title: Supporting collaboration and engagement using a whiteboard-like display

authors: Apperley, Mark

subjects: computer science

abstract: Large interactive display surfaces have the potential to combine the simplicity, spontaneity and presence of a conventional whiteboard with the convenience, clarity, and archiving and retrieval capabilities of a computer display. Recent developments in display projection and large surface digitising have brought the cost of such displays to a level where they can be utilised to support a range of everyday activities. This paper describes the LIDS (Large Interactive Display Surfaces) project, recently commenced at the University of Waikato. LIDS focuses on the use of low-cost whiteboard-like shared interactive displays, and is exploring whiteboard metaphors and lightweight interaction techniques to support group collaboration and engagement. Three closely related application areas are being studied: (i) support for single and multiple site meetings and informal discussions, (ii) the use of such displays in teaching, and (iii) their use in personal information management.

text: Supporting collaboration and engagement using a whiteboard-like display Large interactive display surfaces have the potential to combine the simplicity, spontaneity and presence of a conventional whiteboard with the convenience, clarity, and archiving and retrieval capabilities of a computer display. Recent developments in display projection and large surface digitising have brought the cost of such displays to a level where they can be utilised to support a range of everyday activities. This paper describes the LIDS (Large Interactive Display Surfaces) project, recently commenced at the University of Waikato. LIDS focuses on the use of low-cost whiteboard-like shared interactive displays, and is exploring whiteboard metaphors and lightweight interaction techniques to support group collaboration and engagement. Three closely related application areas are being studied: (i) support for single and multiple site meetings and informal discussions, (ii) the use of such displays in teaching, and (iii) their use in personal information management.

year: 2000

title: Variability in the trophic level index in Lake Rotoehu from 1990 to 2021

authors: Woelmer, Whitney

abstract: Setting an appropriate Trophic Level Index (TLI) target for lakes in the Rotorua Te Arawa region is critical for informing short- and long-term management decisions. Due to high variability in the observed TLI of Lake Rotoehu, coupled with contrasting understanding of historical water quality in the lake, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council requested a robust analysis of the drivers of the TLI over time to help inform the suitability of the current TLI target. To undertake this, we first quantified the uncertainty around the TLI in the 1990s, when the current TLI target was set based on the “best” observed water quality within the long-term monitoring program, to understand how a lower sampling frequency from 1990-2000 (~every 2-3 months) impacted TLI estimates. We found that while sampling fewer times in the year in the 1990s increased uncertainty around TLI estimates by 0.2-0.3 TLI units, a marked shift in water quality from a TLI of 3.6 in 1992 to 4.5 in 1993 remained evident.
To understand if the main drivers affecting the TLI were different during the 1990s as opposed to later decades, we calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between the TLI and several driver variables separately for each decade. Drivers in this analysis included meteorological variables, lake water level, and in-lake water quality not in the TLI calculation (e.g., bottom water nutrients, water temperature, stratification metrics), and the amount of aluminium sulphate dosed to the lake. While several variables were consistently important across all decades (e.g., bottom water nutrients, bottom water temperature, and mean monthly air temperature), average monthly water level and minimum windspeeds were only important in the 1990s, indicating that these variables had been related to major shifts in water quality seen during that time.
Lastly, to better understand the relative importance of multiple drivers of the TLI and whether this importance changes over time, we conducted a moving window analysis. We fit autoregressive models, meaning the models included the previous month’s TLI estimate, as well as a single driver variable over a moving window of ~8 years, where each window moved forward one month at a time. We found that air temperature, bottom water temperature, and bottom water dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were most often the top predictors of the TLI. However, the relative importance of average monthly water level increased sharply to the most important driver during a time period which also corresponded to very high water levels. Additionally, examination of model parameters over the simulation period demonstrated that the strength and magnitude of the relationship between the TLI and individual drivers changed over time, indicating that that relationships are not fixed through time.
Overall, this work highlights the importance of re-evaluating the underlying relationships between the TLI and drivers over time, emphasising the dynamic nature of Lake Rotoehu. We demonstrate a clear shift in water quality between 1992 and 1993, likely driven by low water levels and windspeeds, which may have induced a pattern of increased external loading that still exists. Importantly, many of the variables which emerged as important for the TLI (water level, windspeed) will continue to vary with changing climate and are outside of the control of management. In light of this, while the current TLI target (3.9) may be feasible for Lake Rotoehu given historical observations and possible reference conditions, achieving this target consistently may be very difficult going forward due to catchment and climate pressures which have put Lake Rotoehu outside of an undisturbed reference state. This work can be built upon through future analyses which continue quantifying the changing relationships between the TLI and drivers over time, increasing the use of high-frequency buoy data to better inform water quality dynamics at shorter time scales, and testing our understanding of the drivers of water quality through predictions. The overall aim for future research would therefore be to establish water quality targets that not only align with community aspirations but are also technically feasible, especially in light of global change.

