*2.3. Preparation of the Data*

Two-dimensional plan maps of the Daming Temple in 3 periods are adopted in the study, i.e., two historical maps drawn by scholars Congzhou Chen (1918–2000 A.D.) of Tongji University in the 1960s and the 1970s and CAD maps drawn during the in situ survey conducted in 2022 by the Cultural Publicity Department of the Daming Temple, Jiangsu Province. To ensure the precision of the mapping, a short-term in situ survey was also conducted. Then, 3 versions of the survey map (Figure 2) were re-drawn in the software Rhinoceros 7 (a multi-functional parametric modeling software developed by Robert McNeel & Associates, Seattle, WA, USA) and input into the software DepthMap 1.0+ Beta (software developed by University College, London, UK). Some necessary manual modifications were performed based on the on-site mapping. During the movement of the visitors in the space, most of the space is relatively flat, with only a small difference in height between the articulated parts of the attraction and the attraction. These heights have little impact on the visitor's views; therefore, there is little potential to affect the accuracy of the VGA model. Simultaneously, in the ASA model, we used polylines based on the principles of modeling from a spatial syntax perspective, as described later.

**Figure 2.** Two-dimensional maps of Daming Temple in 3 different periods for VGA analysis.

In the VGA model, the temple heritage space is transformed into a 2D grid system of 0.8 × 0.8 m for the width of 0.8 m, approximately the width of a person's shoulder. The amounts of elements in the operation are simplified within the range that is acceptable for computation. 'Accessible' areas in this study are identified as those areas open to the public and can be visited freely most of the time, referring to the information provided by the Cultural Publicity Department of the Daming Temple, Jiangsu Province, and the in situ survey. In addition, spatial elements are processed with the method explained in Table 1. The drawing principle of elements is considered according to the significance of impacts on the viewshed model per se by elements (Table 1).


**Table 1.** Principles for drawing spatial elements in the VGA model.

As for the ASA model, it is commonly idealized that visitors often act as 'embodiment' in spaces with various forms, which leads to their diverse behavioral patterns of pathfinding [29]. The 'revised' distance that fits the perception pattern of the visitor is defined as the 'psychologically shortest expected path', which represents the psychologically expected distance perception of the visitors in spatial systems. It is noticed that visitors are often willing to walk through paths with the shortest Euclidean distance in the barrier-free spaces; otherwise, once visitors perceive the fact that there are spatial barriers (e.g., stone steps) exist in the space ahead, their 'psychologically minimum expected distance' will firmly increase. Therefore, visitors' sensory perception should be considered for the ASA model. A special modeling approach is used for the wide area of the East District in this study.

Some key drawing principles in the practical modeling process are applied (Figure 3) to enable the model to reflect visitors' psychological costs. Firstly, considering those areas with stairs, the polyline segments with angle change are used to represent the psychological distance expectation. Secondly, for the distinctive spatial differences between the newly built East District and other spaces, the widths of those new-built spaces are relatively larger; thus, the visitors' behavioral preferences are often affected by seeking paths with the shortest Euclidean distance when then walking through the space. Thus, the square spaces are represented by diagonals.

**Figure 3.** Detailed samples of key drawing principles in the ASA model.
