The science of scenic beauty

Over three quarters of a million votes were cast last year in a staggering bid to help us understand the science behind scenic beauty.

Following the release of our Urban Mind research results, which highlighted the positive impact spending time by water has on health, happiness and wellbeing, we're working with the Data Science Lab at the University of Warwick to continue the biggest ever research project into the science of scenic beauty by water.

Take two minutes to have your say

We need everyone's help to determine what makes waterway spaces so scenic.

We're asking you to rate images of canals and rivers and help us understand the key elements of scenic beauty so that we can protect it. It's just as important to discover what images people don't like as the ones that are scoring highly.

Whether you're sitting at home, or out and about, could you pause for just a few moments to tell us what you find beautiful?

Why are we continuing this study?

Scenery not just greenery has been shown to be key to better health and wellbeing. A previous study by the University of Warwick found people feel healthier when they spend time in more scenic areas, and that canals make the biggest contribution to scenic beauty in towns and cities.

We want to understand more about what you find scenic about our canals and rivers. Is it the wildlife, the historic locks or a combination of many things?

As all the picutres in Rate This Scene feature canals, the difference between what people find beautiful and what they find less appealing can, at times, be subtle. This means that we need even more votes to help the data from this study to paint a clearer picture of precisely what features make canals so beautiful.

By rating how scenic a particular photograph is, you'll enable the scientists at the University of Warwick to gain a more focused understanding about what you find important in a canal scene. This will help us to protect what's important to you and improve our canals and rivers where they most need it.

We would like to thank the Geograph project for providing tens of thousands of photos for this study.

What others are saying about the study

Other ways to help