Outdoor research is the study of outdoor recreation, sports, and activities in order to understand their impact and improve equipment, training, safety, and the outdoor experience. It involves studying human behavior and physiology in outdoor settings as well as analyzing gear, technology, the environment, and more. Outdoor research helps push boundaries, spark innovation, and enable people to explore and enjoy the outdoors safely and sustainably.
Why is outdoor research important?
Outdoor research is important for several reasons:
- It improves outdoor gear and equipment – By studying how equipment performs in real-world conditions, researchers can identify areas for improvement. This leads to better designed, more effective, and safer gear.
- It enhances training and technique – Research on things like exercise physiology, biomechanics, and motor learning allows trainers and coaches to optimize training programs. Athletes can perfect techniques and skills.
- It informs best practices and policies – Studies on behavior, motivations, access, equity, etc. guide outdoor and public land management. Research ensures policies serve and protect diverse constituents.
- It mitigates risk and prevents injuries – Analyzing accident reports, evaluating hazards, and monitoring health impacts helps identify risks. Safety practices, regulations, and education programs can then be improved.
- It fosters sustainability – Research on outdoor recreation ecology and human-environment interactions aids sustainability. Studies help balance preservation and access, minimize impacts, and promote stewardship.
- It spreads awareness and increases inclusion – Research ensures the outdoors serves everyone despite age, gender, race, ability, or background. It sheds light on constraints to access and motivates equitable policies.
In short, outdoor research enhances experiences, safety, access, sustainability, innovation, and more in the outdoors. Studies tackle individual activities and sports as well as big picture issues. Quality research informs best practices that allow outdoor recreation to thrive responsibly.
Major areas of outdoor research
Outdoor research is multidisciplinary, synthesizing fields like sports science, physiology, psychology, sociology, engineering, and earth sciences. Some major research areas include:
Physiology and medicine
Studying physiology helps optimize performance and prevent injury. Areas like exercise physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and sports medicine inform training, gear design, recovery techniques, treatment protocols and more. Research may involve lab testing, field monitoring, injury tracking, etc.
Psychology and behavior
Understanding human psychology and behavior is crucial for safety, equity, and satisfying experiences outdoors. Research digs into things like risk assessment, decision making, mental health benefits, motivation, group dynamics, human-wildlife interactions and more.
Natural sciences
Studying the natural environment itself is key. This includes recreation ecology research on human impacts and sustainability. Other examples are studies on weather, aquatic/marine systems, wildlife, vegetation, geography, geology, climate, and more.
Social sciences
Research on the social aspects of outdoor recreation analyzes things like access, diversity, policy, management, community benefits, economic impacts, and education. Studies come from fields like sociology, anthropology, political science, and communications.
Engineering and design
Advancing gear and technology through engineering and design is crucial. Researchers test and refine things like apparel, footwear, equipment, instruments, electronics, vehicles, infrastructure, simulation technology, and more.
Safety and survival
Studying risk factors, preparedness, navigation, search/rescue, survival psychology, wilderness medicine, accident analysis, and situational decision making helps improve safety and emergency response.
Examples of outdoor research projects
Here are some examples of real-world outdoor research studies across various disciplines:
Physiology
- Comparing muscle activation in uphill, downhill, and level trail running
- Tracking VO2 max changes during mountaineering expeditions
- Assessing hydration needs for hikers in desert environments
- Modeling thermoregulation during cold water immersion
Psychology
- Understanding risk homeostasis in rock climbing
- Studying emotional responses to different natural landscapes
- Measuring cognitive benefits of outdoor vs. indoor exercise
- Analyzing factors influencing backcountry situational awareness
Natural Sciences
- Monitoring wildlife responses to recreationists on trails
- Assessing trail erosion from hiking traffic
- Correlating weather patterns with avalanche risk
- Tracking marine debris from recreational boating
Social Sciences
- Understanding constraints to national park visitation across demographics
- Surveying access needs among disabled outdoor enthusiasts
- Assessing economic value of outdoor recreation tourism
- Exploring cultural meanings ascribed to wilderness landscapes
Engineering/Design
- Optimizing trail running shoe traction and cushioning through prototypes
- Testing wicking and insulation properties of a new synthetic fabric
- Developing motion-tracking sensors to embed in climbing helmets
- Creating nature sound simulation systems for indoor training
Safety/Survival
- Evaluating precision of different wayfinding apps in mountainous terrain
- Assessing fatigue contributions to search and rescue incidents
- Comparing hypoxia symptoms at different high altitudes
- Modeling flooding risks to trail infrastructure from climate change
How is outdoor research conducted?
Outdoor researchers utilize diverse techniques and methods depending on the focus area and research questions. Some examples include:
- Lab testing: Using controlled lab settings to assess gear, materials, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, etc.
- Field research: Gathering data in natural outdoor environments like forests, mountains, oceans, etc.
- Surveys: Questionnaires and interviews assessing behaviors, motivations, perceptions, preferences, etc.
- Statistical analysis: Crunching numbers from experiments, incidents, economics, tourism, demographics, etc.
- Sensor monitoring: Collecting data through biosensors, motion sensors, environmental sensors, etc.
- Simulation technology: Mimicking outdoor scenarios digitally for testing purposes.
- Product design: Iterating through prototypes and user testing for gear innovations.
- Literature reviews: Synthesizing past scholarship to identify knowledge gaps.
- Participatory research: Partnering with users to co-design solutions.
Research may involve both qualitative and quantitative data. Studies can range from short-term and highly focused to longitudinal and exploratory. Researchers combine insights across disciplines to inform recommendations.
