Measuring the scientific benefits from the deep-sea human-operated vehicle project: A choice experiment study

The Korean government is considering the implementation of a project to develop a deep-sea human-operated vehicle (HOV) to improve the level of deep-sea research. Information on the scientific benefits from the project is urgently needed in order to come to a decision about whether to implement the project. This paper measures the conservation value of developing nine attributes associated with HOV by using the choice experiment (CE). A survey of about 356 experts was undertaken and 132 experts completely responded to the survey. To deal with the CE data from the survey, we employed a multinomial logit model. All the coefficient estimates are statistically significant and consistent with prior expectations. Therefore, we can judge that the respondents’ works required in the CE survey were within their cognitive abilities and they reported responsible and significant values. Each marginal willingness to pay for each attribute associated with the HOV is statistically significant and provides good information on the scientific values with regard to developing the HOV. The results can be utilized in evaluating and planning several alternatives related to developing the HOV.