Modellering landschapsbeleving (WOT-04-011-036.79, WOT-04-011-036.63, WOT-04-011-036.47, WOT-04-011-036.31, WOT-04-010-036.05)

The project aims to model the appreciation of landscapes and nature areas in the Netherlands, as well as their suitability for nature-based recreation. This should take place in such a way that the impact of physical changes and measures on this appreciation and suitability can be quantified. Quantification is considered desirable, because it will facilitate taking these cultural ecosystem values fully into account when assessing the benefits of nature policy measures or when making integral assessments such as Social Cost Benefits Analyses (SCBA). The model is to be used by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). At the moment PBL uses the GIS-based Landscape Appreciation Model (GLAM) to assess the scenic beauty of landscapes. GLAM uses the physical characteristics of the landscape to predict how (visually) attractive Dutch people find an area on average. The present version of GLAM is not very well suited to evaluate physical changes in the landscape, because the model is still fairly crude, spatially as well as in content. Furthermore PBL desires to have a more encompassing model that not only predicts scenic beauty, but also the potential of the area for nature-based recreation. In 2016 the smartphone app for Apple iOS en Android will be presented via open access, to reach an audience as big as possible.