10.5061/DRYAD.94RT2
Vercelloni, Julie
Queensland University of Technology
Clifford, Sam
Queensland University of Technology
Caley, M. Julian
Queensland University of Technology
Pearse, Alan R.
University of Queensland
Brown, Ross
Queensland University of Technology
James, Allan
Queensland University of Technology
Christensen, Bryce
Queensland University of Technology
Bednarz, Tomasz
Queensland University of Technology
Anthony, Ken
Australian Institute of Marine Science
González-Rivero, Manuel
Australian Institute of Marine Science
Mengersen, Kerrie
Queensland University of Technology
Peterson, Erin E.
Queensland University of Technology
Data from: Using virtual reality to estimate aesthetic values of coral reefs
Dryad
dataset
2018
Beauty
Human senses
landscape changes
Isolated ecosystems
2018-04-03T05:19:49Z
2018-04-03T05:19:49Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.172226
138990 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Aesthetic value, or beauty, is important to the relationship between
humans and natural environments and is, therefore, a fundamental
socioeconomic attribute of conservation alongside other ecosystem
services. However, beauty is difficult to quantify and is not estimated
well using traditional approaches to monitoring coral reef aesthetics. To
improve the estimation of ecosystem aesthetic values, we developed and
implemented a novel framework used to quantify features of coral reef
aesthetics based on people’s perceptions of beauty. Three observer groups
with different experience to reef environments (Marine Scientist,
Experienced Diver and Citizen) were virtually immersed in Australian’s
Great Barrier Reef using 360-degree images. Perceptions of beauty and
observations were used to assess the importance of eight potential
attributes of reef aesthetic value. Among these, heterogeneity, defined by
structural complexity and colour diversity, was positively associated with
coral-reef aesthetic values. There were no group-level differences in the
way the observer groups perceived reef aesthetics suggesting that past
experiences with coral reefs do not necessarily influence the perception
of beauty by the observer. The framework developed here provides a generic
tool to help identify indicators of aesthetic value applicable to a wide
variety of natural systems. The ability to estimate aesthetic values
robustly adds an important dimension to the holistic conservation of the
Great Barrier Reef, coral reefs worldwide, and other natural ecosystems.
Answers of participants for reef aesthetic questionsThis data table is
composed of 523 rows and 33 columns. Each row correspond to an answer and
associated uncertainty from an observer to an image. Observers are
differentiated by "RowID" and images by "ImageID".
Please see the README file describing each columns and Supplementary
Material of the paper to see the full
interview.Answers_from_interviews.csvDemographic information of the
observersThis data table describes the demographic information of the
observers. Age, gender, frequency of scuba-diving and locations and group
of observers are indicated in the table. Please see the README file for
the coding.Demographic_information.csv