Evaluation of Park Trails Based on Visitors' Visual Experiences: An Analysis Technique Using Digital Cameras, GPS, and GIS

Abstract

This paper evaluates park trails by analyzing the spatial patterns of visitors' visual experiences, using digital cameras, GPS loggers, and GIS. We use a technique called “visitor-employed photography” to identify sceneries that visitors evaluated positively. We then add geo-tags to the digital-photo data. Thereafter, the spatial patterns of locations where the visitors took photos are analyzed on a GIS. The spaces and sceneries favored by many visitors are extracted by the kernel density estimation of locations where photos were taken. We find that the distribution patterns are influenced by the characteristics of walking-designed courses. Moreover, we classify the photographs into nine categories and, thereby, reveal, in detail, the spatial patterns of locations where photos were taken in each category.