Abstract
The purpose of this study was to propose effective use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) in analyzing landscape characteristics of a local area which serve as the fundamental data for setting up landscape plan, using Asuka Mura, whose landform is representative of microtopography, as a case example. Specifically, geographic data about elevation and land use were acquired via GIS, and its three-dimensional analysis was used to examine the range of visibility of visitors and residents standing on a main road. Next, key ridge lines which characterize the studied area were identified by using the results obtained above, in order to classify the studied area into landscape units. Then, the extent of field of view and the presence of superimposition were investigated for each landscape unit, and components of each landscape unit were identified by overlapping the landscape unit made with land use and landform classifications. The combination of these procedures successfully confirmed the landscape characteristics of the whole studied area.
