Geographical Place Research Articles

Pattern of variation and grouping of qualitative morphological characters of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.)

Morphological field evaluation to characterize the phenotypical features of 33 Bambara groundnut accessions was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm of Department of Crop Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State; Nigeria. Qualitative morphological descriptors showed a varying degree of variation across the Bambara groundnut collections evaluated. In relation to other descriptors, ground colour of eye displayed the highest range of variation, while eye pattern of the accessions recorded the least discriminating feature. The accessions were resolved into five groups based on similarities on morphological characters and not on geographical place of origin.

Machine Learning-Based and 3D Kinematic Models for Rockfall Hazard Assessment Using LiDAR Data and GIS

Rockfall is one of the most hazardous phenomena in mountainous and hilly regions with high and steep terrain. Such incidents can cause massive damage to people, properties, and infrastructure. Therefore, proper rockfall hazard assessment methods are required to save lives and provide a guide for the development of an area. The aim of this research is to develop a method for rockfall hazard assessment at two different scales (regional and local). A high-resolution airborne laser scanning (ALS) technique was utilized to derive an accurate digital terrain model (DTM); next, a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) was used to capture the topography of the two most critical areas within the study area. A staking machine-learning model based on different classifiers, namely logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN), was optimized and employed to determine rockfall probability by utilizing various rockfall conditioning factors. A developed 3D rockfall kinematic model was used to obtain rockfall trajectories, velocity, frequency, bouncing height, kinetic energy, and impact location. Next, a spatial model combined with a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (fuzzy-AHP) integrated in the Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed to assess rockfall hazard in two different areas in Ipoh, Malaysia. Additionally, mitigation processes were suggested and assessed to provide a comprehensive information for urban planning management. The results show that, the stacking random forest–k-nearest neighbor (RF-KNN) model is the best hybrid model compared to other tested models with an accuracy of 89%, 86%, and 87% based on training, validation, and cross-validation datasets, respectively. The three-dimension rockfall kinematic model was calibrated with an accuracy of 93% and 95% for the two study areas and subsequently the rockfall trajectories and their characteristics were derived. The assessment of the suggested mitigation processes proves that the proposed methods can reduce or eliminate rockfall hazard in these areas. According to the results, the proposed method can be generalized and applied in other geographical places to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive rockfall hazard assessment.

What’s in a name? A content analysis of environmental NGOs’ use of “iconic species” in press releases

There are many designations people give to species in the context of conservation, some ecological (e.g., umbrella, keystone) and some cultural (e.g., flagship). However, “iconic” is a term with uses in conservation discourse scholars have yet to examine. Environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) can shape public opinion on conservation issues; hence, understanding their use of the term “iconic species” could help conservation managers assess and respond to stakeholder’s attitudes regarding proposed conservation policies or efforts. This content analysis covered four years’ worth of press releases (n = 203) containing “iconic species” (or an equivalent phrase; e.g., “iconic wildlife”) from six large ENGOs. We examined the species referenced, affiliated terms (including referenced places), press release objectives, and conservation topics. Results indicate that within ENGO communications, the term iconic species is rarely explicitly defined but is generally used to describe species that share taxonomic similarities with the charismatic megafauna of flagship species. However, iconic species appear to represent specific geographic places and are referenced in relation to diverse conservation topics. Thus, iconic species may serve as conduits for communicating regional issues, such as development and species management policies.

From Oskar Parish, Småland, to Manistique, Michigan: Placing People and Depicting Places

Karl Gösta Gilstring’s folklore collection is the largest made by a single Nordic researcher in modern times. The basis for the collection was the network of approximately 700 informants with whom Gilstring corresponded. In this article, the empirical focus is on Gilstring’s correspondence during the 1960s with one of the informants, Carl Nelson, living in Manistique, Michigan. In the collection, Carl Nelson represents Oskar Parish, despite the fact that Nelson only lived there until he was seventeen and, in his stories, seldom referred to the parish. What were the ideological and scientific premises for such a connection between a person and a place? How did Carl Nelson depict the places of Gilstring’s interest? The aim of the article is to explore how Carl Nelson depicted places in his stories, as well as to contextualize the stories with an analysis of the ideological and scientific premises of Karl Gösta Gilstring’s collection. In addition, the article aims to highlight and discuss the working method of such an analysis. The article concludes that the reason why Gilstring changed the spatial references of Nelson’s letters, making it seem as if they spoke of Oskar Parish probably had to do with the way his collection was organized. The ideological and scientific premises for the collection required that the customs and traditions of an individual, in order to be understood as such, needed a geographical place of origin. However, the analysis shows that the stories included in Carl Nelson’s letters do not primarily convey traditions and customs from Oskar Parish. Instead, they depict a mythological landscape recreated by the emigrant Carl Nelson in his American home on the outskirts of Manistique, Michigan.

