Protection of the visual environment begins with a comprehensive documentation and evaluation of existing conditions followed by the development of guidelines pertaining to future alterations. This thesis examines existing methods of visual assessment and the needs of the land planner for the purpose of understanding the necessary components of evaluating the visual environment effectively. The objective has been to develop a new method of visual documentation and evaluation that can be utilized by land planners for the visual assessment of road corridors. In order to achieve this objective, a visual assessment of a Significant road corridor in Blacksburg, Virginia has been conducted. Various necessary components have been included in the assessment and a relational database management program has been used in the storage of all collected data. As a result of this process, it was found that a new method, which borrows from past processes, addresses the needs of the land planner, and utilizes an interactive medium for storage of data, is successful in addressing the objective. The new method has been successful in including the necessary components such as qualitative evaluation with adaptive descriptive nomenclature and photographic documentation of the existing corridor. The database has many qualities which are meaningful to land planners. Relational database management programs have the capability of storing text as well as photographs. For land planners to view the various aspects of the corridor, a simple pressing of their computer mouse button moves the them from one aspect to another. / Master of Landscape Architecture

A previously developed expert system for landscape visual quality assessment was evaluated for reliability and validity against four professional landscape architects, one of whom’s rules upon which the system was based, and two lay subjects. Results indicated that the system has good initial reliability and internal validity, but the external validity assessments appeared poor. It is believed that this was due to the subjects’ unfamiliarity with the system’s format and logical construction. For this reason, it is recommended that a training program be developed and the reliability and validity be reassessed, with and without training the subjects. / Master of Science

Zhang Zongyu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-108). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH --- p.i-ii / ABSTRACT IN CHINESE --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iv-v / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.vi-viii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.ix / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.x-xi / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Landscape and landscape Assessment --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- The descriptive inventory approach --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Public preference models --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2 --- Urban Landscape --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3 --- Relationship between professional and public --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3.1 . --- Inherent conflicts --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.2. --- Roles of both sides --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Collaboration between professionals and the public --- p.10 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT / Chapter 2.1 --- The needs for visual impact assessment --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2 --- The visual impact assessment process --- p.16 / Chapter 2.3 --- The information inventory in the visual impact assessment --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Landscape simulation --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Visual impacts identification --- p.22 / Chapter 2.4 --- Public participation --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Public preference in the urban landscape --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Public accessibility to the urban landscape planning process --- p.28 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- CAPTURING THE SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS / Chapter 3.1 --- General considerations --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Function requirements --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Project management --- p.32 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- User interface --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Web access --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Qualification of public participation in urban planning --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2 --- Envisioning the proposed web based system --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Proposed virtual collaboration --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- Improving participants' access to the web based visual impact assessment --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Capturing the public appreciation --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Collaboration between planners and public --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- SYSTEM DESIGN / Chapter 4.1 --- Main software or tools for developing the proposed web based system --- p.45 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Arcview 3.1 or Arc/Info with 3D analyst and Internet mapping server extensions --- p.46 / Chapter 4:1.2 --- VRML 2.0 and Java --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Java3D API --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2 --- System configuration --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- System architecture --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Data management --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.2.1 --- Urban landscape information management --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.2.2 --- Public participation --- p.64 / Chapter 4.2.3. --- User interface design --- p.69 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- PROTOTYPE SYSTME AND PILOT STUDY / Chapter 5.1 --- General description --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implementation --- p.75 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Connecting the two-dimensional world with a three-dimensional virtual urban environment --- p.75 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Data flow of the system for interactions between the GIS and the VRML browser --- p.77 / Chapter 5.3 --- Data preparation --- p.81 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Constructing the terrain model --- p.81 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Retrieving the landscape themes --- p.87 / Chapter 5.4 --- Public oriented user interface design --- p.88 / Chapter 5.5 --- Participation log --- p.96 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX --- CONCLUSION / APPENDIX

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The visual landscape is a resource that should be managed sustainably. Sufficient tools for the effective management of visual landscapes are still lacking. Existing visualization software (including 3D Analyst) could be utilized as an aid in visual landscape management, but as such it lacks quantification functionalities. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) could effectively be used in the quantification of visual landscapes. The composition, value and experience of visual landscapes are complex and interrelated. Visual landscapes should be divided into physical and cognitive elements for management purposes. In the quantification of visual landscapes, the physical elements are effectively handled within a GIS. Insufficient research though, hampers the quantification of the visual landscape in terms of cognitive elements. Arc View GIS, including the 3D Analyst Extension, can be extended to quantify visual landscapes. Arc View's integrated development language, Avenue, was used to develop a new technique, namely The Visual Landscape Quantifier (VLQ). The VLQ-technique is an application based on a virtual landscape where a user can select observation and target locations. These locations are used to quantify the visual landscape in a chosen direction. Results are expressed as the percentage (%) of the visible land use in the selected visual landscape. The user can choose whether the results should be displayed as a list or as a graph. Wanted and unwanted elements in the landscape could be identified, aiding the management and planning of landscapes. Keywords: Visual landscape, landscape, Visual Landscape Quantifier, visualization, Arc View GIS, Avenue, Object Oriented Programming, 3D Analyst. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die visuele landskap is 'n hulpbron wat volhoubaar bestuur moet word, maar ongelukkig bestaan daar mm instrumente om dit effektief te bestuur. Bestaande visualiseringsprogrammatuur (insluitend Arc View 3D Analyst) kan as hulpmiddel dien in die bestuur van visuele landskappe, maar dit ontbreek kwantifiseringsfunksionaliteite. Geografiese Inligtingstelsels (GIS) kan effektief aangewend word in die kwantifisering van visuele landskappe. Die samestelling, waarde en hoe visuele landskappe ervaar word, is kompleks en interverwant. Om visuele landskappe meetbaar te maak, moet dit in fisiese en kognitiewe elemente opgebreek word. GIS hanteer die fisiese elemente van visuele landskappe effektief en gevolglik is die kwantifisering daarvan (in GIS) wel moontlik. Onvoldoende navorsing maak die kwantifisering van visuele landskappe, in terme van kognitiewe elemente, egter moeilik. ArcView GIS, insluitend die 3D Analyst-uitbreiding, kan aangepas word om visuele landskappe te kwantifiseer. 'n Nuwe tegniek, die Visual Landscape Quantifier (VLQ), is met ArcView se geïntegreerde programmeertaal, Avenue, ontwikkel. Die VLQ-tegniek berus op 'n virtuele landskap waarbinne die gebruiker toegelaat word om waarnemers- en teikenliggings te selekteer. As toepassing word die visuele landskap in die gekose rigting in terme van die persentasie (%) van sigbare grondgebruik in die geselekteerde landskap gekwantifiseer. Die gebruiker kan kies of die resultaat as 'n lys of as 'n grafiek voorgestel moet word. Moontlike gewenste of ongewenste elemente in die visuele landskap kan gevolglik geïdentifiseer word en so die bestuurs- en beplanningstaak ondersteun. Sleutelwoorde: Visuele landskap, landskap, Visual Landscape Quantifier, visualisering, ArcView GIS, Avenue, 3D Analyst, Object Oriented Programmering.