{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T18:30:10Z","timestamp":1786645810652,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786579200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100014718","name":"Innovative Research Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32471934, 51808229"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32471934, 51808229"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100014718","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"the Educational Information Technology Project of Longyan City","award":["KT2559"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KT2559"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Global Geoparks possess both scientific significance and tourism appeal; however, their landscape types are highly diverse and the dimensions of visual quality are multifaceted, making it difficult for any single assessment approach to simultaneously capture subjective aesthetic preferences and objective visibility.This study takes Longyan Global Geopark as the research object, aiming to construct a Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE)-GIS coupled model to overcome the limitations of single methods. It quantifies the visual quality and spatial differences of core scenic spots, thereby providing quantitative support for the park\u2019s landscape protection and tourism route optimization, as well as a promotable technical pathway for the evaluation of similar composite landscapes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A visual-quality assessment of representative geosites in the Longyan Global Geopark was conducted using the Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) method, GIS-based visual-sensitivity analysis, and a coupled SBE\u2013GIS model.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>(1) SBE effectively captured observers\u2019 subjective aesthetic preferences and highlighted individual perceptual differences, yet consistently undervalued landscapes that are small in scale, distant from viewpoints, cognitively demanding, or dominated by purely geological phenomena.(2) GIS quantified landscape visibility at the macro-scale, successfully identifying large, steep areas adjacent to visitor routes as highly sensitive, but remained incapable of resolving micro-textures or cultural elements.(3) By integrating subjective aesthetics with objective spatial metrics, the SBE\u2013GIS coupled model significantly reduced the biases inherent in either method alone, producing visual-quality scores that more faithfully represent the heterogeneous landscapes of global geoparks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Given the complexity of heterogeneous landscape types, the coupled model should be the preferred option. We recommend (1) raising the GIS weight when protection is the primary management objective, thereby reinforcing spatial-sensitivity constraints, and (2) increasing the SBE weight when the focus is on visitor experience, so that subjective aesthetic preferences are emphasized; both adjustments advance scientifically informed decision-making for geopark landscape conservation and tourism management.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0355998","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T17:39:26Z","timestamp":1786642766000},"page":"e0355998","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluation of visual landscape quality in Global Geopark based on an SBE\u2013GIS coupled model"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8485-5892","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hua","family":"Guo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chongxian","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lei","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"02","key":"pone.0355998.ref001","first-page":"520","article-title":"Geoheritage resources and an assessment on the comprehensive utilization value of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, China","volume":"38","author":"LL Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Geoscience"},{"key":"pone.0355998.ref002","first-page":"162","article-title":"Types and evaluation of geological heritage resources in Zigong global geopark","volume":"43","author":"B Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Acta Geologica Sichuan"},{"issue":"02","key":"pone.0355998.ref003","first-page":"520","article-title":"Evaluation of geotourism resources in Longyan UNESCO Global Geopark and its development strategy","volume":"38","author":"CH Wei","year":"2024","journal-title":"Geoscience"},{"issue":"07","key":"pone.0355998.ref004","first-page":"205","article-title":"Evaluation of urban roadway plant landscape visual quality using street view images and deep learning","volume":"45","author":"YD Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Central South Univ For Technol"},{"key":"pone.0355998.ref005","first-page":"1","article-title":"AI Intervenes in the Three Roles of Knowledge Production in Landscape Planning and Design Practice: Servant, Opponent and Partner","author":"ZB Zhu","journal-title":"Chin Landsc Arch"},{"issue":"04","key":"pone.0355998.ref006","first-page":"250","article-title":"Aesthetic evaluation of Jiangsu garden expo park based on SBE-SD method","volume":"39","author":"AH Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Northwest For Univ"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0355998.