The Hashtag Game: Disrupting Dissent during the Bersih 4 Protest

Abstract This paper demonstrates how protest tactics, such as the use of hashtags, can be co-opted by counter-protesters, as evidenced by how the cybertroopers operated against the Bersih 4 protest in 2015. This is achieved via focusing the analysis on how geographic places were communicated on Twitter around the time of the protest. The Bersih movement in Malaysia is an example of how a digital-savvy social movement organisation (SMO) operates in a hybrid regime. In this paper, I explore a form of reaction that, on the surface, appeared to be a bottom-up initiative against the Bersih movement. Based on the fieldwork conducted around the Bersih 4 protest in 2015, I focus on place mentions on Twitter to detect the cybertroopers who attempted to disrupt the discussion and narrative through the use of hashtags.

Giraffe taxonomy, geographic distribution and conservation

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Cultural trauma and its impact on the Iraqi Assyrian experience of identity

ABSTRACT This article explores the impact of a century of cultural trauma and marginalisation on the shaping of modern Iraqi Assyrians’ identity and their present-day experiences, including their decisions and sense of belonging to their homeland. Using questionnaire and interview data, we explore how Assyrians who participated in this study respond to a century of persecution during and since WWI, and discuss their current situation in relation to their ethnic and cultural rights in Iraq. Based on data collected from Iraqi Assyrians who reside in various geographical places, we argue that these Assyrians still see themselves on the receiving end of ongoing marginalisation which has long precedents and has not only become part of their identity, but continues to shape their present-day experiences and decisions about where to settle. Nevertheless, we found that historical events have reinforced Assyrians’ ethnic identity and their affiliation with their heritage and religion. The findings are discussed in relation to how cultural trauma shapes a group’s collective identity and experiences.

From Topic Networks to Distributed Cognitive Maps: Zipfian Topic Universes in the Area of Volunteered Geographic Information

Are nearby places (e.g., cities) described by related words? In this article, we transfer this research question in the field of lexical encoding of geographic information onto the level of intertextuality. To this end, we explore Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to model texts addressing places at the level of cities or regions with the help of so-called topic networks. This is done to examine how language encodes and networks geographic information on the aboutness level of texts. Our hypothesis is that the networked thematizations of places are similar, regardless of their distances and the underlying communities of authors. To investigate this, we introduce Multiplex Topic Networks (MTN), which we automatically derive from Linguistic Multilayer Networks (LMN) as a novel model, especially of thematic networking in text corpora. Our study shows a Zipfian organization of the thematic universe in which geographical places (especially cities) are located in online communication. We interpret this finding in the context of cognitive maps, a notion which we extend by so-called thematic maps. According to our interpretation of this finding, the organization of thematic maps as part of cognitive maps results from a tendency of authors to generate shareable content that ensures the continued existence of the underlying media. We test our hypothesis by example of special wikis and extracts of Wikipedia. In this way, we come to the conclusion that geographical places, whether close to each other or not, are located in neighboring semantic places that span similar subnetworks in the topic universe.

Of waste facility siting and relational geographies of place: Peri-urban landfills, community resistance and the politics of land control in Ghana

The siting of landfills in peri-urban spaces is seen as both a solution to land scarcity in inner cities and a development opportunity for rural hinterlands. Despite the widespread reliance on landfills for managing urban waste in Ghana, their operation tends to ignite land use conflicts at different scales. However, existing studies on the drivers of these conflicts have mostly failed to situate local resistance within the broader political economy of land control. Drawing on a longstanding landfill conflict in northern Ghana, this contribution shows how under the guise of landfills, the land question in peri-urban spaces is contested. While at face value the landfill struggle appears to be fuelled by the associated poor environmental conditions and health risks of waste from the inner city, our findings reveal the role of diverse incongruities including: (i) the crafty tactics deployed by state institutions in land acquisition for 'public interest', (ii) payment of unrealistic consideration, and (iii) diversion of designated public lands to undeclared uses. Amid these contestations, the notion of territorial belonging by peri-urban communities often runs counter to statutory ordering by the government who hold such hitherto private lands for ‘public interest’. Powerful local actors such as chiefs hide behind community agitations with hopes of controlling land if such contestations materialize. These dynamics have ramifications for the achievement of the New Urban Agenda of Habitat III, which focuses on secondary cities. A sustainable resolution of landfill-related conflicts must therefore begin with addressing the land question in peri-urban spaces.

