A Zone of Visual Influence is the area from which a development is theoretically visible. It is usually represented as a map using color to indicate visibility.

Zones of Visual Influence are used to identify the parts of a landscape that will be affected by a development. They are of particular use to Landscape Architects

Landscape architecture

Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...

 in determining visual intrusion as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental impact assessment

An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....

. Zones of Visual Influence have been used extensively in wind farm

Wind farm

A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...

 development. A map will be created showing the number of Wind Turbine that are visible from a particular area. A cumulative Zone of Visual Influence is used to define the cumulative effects of many developments.

Zones of Visual Influence are created using GIS tools such as ESRIs 3D analyst.