scholarly journals Multi-Item Assessment of Physiognomic Diversity of Geocomplexes as a Comprehensive Method of Visual-Aesthetic Landscape Assessment

Geographies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-46
Author(s):  
Przemysław Śleszyński
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Observation Point ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Aesthetic Evaluation ◽  
Comprehensive Method ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
Landscape Units ◽  
Method Of Evaluation ◽  
Aesthetic Values

The paper presents the development of conceptual, theoretical, and methodological foundations of a complex and novel method for evaluating visual–aesthetic values of landscape. The novelty lies in the combination of methods for assessing the overall attractiveness of the landscape (geocomplex) and the view field (as seen from an observation point). The analysis was carried out for a highly environmentally diverse fragment of the Małopolska Upland (central Poland). The proposed method of evaluation is in two-stage procedure. At the first stage, the visual attractiveness of landscape units (geocomplexes distinguished on the basis of relief and land cover types) was calculated. The assessment took into account the diversity of landscape form and content (shape of the unit, contrast of landscape boundaries, vertical differentiation of relief and land cover, typological richness of vegetation). In the second stage, first, the view extent was determined using a specially written computer program from multiple points on a map in an assumed grid every 50 m. More than 3200 measurements were taken in a transect from an area of 8 sq. km for an area enclosing 77 sq. km. Then, in each of these 3.2 thousand delineated view reaches, the unit values of the physiognomic–aesthetic evaluation of the landscapes seen by the observer (first-stage evaluation) were counted. The developed method tries to make a conceptual–theoretical and methodological contribution to the study of physiognomy and aesthetics of landscapes, as the evaluation combines the aspects of surface and point attractiveness. Hence, the proposed method has a comprehensive character and can be a universal platform for physiognomic and landscape evaluation, also for practical purposes, e.g., nature protection, tourism development and spatial planning.

scholarly journals The Use of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) Database for Analyzing Urban Sprawl

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Cieślak ◽  
Andrzej Biłozor ◽  
Karol Szuniewicz
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Corine Land Cover ◽  
Gis Tools ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Novel Method

Urban sprawl is generally defined as the urbanization of space adjacent to a city, which results from that city’s development. The discussed phenomenon involves land development, mainly agricultural land, in the proximity of cities, the development of infrastructure, and an increase in the number of residents who rely on urban services and commute to work in the city. Urban sprawl generates numerous problems which, in the broadest sense, result from the difficulty in identifying the boundaries of the central urban unit and the participation of local inhabitants, regardless of their actual place of residence, in that unit’s functional costs. These problems are associated not only with tax collection rights but with difficulties in measuring the extent of urban sprawl in research and local governance. The aim of this study was to analyze the applicability of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) database for monitoring urbanization processes, including the dynamic process of urban sprawl. Polish cities with county rights, i.e., cities that implement independent spatial planning policies, were analyzed in the study to determine the pattern of urban sprawl in various types of cities. Buffer zones composed of municipalities that are directly adjacent to the central urban unit were mapped around the analyzed cities. The study proposes a novel method for measuring the extent of suburbanization with the use of the CLC database and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The developed method relies on the overgrowth of urbanization (OU) index calculated based on CLC data. The OU index revealed differences in the rate of urbanization in three groups of differently sized Polish cities. The analysis covered two periods: 2006–2012 and 2012–2018, and it revealed that urban sprawl in the examined cities proceeded in an unstable manner over time. The results of the present study indicate that the CLC database is a reliable source of information about urbanization processes.

scholarly journals Monitoring of Landscape Transformations within Landscape Parks in Poland in the 21st century

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Krajewski
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Landscape Change ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Dominant Type ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
The One ◽  
Landscape Transformations ◽  
Lower Silesia

