Landscape coherence revisited: GIS-based mapping in relation to scenic values and preferences estimated with geolocated social media data

Previous research in environmental psychology and landscape science has demonstrated that the complexity (based on diversity) of the visual landscape positively influences landscape values and public preferences through a relationship with landscape coherence. In this study, we suggest one possible GIS-based indicator of landscape coherence calculated for a digital landscape model (DLM). It measures the degree to which the visual landscape as a whole exceeds the set of its overlapping components (landforms and land cover) regarding diversity. We verified the performance of the index within the National Park Peneda-Gerês (Northern Portugal) as a study area with cumulative viewsheds based on Flickr and Panoramio geolocated content. The results demonstrate a scale-dependent, positive relationship between the proposed index of landscape coherence for the categorical models and the landscape values. The findings of this study can be applied to landscape planning and management, providing an easy-to-use GIS-based indicator of landscape character assessment.