The Development of Scenery Evaluation System on the Internet and its Feasibility

Abstract

In this study, we developed a landscape evaluation system on the Internet and examined feasibility of the system. We also examined validity of utilizing 3D computer graphics images made with a VRML system as a medium for landscape evaluation on the Internet. Using CGI with Perl and the VRML system, the system was developed. We simulated a garden landscape in Chiba University with the VRML system. With three media for representing landscapes (photographs, still images of the VRML system and Walk-through by the VRML system), we conducted an evaluation experiment by semantic differential method on the Internet and analyzed the data of three media with profile analysis respectively. We also examined the level to which the three media represented real landscape. The data analysis results of this study were similar to that of an ordinary evaluation experiment in a laboratory by a projecting same landscape on a screen. In conclusion, the system developed in this study can be practically used for landscape evaluation. Walk-through by the VRML system is an effective medium for landscape evaluation on the Internet.