Equity in coverage of maternal and newborn care in India: evidence from a nationally representative survey.

Despite efforts taken by the Government of India, mothers and newborns are excluded from the maternal and child health services, especially those in poorer and weaker sections of the society. Hence, we have utilized the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) data to assess the socio-economic inequities in antenatal care (ANC), intranatal care and postnatal care (PNC) coverage for mothers and newborns in India. We have analysed the NFHS-4 data gathered from the Demographic Health Survey programme. Stratification and clustering in the sample design were accounted for using 'svyset' command. Point estimates were reported as proportions with 95% confidence interval. The concentration curve and index were used to represent the socio-economic inequities. Theil index was computed to report inequities across geographical regions and place of residence. In total, 190 797 women who had at least one live birth in the preceding 5 years were included. About 52.1% of women had at least four ANC visits and 81.4% had institutional delivery. About 25.2% and 27.1% of the newborn received PNC within 24 and 48 h of delivery. The proportion of women who received PNC within 24 and 48 h after the delivery was 63.4% and 65.2%, respectively. Maximum inequity was observed for ANC (concentration index-0.195) followed by receipt of PNC by mothers within 24 and 48 h (concentration index-0.106 and 0.103). Women from the rural areas had a disproportionately high proportion of home deliveries (Theil index-3813.6). The findings from this study inform the policymakers and planners about the socio-economic inequity existing across various maternal and child health indicators. This will help them in making informed decisions and strengthen the maternal and child health programme in our country.

MODERN ANALYSIS METHODS USE IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF FOOD PRODUCTS

Food products with controlled geographical origin place are in special demand among consumers because of their specific properties, due to climatic, soil characteristics or other factors. The article provides an analysis of regulatory framework for legal goods protection with an indication of their origin place on the territory of the Russian Federation and in other countries. Existing authentication methods for this type of product are reviewed. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, the authors noted the most significant works aimed at confirming the authenticity of food products’ origin place on the example of honey and meat products, which were carried out in the countries of the European Union, Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, the USA and other countries. It is shown that the most widespread researches aimed at studying values of isotopic ratios of hydrogen ( 2 H/ 1 H), carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C), oxygen ( 18 O/ 16 O), nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N) and sulfur ( 34 S/ 32 S) in compounds contained in products that reflect the distribution of «light» and «heavy» isotopes during biological and geochemical processes within a single region. The analysis of the works aimed at studying the qualitative and quantitative composition of trace elements and rare earth metals (As, B, Ba, Cd, Li, Mn, Pd, Rb, Se, Te, Tl, Dy, U, etc.), as well as research of isotopic relations values of some elements ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 207 Pb/ 206 Pb, etc.) in product samples and soils of studied region. The advantages of an integrated research approach, which includes the creation of data array of various indicators values and its in-depth analysis using chemometric algorithms and mathematical modeling methods, are shown.

OIKONYMS AS A REFLECTION OF THE LOCATION OF THE UDMURT ETHNIC GROUP

The territory of Udmurtia is the main area of settlement of Udmurts. From the point of view of geography, this area is located in a wide area of contact of natural zones, so it can be considered as the "local development" of the Udmurt ethnic group. In addition, the territory of Udmurtia, despite its small size and flat terrain, is very diverse in landscape and resource terms. Therefore, the economy, culture and toponymy, in particular, oikonymy have a strong relationship. Taking into consideration the geographical place of people settlement, this work provides a linguistic analysis of language tools related to toponymy and geographical terminology.

