Human Geography Journal

Localized urbogeosystemic analsis through lidar data for formalized urban population estimation

Sergiy Kostrikov — 2024-05-30

Our paper makes focus on the further research of the urban geosystem approach potential in the domain of social-geographical research through the combined application of GIS tools and the results of urban remote sensing (URS). The challenges of urban studies demand innovative methods for estimating population, which can be based on the building geometry and the architectural morphology of the city reconstructed on the URS base.

Proceeding from this, the aim of the paper is to represent localized urban geosystem analysis (LUGA), which is implemented on the largest geospatial scale of the given UGS. LUGA includes the use of area-metric (AMM) and volume-metric methods (VMM) for calculating the population in urban buildings and, thus, in a certain parcel of urbanized geospace. The latter can be considered the smallest structural unit of the detailed-grid representation of the digital urbanized environment (UE).

This study corresponds to one of the main postulates of urban geosystem analysis, according to which the formalization of UGS attributive characteristics occurs in various geolocations of the UE. The existing theoretical prerequisites of LUGA have been considered. Based on previous research experience, a thesis description of three alternative methods for assessing urban population distribution based on the "RSóGIS" paradigm has been proposed. Regarding the M1 LUGA technique, which is a further development of "micro-spatial GIS analysis," and its two parametric methods (AMM and VMM), a detailed description of their operational sequence and formalized apparatus have been provided. A block diagram of the step-by-step implementation of both methods is presented with detailed explanations of each stage. An example of LUGA implementation concerning a user scenario for assessing the distribution of urban population in the Boston agglomeration (Massachusetts, USA) has been provided. Pictures of the Cloud GIS-platform sample interface have been presented.

Territorial features of the potato market in Ukraine

Liudmyla Niemets — 2024-05-30

The growth of the world's population leads to the increase in poverty and hunger. In order to solve these problems, it is important to develop agriculture, especially in Ukraine, which has great potential due to favorable natural and geographical conditions. However, the military invasion of Russia made it difficult to export agricultural products, and the cultivation of potatoes became increasingly important for feeding the population.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the potato market in Ukraine as of February 22, 2022 and to determine the features, problems and prospects for the further development of this industry, especially in conditions of military aggression.

According to research results, the dynamics of the total yield of potatoes in Ukraine for the period 2000-2022 demonstrates a general unstable trend, the yield of potatoes has a slight tendency to increase, and the harvested areas of potatoes are decreasing. Almost 98% of potatoes are grown on private farms, and only about 2% are grown by enterprises.

While there is an overall upward trend in potato exports over the period 2000-2022, there is no clear trend in potato import trends. Ukraine ranks 47th in the world in terms of potato exports and 16th in terms of imports, due to high cost, outdated technologies, low quality varieties and lack of marketing. The largest export partners are the Republic of Belarus, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, and the importers of potatoes are Poland, the Republic of Belarus and Lithuania. In the structure of the balance of consumption of potatoes in Ukraine, almost 70% is produced (in the structure of income), and its realization (in the structure of consumption) is almost 60%. The low level of potato processing continues to be a problem in the country.

Potatoes are grown throughout Ukraine, with the highest percentage of potato cultivation in Polissia regions (Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kyiv regions), and the lowest in the steppe regions (Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia regions). A similar territorial distribution is characterized for potato consumption. To improve Ukraine's position in potato growing, it is necessary to introduce contemporary potato growing technologies and involve large agricultural holdings in production.

Human-geographical features of transport accessibility research of pre-school and secondary education institutions in the cities of Kharkiv and Warsaw

Kateryna Kravchenko — 2024-05-30

An efficient transport system is one of the important elements of an economically developed city. The quality of transport infrastructure and the provision of logistics services primarily contribute to the accessibility or ease with which people can reach their main destinations, such as work, health care and education, using a particular mode of transport, or a combination of these. In the article, a socio-geographical analysis of transport accessibility of preschool and general educational institutions in Kharkiv and Warsaw was carried out. Features of the methodology of transport accessibility research using geoinformation systems QGIS 3.16 and ArcGis 10.7 are presented based on OpenStreetMap data. On the basis of a spatial GIS analysis of the placement of preschool and secondary education institutions, buffer zones were built, which cover the territory in a 500-meter (approximately 5-minute) accessibility zone.

