КАРТОГРАФИЧЕСКОЕ ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕ ЦИФРОВОГО НЕРАВЕНСТВА В МИРОВОМ МАССИВЕ ЖУРНАЛЬНЫХ СТАТЕЙ

Abstract

In world science, there is no generalization of geographical studies of digital inequality and visualization of inequality using socio-economic maps. Therefore, the purpose of our study is such a generalization to identify the features of the use of cartographic methods in the image of digital inequality. The object of the study is a worldwide array of journal articles devoted to digital inequality. In eight bibliographic databases, using the author's semantic search algorithm, about ninety journal articles containing more than two hundred and sixty schematic maps of digital inequality have been identified. The change in the annual number of articles with a cartographic image of digital inequality published in geographical and other scientific journals around the world in the XXI century is shown. The analysis of the identified cartographies on three levels (“access”, “use”, “results”) and two combinations of levels of digital inequality, as well as synthetic indices and clusters of inequality, has been carried out. It has been found that most of the cartograms displayed digital inequality in Europe, consisted of administrative-territorial and postal divisions of the state, and the main image methods were a cartogram and a qualitative background. The examples of cartographic representation of digital inequality are given. The possibilities and limitations of cartographic methods are shown. The disadvantage of the analyzed cartographic schemes is the weak application or refusal to use other methods of cartographic imaging in cases where cartograms, qualitative backgrounds and areas are not enough to visualize the features of digital inequality. The key problems of cartographic visualization of digital inequality are identified – the “digital gap” between neighboring territories, the functional structure of inequality, the dynamics of indicators, the territorial structure of inequality, the lack of connection between levels of inequality, the display of positive and negative offline results on one cartographic chart. The necessity of cartographic representation of the future digital inequality in the transition to 5G and 6G communication networks is noted. To solve all the problems, it is proposed to use a wider set of methods of cartographic image. The results obtained can be taken into account when drawing up new schematic maps. Seven directions of further research are proposed