Investigations in the theory and accuracy of economic measurements in resource based outdoor recreation

This dissertation examines two different types of problems of economic measurement in outdoor recreation. The first type of problem is that of ascertaining the level of accuracy of recreational data available from ordinary published sources. The problem is exemplified by a detailed analysis of the quantitative accuracy of the visitation data from a large recreational area. The second problem examined is the problem of devising a measurement scheme for a concept that is not very well-understood; the concept is the level of congestion at a large outdoor recreational facility. In this case an axiomatic measurement theory is proposed to allow what is effectively a ratio scale of measurement for the concept. This theory is set forth in terms of a polynomial conjoint representation and uniqueness theorem. This theorem is then empirically interpreted for testing