It was established that the cities of Kharkiv and Warsaw have a well-developed transport infrastructure, in the city of Kharkiv the structure of passenger traffic by type of transport is dominated by the subway, in the city of Warsaw - bus transport. A comparative analysis of the accessibility of preschool educational institutions by all types of public transport in Kharkiv and Warsaw showed that, in general, the share of the number of institutions located in buffer zones is practically the same by type of transport. The number of preschool educational institutions in Warsaw is 3.5 times more than in Kharkiv. In the course of the study of the transport accessibility of general educational institutions by all types of public transport in Kharkiv and Warsaw, it was established that, in general, by means of transport, the share of institutions located in buffer zones is almost equal, the number of secondary educational institutions in Warsaw is almost twice as large as in Kharkiv. The number of educational institutions located in buffer zones is almost 90%: out of 215 schools, 213 are located in public transport buffer zones. The majority of educational institutions (99%) in Warsaw are located in the buffer zones of bus routes, which indicates the wide coverage of this mode of transport. The metro provides access to 27% of the city's schools. A significant part of schools (51%) in Warsaw is located in the buffer zones of tram routes, which increases the accessibility of educational institutions.

In general, the cities of Kharkiv and Warsaw are characterized by a fairly high level of transport accessibility to educational infrastructure, since more than 99% of educational institutions are located within the buffer zones of public transport, which confirms the effectiveness of the transport infrastructure of the cities in providing access to preschool and secondary education institutions.

Export and recreational potential of heliceculture as a branch of livestock farming in Ukraine

Anzhela Shukanova — 2024-05-30

The peculiarities of the geography of breeding, export and recreational potential of heliceculture as a branch of livestock farming in Ukraine under the current conditions of martial law are analyzed in the article. The types of recreational activities of snail farms as an additional type of activity are identified. It is proved that despite the reduction in the number of snail farms as a result of the coronavirus crisis and the war, the export potential of the heliceculture has increased due to favorable price conditions and simplification of the procedure for entering the European market. The seasonality of agricultural and recreational activities of snail farms is characterized, and two seasonal peaks of snail exports from Ukraine are determined – May-July and September.

It is found that heliceculture in Ukraine is a new direction of agrarian business in the last decade. Since 2020, heliceculture has had the status of a full-value agricultural sector in Ukraine with the positive dynamics of growth in production volumes and exports, which in 2023 reached $5.2 million in monetary equivalent. In terms of geographical distribution, almost all (over 90%) of Ukrainian exports of land shellfish are sent to 3 European countries - Lithuania, Spain and Poland, and since 2024, sales to Georgia have been arranged. Snail farms are located in every region of Ukraine (except for the occupied territories), with an increase in rearing volumes in Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa regions.

Recreational activities on snail farms can be classified as recreational and educational, suburban, seasonal, short-term, and intended for all age groups of tourists. Excursion tours to the farm and gastro-tourism in combination with the restaurant business contribute to the growing popularity of snails among Ukrainian consumers, diversify the incomes of snail farms and maintain their profitability in the face of challenges associated with the unstable economic and political situation in Ukraine.

Suggestions for activating the activities of the tourist enterprise «Let's go with us»

Valentina Oliinyk — 2024-05-30

The sphere of services is one of the most important spheres of public life that influences the quality of life of the population. Tourist service is the result of the activities of a tourist enterprise aimed at satisfying the corresponding needs of tourists. The work of a tourist enterprise includes organizing the entire trip and providing individual services.

The analysis of tourist enterprises in conditions of economic instability and practical proposals for increasing their economic activity are a relevant research topic. The works of domestic scientists on the organization of tourist activities, analysis of the activities of tourist enterprises, characteristics of organizational processes, creation and operation of a tourist enterprise, technology of designing, developing, and selling tourist products were analyzed in the study. The choice of the research object - the network of travel agencies "Let's Go Together", which ranks 18th out of 50 tourist companies in the national rating of 2022, is sufficiently competitive in the market of tourist services, and has the opportunity to improve its rating through activity optimization.

