modeling structured landscape perspectives through geospatial technologies and Higuchi-style indices
L. Jesse Rouse
Dept of Geology and Geography
West Virginia University
Committee: Trevor Harris, Chair
Gary Lock
Ken Martis
Jennifer Miller
Briane Turley

• Space to place
• Phenomenology
– GIS exogenous
– Experience
• Higuchi
(Harris, LaKose and Rouse, 2005)
• Formalizing the structure of experience
2

• Cultural Landscapes
• Landscape studies/histories
• Landscape Archaeology in the UK
• Spatial Science and Positivist Archaeology
• Post-positivist backlash
• GIS and Landscape Archaeology
• Phenomenology
3

• Tilley (1994)
– Phenomenology of Landscape
– link between the individual and the landscape
• Based on the Phenomenology of
Heidegger
– Filtered through Tuan
– Personal, visual perspective of the landscape
4

• Critique of phenomenology in LA
– Difficult to capture personal experience
– Lack of replicability
– Individualistic
• Phenomenological approaches
– Husserl lebensweldt or “lifeworld”
– Heiddeger dasein or “being in the world”
– Merleau-Ponty
• Tilley (2004) The Materiality of Stone
5

• Spatial Science
• GIS and Archaeology
– 1990s
– Mapping, recording, predictive modeling
• Geographic Information Science
– GIS informed by theory
– Social critique
– Integrating new types of data and representation
6

• Gillings and Goodrick (1996) looked at moving GIS beyond the flat 2D map
– Make the experience interactive
– Take full advantage of the senses
• Sight, sound, touch, and smell
• Primarily based on the representation of information
• Visual can play an important role in modeling
7

• Holistic landscape assessment
– based on human physiology and psychophysical approach
– how people perceive and view landscapes
– viewshed elements based on human physiology and landscape aesthetics
Optimum
Angle of elevation
Optimum
Angle of depression
8

Traditional line-of-sight viewshed analysis
0-2m 2-5m 15-150m 150-1km >1km
20% 40% 10% 10% 20%
Time spent on viewing distances
Hull and Stewart (1995) 9

i
• Nine indices:
– Line of sight
– Depth of invisibility
– Distance zones
– Angle of incidence
– Angle of depression
– Angle of Elevation
– Light
– Depth and texture gradient
– Temporal
• Composite index
Higuchi, 1986
10

• Laura LaKose, 2004
– Utilized ideas from Higuchi to consider the landscape architecture of a rural area in WV
– Focus is on the impact of an existing power plant on the landscape
– Modeled Higuchi indices using COTS software
11

