The current state and directions of development of the geosystem doctrine
A.K. CHERKASHIN
V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
Keywords: geographical systems, definition of concepts, intertheories of modeling, geosystem analysis, functional and geomeric models, territory of Baikal Siberia
Abstract
The achievements and problems of the V.B. Sochava’s geosystem doctrine, its spread abroad and development towards the joint use of conceptual, statistical and mathematical analysis in geography are discussed. The doctrine is considered in the context of the general systems theory and the possibility of applying other intertheories that explain the properties of nature, economy and population of a territory in unified system terms. The basic concept is a “structure” that imposes a system order on a set of elements to ensure their organization and functioning. Geosystems differ in the type of intertheoretical description of elements and their relationships - complex, functional, dynamic, behavioral, classificational, etc., as well as in the form of expression: natural and integral geosystems, metasystems, monosystems, polysystems, geocomplexes, episystems, chorions, and holаsystems. Their properties are reflected by special mathematical formulas of differential geometry of layered spaces. In particular, holаsystems of integrity are described as structures of surfaces defined by continuous functions (manifolds), enveloping in these spaces the planes of functions of a set of adjacent monosystem layers (geomeres) and thereby determining their pairwise connectivity and territorial organization of polysystems (geochores) in the unity of the geographical environment. Different types of geosystems are considered only as subjects, not objects of geographical research, which makes it possible to choose specific directions, models and methods for solving scientific problems. Formalization of accumulated geosystem knowledge is supported by conceptual schemes in the form of graphs and charts, and materials of statistical processing of primary and cartometric data. V.B. Sochava set the task of creating a functional-geomeric model to reflect the importance of geomers in the structure of geochores. It is proposed to discuss this problem in terms of the ordinal intertheory of describing the distribution of geoms by significance (occurrence) in different physical-geographical regions of Baikal Siberia. It is assumed that the same problem is solved by means of different intertheories using the appropriate mathematical apparatus. The development of such research tools corresponds to different directions of improving the geosystem analysis methods.
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