Scottish Landscape Perceived Naturalness Scores on a 1-256 Scale

Scotland's wildness assessment includes a layer mapping perceived naturalness of the landscape. The dataset uses a 1-256 scale derived from land class scores of 1 to 5, processed with a 250-meter focal statistics window. This component layer is adapted from a 2008 methodology developed for the Cairngorms National Park.

Use Cases

• Model relative wildness for conservation planning based on the described naturalness scoring system.
• Analyze landscape change by comparing naturalness scores for different land classes like built-up areas, arable land, and bog.
• Create regional or national-scale visualizations of perceived naturalness using the 1-256 scale data.

Strengths

• Methodology is explicitly adapted from a published 2008 Wildness Study, providing a documented foundation.
• Naturalness scores are defined for specific land classes (e.g., built-up areas=1, bog=5), offering interpretable categories.
• Data processing includes a 250-meter focal statistics window to account for surrounding area context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Adapted from the 2008 Wildness Study in the Cairngorms National Park, applying a naturalness score (1-5) to land classes and averaging with a 250m focal window.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated: unknown

Geography

Scotland