Acompanhamento coletivo do crescimento e desenvolvimento infantil: participação de mães/cuidadores

This study aimed to analyze the participation of mothers/caregivers from the perspective of the health care model that directs the collective monitoring of child growth and development. This is an exploratory and descriptive research with qualitative approach, carried out in two Family Health Units located in the city of Natal/RN. Data were collected between August and September 2014, through participant observation and semi-structured interview technique, with mothers of infants seen at follow-up visits collective child growth and development. A total of 13 mothers were included who met the following inclusion criteria: being a mother/caregiver responsible for the care of children who have attended one or more meeting of collective monitoring of child growth and development. Exclusion criteria was established: users outside the area covered by the Health Unit Family and who did not use the National Health System as the primary health care service. For the treatment of the collected material, the content analysis was used, thematic Bardin. The study followed the ethical and legal principles governing the scientific research on human subjects recommended by Resolution nº. 466/2012 of the National Health Council and its realization occurred with the approval of the project in the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do North, which was approved by Opinion Embodied nº. 719 949, of June 27, 2014, and Certificate Presentation of Findings Ethics No 32510514.7.0000.5537. Although not conceptualize theoretically mothers demonstrated that collective consultations of child growth and development are actions aimed at health surveillance model, since most pointed monitoring your child to actions that can be measured. Even with that, it was established the existence of health promotion actions by reporting the exchange of experience and leadership of the subjects in collective action, factor facilitated by the link established between users and professionals and users. In this action there is the induction of permanent horizontal relationship where we seek to combine popular knowledge to scientific knowledge in order to promote the integral care for the child. However, it is still possible to find professionals who directs its assistance only to pathological processes and fail to create comprehensive care alternatives. In addition, there is still embezzlement in multi that should provide care to the child population. This factor may be related to their professional training, and thus an issue that can last for a few years. We conclude that it is necessary to incorporate alternatives and models of care that support overcoming limitations and enhancing the health of the population, involving it in the prospect of a better quality of life and therefore health.

A evolução do turismo no Seridó: uma análise à luz do modelo de Butler

Tourism is configured as an activity that presents constant movement could boost local development in the economic, sociocultural and human in locations with potential for structuring and such. Because it is a dynamic activity, tourism allows changes in its flow, extending the periods of seasonality. To this end, in view of the aforementioned dynamics, it becomes relevant to the presence of tourism planning, initially starting from the government so that it create laws and standards and develop projects for the management of activities in an orderly way, seeking citizen participation, making essential the presence of actors and agents in local tourism, expanding democracy and knowledge of their place of origin. In this scenario, the Ministry of Tourism is emerging with the National Tourism Plan which incorporates among its actions, the Regionalization Program Guide, adopting a model of regional local management, a participatory manner, through the bodies of governance imposed at the poles, and the shares of public policy in their various departments most responsible for promoting tourism in pole Seridó. This scientific work aims to analyze the pole Seridó, under the theory of tourism area life cycle (TALC) proposed by BUTLER (1980), locating actions for tourism and chronology of the locality applied the proposed process activity. For both the methodology is descriptive and exploratory, qualitative approach, historical, descriptive and narrative level, non-probability sampling, using secondary sources, through documents and other records occurred during the planning processes in the region, in order to have access to information related to the planning process of tourism in Seridó, using as a way to research the data collected the technique of content analysis. As a conclusion of this study it is observed that from the survey in relation to the history of tourism in the region, economic activities of livestock, cotton industry, mining and ceramics industry were responsible for the initiation of tourism in the locality through the flow directed to the same, the insertion of the first hotels and performing traditional events, giving rise to the demand for public policies that aided in directing the activity being, therefore, inserted into the engagement phase, the second phase proposed by BUTLER (1980) model, and the study was terminated with suggestions for the continuation of tourism in the region.

