The phrase "a coarse indicator of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing something that provides a rough or approximate measure of a particular quality or characteristic.
Example: "The survey results serve as a coarse indicator of public opinion on the new policy."
Alternatives: "a rough measure of" or "a general sign of".
Because harvesting does not preclude fire, it is important to evaluate the combined effects of harvesting and fire on forest age structure, a coarse indicator of forest ecosystem state.
Secondly, the amount of a substance emitted is a coarse indicator of population exposure.
Anchorage-independent growth, used as a coarse indicator of transformation, was significantly reduced, as were migratory capacity and invasive competence.
Another key finding emerging from multiple analyses in the present study is that phasic pupil dilation may serve as not just as a coarse indicator of mental effort, but as a more specific indicator of proactive control.
Age obviously represents a good coarse indicator of general frontal functioning, but different subjects of the same age could have different global frontal functioning due to other factors (genes, experiences, learning, epigenetic and environment).
As have other recent studies of the health impacts of air pollution, we used a relatively coarse indicator of exposure to traffic-related air pollution, advantages and disadvantages of which have been described in more detail previously (Van Hee et al. 2009).
We have used housing tenure as a proxy because of its availability in the data but we recognise that it is a coarse indicator.
Together, these three indicator variables offer a coarse categorization of observed emotions in the spirit of dimensional models of emotion.
Online measurements of oil degradation rely on coarse indicators such as total polar compounds (TPC) and free-fatty acids.
Such coarse indicators operating in larger scales, however, are inappropriate for guidance to a small familiar home area around a geographically well-defined location.
It is a coarse policy of development, borne of despair.
