Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in industry and the academic community.
PO058: Viewsheds of value: A social multimedia-based approach to visual impact screening
Aishwarya Bhattacharjee, Social-Ecological Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
Abstract
We present a relatively novel approach to mapping social values and indicators developed as part of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Smart Siting initiative in Portugal, aimed at integrating social attributes, particularly landscape aesthetics, into renewable energy (RE) planning. Recognizing that visual impact is a key source of public concern and social conflict, especially in wind energy development, this work introduces a spatially explicit method to identify potential areas of high human-landscape sensitivity. The approach combines geotagged social media data with visibility analyses to map viewsheds, where culturally and aesthetically significant landscapes are most visually exposed to potential RE infrastructure. Landscape value (LV) was derived from social media uploads filtered through a multilingual keyword matrix (Portuguese, English, Spanish, German, Italian), capturing scenic, recreational, and cultural attributes. Medium and high-value locations were converted into observer points for viewshed modeling using a Digital Surface Model (DSM) and line-of-sight algorithm. Two sensitivity thresholds (3 km and 10 km) were applied to reflect varying degrees of visual prominence, informed by typologies in existing literature on impact assessments for wind energy. The resulting national-scale visibility maps highlight areas where wind development may intersect with socially meaningful viewscapes, offering a coarse-filter screening tool for a range of practitioners (e.g., planners, developers, policymakers). This analysis complements biodiversity and technical feasibility layers within the broader Smart Siting framework and supports more integrative siting decisions. By identifying zones of potential visual conflict early in the planning process, the viewshed layer enables targeted engagement, helps mitigate opposition, and fosters socially responsible energy transitions. The methodology is reproducible, scalable, and adaptable to other geographies, offering a practical tool for integrating cultural ecosystem services and visual aesthetics into spatial planning.
No recording available for this poster.