Based on the analysis, proposals were formulated to activate and increase the efficiency of the network of travel agencies "Let's Go Together", which found reflection in the following directions: expanding the range of services, namely creating a new tourist product - detox tours, introducing Instagram tours, promoting cruise tourism, actively developing domestic tourism; a wide selection of various types of tours. The second direction: intensification of advertising activities, including in social networks. The third direction: implementation of a flexible discount system. At the final stage of the work, the main business processes and types of enterprise activities were identified and the main obstacles that may affect the implementation of these business processes were identified.

Natural and social consequences of military actions in the territory of Kharkiv region

Sviatoslav Dmitriiev — 2024-05-30

This study is a continuation of long-term scientific work on studying the impact of climate change on the ecological state of water bodies with the involvement of a large array of statistical data for the period 1961-2020. But since in 2022 the studied territory became a theater of active war actions, it became necessary and scientific relevant to make a research about their impact on the state of water bodies. This is important in the context of changes in people's living conditions, as water is a vital resource, especially in this region, where due to the specifics of water use and the speed of climate change, water resources have undergone a rather rapid degradation, and according to forecasts, Kharkiv region was to face problems of shortage of water resources already in the coming decades. Military operations have accelerated the deterioration of water bodies, and sources of drinking water are especially sensitive to such changes. Thus, in the city of Kharkiv, according to laboratory studies, out of 11 sources of drinking water, the water is suitable for consumption in only 1.

To study changes in the state of water bodies, cartographic analysis was actively used, which makes it possible to assess the spatial distribution and differentiation of the speed of these changes, and to establish relationships between the factors affecting this, such as the location of the network of settlements and the concentration of the population, as well as the degree of proximity to the front line and intensity of shelling from all types of ballistic weapons.

To determine the changes that took place after the beginning of the full-scale invasion due to the lack of statistical data from stationary monitoring points, data from satellite images were used.

The scientific novelty of this research is the study of modern changes in the ecological state of water bodies and their comparison with previous changes due to the nature of climatic dynamics, since taking into account the proximity of the research object to the zone of active hostilities, scientific activity in this area is very complicated, and therefore Currently, studies on a similar topic are just beginning to appear, but they are fragmentary in nature, and therefore there is a scientific need to create a more comprehensive study.

Priority sectors and industries of the Ukraine's economy: transformations during the war

Nataliia Husieva — 2024-05-30

Identification of priority sectors and industries of the Ukraine's economy is an important task of state socio-economic policy, especially during a full-scale war. These sectors and industries should be constantly in the focus of the state and Ukrainian society. The livelihoods of citizens and strengthening the state's defense capabilities depend on them. These sectors will become the locomotive for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy in the future. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to identify the priority sectors and industries of the Ukraine's economy before, during and after the end of the full-scale war.

Before the full-scale Russian invasion, the priority sectors of the economy were considered to be the sectors aimed at meeting societal needs for high-tech, competitive, environmentally friendly products, high-quality services implementing state policies for developing production and export potential, creating new jobs. Based on this, the priority sectors were agro-industrial complex, housing and communal services, mechanical engineering complex, transport infrastructure, resort and recreational sector and tourism, processing industry, pharmaceutical industry. With the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine completely changed its views on the definition and list of priority economic sectors. In the current realities, sectors ensuring the livelihoods of citizens and strengthening the state's defense capabilities have become extremely important. These sectors will become the locomotive for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy in the future. There is currently no consensus on the list of such industries.

