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International audience; In environmental valuation, although it is well recognised that the choice of method heavily affects the outcome, little is known on how existing valuation methods actually elicit the different values. Through the assessment of real-life applications of valuation of nature, this study tracks down the suitability of 21 valuation methods for 11 value types and assesses the methodological requirements for their operationalization. We found that different valuation methods have different suitabilities to elicit diverse value-types. Some methods are more specialized than others, but every method has blind spots, which implies risks of biased decision-making. We summarized different value-types according to three value dimensions: non-anthropocentric, relational and instrumental. No single valuation method is able to capture this full spectrum of values of nature. Covering all value dimensions requires careful selection of complementary valuation methods. This study also demonstrates that performing such an integrated valuation does not necessarily entail more resources, as for every value dimension, methods with low to medium operational requirements are available. With this study, we aim to provide guidance for selecting a complementary set of valuation methods in order to develop integrated valuation in practice that includes values of all stakeholders into environmental decision-making. In special issue synthesizing OpenNESS.

International audience; Demographic data is a fundamental component of disaster risk models. Fine scale population distribution information is needed for the assessment of casualties, determination of shelter needs and proper implementation of evacuation plans in pre- and/or post-disaster phases at the city scale, i.e. earthquake scenario modelling and rapid emergency response. This paper describes the techniques that are used to map the population distribution. Methods to map population density are described focusing on different downscaling techniques and the contribution of ancillary data. An application for the Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) of Vienna is illustrated. The case study disaggregates the residential population from a local and a country level census at the level of single building blocks. The downscaling is based on a clasymetric approach using an urban land use map as ancillary information. The model was applied after testing two different methods: a limiting variable and a fixed-ratio method. The latter was applied on the entire study area. The results of the proposed methodology can be used to perform population vulnerability analysis for night time scenarios. The enhanced spatial detail influences the accuracy of the information on human exposure when the population map is used in risk assessment models.

International audience; Context: Human and natural systems interact at multiple scales which are context specific in relation to ecosystem service supply. Scenic beauty is recognised as a cultural ecosystem service whose aesthetic value is perceived at a holistic landscape level. Objectives: In this study we provide methodological advancements for assessing the relationship between landscape visual character and scenic beauty based on crowdsourced geographic information. The final aim is to demonstrate, through a case study application, an empirical method for mapping the scenic beauty of complex mountain landscapes from the perspective of observers which are realistically exposed to the environment being evaluated. Methods: We propose a viewshed based approach which relies on visual indicators and the location of visitors retrieved by public image storage analysis. A cluster analysis was used to integrate visual characters of the landscape and visiting users' preferences. Results: Four different typologies of landscapes were finally characterized by distinct values of visual indicators. The spatial distribution of the landscape typologies presented a clustered pattern, allowing a regionalization of the landscape characters. The analysis of the visiting users' provenance revealed that visual scale, naturalness and ephemera attract mainly foreign users, while imageability, complexity and historicity attract mostly domestic and local users. Conclusions: The combination of crowdsourced images with visual indicators allows a systematic analysis of landscape scenic beauty properties. In all, by understanding how specific landscape characters contributes to aesthetic service provision we provide a tool for facilitating the visualization and interpretation of complex landscape characters.

This study was partially supported by the OpenNESS project funded from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research; technological development and demonstration under grant agreement n° 308428. Integrating cultural dimensions into the ecosystem service framework is essential for appraising non-material benefits stemming from different human-environment interactions. This study investigates how the actual provision of cultural services is distributed across the landscape according to spatially varying relationships. The final aim was to analyse how landscape settings are associated to people’s preferences and perceptions related to cultural ecosystem services in mountain landscapes. We demonstrated a spatially explicit method based on geo-tagged images from popular social media to assess revealed preferences. A spatially weighted regression showed that specific variables correspond to prominent drivers of cultural ecosystem services at the local scale. The results of this explanatory approach can be used to integrate the cultural service dimension into land planning by taking into account specific benefiting areas and by setting priorities on the ecosystems and landscape characteristics which affect the service supply. We finally concluded that the use of crowdsourced data allows identifying spatial patterns of cultural ecosystem service preferences and their association with landscape settings. Postprint

This work addresses the use of remote sensing imagery to quantify the built environment and its spatial and temporal changes. It identifies building footprint map, building location map and built-up area map as information products that can be used to quantify physical exposure, one of the variables required in disaster risk assessments. The paper also reviews urban land use maps and urban classes in land cover maps as potential source for deriving exposure information. The paper focuses on the latest generation of satellite-borne remote sensing imaging systems that deliver high-resolution optical imagery able to resolve buildings and other three-dimensional man-made constructions. This work also reviews the semantics, the spatial unit used to define physical exposure, image processing procedures and change techniques.

Settlement maps derived by Earth Observation data represent a critical dataset for building stock quantification. The accuracy of the settlement maps varies across the different spatial scales and across the space according to specific spatial patterns. The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy of the settlement map at different scales, and to analyze the relationships between spatial allocation of error and built-up distribution patterns. The paper identifies two general trends. First that the building stock overestimation error increases with increasing values of spatial scattering. Second that at coarser scales the relation between building area overestimation and spatial scattering became stronger. The results have important implications when settlement maps are used to estimate the building stock.

In the Mediterranean Region, habitat loss and fragmentation severely affect coastal wetlands, due to the rapid expansion of anthropogenic activities that has occurred in the last decades. Landscape metrics are commonly used to define landscape patterns and to evaluate fragmentation processes. This investigation focuses on the performance of a set of landscape pattern indices within landscapes characterized by coastal environments and extent below 1,000 ha. The aim is to assess the degree of habitat fragmentation for the monitoring of protected areas and to learn whether values of landscape metrics can characterize fine-resolution landscape patterns. The study areas are three coastal wetlands belonging to the Natura 2000 network and sited on the Adriatic side of Apulia (Southern Italy). The Habitat Maps were derived from the Vegetation Maps generated integrating phytosociological relevés and Earth Observation data. In the three sites, a total of 16 habitat types were detected. A selected set of landscape metrics was applied in order to investigate their performance in assessing fragmentation and spatial patterns of habitats. The final results showed that the most significant landscape patterns are related to highly specialized habitat types closely linked to coastal environments. In interpreting the landscape patterns of these highly specialized habitats, some specific ecological factors were taken into account. The shape indices were the most useful in assessing the degree of fragmentation of habitat types that usually have elongated morphology along the shoreline or the coastal lagoons. In all the cases, to be meaningful, data obtained from the application of the selected indices were jointly assessed, especially at the class level.

The worldwide increase in the use of biomass as a Renewable Energy Source raises the issue of introducing crops dedicated to energy production into rural landscapes. The purpose of this paper is to set-up a geographical information systems-based multi-criteria approach to assess a range of possibilities for energy-crops conversion. The presented method was implemented at the regional level in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region in Northern UK. The first phase of the study aims to set up a land capability model for the specific purpose of assessing the potential of perennial energy crops, on the basis of pedo-climatic and topographic factors. The model output illustrates a range of potentials for energy-crop conversion that can be explored in the given landscape. In the second phase a sensitivity analysis of the land capability model was performed through a simulation approach in order to interpret the influence of assumptions and uncertainty in input data and model parameters. The last phase of the study allows allocating the conversion area for energy crops introduction according to specific penetration scenario, environmental constraints and land capability values. The final result gives a preliminary analysis at a regional scale of the energy crop potential in terms of theoretically available conversion areas., JRC.G.2-Global security and crisis management