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1289","DOI":"10.3390\/f15081289","article-title":"Visual aesthetic quality of Qianjiangyuan national park landscapes and its spatial pattern characteristics","volume":"15","author":"Z Gao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Forests"},{"issue":"09","key":"pone.0355998.ref008","first-page":"17","article-title":"Urban streetscape visual aesthetics assessment research","volume":"33","author":"YH Shao","year":"2017","journal-title":"Chin Landsc Arch"},{"issue":"06","key":"pone.0355998.ref009","first-page":"221","article-title":"Evaluation of urban waterfront landscape quality based on semantic differential method: a case of Zhonghuamen section of Qinhuai River in Nanjing","volume":"44","author":"JJ Cao","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Nanjing For Univ (Nat Sci Ed)"},{"key":"pone.0355998.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104906","DOI":"10.1016\/j.landurbplan.2023.104906","article-title":"Validation of a visual landscape quality indicator for agrarian landscapes using public participatory GIS data","volume":"241","author":"B Sch\u00fcpbach","year":"2024","journal-title":"Landsc Urban Plann"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0355998.ref011","first-page":"663","article-title":"Comprehensive evaluation of landscape visual resources based on GIS and FAHP","volume":"21","author":"RH Tan","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Geo-inform Sci"},{"issue":"02","key":"pone.0355998.ref012","first-page":"78","article-title":"Urban riverscapes visual perception based on computer vision","volume":"41","author":"JJ Luo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Chin Landsc Arch"},{"issue":"04","key":"pone.0355998.ref013","first-page":"71","article-title":"Benefit evaluation and coupling mechanism of recreation space in lake parks based on AHP-FCE model","volume":"40","author":"Y Ye","year":"2024","journal-title":"Chin Landsc Arch"},{"key":"pone.0355998.ref014","first-page":"84","article-title":"Research on the visual landscape quality assessment of Qinhuai River waterfront landscape in Nanjing with the support of image deep learning technology","volume":"38","author":"Y Zhou","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin Landsc Arch"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0355998.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1953","DOI":"10.3390\/land13111953","article-title":"Research on the construction and application of a svm-based quantification model for streetscape visual complexity","volume":"13","author":"J Zhao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Land"},{"issue":"05","key":"pone.0355998.ref016","first-page":"59","article-title":"Study on the evaluation of forest landscape quality in forest parks based on the SBE and AHP methods","volume":"39","author":"X Yin","year":"2023","journal-title":"For Environ Sci"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0355998.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1596","DOI":"10.3390\/land13101596","article-title":"Visual impact assessment method for cultural heritage: west lake cultural landscape in Hangzhou, China","volume":"13","author":"H Kou","year":"2024","journal-title":"Land"},{"issue":"01","key":"pone.0355998.ref018","first-page":"232","article-title":"Visual sensitivity evaluation of forest landscape of Hongtian Village, Fujian Province","volume":"35","author":"MY Mo","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Northwest For Univ"},{"issue":"03","key":"pone.0355998.ref019","first-page":"113","article-title":"Evaluation of landscape visual sensitivity in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park based on GIS","volume":"41","author":"MX Xia","year":"2024","journal-title":"Landsc Arch Acad J"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0355998.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1006","DOI":"10.3390\/land11071006","article-title":"Diversity of approaches to visual impact assessment","volume":"11","author":"FJ PA","year":"2022","journal-title":"Land"},{"issue":"05","key":"pone.0355998.ref021","first-page":"225","article-title":"GIS-based evaluation of forest visual landscape quality of Saihanba Forest Farm","volume":"35","author":"HJ Yang","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Northwest For Univ"},{"issue":"01","key":"pone.0355998.ref022","first-page":"158","article-title":"Evaluation and selection of potential scenic view-point distribution areas based on GIS and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process\u2014an example from Jiulangshan Mountain Park in Zhuzhou","author":"ZP Xiao","year":"2020","journal-title":"For Resourc Manage"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0355998.ref023","first-page":"462","article-title":"Landscape sensitivity assessment of historic districts using a GIS-based method: a case study of Beishan Street in Hangzhou, China","volume":"12","author":"X Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Geo-Inform"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0355998.ref024","first-page":"2424","article-title":"Landscape pattern and the recreation potential of urban parks: The case of Beijing Olympic Forest Park","volume":"41","author":"JL He","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin J Ecol"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0355998.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2008","DOI":"10.3390\/f15112008","article-title":"Road landscape design: harmonious relationship between ecology and aesthetics","volume":"15","author":"M Si","year":"2024","journal-title":"Forests"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0355998.ref026","first-page":"208","article-title":"Construction of forest park landscape quality evaluation system in Jincheng City based on AHP-PCA and semantic difference method","volume":"44","author":"MM Chang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Central South Univ For Technol"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0355998.ref027","first-page":"2","article-title":"Natural aesthetics: the intersection of garden art, landscape architecture and environmental protection","volume":"45","author":"B Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Southwest Univ (Nat Sci Ed)"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0355998.