Who conducts outdoor research?
Outdoor research brings together diverse scholars and organizations, including:
- University academics from fields like sports science, psychology, conservation biology, etc.
- Research arms of outdoor brands like Patagonia, The North Face, etc.
- Government agencies like the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, etc.
- Nonprofit organizations like the Outdoor Foundation, Outward Bound, etc.
- Think tanks like Resources for the Future, the RAND Corporation, etc.
- Independent research institutes like the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
- Advisory bodies like the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee
- Recreation clubs/societies like the American Alpine Club, etc.
- Private testing labs and consultants
- Citizen scientists crowdsourcing data from outdoor experiences
These groups vary in size, funding, aim, and scope. Collaboration across academia, government, industry, nonprofits, and the public is common.
How is outdoor research funded?
Outdoor research funding flows from both public and private sources, such as:
- Government agencies like the National Science Foundation, Defense Department, etc.
- University research budgets and grants
- Corporate R&D funding at outdoor brands/manufacturers
- Nonprofit organizations and foundations
- Private donors and industry groups
- Research contests and open innovation challenges
- Crowdfunding campaigns
There are also several fellowship programs that provide targeted funding for early career outdoor researchers and academics, such as those from the American Alpine Club and the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center.
Challenges for outdoor research
Conducting rigorous research on outdoor recreation and sports brings unique challenges, such as:
- Accounting for the variability of uncontrolled natural settings
- Difficulty replicating studies across different terrain, weather, etc.
- Balancing data collection with preserving natural environments
- Mitigating risks and safety concerns of field work in remote areas
- Monitoring effects and behaviors over longer time horizons
- Gauging rarely occurring incidents like accidents or extreme events
- Applying findings from controlled lab settings to real-world contexts
- Securing consistent funding and resources
Researchers must be creative and flexible in their approaches. Leveraging both lab and field studies is key, as are interdisciplinary perspectives.
Outputs and applications of outdoor research
Outdoor research generates diverse outputs and practical recommendations, including:
- Gear innovations – New materials, textiles, equipment features, electronics, etc.
- Design guidelines – Standards for infrastructure like trails, roads, campsites, signage, etc.
- Maps and navigation tools – Improved topological maps, GPS technology, route planning apps, etc.
- Best practice recommendations – Techniques for climbing, paddling, navigation, avalanche safety, etc.
- Risk assessment models – Frameworks analyzing hazards for planning and education.
- Environmental insights – Data on human impacts, ecosystem responses, sustainability measures, etc.
- Diversity initiatives – Programs improving inclusion, equity, and access among users.
- Economic analyses – Quantifying costs, benefits, tourism revenues, etc. for policy decisions.
- Curriculum and training programs – Enhanced instructional resources for outdoor skills development.
Research feeds directly into both industry innovation and public policy. It provides a scientific basis for improving experiences across outdoor sports and activities sustainably and safely.
Key journals for outdoor research
Some top academic journals showcasing outdoor recreation research include:
- Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
- Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning
- Leisure Sciences
- Journal of Experiential Education
- Journal of Park and Recreation Administration
- Journal of Sport and Tourism
- Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership
- Journal of ASTM International
- International Journal of Wilderness
- Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments
Research also gets regularly published in field-specific journals on disciplines like sports medicine, ecology, physiology, engineering, and more.
Notable outdoor research centers
Some leading institutes and facilities focused on outdoor research include:
- Outdoor Research Center at the University of Michigan
- Berkeley High Performance Outdoor Research Laboratory (HPORL)
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
- Outdoor Foundation Research Lab
- Outdoor Recreation and Park Management Research Institute at Indiana University
- Osprey Packs Lab at University of California, San Diego
- National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Research Library
- Outdoor Research Field Lab in Seattle, WA
- Appalachian State University Human Performance Lab
- USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
These hubs offer facilities for both lab tests and field studies. They also publish findings, host conferences, and help train new researchers.
Major conferences for presenting research
Top conferences where outdoor researchers share findings and collaborate include:
- International Conference on Science and Technology in Sports
- Wilderness Medical Society Annual Meeting
- International Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
- National Outdoor Recreation Conference
- World Leisure Congress
- International Sports Engineering Association Conference
- Outdoor Retailer trade shows
- American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
- Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education Conferences
Presenting at such events allows for critical peer feedback and spurring new collaborations. Researchers also share findings through lectures, webinars, videos, and more.
Future directions for outdoor research
Some emerging areas and opportunities for advancing future outdoor research include:
- Leveraging big data from sensors, mobile apps, crowdsourcing, etc.
- Expanding artificial intelligence applications for risk modeling, image analysis, etc.
- Improving simulation technology like augmented/virtual reality.
- Advancing customization of gear and training via genomics, metabolomics, etc.
- Increasing diversity among researchers themselves to boost inclusivity.
- Using drones, remote sensing, and new observation tools for field studies.
- Building better datasets on rare incidents like accidents or extreme events.
- Promoting interdisciplinary systems thinking to address multifaceted problems.
Technological advances coupled with innovative methods will allow outdoor research to have even greater impacts. More open access data sharing and collaboration with end users can also improve research efficiency and translation.
Conclusion
Outdoor recreation research is a vital, multidisciplinary field driving innovation, enhancing experiences, and enabling responsible access to nature. Studies span from physiology and engineering to psychology and ecology. Researchers employ diverse methods across laboratories and natural settings. They generate insights that directly inform best practices for outdoor sports, public lands management, product development, and beyond. With emerging technologies and collaborative approaches, outdoor research will continue uncovering new ways for people to connect with the outdoors safely and sustainably.