Wild vistas: Progress in computational approaches to ‘viewshed’ analysis

Abstract

Understanding the potential visual impact of landscape change provides the opportunity to both prevent inappropriate change and minimize the impact of necessary service provision. Wilderness areas are, by definition, particularly sensitive to the visible presence of human activity and built structures. As GIS technology has reached disciplines with a specific aesthetic interest in landscape the visual questions posed of data have become more demanding. This may be a matter of the degree of confidence which may be placed on the results of visibility analysis given data uncertainties and vague definitions. Alternatively it may be that more qualitatively subtle questions are to be addressed, concerning not just whether a location is visible, but how prominent it is in the view or indeed how notable it is psychologically. In some cases relevant techniques have existed for decades, but their significance is only now being appreciated. Other aspects are stimulating renewed interest at the research front that bring together disciplines from GIS, computer graphics, landscape planning and psychology. This chapter considers the evolution of the questions being asked of visual analysis as well as techniques and technologies developed to answer them.