Capturing Landscape Visual Character Using Indicators: Touching Base with Landscape Aesthetic Theory

This paper presents one way that landscape visual character can be captured using indicators derived from nine theory-based concepts related to landscape perception. The paper aims to establish links between landscape aesthetic theory and visual indicators, thus exploring what landscape indicators are really indicating. The steps from abstract visual concepts to measurable visual indicators are described, and links are made to theories of landscape preferences and perception. The focus of the paper is on the application of indicators, including a presentation of the possible data sources of the presented indicators. The paper includes a discussion on the selection of appropriate landscape indicators through a suggested filtering process. The ‘filtering’ will identify a suitable set of visual indicators for application within a specific project or landscape context. The relationships between the concepts and the ability of visual indicators to capture changes in landscape character and other issues related to interpretation are discussed