Power Perception: Visibility Analysis in 3D Dynamic Visualization of Landscape Features at Hampton Plantation

This study addresses the importance of power perception in relation to the placement of cultural landscape features at Hampton Plantation, a historic rice plantation in the low country of South Carolina. What was visible from the plantation and what visitors perceived of it were of importance in relation to power. To determine what exactly was visible, viewshed analyses from specific observer points in the study area were conducted and analyzed using GIS-based spatial analysis. LiDAR processing and modeling of vegetation and buildings within the study area had to be done before the viewshed analyses could take place. The final results are displayed in a way that makes it possible to view the landscape as it was in the 19^th century and pinpoints which areas are visible to the viewer. The results of the visibility analysis suggest support for the notion that certain structures, such as the planter’s house, were situated to maximize the view of the surrounding plantation landscape.