Density maps of geophysical study as a new type of integrated characteristic of geophysical fields in atlases

Abstract. Nowadays the geophysical section of traditional atlases is not sufficiently informative. The amount of geophysical fields’ maps rarely exceeds two. On the other hand, the electronic GIS atlases invariably include in their composition maps of study of geophysical observations, which make it possible to assess the level of exploration on the mapped territory. The creation and design of such maps today are limited to displaying only the factual location of observation profiles and other objects. In order to expand the possibilities of analyzing geophysical information, the authors suggests a method for creating of density maps of geophysical study. The study on these maps is shown with isolines – usual method for geophysical maps. The authors of this article describe the method of creating density maps of geophysical study. This method includes the following steps: selection and analysis of information sources of geophysical study; choice of study parameters for mapping; calculation of the density of objects of geophysical study; interpolation and creation of isolines of objects of geophysical study density. The created study maps of density dynamics represent the approbation of the method; they allow increasing the information content of geophysical section of the atlas. The study is also a special factor that determines general need of mapping the phenomenon and characterizes the availability of data sources for mapping. Therefore, the opportunities for using developed maps for the automated determination of the atlas structure are also shown in the article.