Determination of the usage of shade structures via a dosimetry technique.

A measurement system is described that allows an objective review and evaluation of the amount of use by different population groups of provided shade structures. It employs the comparison of the erythemal UV exposure measured with dosimeters to either the vertex or forehead to that in full sun. The technique has been developed using three shade structures and found to provide a linear relationship with an R(2) of 0.99 between the exposure ratio and the time spent in the shade for the solar zenith angle range of 19-53° and for both low- and high-cloud levels. It provides an objective determination of the amount of shade use by population groups that have set periods of time outdoors.