Mapping windturbine visibility
We present an updated mapping of windturbine visibility and associated impact on landscape-perception. This map is included in the Dutch Environmental Data Compendium and saw its last update in 2012. Since then, both the amount and dimension of winturbines have greatly expanded. Our map shows that visibility and impact of windturbines has increased likewise. Windturbines (onshore and in inland lakes only) are visible on nearly 1/3 of the Dutch land area.
Our map is based on two dimensions of windturbine presence. Firstly, the number of windturbines visible from any given location. This we calculated using the QGIS Visibility Analysis plugin. Secondly, the distance to the nearest windturbine from any given location. We used the gdal-proximity algorithm for this. We designed a metric based on these two dimensions, where either few-but-close-by windturbines, or many-but-distant windturbines yield the strongest impact on landscape perception.
Among the challenges in designing the map, were the assembly of a DSM containing both topography and objects blocking windturbines from view, classification of the continuous indicator-scale into a categorical scale and postprocessing the viewshed as seen from the windturbine.