Statistical tests of Leopold's System for quantifying aesthetic factors among rivers

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Abstract
Leopold has published a set of techniques for comparing aesthetic factors among rivers, which include uniqueness ratios and graphic derivations of scale of river character and scale of valley character. The usual practice in evaluating recreational and scenic resources is to use a consistent rating scheme and to derive summary measures of attractiveness by adding evaluation numbers or ratings. The latter procedures were used to test Leopold's methods by using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient to compare rankings by the two methods. There was poor correlation between evaluation numbers and uniqueness ratios for physical and water quality factors. Correlation was better for human use and scenic factors. The meaning of additive evaluation numbers is more comprehensible than the meaning of additive uniqueness ratios; the additive uniqueness ratios were concluded to be less efficient. The graphic procedures were found to introduce unexpected anomalies in combining two or more sets of factors, and the addition of evaluation numbers was concluded to be more reliable. The addition of evaluation numbers requires less time and effort than the procedures advocated by Leopold and is less subject to errors.

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