scales used to measure these constructs were significant predictors of the outcome variables although not when networked with those constructs that were on the final measurement model.Notwithstanding the limitations of the research, it has resulted in the identification of a predictive model of information success for web-based, publicly available, nonorganisationally focused systems.

The primary aim of the research conducted for this thesis was to develop a predictive model of information systems success for a publicly-available, web-based application that provides information to users on both the value of carbon credits that result from sequestration of carbon in a forest as well as potential earnings from supply of saleable timber. The application, also developed as part of this research, is called the CO2 Calculator. In addition attitudes of respondents to climate change and carbon sequestration were also gauged to ascertain their knowledge of key environmental issues relevant to the system.The model used as the foundation for the research is the DeLone and McLean (1992, 2002, 2003) model of information systems success. This model was adapted to measure information systems success for the CO2 Calculator which is a publicly available, web-based application rather than a proprietary, task-specific, organizationally focused application as measured in the prior research.Data was collected via a survey dispatched by email to users who accessed the CO2 Calculator. The survey instrument used builds on the existing work of Torkzadeh and Doll (1988, 1999), Seddon and Kiew (1994) and Torkzadeh et al. (2005). All of these researchers used variations of the End User Survey (EUS) to collect data on end users’ perceptions of the success of various applications, all of which were internal, organisationally-focussed, task specific, proprietary systems. This meant the survey items used for the current research were adapted to measure users’ attitudes to a publicly-available, web-based application that had no task-specific roles in an organisation.Analysis of the data proceeded in two distinct phases. The first phase was the examination and presentation of descriptive information about the demographic characteristics of the sample and the users’ attitudes to climate change, carbon sequestration and the overall success of the CO2 Calculator. The descriptive data indicated the respondents are a technologically literate group who have concerns related to environmental management and the use of land for sustainable practices. It also showed that the users were extremely satisfied with the CO2 Calculator.In the second phase Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to examine the constructs underlying the data and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among the constructs. Both the EFA and SEM resulted in structures and relationships that differed from the hypothesised outcomes and revealed a set of constructs and relationships that were clearly associated with the success of a publicly-available, web based application with different theoretical associations than those found by previous researchers examining organisationally-focussed, proprietary applications.Regression analyses were also conducted to check the relationships among constructs that were omitted from the final structural model, but were on the hypothesised model. Support for their inclusion in further studies was found as the analysis identified that the scales used to measure these constructs were significant predictors of the outcome variables although not when networked with those constructs that were on the final measurement model.Notwithstanding the limitations of the research, it has resulted in the identification of a predictive model of information success for web-based, publicly available, nonorganisationally focused systems.

State policy incentives for solar power have grown significantly in the past several years. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy incentives to increase residential solar PV capacity. County-level solar adoption data and controls for demographic characteristics, solar resources, and pro-environmental preferences are used to estimate a model of residential solar adoption. Empirical findings show that financial incentives, solar-specific mandates, and loan financing programs are important drivers of residential PV capacity growth. Incentives that reduce the up-front cost of adoption and that are subject to low uncertainty are found to have the largest impact. Results also point to a significant positive relationship between hybrid vehicle sales and residential PV capacity growth, indicating the importance of pro-environmental preference as a predictor of solar PV demand.

Problems that confront the farmer are varied, but one of the most important is the combination of his possible enterprises so that maximum financial return from farming is obtained. This problem has been made more important in the last decade by the severity of the agricultural price-cost squeeze.

One of the major objectives of every farmer, rancher, or feedlot operator is that of trying to maximize profits by marketing their cattle for greatest net returns. For this reason, it is very important at which market the producer decides to sell his cattle, Local supply and demand conditions are constantly causing prices and price differentials between markets to fluctuate, making the decision of choosing the market which will yield the greatest net return rather difficult.

A profit criterion which will make possible the selection of optimum conversion practices in the Pinyon-Juniper woodlands can be made operational if: (a) it is possible to predict eradication costs and resulting total costs (eradication costs, seed costs, and seed application costs) , and (b) it is possible to determine for age production resulting from initial eradication, as well as when it reaches absolute minimum allowable limit due to tree re-growth . Knowledge of the above relationships makes it possible to determine the optimum practice.