Lokālais un globālais Guntas Šnipkes dzejā

The article deals with the representation and interaction of the local and global elements in Liepāja poet and professional architect Gunta Šnipke’s poetry writing. The research aims to establish and evaluate the importance of local and global aspects in Šnipke’s poetry creation process by determining the conceptually characteristic ways in the formation of poetic expression. The article particularly emphasizes the phenomenon of memory which reveals the dimension of time in Šnipke’s poetry space, allows to speak not only of the individual but also of the cultural memory by precise emphasis of concrete geographic places, topographic details (showing both the local and global scale) which have directed the author to an observation. The phenomenon of memory reveals the dimension of time and illuminates several levels of individual and collective memory – historical, cultural, autobiographical, feminine. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research includes the viewpoints of feminism theoreticians (Rosi Braidotti, Virginia Woolf and others) on the aspects of mental nomadism in the perspective of gender studies, as well as several aspects of the cultural memory research (works by Aleida Assmann, Marija Semjonova and others). The local and global issues have been researched mostly in Šnipke’s newest poetry collection “Ceļi” (‘Roads’, 2018) concurrently demonstrating the broader context and development process of the poet’s creative activity since the publishing of the first two poetry collections – “…Bērns ienāca…” (‘…A Child Came in…’, 1995), “...Un jūra” (‘…And the Sea”, 2008). The dominant of Šnipke’s poetic expression is a powerful impulse of thought which allows the creation of broader contexts concerning the current events and phenomena, thus expanding the boundaries of experience established by the strict form. The poet’s strong intellect is in a certain confrontation with an equally strong emotional experience. Šnipke’s poetry is characterised not only by the natural union of the intellectual and emotional elements in one poem but also by a successful amalgamation of various important levels – geographical, cultural and historical, social and personal, autobiographical. This feature is soundly used in creating the artistic concept of the poetry collection “Ceļi”. The collection was highly praised by professionals and awarded by several significant literary prizes. Šnipke’s poetry coincides with the current tendencies in the contemporary Latvian poetry process both in content and form; the poetic thought is mostly expressed in expanded and associatively dense syntactic structures. Šnipke’s poetry complies with the feminine poetry tendency to record the history of one’s own family within significant historic events pouring the individual experiences into layers of collective experience. Personal and seemingly insignificant becomes of global importance joining the space of common European memory, the distant and foreign phenomena are made closer and more understandable. In the longer forms, a woman and the feminine language become the main narrators of the past.

Scientific Review of the Phenomenon of “Urban Identity” in Modern Foreign Studies

Being a trend of our times, urbanization of city areas has affected not only transformation of the territorial identity, but also personal identity. The article raises the problem of interaction between the man and the city and the problem of city identity on the whole which is of great urgency and interest for contemporary society. The work provides the overview of foreign research aimed at understanding the nature of the phenomenon of city identity. As a result, the overview showed: a variety of terms ("place identity", "urban identity", "identity in landscape", "city identity", "urban place identity", "local identity", "city brand identity", "regional identity", "territorial identity", "community identity" and others) which help to describe processes of interdependence between the city and the man; authors' attempts to hierarchically structure these notions; the necessity to study this phenomenon by using both methodology of a particular scientific area and interdisciplinary approaches; controversy in defining the notion of urban identity; importance in relation to the need for developing brands of modern cities without loss of their historic and socio-cultural uniqueness. Characteristic aspects of the study of the phenomenon from the point of view of various approaches are shown. Two main lines for studying the nature of the phenomenon of urban identity have been defined: the first one is that the identity belongs to the city or geographical place, the other one says that the identity belongs to the person living in a particular area. The authors consider information and communication policy as an integrative way unleashing new opportunities for organizing theoretical-empirical analysis of this phenomenon. Strategies for further study of the issues relating to urban identity have been formulated: 1) analysis of national surveys on the problem; 2) defining and detailing of the research vocabulary for this phenomenon; 3) preparation and carrying out the research in the context of the region.

BOLU’DA TURİZM

Bolu is situated in the West Blacksea region, on the motorway that combines Istanbul with Ankara. It has got a lot of tourism attractiveness suchas: sea, lake, forest, wildlife, thermal water. The province has got a very long history and a lot of important historical richnesses for example mosques, baths, tombs, brideges. There are a lot of holiday villages, motels, pensions, five star hotels and camping sites that offer facilities for everyone. According to the seasons Botu has got different kinds of facilities suchas hunting, sports. In the summertime sea tourism, in the winter-mountain tourism and in every seasons thermal tourism. In 1996 the number of touristic resorts with tourism Licence was 14 and the capacity was 2400. Because of its geographical place and also its charm it has an important tourism potential, but in the last 5 years time the number of tourists decreased. Bolu needs some studies to take its real place among Turkish tourism. The way Bolu could develop is only this way because it hasn't got any important source of income except the developing industry.

