  In an era of heterogeneous data, novel methods and volunteered geographic
information provide opportunities to understand how people interact with a
place. However, it is not enough to simply have such heterogeneous data,
instead an understanding of its usability and reliability needs to be
undertaken. Here, we draw upon the case study of Rakiura, Stewart Island where
manifested passenger numbers across the Foveaux Strait are known. We have built
a population model to ground truth such novel indicators. In our preliminary
study, we find that a number of indicators offer the opportunity to understand
fluctuations in populations. Some indicators (such as wastewater volumes) can
suggest relative changes in populations in a raw form. While other indicators
(such as TripAdvisor reviews or Instagram posts) require further data
enrichment to get insights into population fluctuations. This research forms
part of a larger research project looking to test and apply such novel
indicators to inform disaster risk assessments.
