Background The appearance of our valued landscapes is under threat from climate change, the spread of invasive species and land-use pressures. People from all walks of life are passionate about the landscapes that they love; but what is it about a particular view seen at a particular time by an individual that is valued? Are some aspects common across cultures? Can we quantify this? How will we know if our landscapes are suffering decline in their visual appeal, if we have no means to measure it? Digital tools to assess landscape quality include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and form one part of the management toolkit needed to monitor these processes. Recent work in Geography at Staffordshire University has developed a Visual Quality Index (VQI) which quantifies landscape qualit