Emerging "Structure-from-Motion" (SfM) photogrammetry techniques encourage faster, cheaper, and more accessible field methods for accurately reconstructing 3D topography. The SfM method consists of collecting sets of overlapping images of the ground surface with a point and shoot camera, and reconstructing surface topography from the images with developed software programs. This research develops and implements a SfM image acquisition method and post-processing workflow as a supplemental technique to the traditional total-station method to aid in monitoring sandbar change in Marble and Grand Canyons along the Colorado River in Arizona. Due to permitting in Grand Canyon National Park, a 4.9 m pole-mounted camera platform was used in this research to mimic the ground perspective of an aerial platform. This research presents an improved understanding of how the low-angle, pole-mounted camera platform affects image acquisition and ultimately 3D reconstructions of the surface topography. Models of ground surfaces always contain some degree of elevation error, or uncertainty. As such, elevation error models are needed to distinguish whether observed changes to topographic features (in this case sandbars) are real or simply due to elevation error. There are many ways to quantify multiple sources of elevation uncertainty, but in this study the sources of elevation uncertainty were considered to vary across the surface and were characterized accordingly. Especially in river environments with complex surface topography (e.g. steep cut banks), and roughness (e.g. vegetation), quantifying the spatially variable elevation uncertainty of the surface representation is critical for interpreting actual changes in surface topography over repeat surveys. This research: used the sandbar images collected in Marble and Grand Canyons with the pole-mounted camera platform to generate SfM, topographic models; calculated spatially variable surface uncertainty derived from slope and roughness using multiple statistical analyses; built an error model that was calibrated based upon the statistical analyses of the spatially variable surface uncertainty; Key findings of this research are: Densely vegetated topography results in high amounts of elevation uncertainty, and without additional information of the surface underlying the vegetation, the SfM tool is less operational in these areas; Bare, exposed topography with low to high slopes that are not covered in black shadows result in lower surface uncertainty, and are areas where SfM is an operational tool for studies of surface change. Complementing existing topographic sampling methods with more efficient and cost- effective SfM approaches will contribute to the understanding of changing responses of the topographic features. In addition, the development and implementation of SfM and corresponding amounts of elevation uncertainty for monitoring geomorphic change will provide a methodological foundation for extending the approach to other geomorphic systems world- wide.

Wolf (Canis lupus) predation on livestock can cause economic and emotional hardships for livestock producers, complicating the balance of wolf conservation with other human interests. New management tools that decrease risk of predation may offer additional flexibility or efficiency for both livestock producers and management agencies. I examined 1) the efficacy of electrified fladry compared to fladry at protecting a food source from wolves in captivity, 2) the efficacy of electrified fladry for reducing wolf use of pastures and preventing depredations, and 3) the applicability of electrified'-fladry. In captivity I tested the reaction from 15 groups (46 wolves) to the presence of fladry, electrified fladry, or no barrier within their enclosures. During trials, a deer carcass was provided in one corner of the pen, and a strand of fladry (n = 5 pens), or electrified fladry (n = 5 pens), was strung across the pen to protect the food resource. Failure of the barriers was defined by at least one animal in a group moving across the barrier. Both fladry and electrified fladry effectively excluded wolves from a food resource for short durations of time (1'-14 days), but electrified fladry was more effective. My research indicated that although electrified fladry has the potential to reduce wolf depredations, animal learning, motivation, and personality play critical roles in the effectiveness of fladry systems. In Montana, I assigned 9 livestock operations to randomly receive a treatment (electrified fladry, n=6 pastures) or control (not receiving electrified fladry, n=6 pastures). I measured cost per kilometer for purchasing materials, number of people and hours required for installing and maintaining, as well as recording observations of potential difficulties with electrified fladry. I formed and distributed an exit'-survey to each rancher who participated in the study to assess opinions about the use of the technique. Wolf activity at the ranches was insufficient and I was not able to determine if electrified fladry was successful or unsuccessful for preventing livestock depredations. I found, however, that electrified fladry may be limited by costs associated with its purchase and that the application and effectiveness of electrified fladry may limit its usefulness for addressing wolf'-livestock conflict. The understanding of human perceptions of management tools is critical to determining the success of implementing management techniques and fostering participation and cooperation among stakeholders.

The state of Utah is comprised of 52.7 million acres of land of which 86 percent is covered by range vegetation. This rangeland provides part or all of the feed for approximately 430,000 head of cattle and 1,300,000 sheep. Rangeland products constitute from 33 to 40 percent of the agriculture income within the Intermountain Region. Utah's vast rangeland area represents a basic resource of considerable importance to her economy.

Farm budgets based on survey data a r e used to calculate the net revenue for average irrigated and unirrigated farms for four tenure classes on the Milagro irrigation project, Ecuador. Differences in net revenues between irrigated and unirrigated farms within each tenure class are assumed to be the return to investment in irrigation capital, assuming homogeneity of all other production factors. The internal rate of return is calculated on investment in irrigation capital assuming returns to such an investment are the difference in net revenues between irrigated and unirrigated farms. Investment in such capital is found to be highly profitable assuming the opportunity cost of capital is 12 per cent. However, small size farms (minifundios) are relatively more profitable than larger farms. Also, the pure economic profit (rent) accruing to each hectar of land is determined. This is done by finding the water tariff that causes the internal rate of return to fall to 12 per cent and subtracting the current water tariff per hectar (S/. 200) from the maximum tariff. The difference is rent per hectar, which is greater for small farms than larger ones. However, when total land area by tenure class is considered, larger farms capture the greatest share of the economic rent from the project.