The Salford Nature Environments Database (SNED): An Open Access Database of Standardized High-Quality Pictures from Natural Environments
In recent years, research into the ability of natural environments to enhance mental health, including cognitive functioning and mood, has produced encouraging results. In this research, images of nature are often used instead of using outdoor spaces due their similar benefits when compared to real-world environments. However, while results are promising, there is a lack of standardisation in terms of the images used. This limits the synthesis of research findings in the area.
Responding to these limitations, the current project introduces the Salford Nature Environments Database (SNED), a standardized database of natural images created to support ongoing research into the benefits of nature exposure. The SNED currently exists as the most comprehensive nature image database available, comprising 500 high-quality, standardized photographs capturing a variety of possible natural environments across the seasons.
Images were rated by 801 individuals from eight geographical regions: Africa, Arab States and Middle East, Asia and Pacific (excluding Australia and New Zealand), Australia and New Zealand, Europe (excluding the UK), United Kingdom, North America, and South and Latin America. All image ratings and content detail, along with participant details, are available as open-source resources for researchers and are available online at our Open Science Framework project page.
The SNED represents a valuable resource for continued research in areas such as nature-based therapy, social prescribing, and experimental approaches investigating the underlying mechanisms that help explain how natural environments improve mental health and wellbeing. See the preprint here: The Salford Nature Environments Database (SNED): An open access database of standardized high-quality pictures from natural environments.
Funder: University of Salford
Team
Sam Royle
James Dodds
Hugh Watmough
David Beevers
Dr Ben Short
Draco Graham-Kevan