One of the most problematic forms of nature protection in Poland relates to landscape parks. On the one hand, they include the most valuable landscapes; on the other hand, the areas within the landscape park still have economic uses. Therefore, the monitoring of landscape changes within landscape parks is necessary in order to properly manage these forms of protection. The main objective of the study was to monitor the scale and nature of landscape transformations within the boundaries of landscape parks in Poland during the period 2000–2018 and to assess the possibility of using the landscape change index (LCI) to monitor the intensity of landscape transformations within this type of protected area. Filling a gap in the research on landscape changes, I developed and verified the possibility of using LCI for monitoring the intensity of landscape changes using the example of 12 landscape parks in the Lower Silesia region. Preliminary analyses of the transformations within all landscape parks in Poland showed an upward trend, both in terms of the number of types of identified landscape changes as well as their area. In spite of the large diversity and degree of transformation in landscape parks, several dominant processes can be observed. The largest number and area of changes during each of the analyzed periods were found in transformations within forest landscapes (temporary and permanent deforestation and forest maturation), which constitute the dominant type of land cover within most of the landscape parks. In open landscapes, changes mainly relate to afforestation and natural succession in meadows, pastures and arable land, as well as the transformation of arable land into mining areas. Twelve case studies, covering all landscape parks of the Lower Silesia, have shown that the LCI is an excellent tool for monitoring the intensity of landscape changes, but it is dependent on the accuracy of the source data. The analyses confirmed that, during the study periods, the changes in all 12 Lower Silesian landscape parks were at a low level, but their particular intensification took place in the years 2012–2018. The highest LCI was found in the area where a natural disaster had occurred (air tornado), which destroyed huge areas of forest in landscape parks. After changes in the forest landscape, the most frequently identified type of change in 2006–2012 is the transformation of non-forest landscapes into forest landscapes. The main reason for such changes was the expansion of forest into abandoned arable land, meadows and pastures. The use of the Corine Land Cover database to calculate LCI and monitor the intensity of landscape change revealed a low usability of the database for the year 2000 and a high usability for data from 2006–2018.

scholarly journals FRAMEWORK FOR COMPARING SEGMENTATION ALGORITHMS

2015 ◽  
Vol XL-4/W5 ◽  
pp. 131-136
Author(s):  
G. Sithole ◽  
L. Majola
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Numerical Evaluation ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Segmentation Algorithm ◽  
Real Point ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Comprehensive Method ◽  
Segmentation Algorithms ◽  
Method Of Evaluation ◽  
Selection Of

The notion of a ‘Best’ segmentation does not exist. A segmentation algorithm is chosen based on the features it yields, the properties of the segments (point sets) it generates, and the complexity of its algorithm. The segmentation is then assessed based on a variety of metrics such as homogeneity, heterogeneity, fragmentation, etc. Even after an algorithm is chosen its performance is still uncertain because the landscape/scenarios represented in a point cloud have a strong influence on the eventual segmentation. Thus selecting an appropriate segmentation algorithm is a process of trial and error. <br><br> Automating the selection of segmentation algorithms and their parameters first requires methods to evaluate segmentations. Three common approaches for evaluating segmentation algorithms are ‘goodness methods’, ‘discrepancy methods’ and ‘benchmarks’. Benchmarks are considered the most comprehensive method of evaluation. This paper shortcomings in current benchmark methods are identified and a framework is proposed that permits both a visual and numerical evaluation of segmentations for different algorithms, algorithm parameters and evaluation metrics. The concept of the framework is demonstrated on a real point cloud. Current results are promising and suggest that it can be used to predict the performance of segmentation algorithms.

scholarly journals Landscape Changes in Protected Areas in Poland

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 753
Author(s):  
Anna Zbierska
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Legal Forms

Land-Use Cover Changes (LUCCs) are one of the main problems for the preservation of landscapes and natural biodiversity. Protected Areas (PAs) do not escape this threat. Poland is among the European leaders in terms of the variety of landscapes and the share of an area designated as a protected area. However, as many as 78% of the habitats have poor or bad conservation status based on EEA reports. This article analyzes the LUCCs between 2000 and 2018 in various types of the Polish legal forms of nature protection areas and the European Natura 2000 network within the country. The research material was: the data of Corine Land Cover (CLC), the Central Register of Nature Protection Forms, and high-resolution layers, such as HRL and orthophotos. The results were compiled according to the CLC class and forms of protection. The matrix of transformations showed that the most frequently transformed CLC class was 312 (coniferous forest). It was transformed into class 324 (transitional woodland shrubs). The changes in PAs were usually smaller than in the surrounding buffer zones, which may indicate their effectiveness. The exception was the areas of the European Natura 2000 network. The scale of land-cover flows (LCFs) changed within particular forms of protected areas, though afforestation and deforestation predominating in all area types. National reserves and parks were the most stable in terms of land cover structures. However, human settlements increased around the protected areas, potentially increasing threats to their ecological integrity.

