Integral Methodology in Geospatial Researches

Introduction. The task of developing the methodology optimal for studying unique processes and phenomena, especially in the light of the growing awareness of the globality of our planet and the integrity of processes – for example, biological and social – is formulated. Special importance and heuristic value of this kind of methodology is pointed out because of the special status of the categories of space and time, as the cognizing subject perceives the external reality only through space and time and in no other way (I. Kant).

Materials and research methods. The article substantiates the necessity of the use of integral or integral space-time methodology for the scientific analysis of unique phenomena (for example, biological phenomena). This methodology supplements the widely used differential methodology. It is stated that this task is currently of particular relevance. It is emphasized that integral methodology is doctrinally close to philosophy, scientific theory and intellectual tradition of holism.

The results of research and their discussion. The example of successful use of integral methodology in another disciplinary field by Hans Selye in discovering stress, or general adaptation syndrome, in the first half of the twentieth century is considered and analyzed. A conclusion is made about the possibility of fruitful application of this method in other problem areas, in interdisciplinary research and, in particular, in geospatial research when combined with the fundamentally integral concept of the Digital Earth and the Big Data method. The possibility of using the integral method in spatial studies for the reduction of Big Data without losing their heuristic value is considered. It is expedient to use the proposed method in the analysis of biomedical, ecological and social processes, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic COVID-19, the global dynamics of which was first recorded in world history with high accuracy.

Conclusions. The prospect of using the integral method in geospatial research is briefly summarized. It is pointed out that integral method can be successfully applied for testing of various hypotheses about the  nature of the COVID-19 pandemic by Popper's method.

1. Kant I. Critique of Pure Reason.1781 Translated by: N.K. Smith, URL: http://staffweb.hkbu.edu.hk/ppp/cpr/toc.html (accessed: 12.02.2022).

2. McLelland C.V. The Nature of Science and the Scientific Method URL: https://www.geosociety.org/documents/gsa/geoteachers/NatureScience.pdf (accessed: 12.02.2022).

3. Jarrard R.D. Scientific methods: an online book URL: http://emotionalcompetency.com/sci/booktoc.html (accessed: 12.02.2022).

4. Aristotle Metaphysics Book VIII, 1045a 8–10.

5. Ralston S.J. Holism In: Encyclopedia of Political Thought Ed.: Gibbons, Michael T. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2015. DOI: 10.1002/9781118474396.wbept047.

6. Losev А.F., Taho-Godi А.А. Neoplatonism, described as clear as Sun // Context: literature-theoretical studies. 2003. С. 269–288.

7. Endsley M.R., Jones W.M. A Model of Inter and Intra-Team Situation Awareness: Implications for Design, Training and Measurement // In: McNeese M., Salsa E. and Endsley M. (eds) (in press) New Trends in Cooperative Activities: Understanding System Dynamics in Complex Environments. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 2001.

8. Vogt H., Hofmann B., Getz L. The new holism: P4 systems medicine and the medicalization of health and life itself // Med Health Care and Philos. Vol .19. 2016. Р.307–323 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-016-9683-8.

9. Selye H. The Stress of Life New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.1956. P.500.

10. Selye H. From Dream to Discovery. On Being a Scientist. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, London. 1964. P. 418.

11. Rosch P.J. Reminiscences of Hans Selye, and the Birth of “Stress” URL: https://www.stress.org/about/hans-selye-birthof-stress (accessed: 12.02.2022).

12. Selye H. From Dream to Discovery. On Being a Scientist Progress М., 1987. C. 368.

13. Guo H., Goodchild M.F., Annoni A. (eds) Manual of Digital Earth Springer, Singapore. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9915-3.

14. Tikunov V.S., Eremchenko E.N. Digital Earth and Cartography // Geodesy and Cartography. №11. 2015. С. 6–15.

15. Gore A. Earth in the balance: ecology and the human spirit - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Boston. 1992.

16. Gore A. The Digital Earth: Understanding our planet in the 21st Century. Al Gore speech at California Science Center. Los Angeles. California, on January 31, 1998.

17. Eremchenko E.N. Prehistory of the Digital Earth Concept // Geocontext. V.7 №1 2019. С.44–53.

18. Jackson D., Simpson R. Digital City: An Urban Perspective on Digital Earth / Guo H., Goodchild M.F., Annoni A. (eds) Manual of Digital Earth. Springer. Singapore. 2020 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9915-3_16.

19. Cambridge Dictionary. Big data (article). URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ru/словарь/английский/big-data (дата обращения: 12.02.2022).

20. Curry E. et al. The European Big Data Value Ecosystem / Curry E., Metzger A., Zillner S., Pazzaglia J.C., García Robles A. (eds) The Elements of Big Data Value Springer, Cham. 2021 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68176-0_1.

21. Big Earth Data Journal. URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbed20/current (accessed: 12.02.2022).

22. Un org Повестка дня в области устойчивого развития URL: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ru/about/development-agenda/ (accessed: 12.02.2022)

23. Singh B.R. The misunderstood epidemiological determinants of COVID-19, Problems and Solutions / COVID-19 Pandemic: Crisis and Aftermath. 2020. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343069725_The_misunderstood_epidemiological_determinants_of_COVID-19_Problems_and_Solutions (accessed: 12.02.2022).

24. Unctad.org. COVID-19 and Tourism: Assessing the Economic Consequences. 2020. URL: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ditcinf2020d3_en. pdf (accessed: 12.02.2022).

25. Eremchenko E.N., Angelina I.A. Understanding Future PostTourism // Proc Of III International scientific-practical conference «Modern trends of tourism and hospitality industry». Donetsk. 2021. P.15-20.

26. Supotnitskiy M.V. Historical information about plague out breaks as source of ideas for future discoveries in plague studies // Environmental epidemiology and medical geography. Annual journal Edited by: Nikolaenko D.V. Kiev, 2011. P. 298-329.

27. Eremchenko E.N. Chapter 3. Global pandemic circles / Microorganisms, toxins, and epidemics. М., 2000. P. 376.

28. Popper K. Logik der Forschung. Cited by: Popper, K (2005) The Logic of Scientific Discovery. Taylor & Francis. 1935. URL: http://strangebeautiful.com/other-texts/popper-logic-scientificdiscovery.pdf (accessed: 12.02.2022).