Classifying New Zealand's Landscapes Automatically with GIS

Author: Lars Brabyn
Organization: University of Waikato

Department of Geography, University of Waikato
Private Bag, Hamilton
Hamilton, CA 91325
New Zealand

Phone: +64 7 8384466
Fax: +64 7 8384633
larsb@waikato.ac.nz

This paper describes a GIS process used to develop the New Zealand Landscape Classification (NZLC). The classification provides a frame of reference for communication and an inventory of scenery. The classification does not provide information on quality but provides information on character such as landform, vegetation, naturalness, and water. It is hoped that researchers will use this classification to link landscape character with the public's perception of quality. GIS is an ideal platform for the development of a landscape classification because it provides an explicit framework that enables criteria to be questioned and the classification to evolve with improved understanding.