GAP LULC
30-meter Landsat
- 26 categories
SSURGO vegetation
10m DEM
GIS model
1 0 - m e t e r
D E M
A S P E C T A N A L Y S I S
O V E R L A Y
S S U R G O
D A T A -
C A N O P Y
V E G .
A S P E C T
A D D C A N O P Y H E I G H T S T O D E M
H I L L S H A D E
A N A L Y S I S
H I L L S H A D E
R A S T E R C A L C U L A T O R
D E L I N E A T E L A N D S C A P E
B E T W E E N A N G L E S O F
E L E V A T I O N A N D D E P R E S S I O N
F R O M V I E W P O I N T E L E V A T I O N
B I N A R Y :
F R O N T A L / N O T
F R O N T A L
B I N A R Y
V I S I B L E / N O N -
V I S I B L E
N O N V I S I B L E
C O L O R A S S O C I A T E D W /
G E O L O G Y
V E G E T A T I O N
W A T E R O F S P E C I A L
N O T I C E
T H E M A T I C
D I V E R S I T Y
A M E N D E D
V I S I B I L I T Y
V I E W S H E D A N A L Y S I S
N O N - V I S I B L E A R E A
C A L C U L A T E D
A R E A C A L C U L A T I O N O F
N O N - V I S I B L E A R E A S
E L E V A T I O N
D I F F E R E N C E S O F
I N V I S I B L E P O R T I O N S
S H O R T , M I D A N D
L O N G D I S T A N C E
V I E W S
V I S U A L A S S E T S
I D E N T I F Y
V E G E T A T I O N W / P O T E N T I A L T O H A V E
C O L O R O R S T R U C T U R E V A R I A T I O N
T O P O G R A P H I C L O W P O I N T S
G E O L O G I C V A R I A T I O N
G R O U N D C O V E R
G R O U P S O R S E R I E S O F
L O N G I T U D I N A L P L A N E S
L A R G E F R O N T A L P L A N E S
I N V I S I B L E P O R T I O N S L O W E R T H A N
V I E W P O I N T M E D I U M I N S I Z E
M A J O R D E T R A C T O R S F R O M L U L C
D A T A
W A T E R B O D I E S
B I N A R Y
L I G H T / N O N - L I T
A R E A S
I D E N T I F Y
B U F F E R - W A T E R
E D G E S
B U F F E R - F O R E S T
E D G E S
S T E E P S L O P E
T O P O G R A P H Y H I G H E R
T H A N T H E V I E W
P O I N T A T E A S T A N D
W E S T
S T R U C T U R A L
B A R R I C A D E S
D E L I N E A T E A R E A S A C C O R D I N G T O
D I S T A N C E
S H O R T
D E C I D U O U S - 1 2 0 0 ’
C O N I F E R O U S - 7 9 0 ’
B A R E - T O B E D E T E R M I N E D
M I D
D E C I D U O U S 1 2 0 0 - 5 2 8 0
C O N I F E R O U S
B A R E - T O B E D E T E R M I N E D
L O N G
V I E W D I S T A N C E S
L A R G E I N V I S I B L E P O R T I O N S A D J U S T
A N G L E O F
E L E V A T I O N
P O R T I O N O F
L A N D S C A P E I N 7 -
1 3 D E G R E E S
A N G L E O F E L E V A T I O N
0 - 6
7 - 1 3
1 4 + D E G R E E S
A N G L E O F D E P R E S S I O N
0 - 9
1 0 - 1 5
1 6 - 3 0 D E G R E E S
S M A L L M E D I U M A N D
L A R G E
F R O N T A L P L A N E S
V I S U A L A S S E T S
W / I N
A N G L E O F E L E V A T I O N
0 - 6
7 - 1 3
1 4 + D E G R E E S
A N G L E O F
D E P R E S S I O N W / I N
1 0 - 1 5 D E G R E E S
V I S U A L A S S E T S
W / I N
A N G L E O F D E P R E S S I O N
0 - 9
1 0 - 1 5
1 6 - 3 0 D E G R E E S
V I S U A L A S S E T S
W / I N 7 - 1 3 D E G R E E S
V I S U A L A S S E T S
O U T S I D E T H I S
R A N G E
V I S U A L A S S E T S W / I N 1 0 - 1 5
D E G R E E S
V I S U A L A S S E T S O U T S I D E
T H I S R A N G E
A N G L E O F
I N C I D E N C E
F R O N T A L
L O N G I T U D I N A L
A L L O F T H E
R E Q U I R E M E N T S :
A B O V E
V I E W P O I N T : ;
W / I N M I D A N D
L O N G D I S T A N C E
V I E W S
B E L O W
V I E W P O I N T :
F L A T F R O M
V I E W P O I N T
F R O N T A L
L O N G I T U D I N A L
S U R F A C E S
P A R A L L E L T O
H O R I Z O N
C O M P O S I T E

Depth and
Texture Intervisibility
Light analysis
Depth of invisibility
Angle of depression
Short
Distance
Viewshed
Mid-
Distance
Viewshed
Long
Distance
Viewshed

Reds – poor viewshed qualities
Beige – viewshed quality
Green – good to exceptional landscape quality