Residência multiprofissional, desafios e compromissos na reorientação da formação para o SUS: um estudo na atenção primária

The Health Multiprofessional Residency Program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (PRMS/UFRN) adopts as guiding keystones the learning process of in-service teaching, the interdisciplinary multiprofessional work and the compliance with the principles and guidelines of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Although PRMS/UFRN have been idealized with a focus on hospital care, the training process in the insertion of residents in the Primary Health Care (PHC) has an important role because they need to experience all levels of care, taking into account that the educational process through work proposed by the Residence is based on the comprehensiveness of health care. In light of the foregoing, the present research has sought to elucidate the insertion of these residents in PHC services, through a qualitative approach of case study, where data collection was held in two different moments: firstly, a questionnaire was accomplished, through an semi-structured script, with the residents of PRMS/UFRN, Natal Campus; subsequently, the focus group technique was accomplished with a group of nine residents, and data were analyzed from the categorical thematic content analysis. From the process of empirical categorization, categories and subcategories were raised, among which, the positive aspects and potentialities of insertion of residents in PHC. We detected the articulation of actions for promoting, preventing and recovering health; training in comprehensiveness of health care, multiprofessional activities and activities aimed at doing the integration among teaching-service-community. Regarding the difficulties found in this experience, we dealt with the organization and planning of rotation activities, the preceptorship, the process of work found in the Basic Health Units (BHU), in addition to factors external to educational practice, such as the issue of safety within these communities. Accordingly, with this situational diagnosis, we became able to realize that residents have identified the importance of this rotation for their vocational training, since these are inserted in post-graduate programs in hospital care. As an immediate product of this study, we will present a report that will provide a space for discussion and assessment of this rotation by the coordination bodies of PRMS/UFRN, in order to seek organizational and pedagogical adaptations, besides the proposition of qualification courses for the actors involved with this process, aiming the implementation of improvements in the rotation of PHC toward the qualified training of professionals for SUS.

Aprendizagem musical na Orquestra Sinfônica da UFRN

Music and music education are present in the daily lives of people in different ways and in multiple contexts. In this study, we highlight the musical training in the orchestral context aiming to understand how learning music happens in the Symphony Orches tra of the Universidade Federal do Ri o Grande do Norte – OSUFRN. To achieve this goal, we identified all the activities, structure and functioning in OSUFRN; we have observed the development of activities of the group by checking the interactions among the participants of the orchestra and the different ways to learn music in that orchestral context. The research is based on discussions about collective musical practice, instrumen tal training in music education, the process of learning and the relationship between young people and music in the context of collective musical practice learning. Qualitative approach and case study were used as methodological procedures. Data collection was established by means of on - site observations, accompanying of the activities, rehearsals and performances of group and semi - structured interviews with the conductor and some participants with more time in the orchestra. We have also used photographs a nd footage that helped us in the procedure collection and construction of data. The analysis and interpretation of these data were enforced by Content Analysis featuring. It reveals the musical learning, through learning instances perceived in rehearsals, concerts, in living with the conductor and between musicians, teachers, employees and guest musicians, individually in travel and exchanges with other orchestral groups. In this way the activities developed by the group enable a comprehensive musical educa tion that guides to acquire autonomy in their learning and preparing them for future careers.

A atuação dos núcleos de apoio às pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais no IFRN

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reality of the Service Centers for People with Special Educational Needs (NAPNEs) implanted at Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) through a Professional Education Program in Technology for People with Special Educational Needs (TEC NEP Program). To reach the proposal we opted for an exploratory research with a qualitative approach characterized as a field of study. Data were obtained from questionnaires answered by thirteen (13) NAPNEs coordinators of different IFRN campuses and examined using content analysis. The survey results show that the creation of the TEC NEP program was an important step for inclusion policies in IFRN. However, difficulties were also identified by participants as coordinators: lack of physical infrastructure, human and material resources and financial matters, among others, as barriers to implementation and performance of NAPNEs. Keywords: TEC NEP Program, Professional Education, Inclusion, People with disabilities.

