Key Inventory Concepts

Capturing what people see from a viewpoint takes a bit of arm waving. Photo of a visual resources inventory team at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania visualizing the left and right edges of an inventoried view.

NPS Photo

The National Park Service visual resources inventory method works for parks because it is:

1. Built on viewer’s perspective

The inventory maps and describes individual views from a viewer’s perspective. Views consist of the viewpoint (where the viewer is standing) and the viewed landscape (what they are looking at). Views may extend beyond park boundaries. This reflects the way people experience a scene.

2. Flexible - works for all types of landscapes

Natural landscapes, historic battlefields, archaeological sites, urban corridors, and wilderness areas all have visual resource values. Views are considered in park and regional context, meaning that we do not compare parks or different types of landscapes (urban/natural) to one another.

3. Balanced

Park views are not all about aesthetic beauty. For example, some views are special because of their historic context or interpretive potential. Scenic quality and importance of the view to the National Park Service and visitors have equal weight in the inventory.

4. Easy to use

Volunteers and/or park staff from any background can learn how to inventory with relatively brief training and field practice. The inventory is also flexible allowing parks to start with as little as one view and build the inventory as time and staff capacity allow.