Spanning 14 states in the northeast United States, the Appalachian Trail (AT) is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, with thousands of individuals attempting to thru-hike the AT every year. For its scenic views and accessibility from the cities, the AT is experiencing a record number of visitors raising concerns about the sustainability of the trail. Many trail organizations manage the AT to reduce the visitor impact on the outdoors. In this research, I study the role of information and communication technologies in promoting collaboration between these trail agencies and visitors. I identify the need for a formal communication channel between the stakeholders by examining the existing information-sharing practices of hikers and trail managers through social media analysis, interviews, and a design workshop. I present the design of an online discussion platform, the SmarTrail board, and conduct a field usability study with two AT trail clubs to evaluate the platform. Findings from the study reveal that centralized direct communication and streamlined information can support trail management on the AT by promoting collaboration within the trail community. The research paves the path for future research into the design of ICTs for driving nature conservation goals. / Master of Science / The Appalachian Trail (AT) in the northeast of the United States spreads across 14 states. It is accessible from many regional urban centers, offering recreational opportunities to thousands of individuals every year. It is also a popular site for thru-hiking, an endeavor to hike the trail from end to end in a year. Such popularity and accessibility to the trail put pressure on the natural resources, raising concerns about the sustainability of the trail. Management of the trail deals with minimizing the resource impact while preserving the trail experiences of the visitors. Thirty trail clubs maintain separate sections of the AT, and a number of trail organizations work together to manage the trail. The core of this management relies on the collaboration of these trail agencies with each other and the visitors. As communication is central to collaborations in everyday life and for the trail, I explore the practices and possibilities for information sharing and communication on the AT. Digital conservation refers to the technological developments that support and forward nature conservation goals. As the pristine environment of the trails and the AT are not barred from the reach of digital technology, the prevalence of smartphones among visitors presents opportunities for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support the digital conservation of the trail. In this research, I study digital technology use among hikers and trail managers on the AT, particularly for information sharing. By analyzing comments on Reddit, conducting interviews with the AT trail managers, and organizing a workshop with long-distance hikers, I highlight the need for direct communication between these stakeholders. I present the design of an online discussion board called the SmarTrail platform as a formal communication channel between hikers and trail managers and evaluate it with two trail clubs on the AT. The results from the evaluation offer several use cases of mediated communication, highlighting its need and potential in supporting trail management on the AT. Centralized and formal communication can lead to effective trail management by engaging visitors in trail management, improving volunteer management for the clubs, and enabling knowledge sharing and coordination between the trail agencies. With design considerations for improving human-nature interaction and simplifying the available information for visitors and trail management authorities, this study informs the design of ICTs for trail environments that would forward the digital conservation goals on the AT.

While many people enjoy hiking as a weekend activity, to many outdoor enthusiasts there is a hiking culture with which they feel affiliated. However, the way that these cultures interact with each other is still unclear. Exploring these different cultures and understanding how they relate to each other can help in engaging stakeholders of the trail. This is an important step toward finding ways to encourage environmentally friendly outdoor recreation practices and developing hiker-approved (and environmentally conscious) technologies to use on the trail. We explored these cultures by analyzing an extensive collection of tweets (over 1.5 million). We used topic modeling to identify the topics described by the communities of Triple Crown trails. We labeled training data for a classifier that identifies tweets relating to depreciative behaviors on the trail. Then, we compared the distribution of tweets across various depreciative trail behaviors to those of corresponding blog posts in order to see how tweets reflected cultures in comparison with blog posts. To harness metadata beyond the text of the tweets, we experimented with visualization techniques. We combined those efforts with ethnographic studies of hikers and conservancy organizations to produce this exploration of trail cultures. In this thesis, we show that through the use of natural language processing, we can identify cultural differences between trail communities. We identify the most significantly discussed forms of trail depreciation, which is helpful to conservation organizations so that they can more appropriately share which Leave No Trace practices hikers should place extra effort into practicing. / Master of Science / In a memoir of her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild, Cheryl Strayed said to a reporter in an amused tone, “I’m not a hobo, I’m a long-distance hiker”. While many people enjoy hiking as a weekend activity, to many outdoor enthusiasts there is a hiking culture with which they feel affiliated. There are cultures of trail conservation, and cultures of trail depreciation. There are cultures of long-distance hiking, and there are cultures of day hiking and weekend warrior hiking. There are also cultures across different hiking trails—where the hikers of one trail have different sets of values and behaviors than for another trail. However, the way that these cultures interact with each other is still unclear. Exploring these different cultures and understanding how they relate to each other can help in engaging stakeholders of the trail. This is an important step toward finding ways to encourage environmentally friendly outdoor recreation practices and developing hiker-approved (and environmentally conscious) technologies to use on the trail. We decided to explore these cultures by analyzing an extensive collection of tweets (over 1.5 million). We combined those expoorts with ethnographic style studies of conservancy organizations and avid hikers to produce this exploration of trail cultures.

Hiking is a widely-used term used differently by different people, and technology has an increasing role in the hikes that people take. Given the tremendous growth in technology capabilities for fitness, navigation, and communication, the breadth of devices and applications has expanded. Use of technology differs based on not only individuals but also the kinds of tasks performed. This research seeks to understand the different perspectives of the hikers and the technology they carry with them on the trail through a survey, analysis, and persona creation. 40 self-described hikers participated in a survey that asked about demographic data, hiking preferences, and would-you-rather preferences asking participants to choose between envisioned hiking and technology scenarios. The collected data were clustered into 6 clusters using K-Mode clustering, and descriptive analysis identified unique characteristics for each cluster. Five personas were crafted using the identified characteristics based on the analysis, taking into account the correlation between hiking preference and age, preferred activities and motivation, and maximum expenses they spend on the tech they carry. These personas seek to act as a guide to those who purchase, design and use hiking related products for both commercial and research purposes. / Master of Science