Stakeholder
Maple Syrup
Enthusiasts
Goals
Input production data
Contributing
Production data
Increase production
Production parameters Algorithm parameters
for estimating
production
Production data
Participation
frequency
Database
Participation spread /
application use
Participation
frequency
Analyses
Data access
Monitor production
US Department of
Agriculture
Collect data
Monitor production
Forestry Scientists &
Students
Maple Syrup
Enthusiast
Associations
Influences
Constraining
Data input complexity
Collect data
Analyze data
Monitor (associationwide) production
Analyze data
Increase hobby
awareness
Department of Natural Increase hobby
Resources
awareness
Commercial Entities
Increase hobby
(Tapping equipment
awareness
companies and
retailers)
Monitor local
production
Analyses
Production data
Data format
Data input complexity
Production data
Advertising
Data format
Target audience
access to technology
Target audience
access to technology
Target audience
access to technology
Advertising
Advertising
Access to technology
Summary
The maple syrup enthusiasts’ primary goals are to input production data and monitor that
production, with the ultimate goal of increasing production. However, conversations with subject
matter experts indicate that these enthusiasts may not be particularly skilled with technology, and
participation may be somewhat difficult given the circumstances (i.e., to use the app the user
must interact with an electronic device. However, the maple syrup season is typically in cold
areas, during the winter months. The possibly messy nature of the activity coupled with the
weather conditions may make users reluctant to interact with a smart device.
The main secondary user, the US Department of Agriculture, is interested in monitoring
local production. Therefore, they will mainly be interacting with the data itself. The main
barriers to these goals are the breadth and frequency of use for the application. The more
widespread the application’s use, and the more frequently users interact with the app, the higher
“resolution” the data that the USDA can glean from the app. Similar concerns apply for forestry
scientists and students, however the goals of these users are slightly different. Whereas the
USDA may only be looking for usage statistics, forestry scientists may be interested to plot
trends based upon factors not recoded by the app. Therefore it is important that the data is
exportable in a format that is easily interpreted.
The rest of the stakeholders enjoy the effects of increased hobby engagement. These
stakeholders profit from the hobby itself, whether or not users are drawn by the app. It is
important to note, however, that many of these stakeholders may be primary users as well, since
the community is relatively small and many of the larger retail operations are run by enthusiasts.