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1799","DOI":"10.3390\/land12091799","article-title":"Key area recognition and evaluation of audio-visual landscape for global geoparks: A case study of Koktokay in China","volume":"12","author":"Y Zhu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Land"},{"issue":"06","key":"pone.0355998.ref029","first-page":"40","article-title":"Based on the SBE method to evaluate the landscape of 16 pocket parks in Linyi central urban area","volume":"53","author":"SK Duan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Shandong For Sci Technol"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0355998.ref030","first-page":"191","article-title":"Research on the assessment of visual landscape quality of Koktokay Global Geopark","volume":"37","author":"YF Zhu","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Arid Land Resourc Environ"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0355998.ref031","article-title":"Key area recognition of Hani Rice Terrace visual landscape based on the Sensitivity-Subjective Preference matrix","volume":"38","author":"KF Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Acta Ecologica Sinica"},{"issue":"04","key":"pone.0355998.ref032","first-page":"845","article-title":"Evaluation of landscape visual sensitivity of Mount Wuyi National Park based on GIS","volume":"42","author":"SH Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"JiangXi Sci"},{"issue":"19","key":"pone.0355998.ref033","first-page":"119","article-title":"Evaluation of rural cultural landscapes in northeast Chongqing based on the ASG integrated approach","volume":"15","author":"JS Ye","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rural Sci Technol"},{"issue":"09","key":"pone.0355998.ref034","first-page":"70","article-title":"Research on the impact of community roads on pedestrian path selection patterns based on depthmap: Taking Baiwanzhuang community in Xicheng District, Beijing as an example","volume":"2","author":"XR Teng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Art Design"},{"issue":"03","key":"pone.0355998.ref035","first-page":"4","article-title":"Landsenses evaluation and spatial governance strategies of green space units: a case study of Yangpu District in Shanghai","volume":"42","author":"L Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Landsc Arch Acad J"},{"issue":"04","key":"pone.0355998.ref036","first-page":"93","article-title":"Optimization of viewing space based on dynamic and static visual landscape evaluation: Yangjiacheng heritage park, Shenmu city","volume":"39","author":"CY Huang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Planners"},{"issue":"02","key":"pone.0355998.ref037","first-page":"63","article-title":"Comprehensive evaluation on the rehabilitation landscape in Yangtiangang national forest park","volume":"39","author":"LL Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"For Eng"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0355998.ref038","first-page":"250","article-title":"Aesthetic evaluation of Jiangsu Garden Expo Park based on SBE-SD method","volume":"39","author":"AH Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Northwest For Univ"},{"issue":"06","key":"pone.0355998.ref039","first-page":"617","article-title":"Evaluation of perceived landscape value of ancient towns along the East Zhejiang Canal in the perspective of historic urban landscape","volume":"37","author":"L Yang","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Zhejiang Univ Sci Technol"},{"issue":"03","key":"pone.0355998.ref040","first-page":"101","article-title":"SWOT analysis and strategic research of the nature education system in Dali Cangshan World Geopark","volume":"47","author":"P Yang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Inner Mongolia For Investig Design"},{"key":"pone.0355998.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105945","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cageo.2025.105945","article-title":"Geoscience popularisation in Geoparks: A common workflow for digital outcrop modelling","volume":"201","author":"MA Williams","year":"2025","journal-title":"Comput Geosci"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0355998.ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1007\/s12371-025-01089-2","article-title":"Geodiversity and geological uniqueness of Wugongshan UNESCO Global Geopark, China","volume":"17","author":"C Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Geoheritage"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0355998.ref043","first-page":"393","article-title":"Assessment of ecosystem service values in Wugongshan Geopark, China","volume":"43","author":"JC Peng","year":"2025","journal-title":"Mountain Res"},{"issue":"02","key":"pone.0355998.ref044","first-page":"344","article-title":"Evaluation of the value and development model of important geological relics in Jiujia area, Gansu province","volume":"43","author":"JL Gao","year":"2025","journal-title":"Xinjiang Geol"},{"issue":"04","key":"pone.0355998.ref045","first-page":"153","article-title":"The assessment, planning, and construction of natural educational base: Taking Ningbo as an example","volume":"40","author":"LL Ma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Planners"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0355998","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T17:39:37Z","timestamp":1786642777000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0355998"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Bifeng","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0355998","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]}}}