Química em cena: uma proposta para formação inicial de professores de química

In educational observed difficulty in train teachers to meet the medium and higher education needs, and one reason for this is the different experiences in the training of educators in relation to those found in the classroom. So often arise criticisms related to relevance and efficiency of degree courses, as regards the performance of its natural mission, which weakens the teacher training. Thus, improving the quality of education is very dependent on the initiatives of teachers, creating teaching alternatives to strengthen their performance in school. From this reflection, it is concluded that teacher training needs new educational proposals that qualify, and so can promote the formation of his students more adequately. Among the educational proposals as alternatives to initial teacher training may use the scientific theater (TC). Considering this possibility, this work has been proposed as investigate and discuss the influence of TC combined with experimentation in the initial training of future teachers in Chemistry who participate in the Groups Fanatics chemistry Theatre (UERN) and Chemistry on Stage (UFRN). Therefore, there was, in a first stage, theatrical essays based on the theater of the oppressed, and written dramaturgical scripts, a collaborative proposal. To incorporate experimentation in chemistry to theater rehearsals, there was a systematic literature search and after content analysis, were selected categories, materials and reagents easily accessible, easy procedures and implementation with low risk of accidents and easy care chemical waste. In the second part we identified: a) the beliefs of student teachers in the use of TC ally trial for initial training of chemistry teachers; b) the influence of TC ally to trial on learning of chemical concepts of high school students who attended the shows; c) the reasons for using or not TC ally to trial by chemistry teachers who participated in the TC group and currently work in the classroom. In this study, questionnaires and interviews were used, compounds, respectively, by a Likert scale and open questions. Quantitative data were analyzed by classical statistics the media, using as centrality measures the average, the concordance argument and the average deviation. Qualitative data were discussed according to content analysis, with categories that emerged from reading the answers. These analyzes concluded that the licensees have a positive view on the use of scientific theater for disclosure of the chemical for use in the learning of chemical concepts, pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge, and to form promotion strategy for research and extension at the University. They credit improvements in their initial training on the use of scientific theater combined with experimentation. The TC provides motivation for the construction of conceptual thinking in an informal way of chemical communication, allowing the student to expand their knowledge, not only favoring the phenomenological approach, but also the construction of chemical knowledge and the internalization of scientific concepts.

Avaliação dos impactos do uso do sistema de gestão hospitalar no Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes

The object of this study was motivated by the need to know the possible causes of differences in results achieved in the implementation of a Computerised Management System (CMS) in a Federal University Hospital, located in northeastern Brazil, to understand the factors that influenced the results in different groups when was used the same systems implementation methodologies. Considering the implication of managers, health professionals, other professionals involved and the existing organizational structure in the period when implantation occurred, aimed to know the perception of these people about the development of CMS in the deployment process in your group or sector and also in the organization.The methodology used in this study was the content analysis which provides a rich set of methodological tools for evaluating speeches,enabling us to discourse from the unknown analysis and subjectivity, but with scientific rigor, allowing, at the end, to understand the disparity in results in the implementation of CMS.It was used as a research tool, a semi-structured interview, which exploits a qualitative approach, as suggested by the authors. It was used the approach of the episodic interview, to be more narrative about the experiences of the interview participants in their practical experience along the CMS deployment process in the hospital.Were interviewed three groups of professional and a group of managers, all with higher education in their professions and who participated in the entire implementation process from the beginning.It followed the Bardin's methodology (2009) in all the phases of treatment and interpretation of data, where emerged three categories: the "Thought and Knowledge"; the "Practices and Changes"; the "Obtained Results". From the category "Thought and Knowledge"emerged three subcategories: the "Administrative", the "Institutional" and the "IT Knowledge". From the category "Practices and Changes" emerged three subcategories: "Reality Prior to CMS"; "The IT Project and the implementation of CMS" and "Impacts of the CMS Implementation". From the category "Results Obtained" emerged three subcategories: "Benefits Promoted by CMS", "Dissatisfaction Observed" and "Level of Use and Understanding CMS ". It was observed that the lack of integration of the sectors was a determinant problem in the implementation of CMS. The CMS implementation project was not well dimensioned and divulged in the institution. Different models of leaderships and of objectives of the sectors influenced in the course of the CMS implementation process. We can mention that an CMS should be a consolidation of organizational practices tool already institutionalized and of integration amongthe sectors and not supporting to isolated practices and personalistsfrom sectors of the institution.

Trajetória de pessoas com AIDS em situação de vulnerabilidade social: à luz da história oral de vida

The epidemic caused by HIV presents a global, dynamic and unstable phenomenon, which depends on the individual and collective human behavior. Efforts to deconstruct the stigmatized image caused by infection of AIDS are still often associated with adoption of socially unacceptable behavior to be a circumscribed the susceptibilities of vulnerable individuals and communities to infection, illness and death by HIV. This study aimed to: narrate the trajectory of life of people with AIDS more vulnerable enrolled in the Municipal Social Assistance Parnamirim / RN. It is a study of qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, taking oral history of life as technical and methodological framework. The colony consisted of 186 people with AIDS. The network was comprised of 13 employees of both sexes, aged between 19 and 62 years old with positive diagnosis and agreed to voluntarily participate. After approval by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (CEP / UFRN), in the opinion No. 719,926 CAAE: 30408114.5.0000.5537 on 6 June 2014 data were collected from August to September 2014. The employees signed the Informed Consent and Informed and letter of assignment. Held transcribing the interviews and later returned to respondents to retest, ie so that they confer what allowed us to carry out transcreation after consecutive readings. The reports were analyzed through Bardin content analysis. Guiding the analysis of the accounts of employees, we find three themes: Prejudice and discrimination in living with AIDS; Reacting to the diagnosis and the accession process to antiretroviral treatment; and religious coping in people with AIDS. It can be concluded in this study, that employees have shown great emotional impact after positive diagnosis for HIV / AIDS, especially with regard to social life, the family ties, work and above all to the prejudice of society. Treatment with antiretroviral drugs was seen as a motivation to regain dreams and plans for a future once uncertain, and even if it is not a cure therapy, provided the employees improved quality of life.