scholarly journals Autonomous Viewpoint Selection of Robot Based on Aesthetic Evaluation of a Scene

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Lan ◽  
Kosuke Sekiyama
Keyword(s):  
Path Following ◽  
Aesthetic Property ◽  
Aesthetic Evaluation ◽  
Viewpoint Selection ◽  
Evaluation Functions ◽  
Aesthetic Sense ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Moving Process ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract In this paper, we propose an optimal viewpoint selection system for monitoring robots to search for the optimal viewpoint of a scene with the highest aesthetic property. Using the information of the targets, we propose a novel method for predicting human aesthetic sense for a scene. We construct evaluation functions based on certain known composition rules using three factors, namely, target size, visual balance, and composition fitting value. Then a score, which is a reflection of human evaluation, will be obtained using these functions. The optimal viewpoint will be selected from a number of candidates around the target group, by evaluating the aesthetic properties of scenes for each candidate viewpoint. Finally, once the optimal viewpoint is confirmed, path planning and path following controls are implemented for the robots during the moving process.

scholarly journals Demonstrating change from a drop-in engagement activity through pre- and post- graffiti walls: Quantitative linguistics and thematic analysis applied to a space soundscape exhibit

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin O. Archer ◽  
Natt Day ◽  
Sarah Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Near Earth Space ◽  
Underlying Space ◽  
Quantitative Linguistics ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Measuring Change ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Method Of Evaluation

Abstract. Impact evaluation in public engagement necessarily requires measuring change, however this is extremely challenging for drop-in activities due to their very nature. We present a soundscape exhibit, where young families experienced the usually inaudible sounds of near-Earth space, which used a novel method of evaluation integrating pre- and post- graffiti walls into the activity. We apply two analysis techniques to the captured before and after data: 1) Quantitative linguistics – Applying Zipf's law (the power law statistics of words) reveals an increased diversity of language concerning space afterwards, highlighting participants engaged with and reflected upon the sounds; 2) Thematic analysis – Finding and grouping patterns in the qualitative data shows altered conceptions of space around aspects of sound, dynamism, emptiness and electricity, areas highly relevant to the underlying space plasma physics of the sonified data. Therefore, we demonstrate that this novel approach to drop-in activity evaluation has the power to capture change from before to after, and thus short-term impact – specifically in this case showing the power of data sonification in innately communicating science. We suggest the method could be adopted by others in their drop-in engagement activities more broadly.

scholarly journals The aesthetic evaluation of forest landscape in four urban forest parks: A case study of Nanjing hilly areas, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Xiaolan Tang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Aesthetic Evaluation ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Forest Parks ◽  
Aesthetic Values

Abstract In recent years, the construction of urban forest parks has run into the fast lane in China. As an indispensable natural landscape resource for urban forest parks, forest landscape has been paid increasing attentions by the public, in contrast, less effort has been made in the field of aesthetic evaluation of forest landscape. Based on the theories of landscape esthetics and psychology, this paper aims to present methods for the aesthetic evaluation, and understand citizen’s aesthetic perceptions of forest landscape using Semantic Differential (SD) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods. Moreover, further suggestions will be put forward for a better development of the forest landscape, thereby giving full play to their landscape and recreation functions. As per the findings of this paper, the vegetation element diversity (PC 1 ), the magnificent feel (PC 2 ), the nature-pastoral feel (PC 3 ) and the sense of space (PC 4 ) present the critical comprehensive indexes affecting the aesthetic values of the forest landscape. The relationship between the comprehensive indexes and the landscape aesthetic value is revealed by multiple regression analyses. PC 3 and PC 4 are found to be less influencing on aesthetic values than PC 1 and PC 2 . At last, three suggestions for the construction and protection of forest landscape are put forward. The results of this study will contribute to the preservation of the forest landscape aesthetic, and the integration of these conclusions into the sustainable development strategies of urban forest parks.

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