Introduction: Smart Spaces and Places

Smart technologies have advanced rapidly throughout our society and across geographic spaces and places. The “smart” developments have presented unprecedented challenges and opportunities for the discipline of geography. This special issue of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers focuses on the theme of smart spaces and places from a wide range of perspectives. The collection of twenty-one articles included in this special issue offers stimulating discussion on emerging theories, conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and observations to address spaces, places, and smartness. The articles roughly belong to four topical categories: (1) spaces, places, and smartness; (2) analytical smartness; (3) critical smartness; and (4) smart sustainability and policy. Insights gained from the discussion will advance our discipline.

Conflictos bélicos en la Literatura Infantil y Juvenil: Guerra del Conflicto Armado en Colombia y Segunda Guerra Mundial

Cuando Hitler robó el conejo rosa y La luna en los almendros son novelas de la Literatura Infantil y Juvenil con una narrativa histórica. Pese a tener ocurrencia de los hechos en espacios geográficos diametralmente opuestos, tienen varios factores en común, entre ellos tener un contenido de guerra en el que los niños no solo son los protagonistas, sino los ojos a través de los cuales vemos y sentimos la historia. La primera de ellas hace referencia a la época de la Alemania Nazi ubicada entre 1933 y 1935, en que Adolf Hitler era candidato de ascenso al poder, que desencadenaría en unos años después en la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y la segunda obra literaria obedece al conflicto interno armado que ha vivido Colombia por más de 50 años. Ambas obras abarcan la temática del conflicto bélico desde una visión ajena a la adulta. De ese modo el desplazamiento forzado al que se ven obligados los protagonistas de los libros es contado de manera más sencilla pero no menos seria, lo cual sin duda alguna aporta memoria histórica en este sistema literario.

The concept of home – unaccompanied youths voices and experiences

ABSTRACT In Sweden, unaccompanied youths are placed within residential care units. However, to settle in a foreign country and feel emotional belonging is more complex than access to a physical building. The aim of this study is to critically discuss the concept of ‘home’ as experienced by the youths, narrated in nine focus group interviews. These interviews occurred in the aftermath of a turbulent migration time (2015), when over 35,000 unaccompanied youths arrived in Sweden. A transnational theoretical perspective stretches the meaning across national borders, when home links to people, processes and other geographical places. It is difficult to create an environment that mirrors the emotional attachment described in analysis. Earlier research has shown that residential care workers refer to the institutional setting as home, yet the results of this study show that the young people relate to the concept differently. Staff utilisation of the concept of home rather emphasises the lack of home-like aspects for the youths, creating a frustration in the current institutional conditions. Staff in residential care units must therefore be aware of the different interpretations and reactions that their actions and communications generate, in order to respond to various needs.

Imagining the homeland: mother tongue tuition in Sweden as transnational space

ABSTRACT In this article images of and narratives about a specific homeland, heritage and culture in Mother Tongue Tuition (MTT) in Sweden are analyzed in order to discuss if and how the MTT classroom is constructed as a transnational space. In the Swedish context, MTT is a voluntary school subject with the aim to support students to develop knowledge in and about the mother tongue, namely languages other than Swedish used in the home setting. Through a modified nexus analysis of policy documents, field notes and photos from observations and semi-structured interviews with Mother Tongue teachers, a picture emerges of MTT as a transnational space. However, while the discourses of official curricula express a simplified view of the relations between language, culture and the geopolitical space perceived as the homeland, the analysis of the linguistic landscape of the classrooms and the MT teachers’ voices exposes the complexity of such relations in a globalized world. The analysis revealed that the construction of the homeland is not limited to relations between two geographical places, as expressed through the national curriculum, but rather the discourses in place may include varied diaspora communities as well as complex national situations in the perceived homeland.

Colin Maclaurin (1698–1746) and his contemporaries on wind and water: the local and the universal

This paper explores the issue of geographical and social place in the community of mathematicians in the generation following Isaac Newton (1642–1727). It is informed by the approach of historical geographers to work in the field, and those studying the communication of mathematics in a broad sense. It considers Colin Maclaurin's circumstances in what he regarded as a remote location, arguing that he was not disadvantaged with respect to other Newtonian mathematicians and the rational mechanics of the period. Like his contemporaries, he communicated throughout Europe by means of the republic of letters, and also like them he had access to a particular local environment. Using the subject of water and wind power, a number of questions are posed regarding the efficacy of fluxions, the relative attention given to experiment and mathematical deduction, and changes in these emphases over time and place. While definite answers require further work, it has been possible, using a brief comparison with a few contemporaries, to reach the conclusion that different localities and social situations provided different opportunities, but that those of Maclaurin in Scotland were not impediments to the development of his mathematics or its applications.