Landscape as an Area as Perceived by People: Empirically-based Nationwide Modelling of Scenic Landscape Quality in Germany

Nation-wide standardized scenic quality data is necessary to allow for the assessment of landscape impacts in the Strategic Environmental Assessment of national grid expansion planning. In this paper, we present an approach of GIS-based scenic quality modelling based on empirical data gathered using online visual landscape assessment surveys. Based on a representative sample of over 800 photographs covering the variety of German landscapes, and using the scenic quality ratings of over 3,500 respondents, a scenic quality model explaining 64 % of the variance in scenic quality ratings could be developed. This model then was applied to the entire territory of Germany, providing the first nation-wide scenic landscape quality dataset.