• Phenomenological approach to landscape archaeology
• GIS and landscape archaelogy
• Physical and physiological perspective captured through Higuchi indices
• Linking ideas and information in order to consider prehistoric cultural landscapes
15

• To develop a structured experiential and phenomenological approach to prehistoric landscapes through the linkage of Higuchi and archaeological indices utilizing geospatial technologies.
16

• Review the literature on:
– existing ideologies and methodologies used to explore landscape archaeology
– geospatial technologies in archaeology, especially at the landscape scale
– phenomenology in archaeology, and
– Higuchi viewsheds.
17

• Develop the conceptual model to link phenomenology, geospatial technologies and landscape archaeology:
– Adapt, amend, and add to Higuchi’s nine viewshed indices to create an archaeological model to support a structured experiential approach to prehistoric landscapes
– Insert archaeological specific indices based on taskscapes, resourcescapes, and symbology, and
– tie phenomenological research to the spatial frameworks of Geography and landscape archaeology.
18

• Develop GIS-supported Higuchi-based indices to study prehistoric landscapes by:
– embedding existing Higuchi indices within GIS to take advantage of geospatial technologies
– establishing archaeological indices that blends spatial assessment with interpretations of prehistoric life experience, and
– coupling the GIS model results with personal and expert experience to interpret a given landscape that links egocentric and geocentric landscape perspectives.
19

• Implement the developed indices through a case study based on an archaeological landscape by:
– Utilizing archaeological and physiologically derived information
– Conducting field visit(s) to test the ‘fit’ of the model obtained through implementing the indices in a GIS, and
– Assessing how quantitative indices differ from expert/personal experience.
20

• Evaluate the use of structured indices to support an experiential landscape archaeology to:
– understand the role and importance of visual and experiential forms of interpretation based on insights gained from case studies,
– determine how well the indices support a phenomenological approach to understanding past cultural landscapes,
– determine future research avenues for structured indices in prehistoric archaeological landscape analysis.
21

• Build on cognitive, physiological and physical landscape
• Generalize visual landscape qualities
• GIS data analysis
• Dynamic factors - plumes, clouds, mist, smoke
• Link Higuchi to phenomenological approach
– A structured landscape analysis
22

a
• Resourcescapes (Trufkovic, ND)
• Taskscapes (Ingold, 1993)
– Sustenance
– Shelter
– Community
– Travel/movement
23

ai
• Blend human physiology and culture to better understand human interaction with landscape
– Viewshed
– Perception
– Biological necessity
– Cultural interaction
– Cosmology
24

• Egocentric perspective (H i )
– Based on the experience of now
• Takes into account memory to support the interpretation of current location
– Personal perspective
• Requires a personal experience of the current location only
• Geocentric perspective (H a )
– Based on memory/knowledge
• Builds beyond current location by utilizing knowledge of area beyond current view to link view with the larger landscape
– Model perspective
• Requires a personal experience of the location and an understanding beyond the current view
• H ai
25

• Existing attempts have focused on the egocentric
• Building a shared experience of the landscape
• Structured approach
26

ai
• Line of sight
• Depth of invisibility
• Distance zones
• Angle of incidence, depression, and elevation
• Light
• Depth and texture gradient
• Distance to water
• Food acquisition
• Material acquisition
• Natural shelter
27

Water
Collect
Sustenance Plants
Animals Hunt
Tools
Lithic
Pottery
Knap
Throw
Resourcescapes
Shelter
Natural
Built
Clear out
Building
Clothes Animals Skinning
Taskscape
28

• Build on existing attempts to integrate
Higuchi into a GIS environment
• Adapt Higuchi indexes and build additional indexes to better capture cultural landscapes
• Merger of phenomenological experiences of landscape with structured indices and
GIS
30

• One year project duration
• Dec – Feb
– Literature review and data acquisition
• Feb – March
– Create detailed indices and plan field visits
• March – July
– Field visits and data capture
• Jan – Nov
– Chapters as relevant work is completed
– Revisions and editing as necessary
31