Geoinformational monitoring as an instrument of the spatial-temporal analysis of population migrations
There are some changes in migratory processes during the post-Soviet period, namely the intensive repatriation processes, the interchange of the roles between the receiving and the providing regions, changing urban-rural system, etc. The importance of finding out spatio-temporal features of migration processes is shown at the different territorial levels, i.e. national, regional, local, individual (settlement). Application of geoinformation technologies for the monitoring of migration processes proves to be particularly useful. Conceptual approaches to the organization of the geoinformation monitoring of migration processes (GMM) including the adaptation and integration of migrants into the receiving communities are suggested. Key tasks of the GMM are formulated, i.e. determination of the long-term tendencies of migration processes in a region, municipalities and settlements, identification of the centers and zones of migratory activity, assessment of migration influence on the ethnic and demographic structure of the population, revealing the inter-ethnic tension within particular territories, etc. Stages of the GIS-monitoring of migration processes are as follows: creation of the conceptual scheme of the GMM, elaboration of its logical structure, formation of the geo-database, creation of spatio-temporal models, assessment and examination of migration processes at different territorial levels. The GMM includes hardware, software, the executors and the methods. Main elements of the GMM, i.e. geo-database, modeling and visualization of migration processes, are described. Expert opportunities of the system of geoinformation monitoring are discussed.