Googling Trends in Conservation Biology
Googling Trends in Conservation Biology
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DOI：
10.1111/cobi.12131
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发表时间：
2014-02-01
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Pepino, Marc
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Proulx, Raphael;Massicotte, Philippe;Pepino, Marc
网络爬行方法，即自动程序数据挖掘互联网，以获得有关特定过程的信息，最近已被提出用于监测生态系统退化的早期迹象或建立作物日历。然而，缺乏一个明确的概念和方法框架，阻碍了保护生物学领域内的这种方法的发展。我们的目标是说明如何谷歌趋势，一个免费访问的网络抓取引擎，可以用来跟踪生物过程的时间，入侵物种的空间分布，以及公众对关键保护问题的认识水平的变化。Google趋势返回在定义的时间段内在世界给定地区对关键字进行的互联网搜索数量。使用13个国家的在线检索数据，我们研究了Google趋势如何用于研究生物过程的时间，例如花粉释放的季节性复发或纬度梯度上的蚊子爆发。我们绘制了美国5种入侵物种的Google趋势结果的空间范围，并发现入侵的地理模式与其在州一级的粗粒度分布一致。从2004年到2012年，谷歌趋势显示，公众对生态系统服务、生物多样性和气候变化相关保护问题的兴趣和意识水平分别上升、下降和遵循这两种趋势。最后，为了进一步发展保护生物学，集体知识和环境管理界面的研究方法，我们开发了一种算法，可以快速检索Google趋势数据。
Web-crawling approaches, that is, automated programs data mining the internet to obtain information about a particular process, have recently been proposed for monitoring early signs of ecosystem degradation or for establishing crop calendars. However, lack of a clear conceptual and methodological framework has prevented the development of such approaches within the field of conservation biology. Our objective was to illustrate how Google Trends, a freely accessible web-crawling engine, can be used to track changes in timing of biological processes, spatial distribution of invasive species, and level of public awareness about key conservation issues. Google Trends returns the number of internet searches that were made for a keyword in a given region of the world over a defined period. Using data retrieved online for 13 countries, we exemplify how Google Trends can be used to study the timing of biological processes, such as the seasonal recurrence of pollen release or mosquito outbreaks across a latitudinal gradient. We mapped the spatial extent of results from Google Trends for 5 invasive species in the United States and found geographic patterns in invasions that are consistent with their coarse-grained distribution at state levels. From 2004 through 2012, Google Trends showed that the level of public interest and awareness about conservation issues related to ecosystem services, biodiversity, and climate change increased, decreased, and followed both trends, respectively. Finally, to further the development of research approaches at the interface of conservation biology, collective knowledge, and environmental management, we developed an algorithm that allows the rapid retrieval of Google Trends data.