Trajetória de pessoas com AIDS em situação de vulnerabilidade social: à luz da história oral de vida

The epidemic caused by HIV presents a global, dynamic and unstable phenomenon, which depends on the individual and collective human behavior. Efforts to deconstruct the stigmatized image caused by infection of AIDS are still often associated with adoption of socially unacceptable behavior to be a circumscribed the susceptibilities of vulnerable individuals and communities to infection, illness and death by HIV. This study aimed to: narrate the trajectory of life of people with AIDS more vulnerable enrolled in the Municipal Social Assistance Parnamirim / RN. It is a study of qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, taking oral history of life as technical and methodological framework. The colony consisted of 186 people with AIDS. The network was comprised of 13 employees of both sexes, aged between 19 and 62 years old with positive diagnosis and agreed to voluntarily participate. After approval by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (CEP / UFRN), in the opinion No. 719,926 CAAE: 30408114.5.0000.5537 on 6 June 2014 data were collected from August to September 2014. The employees signed the Informed Consent and Informed and letter of assignment. Held transcribing the interviews and later returned to respondents to retest, ie so that they confer what allowed us to carry out transcreation after consecutive readings. The reports were analyzed through Bardin content analysis. Guiding the analysis of the accounts of employees, we find three themes: Prejudice and discrimination in living with AIDS; Reacting to the diagnosis and the accession process to antiretroviral treatment; and religious coping in people with AIDS. It can be concluded in this study, that employees have shown great emotional impact after positive diagnosis for HIV / AIDS, especially with regard to social life, the family ties, work and above all to the prejudice of society. Treatment with antiretroviral drugs was seen as a motivation to regain dreams and plans for a future once uncertain, and even if it is not a cure therapy, provided the employees improved quality of life.

Análise do uso do Portal de Periódicos da CAPES na perspectiva de mestres e doutores formados pelo Programa de Pós-graduação em Administração da UFRN

The Brazilian CAPES Journal Portal aims to provide Information in Science and Technology (IST) for academic users. Thus, it is considered a relevant instrument for post-graduation dynamics and the country´s Science and Technology (S&T) development. Despite its importance, there are still few studies that focus on the policy analysis and efficiency of these resources. This research aims to fill in this gap once it proposes an analysis of the use of the CAPES Journal Portal done on behalf of the master´s and doctoral alumni of the Post Graduate Program in Management (PPGA) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The operationalization of the research´s main objective was possible through the specific objectives: characterize graduate profile as CAPES Journal Portal users b) identify motivation for the use of CAPES Journal Portal c) detect graduate satisfaction degree in information seeking done at CAPES Journal Portal d) verify graduate satisfaction regarding the use of the CAPES Journal Portal e) verify the use of the information that is obtained by graduates in the development of their academic activities. The research is of descriptive nature employing a mixed methodological strategy in which quantitative approach predominates. Data collection was done through a web survey questionnaire. Quantitative data analysis was made possible through the use of a statistical method. As for qualitative analysis, there was use of the Brenda Dervin´s sense-making approach as well as content analysis in open ended questions. The research samples were composed by 90 graduate students who had defended their dissertation/thesis in the PPGA program at UFRN in the time span of 2010-2013. This represented by 88% of this population. As for user profile, the analysis has made evident that there are no quantitative differences related to gender. There is predominance of male graduates that were aged 26 to 30 years old. As for female graduates, the great majority were 31 o 35 years old. Most graduates had Master´s degree scholarship in order to support their study. It was also seen that the great majority claim to use the Portal during their post graduation studies. The main reasons responsible for non use was: preference for the use of other data bases and lack of knowledge regarding the Portal. It was observed that the most used information resources were theses and dissertations. Data also indicate preference for complete text. Those who have used the Portal also claimed to have used other electronic information fonts in order to fulfill their information needs. The information fonts that were researched outside in the Portal were monographs, dissertations and thesis. Scielo was the most used information font. Results reveal that access and use of the Portal has been done in a regular manner during post graduation studies. But on the other hand, graduates also make use of other electronic information fonts in order to meet their information needs. The study also confirmed the important mission performed by the Portal regarding Brazilian scientific communication production. This was seen even though users have reported the need for improvement in some aspects such as: periodic training in order to promote, encourage and teach more effective use of the portal; investment aiming the expansion of Social Sciences Collection in the Portal as well as the need to implement continuous evaluation process related to user satisfaction in regarding the services provided.

