Estimating scenic beauty in Chinese villages: a novel approach based on 3D real scene models

The color landscape is an essential aspect of each village, representing both natural scenery and human history. However, previous research has not provided a thorough and quantitative assessment of the color spatial pattern of regions and their surroundings. In this study, color patches were extracted from 3D real scene models, and color landscape indices were used to quantify the color landscape pattern. A questionnaire was utilized to establish the association between the color landscape indices and the Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) scores, which was then used to predict the SBE without the need for another questionnaire. The results showed that: 1) the color landscape indices extracted using 3D real scene models can reveal the scenic beauty of villages, with different villages presenting various color landscape patterns; 2) the SBE scores obtained through the questionnaire have a strong correlation with various color landscape indices, such as COHESION, LPI, SPILT, Y-MPS, and GE-MPS; 3) the SBE model based on color landscape indices was developed using stepwise linear regression, with an R2 value of 0.822 and an average error of 0.248, which can predict SBE in various places without the use of a questionnaire. This study introduces a new perspective and approach for estimating scenic beauty, which will help with rural planning and beautiful countryside development.