Evaluation Guidelines for Ecological Indicators (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from Evaluation Guidelines for Ecological Indicators Chapter One presents 15 guidelines for indicator evaluation in four phases (originally suggested by Barber conceptual foundation, feasibility of implementation, response variability, and interpretation and utility. These phases describe an idealized progression for indicator development that flows from fundamental concepts to methodology, to examination of data from pilot or monitoring studies, and lastly to consideration of how the indicator serves the program objectives. The guidelines are presented in this sequence also because movement from one phase into the next can represent a large commitment of resources conceptual fallacies may be resolved less expensively than issues raised during method development or a large pilot study). However, in practice, application of the guidelines may be iterative and not necessarily sequential. For example, as new information is generated from a pilot study, it may be necessary to revisit conceptual or methodological issues. Or, if an established indicator is being modified for a new use, the first step in an evaluation may concern the indicator's feasibility of implementation rather than its well-established conceptual foundation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.