Mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of changes in the administrative-territorial division

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of the content of generalized maps on the history of administrative-territorial division. The purpose of such maps is to reflect the features of the space-time distribution of administrative changes.We have found that it is better to link indicators of dynamics to such spatial objects as the territories of modern administrative-territorial units (or the territory of historical administrative-territorial ones as of a certain date), to polygons of a single history of administrative membership, to administrative-territorial units as dynamic objects.Under the polygons of a single history of administrative ownership, we mean the territories identified during the analysis, all points within which belonged to the same administrative-territorial unit at any time during the analyzed period. Unlike polygons of the smallest common geometry (used in the method of space-time composites), such objects can be allocated for different periods of time and for different administrative levels.For such spatial objects, we propose to calculate and display on the map the number ofchanges in administrative ownership or the total duration of belonging to some administrative-territorial unit (usually, a high level). For larger static areas than the polygons of a single history of administrative affiliation, we suggest calculating and displaying on the map the indicator of administrative variability and the average duration of ownership. In our opinion, the indicator of administrative variability should consider the size of the analyzed territory, the number and volume of spatial changes. We have developed a formula for calculating such an indicator.The indicators that we calculate for historical administrative-territorial units on the map are dis- played within the static contour. However, these indicators are calculated for a dynamic object. These indicators are: the number of changes, the total number of changes in parameters, the total number of dates of change, the spatial configuration variability index, the area-weighted average area and its relation to the modern one. We propose to calculate the index of the variability of the configuration of the administrative-territorial unit as the sum of the relations of the areas of the reassigned territories to the areas of the administrative-territorial unit at the time before the change. Since different administrative-territorial units have different duration of existence, in our opinion, it is important to analyze not only the quantity but also the intensity of the changes. To reflect on the map the course of changes in the administrative-territorial unit in time, we developed a timeline-based chart.