text: Variability in the trophic level index in Lake Rotoehu from 1990 to 2021 Setting an appropriate Trophic Level Index (TLI) target for lakes in the Rotorua Te Arawa region is critical for informing short- and long-term management decisions. Due to high variability in the observed TLI of Lake Rotoehu, coupled with contrasting understanding of historical water quality in the lake, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council requested a robust analysis of the drivers of the TLI over time to help inform the suitability of the current TLI target. To undertake this, we first quantified the uncertainty around the TLI in the 1990s, when the current TLI target was set based on the “best” observed water quality within the long-term monitoring program, to understand how a lower sampling frequency from 1990-2000 (~every 2-3 months) impacted TLI estimates. We found that while sampling fewer times in the year in the 1990s increased uncertainty around TLI estimates by 0.2-0.3 TLI units, a marked shift in water quality from a TLI of 3.6 in 1992 to 4.5 in 1993 remained evident.
To understand if the main drivers affecting the TLI were different during the 1990s as opposed to later decades, we calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between the TLI and several driver variables separately for each decade. Drivers in this analysis included meteorological variables, lake water level, and in-lake water quality not in the TLI calculation (e.g., bottom water nutrients, water temperature, stratification metrics), and the amount of aluminium sulphate dosed to the lake. While several variables were consistently important across all decades (e.g., bottom water nutrients, bottom water temperature, and mean monthly air temperature), average monthly water level and minimum windspeeds were only important in the 1990s, indicating that these variables had been related to major shifts in water quality seen during that time.
Lastly, to better understand the relative importance of multiple drivers of the TLI and whether this importance changes over time, we conducted a moving window analysis. We fit autoregressive models, meaning the models included the previous month’s TLI estimate, as well as a single driver variable over a moving window of ~8 years, where each window moved forward one month at a time. We found that air temperature, bottom water temperature, and bottom water dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were most often the top predictors of the TLI. However, the relative importance of average monthly water level increased sharply to the most important driver during a time period which also corresponded to very high water levels. Additionally, examination of model parameters over the simulation period demonstrated that the strength and magnitude of the relationship between the TLI and individual drivers changed over time, indicating that that relationships are not fixed through time.
Overall, this work highlights the importance of re-evaluating the underlying relationships between the TLI and drivers over time, emphasising the dynamic nature of Lake Rotoehu. We demonstrate a clear shift in water quality between 1992 and 1993, likely driven by low water levels and windspeeds, which may have induced a pattern of increased external loading that still exists. Importantly, many of the variables which emerged as important for the TLI (water level, windspeed) will continue to vary with changing climate and are outside of the control of management. In light of this, while the current TLI target (3.9) may be feasible for Lake Rotoehu given historical observations and possible reference conditions, achieving this target consistently may be very difficult going forward due to catchment and climate pressures which have put Lake Rotoehu outside of an undisturbed reference state. This work can be built upon through future analyses which continue quantifying the changing relationships between the TLI and drivers over time, increasing the use of high-frequency buoy data to better inform water quality dynamics at shorter time scales, and testing our understanding of the drivers of water quality through predictions. The overall aim for future research would therefore be to establish water quality targets that not only align with community aspirations but are also technically feasible, especially in light of global change.

year: 2025

title: Māori child rearing and infant sleep practices

authors: Jones, Horiana Majorie

abstract: Sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle for parents and children, and having effective ways of putting a child to sleep contributes significantly to mental and physical wellbeing. Cultural groups around the world have developed a variety of approaches to this task, for example, rocking, co-sleeping, bed-sharing, breastfeeding to sleep, and encouraging infants to self soothe through various methods of infant sleep training. In New Zealand the continuation of traditional Māori approaches to infant sleep, e.g. co-sleeping, bed-sharing, responsivity to infant cues have been over-shadowed by its negative association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and dependence on parent interaction when initiating infant sleep. In this study, we were interested in the approaches Māori parents used to put their pēpi (child, 2 months-2 years of age) to sleep and the various factors that have influenced these approaches. Data were collected through online surveys (n =58) and face-to-face interviews (n =10) with Māori parents. Survey results indicated that being held and breast or bottle fed to sleep were the most practiced techniques by Māori parents. Parent assisted approaches, e.g., rocking, feeding, lying with baby until they go to sleep, were the most practiced. Many parents planned for their babies to sleep separately but very few actually persisted with self-soothing approaches due to a number of factors, such as discomfort with listening to their babies cry, culture, whānau (extended families) influences safety, and convenience. The majority of participants expressed a desire for separate sleep; however, few within the interview group actually successfully practiced separate sleep regularly.

text: Māori child rearing and infant sleep practices Sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle for parents and children, and having effective ways of putting a child to sleep contributes significantly to mental and physical wellbeing. Cultural groups around the world have developed a variety of approaches to this task, for example, rocking, co-sleeping, bed-sharing, breastfeeding to sleep, and encouraging infants to self soothe through various methods of infant sleep training. In New Zealand the continuation of traditional Māori approaches to infant sleep, e.g. co-sleeping, bed-sharing, responsivity to infant cues have been over-shadowed by its negative association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and dependence on parent interaction when initiating infant sleep. In this study, we were interested in the approaches Māori parents used to put their pēpi (child, 2 months-2 years of age) to sleep and the various factors that have influenced these approaches. Data were collected through online surveys (n =58) and face-to-face interviews (n =10) with Māori parents. Survey results indicated that being held and breast or bottle fed to sleep were the most practiced techniques by Māori parents. Parent assisted approaches, e.g., rocking, feeding, lying with baby until they go to sleep, were the most practiced. Many parents planned for their babies to sleep separately but very few actually persisted with self-soothing approaches due to a number of factors, such as discomfort with listening to their babies cry, culture, whānau (extended families) influences safety, and convenience. The majority of participants expressed a desire for separate sleep; however, few within the interview group actually successfully practiced separate sleep regularly.

year: 2017