Viewscape: An R package for the spatial analysis of landscape perception and configurations in viewsheds of landscapes

Abstract

Viewshed-based viewscape analysis supports a range of scientific domains, including urban planning and ecosystem service research, focusing on enhancing well-being benefits. However, most viewshed tools and applications are proprietary and may not be accessible to all. Here, we introduce the open-source R package viewscape created for reproducible calculations of visual landscape metrics within the R environment. We demonstrate the use of this package by analyzing viewscape metrics within the viewsheds of georeferenced social media photographs.

Keywords

• Viewscape
• Viewshed
• R
• Environmental planning
• Ecosystem service research