One of four component layer of the Scottish map of relative wildness. This layer shows perceived naturalness of the landscape. The dataset is on a scale of 1-256 indicating relative levels of naturalness. Consequently the data is best viewed at a national or regional scale. The methodology is adapted from the 2008 Wildness Study in the Cairngorms National Park (https://wildlandresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2018/10/Cairngorm2008.pdf). Each different land class is given a 'naturalness score' from 1 (low perceived naturalness) to 5 (high perceived naturalness).
For example built up areas and gardens are scored 1, arable and horticultural land are scored 2, calcareous grassland scored 3, acid grass scored 4 and bog scored 5. A focal statistics window of 250m is passed over the dataset averaging the naturalness values to account for surrounding areas.
