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viewshed3d : An r package for quantifying 3D visibility using terrestrial lidar data
Author(s) -
Lecigne Bastien,
Eitel Jan U. H.,
Rachlow Janet L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
methods in ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.425
H-Index - 105
ISSN - 2041-210X
DOI - 10.1111/2041-210x.13385
Subject(s) - viewshed analysis , visibility , workflow , computer science , lidar , point cloud , viewpoints , r package , remote sensing , environmental science , computer graphics (images) , geography , computer vision , database , meteorology , art , computational science , visual arts
Visual information affects animal behaviour and fitness in diverse ways, but a lack of suitable methods to quantify visibility in three‐dimensional (3D) environments limits applications of the concept of visibility in ecological research. The viewshed3d r package is dedicated to quantifying the visual environment from a single location or from a cumulation of viewpoints based on 3D point clouds acquired with terrestrial laser scanning. We present the entire workflow required to prepare the data and perform the visibility analyses in viewshed3d. This approach can help unlock the potential contributions of viewshed analyses to the emerging subdiscipline of ‘viewshed ecology’.