对自然地理区划方法的认识与思考

在研习和继承前人区划研究工作与成果的基础上，着重于自然地理区划方法论及其体系的探讨。首先，深入阐述了自然地理区划的内涵，认为：自然地理区划既是区域划分的结果，也是区域划分的方法与过程，同时还是认识地理特征和发现地理规律的一种科学方法。第二，假设性认为自然地理区划是客观存在的，针对不同的区划目的和采用不同的区划原则所形成了不同类型的自然地理区划，如部门区划与综合区划、区域区划与类型区划等，则构成了对区划对象的多角度认识，并且这些区划间存在内在联系，具有一定的一致性和可转换性。第三，在分析总结各种自然地理区划方案研究的基础上，提出了包括区划本体、区划原则、区划等级系统、区划模型和区划信息系统的自然地理区划范式，其中自然地理区划原则、等级系统和区划模型构成了区划方法的核心，并且通过区划模型，实现区划原则、指标体系和单位等级系统的综合。最后，论文对自然地理区划信息系统研究所涉及的主要科学问题和主要功能作了简要的说明和讨论，并指出：在地理空间单元理论的指导下，可以实现在统一的科学框架下的各种自然地理区划的集成，并为开展综合区划研究提供可用的技术方法。

Under standing of and Thinking over Geogr aphical Regionalization Methodology

As a radical method in geographical research, geographical regionalization has been widely used by geographers in their works, even since earlier times. But there are few documents devoted to the discussion of the geographical regionalization itself. The present article tries to probe into its connotation and contents of the geographical regionalization in the context of a methodology. As is well known, there exist similarities and dissimilarities among the geographical zones, and zonality is a universal theorem governing geographical distribution. Therefore, geographical regionalization exists objectively, and geographers just try to develop and construct an image of geographical realities. At the level of concept, geographical regionalization can be referred to a draft of regional division which meets some practical purposes, or a process a dividing region which adopts certain indexes and uses some techniques to divide an area (region) into many inter-related sub-areas (sub-regions), or a method to reveal the laws hidden in various geographical phenomena. As a draft, map-based form is a good way to describe the distribution of geographical features and phenomena. Clustering and classification are usually used in the process of regionalization in traditional physical regionalization. But these methods have little consideration of temporal variation of the geographical features. On the basis of analysis of the various regionalization drafts and plans, we proposed a scheme composed of five elements for geographical regionalization. Any regionalization must start from the understanding of the regionalization ontology composed of objects and aims and tasks of a geographical regionalization. The principles and criteria are the bases for the geographical regionalization and should be carefully designed and selected to fully meet the needs of the regionalization. Regionalization models include the model for dividing an area and determining the boundaries among the sub-areas. Regionalization information system stores the attributes of all sub-areas and provides the functions for assessing and simulating the draft of a geographical regionalization.