Using LiDAR Data to Assess the Character of Landscape in the Suburban Zone of Poznań

Abstract

The intensive development of urban agglomerations causes the need to search for new precise methods which will determine the most important features of landscape and monitor changes in suburban zones. The aim of the study was to identify, characterize and assess the structure of landscape units based on LiDAR data. The research was conducted in the village of Napachanie, Wielkopolskie Voivodship. Although the village is located in the suburban zone of Poznań, it has retained the rural character of landscape in this region, with expanses of fields, a park and palace complex and a grange. There are valuable natural elements in the village, such as forests, buffer strips, ponds and the Samica River valley. The research combined techniques of GIS analysis and the traditional method of Landscape Character Assessment (LCA). The data for analysis of the rural landscape structure were acquired from airborne laser scanning (LiDAR). They were used to identify 16 landscape units of different characters, was determined according to specific elements of landscape, scenic connections and composition. The units were visualized by means of a point cloud. The spatial model of the landscape enabled definite delimitation of individual landscape units, which supplemented field investigations. Visualizations show the most important features of landscape, such as terrain, the arrangement of tall vegetation, the number and layout of buildings. The spatial model enables initial analysis of the landscape composition, including the range of views and the degree of compactness of landscape interiors.