Applet Features

The applets on the CD-ROM provided with the book Stonehenge Landscapes have some additional features compared to the ones on this web site. Here we mention some of the advanced capabilities of the full version of the applets.

3D Terrain View

The main difference between the applets here and on the CD-ROM is that the latter are able to display digital 3D views of the landscape. These views can be created for any point in the study area, thus providing a means to visualise vistas which are inaccessible in real life.

Looking south from Stonehenge

The 3D view includes flags to mark the positions of monuments. The landscape can be coloured with either topographic information or from a satellite image. Because the views are calculated in real time it's possible to generate views while the animated paths are traversed. It's also possible to display the 3D view alongside the panoramic photographs, with the two moving together. The user has the ability to move the viewpoint at will throughout the landscape, as well as to change altitude and inclination. The 3D views are tremendous fun to play with, and they are a serious tool for investigating the landscape. To give some indication of what the 3D terrain views look like, though without their full power, the view from Stonehenge is available as a panorama.

Audio

During some of our field trips we made audio recordings of our impressions of the landscape. The positions of these recordings were measured using GPS equipment. One of the applets on the CD-ROM displeys a map of our excursion, with the positions of the recordings marked. On a suitably equipped computer the user can listen to our field notes and follow along as we walk the Avenue and Stonehenge Cursus.

Edge effect

One of the early observations that we made in studying the disposition of monuments was that monuments seemed to be sited near the edges of viewsheds. We performed a statistical analysis, reported in the book, to determine if this effect was real. (It is.) However, as part of our investigations we added to the applets the ability to highlight monuments which are near the edges of viewshed. The distance which is considered to be 'near' can be adjusted by the user.

Monuments near the edge of the Stonehenge viewshed


Ron Yorston
21st October 2001 (updated 26th January 2016)