RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Smart Device Recreation Data
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 011626-0005
DO 10.3368/le.102.3.011626-0005
A1 Duff, Cameron
A1 Giguere, Chris
A1 Murray, Jason
YR 2026
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/early/2026/03/05/le.102.3.011626-0005.abstract
AB Human mobility data (MD) from smartphones may offer a scalable alternative to fieldwork for Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDAs) and non-market valuation. We test MD's utility for estimating recreational demand changes after a 2019 Houston tank fire. We apply count regressions and zonal travel cost models to calculate welfare losses. While this MD dataset reflects expected temporal patterns, comparisons with reference data reveal that "coverage rates" vary significantly across sites. This measurement error complicates counterfactual predictions. Economists should use caution when deriving absolute recreational value from MD.