• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2019

We analyzed the preliminary survey data (2014-2016) of macrobenthic community biomass (n = 112) from the wind farm area located in the southern part of the west coast of Korea and compared this data with data from the entire west coast (n = 369; 2006-2008). Modal classes from frequency distributions were 6 times higher in the latter (5 vs. 32 g/㎡). The mean and median values of the latter were 1.3 and 1.7 times higher (mean, 20.7 vs. 27.8 g/㎡; median, 17.1 vs. 29.5 g/㎡), and the maximum value was 3.4 times higher. Mood's median test showed significant difference at p-value = 0.01. We estimated the biomass-to-depth relationships from each data set by using Akaike Information Criterion and regarded the non-overlap of the 95% confidence intervals as indicating significant difference. The biomass was different from a 10 m depth below, and 3 times higher in the west coast at around 20 m compared with the maximum depth of the wind farm area. A local event of catastrophic sedimentation ranging from 1 to 2 m was observed in the wind farm during winter surveys. This could be a probable source of the lower biomass, but information on biomass seasonality and a natural experimental approach seem to be needed for the conduct of further studies. This study is meaningful in that it provided the background to assess future changes by understanding the lower level of benthic productivity in the area. We expect this study will contribute to the preparation of measures that can remove or mitigate the source of the lower biomass and improve the productivity of fishery resources in the area.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2020

Visually impaired people use tactile maps to get spatial information about their surrounding environment, find their way, and improve their independent mobility. However, classical tactile maps that make use of braille to describe the location within the map have several limitations, such as the lack of information due to constraints on space and limited feedback possibilities. This study describes the development of a new multi-modal interactive tactile map interface that addresses the challenges of tactile maps to improve the usability and independence of visually impaired people when using tactile maps. This interface adds touch gesture recognition to the surface of tactile maps and enables the users to verbally interact with a voice agent to receive feedback and information about navigation routes and points of interest. A low-cost prototype was developed to conduct usability tests that evaluated the interface through a survey and interview given to blind participants after using the prototype. The test results show that this interactive tactile map prototype provides improved usability for people over traditional tactile maps that use braille only. Participants reported that it was easier to find the starting point and points of interest they wished to navigate to with the prototype. Also, it improved self-reported independence and confidence compared with traditional tactile maps. Future work includes further development of the mobility solution based on the feedback received and an extensive quantitative study.