Among the existing options, the following should be noted: 1) military-tech (high-tech weapons); metallurgy, mining, and mechanical engineering; agriculture and the food industry; IT sector (Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, 2022); 2) construction and military-industrial complex, among other industries – agro-industrial complex, in particular agriculture, medicine, metallurgy and heavy industry, information technology, education and science, transport and transportation and some others (a survey conducted by the «Rating» group, 2023); 3) agriculture, metallurgy and metalworking, IT sector and startups, among other industries – construction sector, military industry, energy sector and medicine (economic studies, 2022-2024); 4) defense industry, metallurgy and metalworking, power industry, agro-industrial complex, pharmaceutical industry, logistics and infrastructure, natural resources, furniture and woodworking industries, innovations and technologies, industrial manufacturing («Advantage Ukraine», 2022); 5) energy sector, green metallurgy, logistics and transport, IT sector and digitalization, agricultural production (Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, 2024); 6) mechanical engineering, chemical and petrochemical industries, coal, defense and nuclear industries, scientific and scientific-technical activities, agriculture, and healthcare («Concept of a state targeted scientific and technical program for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in priority sectors of the economy for the period until 2026», 2024).

Military urbicide against Ukraine

Liudmyla Kliuchko — 2024-05-30

The article examines the phenomenon of "urbicide" or the targeted destruction of cities as an actual problem in modern conflict zones, focusing on its appearance in contemporary conflicts, in particular in Kharkiv, Ukraine, due to Russia's military aggression. The study emphasizes the devastating impact of urbicide on the civilian population, the urban landscape, the city's social, transport and critical infrastructure, and its cultural heritage. The study highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach, especially through the lens of human geography, to understand the causes and consequences of urbicide and to identify ways to restore affected cities.

The authors emphasize that, regardless of the territorial localization of this phenomenon, its consequences have a long-term perspective and impact on the entire world community. It requires international intervention and support, humanitarian aid and strategies to restore affected cities and prevent future crises, emphasizing global security and economic consequences of urbicide.

The article studies and analyzes the spatial aspects and consequences of urbicide, presents a comprehensive analysis of its stages and forms, investigates geographical features and determines the socio-economic consequences in the territory of the city of Kharkiv. The authors note that urbicide was used by the Russian military as a strategic and manipulative tool. The study examines three main scenarios of urbicide observed in Ukraine, including Donetsk, Mariupol and Kharkiv, where Russian tactics ranged from selective terror to large-scale extermination. The study identifies how urbicide goes beyond physical destruction to affect the mental well-being of the population, and demonstrates how regional factors, such as proximity to an active frontline, increase vulnerability to urbicide.

The authors emphasize that urbicide remains a tool of warfare with far-reaching socio-economic consequences, which requires the response of the world community to support the post-war reconstruction of cities and prevent further international instability.

Forms of tourist and local studies work in Kharkiv region during the martial state

Iryna Skryl — 2024-05-30

The article analyzes the peculiarities of tourism and local studies work in Kharkiv region in the conditions of military aggression of the Russian Federation. The authors characterized the main directions of the organization of educational activities of extracurricular educational institutions and highlighted national-patriotic and tourist-local studies among them. The analysis of the dynamics of the tourist and local studies activities of schoolchildren manifested that the number of clubs and their students decreased by more than half in Kharkiv region during 2019 - 2023.

In the structure of tourist and sports clubs, the largest share of pupils falls on hiking tourism, bicycle tourism, sports tourism, and sports orientation. Among tourist and local studies clubs, the most pupils attend clubs in the field of scientific research, environmental local studies, ethnology, historical and geographical local studies.

As a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Kharkiv region (excluding the regional center), more than 30% of extracurricular education institutions were damaged or ceased to function due to hostilities or occupation. The institutions of the Kupyansk district were the most affected, where none of the five extracurricular education institutions are currently operating. Three out of 6 extracurricular education centers operate in Izyum district, 6 out of 9 in Kharkiv district, 5 out of 6 in Loziv and Bogodukhiv districts, 7 out of 8 in Chuguyiv district, and all 6 centers operate in Krasnograd district.

The priority areas of extracurricular education in Kharkiv region should be national-patriotic and military-patriotic education, which is extremely relevant in the conditions of military aggression of the Russian Federation. In the de-occupied territories, it is necessary to restore centers of extracurricular education institutions and develop local studies work with schoolchildren.