Políticas públicas de turismo: análise do desempenho das instâncias de governança turística e seus reflexos no fomento do turismo cultural no município de Manaus/AM (2003-2014)

This study has the main objective to analyze the role of the bodies of state and local governance of tourism, aimed at tourism development process in the city of Manaus / AM , by the public practices of planning, management and development activity in the respective municipality . To the specific objectives were established four aims: 1) To characterize the process of formation of governance entities active in tourism in the city of Manaus. 2) Lift the actions planned and executed by the authorities aimed at cultural tourism in the period 2003-2014. 3) To question through the perception of the actors representing the different classes and entities of the Amazonian society, the actions planned and executed by the authorities aimed at cultural tourism in the period 2003-2014 and 4) Identify key similarities and the differences in decision-making about actions aimed at cultural tourism in Manaus. We adopted a qualitative approach, using the methodological design of descriptive and exploratory, with the help of the use of the techniques of literature search, document, with on-site data collection through interviews with semi-structured script application forms to the representatives of sectorial institutions that make up the locations of governance in tourism. In addition, the treatment of information was used content analysis technique. In response to stated objectives, it can be concluded that the creation of public arenas, through the tourism of governance has enabled incipient discussion in a democratic manner and decision-making in the area of planning and management of tourism in Manaus. It was also observed that obstacles that hinder and undermine the structures of the bodies, which reflect the joint, in the promotion and cultural tourism development in the city of Manaus.

A interação ensino-serviço no processo de formação dos graduandos em fisioterapia da UFPB: a percepção dos docentes

The health paradigm, consolidated in the last century, directed the training of health professionals, educated under the aegis of the Flexnerian training, fragmentary and hospital-centered model. However, it proved to be insufficient to meet the demands of the Unified Health System and the population. In this sense, the National Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate health courses emerge as a normative framework in proposing a new professional profile, as well as the recommendation of strategies for the restructuring of curricula and teaching practices, and one of them is the teaching-service integration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the process of training of Physiotherapy course students of the Federal University of Paraíba with the guiding principle of teaching-service integration, considering DCN. In this sense, the chosen method was a case study with qualitative approach. The sample was intentional, including all faculty members of the permanent staff of the Department of Physiotherapy at UFPB, linked to curriculum components whose practice scenarios occur in the SUS network and time longer than one year in that component. The data collection technique was the semi-structured interview. Data analysis was performed using the content analysis technique. The following categories were considered: professional training for SUS, integration of students to the SUS network services, the relationship between theory and practice in the training of physiotherapists, teaching and health professional partnership in the teaching-learning process and programs of training reorientation and their integration with the course. The results allowed identifying positive points in the teaching-service integration: recognition of the importance of integration activities between university and health services based on the insertion of students in the network, the combined actuation with health service professionals and the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team; the existence of structured and organized School Network; participation of students and teachers in government programs that offer the experience of insertion in the labor market. The following weaknesses stood out: difficulties in agreement, planning and evaluation of activities by the service; gap between theoretical and practical activities; lack of definition of roles of teacher and health service professionals in the training process and the fragile relationship of reorientation of vocational training programs with the curricular activities of the course. The teaching-service integration as a guiding principle in the analysis of the formation of physiotherapists reveals limits and possibilities for training that meets the health needs of the population. Thus, the choices of educational institutions regarding the care model have an influence on health practices, as well as the commitment by management and services and the permeability to social control instances decisively contribute to the improvement in the training of future professionals. Thus, the commitment of all involved for the effective change in the training process of health paradigm is indispensable.

