Beyond land cover: How integrated remote sensing and social media data analysis facilitates assessment of cultural ecosystem services

Abstract

Coupled usage of remote sensing and geotagged social media data responds to the growing interest in the spatially explicit operationalisation of cultural ecosystem services (CES). However, synergies of integrated usage of these data sources have not yet been unveiled to improve CES accessibility. This study aimed at applying the integrated remote sensing-social media framework to analyse the suitability of landscape pattern for CES use and explore CES availability in Estonia. We first spatially analysed the demand for selected CES—landscape watching, outdoor recreation, and wildlife watching—depicted in geotagged photographs. Second, we modelled CES supply as relative environmental suitability for the presence of CES related photographs, performing a proxy to the potential capacity of landscapes to provide opportunities for CES use. Third, we estimated the population density in spatial clusters of relatively low and high CES supply. We revealed the discrepancies between population density and accessibility of CES supply and CES providing areas within this integrative framework. As a result, we detected populated areas requiring in-depth CES assessment and prioritisation to restore, preserve, and, where necessary, enhance CES stocks. Our replicable and spatially explicit methodology improves rapid CES assessment across scales, given the nearly global character of remote sensing and social media data.