☰ Contents · Geography (Applied geography)

Geographic assessment

Lessons 14 · 1 lessons · Sh. M. Sharipov, V. N. Fedorko, N. I. Safarova, V. A. Rafiqov. Geography (Applied geography), Grade 10, 1st edition. “O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi” State Scientific Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
14

Geographic assessment

Textbook: pp. 59–62
GoalKnow the stages of geographic assessment, the qualitative and quantitative methods, and the criteria for assessing land and recreation resources.
New words
geographic assessment · geografik baholashqualitative method · sifat usuliquantitative method · miqdor usulirecreation resources · rekreatsiya resurslari
Explanation

Geographic assessment is determining how suitable natural conditions, resources or geosystems are for a particular purpose (farming, construction, recreation, water management). The stages are: setting the aim and task; making a list of needed indicators; studying the area and measuring the indicators; assessing each component separately; combining them into an overall assessment; and drawing tables and maps. In the qualitative method suitability is expressed in words (from “very favourable” to “unfavourable”); in the quantitative method numerical indicators are used, for example the sum of active temperatures in the growing season. In assessing land for farming, relief, climate, soil, groundwater and water supply are taken into account; the geosystems of Uzbekistan are grouped by difficulty of development as simple, moderately complex, complex and very complex. In recreation assessment the landscape's potential, the beauty of the scenery and its resistance to overload (recreation pressure) are considered.

Worked examples
Suppose a variety of a certain ripening group needs a sum of active temperatures of at least 2200 °C in the growing season. In an area: May 20 °C × 31 = 620, June 26 × 30 = 780, July 29 × 31 = 899; total 620 + 780 + 899 = 2299 °C. Since 2299 > 2200, the area is sufficient for this variety (quantitative method).
Choosing a site for a summer children's camp (qualitative method): a forested mountain valley by a stream – very favourable, an adir slope with a spring – favourable, a field at the edge of an oasis – moderately favourable, open waterless sandy desert – less favourable, the mouth of a mudflow-prone gully – unfavourable. Each rating weighs scenery, water, coolness and safety together.
Class activity

“Assessment card”: the class splits into 3 groups and rates 3 places on school grounds (sports field, garden, yard) for “suitability for recreation” on a 5-point scale and records the scores in a table. Only inside the school grounds, under the teacher's supervision.

Practice
1
List the stages of geographic assessment in order (at least 5).
2
If the mean temperature in September is 22 °C over 30 days, what is the temperature sum for that month? (Number only.)
3
Sort into qualitative or quantitative: “very favourable”; 2300 °C sum; “unfavourable”; 300 mm precipitation a year.
4
Why is a geographic assessment done before building a reservoir?