A interação ensino-serviço no processo de formação dos graduandos em fisioterapia da UFPB: a percepção dos docentes

The health paradigm, consolidated in the last century, directed the training of health professionals, educated under the aegis of the Flexnerian training, fragmentary and hospital-centered model. However, it proved to be insufficient to meet the demands of the Unified Health System and the population. In this sense, the National Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate health courses emerge as a normative framework in proposing a new professional profile, as well as the recommendation of strategies for the restructuring of curricula and teaching practices, and one of them is the teaching-service integration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the process of training of Physiotherapy course students of the Federal University of Paraíba with the guiding principle of teaching-service integration, considering DCN. In this sense, the chosen method was a case study with qualitative approach. The sample was intentional, including all faculty members of the permanent staff of the Department of Physiotherapy at UFPB, linked to curriculum components whose practice scenarios occur in the SUS network and time longer than one year in that component. The data collection technique was the semi-structured interview. Data analysis was performed using the content analysis technique. The following categories were considered: professional training for SUS, integration of students to the SUS network services, the relationship between theory and practice in the training of physiotherapists, teaching and health professional partnership in the teaching-learning process and programs of training reorientation and their integration with the course. The results allowed identifying positive points in the teaching-service integration: recognition of the importance of integration activities between university and health services based on the insertion of students in the network, the combined actuation with health service professionals and the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team; the existence of structured and organized School Network; participation of students and teachers in government programs that offer the experience of insertion in the labor market. The following weaknesses stood out: difficulties in agreement, planning and evaluation of activities by the service; gap between theoretical and practical activities; lack of definition of roles of teacher and health service professionals in the training process and the fragile relationship of reorientation of vocational training programs with the curricular activities of the course. The teaching-service integration as a guiding principle in the analysis of the formation of physiotherapists reveals limits and possibilities for training that meets the health needs of the population. Thus, the choices of educational institutions regarding the care model have an influence on health practices, as well as the commitment by management and services and the permeability to social control instances decisively contribute to the improvement in the training of future professionals. Thus, the commitment of all involved for the effective change in the training process of health paradigm is indispensable.

A postcolonial queer analysis of aboriginal queer clients' experiences of health care services in St. John's, Newfoundland

This thesis examines the gaps between health care services aimed at Aboriginal queer individuals living in St. John’s, Newfoundland and their health care needs. I used a multi-methods research design that includes interviews and demographic surveys, unobtrusive observation and qualitative content analysis. I conducted semi-structured interviews with institutional representatives from selected health related organizations – Eastern Health, Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador, the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador, and St. John’s Native Friendship Center; as well as a transgender activist and three people who identify as Aboriginal and queer. I conducted observational research at two public seminars on Aboriginal people and health. Finally, I carried out qualitative content analysis of organizational reports and webpages of the selected community organizations. Using a postcolonial queer framework that analyzes how Newfoundland and Labrador’s colonial history is reflected in current health care realities I argue that the lack of appropriate services and culturally insensitive delivery of services reproduce the historical marginalization of an already vulnerable group.

Coral reef habitat maps derived from a high-spatial-resolution multi-spectral satellite image using object based image analysis

Coral reef maps at various spatial scales and extents are needed for mapping, monitoring, modelling, and management of these environments. High spatial resolution satellite imagery, pixel <10 m, integrated with field survey data and processed with various mapping approaches, can provide these maps. These approaches have been accurately applied to single reefs (10-100 km**2), covering one high spatial resolution scene from which a single thematic layer (e.g. benthic community) is mapped. This article demonstrates how a hierarchical mapping approach can be applied to coral reefs from individual reef to reef-system scales (10-1000 km**2) using object-based image classification of high spatial resolution images guided by ecological and geomorphological principles. The approach is demonstrated for three individual reefs (10-35 km**2) in Australia, Fiji, and Palau; and for three complex reef systems (300-600 km**2) one in the Solomon Islands and two in Fiji. Archived high spatial resolution images were pre-processed and mosaics were created for the reef systems. Georeferenced benthic photo transect surveys were used to acquire cover information. Field and image data were integrated using an object-based image analysis approach that resulted in a hierarchically structured classification. Objects were assigned class labels based on the dominant benthic cover type, or location-relevant ecological and geomorphological principles, or a combination thereof. This generated a hierarchical sequence of reef maps with an increasing complexity in benthic thematic information that included: 'reef', 'reef type', 'geomorphic zone', and 'benthic community'. The overall accuracy of the 'geomorphic zone' classification for each of the six study sites was 76-82% using 6-10 mapping categories. For 'benthic community' classification, the overall accuracy was 52-75% with individual reefs having 14-17 categories and reef systems 20-30 categories. We show that an object-based classification of high spatial resolution imagery, guided by field data and ecological and geomorphological principles, can produce consistent, accurate benthic maps at four hierarchical spatial scales for coral reefs of various sizes and complexities.