Vista Scenic Beauty Estimation Modeling: A GIS Approach

A GIS-based prediction model to evaluate vista scenic beauty ('natural scenic beauty').

"Natural scenic beauty" is a concept that National Forest Managers must grapple with continuously when it comes to planning and decision making for the future of our forests. This resource has been difficult to define and has been the subject of over twenty years of research and development effort. Even more complex, are the vista perspectives, where in the viewer is typically elevated above the forest canopy and the view extends over relatively large expanses of forest landscape. This special case requires sophisticated techniques that take into account the levels of precision, reliability, and validity necessary to support public land management decisions. This paper discusses the components required for a GIS-based, "3-dimensional" prediction model for vista scenic beauty, including, 1) determination of significant viewpoints, 2) procedures for viewshed area specification and analysis, 3) defining the locus of vista scenic beauty (landscape or viewpoint), 4) the definition and computational methodology of relevant georelational landscape features, and 5) the statistical model used to generate predicted values.

Presented At
1997 ESRI International User Conference
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, California

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