Choreme-Based Spatial Analysis and Tourism Assessment in the Oltenia de sub Munte Geopark, Romania
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Research Area
2.2. Data Sources
- (1)
- Pseudo-area method: The boundaries of flows are not precisely defined; instead, a hatched area is used to symbolically represent the spatial extent of the phenomenon.
- (2)
- Movement lines method: Phenomena that move along specific routes are represented using strips containing geometric shapes, indicating both direction and dynamics.
- (3)
- Sign method: The type, size, and importance (rank) of a city are represented symbolically, with larger circles indicating higher importance.
3. Results
3.1. The Chorematic Model of Influence of County Residences
3.2. Tourist Demand and Supply Within the Aspiring UNESCO Geopark, Oltenia de sub Munte
4. Discussion
- (1)
- Geographic choremes: These were represented by points indicating major cities within the geopark, circles denoting regional and local polarizing centers, polygons outlining the administrative territorial units of the six municipalities and thematic areas, and lines representing geographical barriers within the study area.
- (2)
- Phenomenal choremes: Based on Bertin’s graphic semiology [97], these choremes depict phenomena in a continuous field using seven visual variables: (1) position, (2) shape, (3) orientation, (4) color, (5) texture, (6) brightness or darkness, and (7) size. Polygonization of the study area was applied to represent tourist or urban elements, such as convergence zones of natural and anthropic flows, polarization areas of main urban localities, secondary axes, and national parks. The contours of the territorial area of interest were generalized using a raster-based modeling algorithm [98]. Symbolization of the area was achieved by locating points of interest—including churches, monasteries, historical monuments, museums, caves, waterfalls, springs, campsites, ski slopes, and hunting areas—and representing them with symbols, thereby creating a “symbolized area” reflecting the natural and anthropic context. The careful selection of colors, using predominantly light shades, was a critical step in constructing spatial–tourist choremes.
- (3)
- Annotation choremes: These consist of the names of important cities and legends providing concise descriptions of each choreme. This category also includes external references, such as neighboring countries, counties, the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube River, and the Black Sea.
5. Limitations of the Study
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| GIS | Geographic Information System (software). |
| NIS | National Institute of Statistics. |
| OSM | Open Street Map. |
| CTDP | County Territory Development Plan (Vâlcea). |
| ANCPI | National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity. |
Appendix A. Natural Tourist Attractions

Appendix B. Cultural–Historical (Anthropic) Tourist Attractions

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| Number of Current | Year of Period | Data Source Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2022 | National Institute of Statistics |
| 2. | 2015–2014 | National Institute of Statistics |
| 3. | 2023 | Vâlcea County Territory Development Plan of Vâlcea |
| 4. | 2025 | Open Street Map; Google Earth |
| 5. | 2023 | Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests |
| 6. | 2023 | National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity (ANCPI); |
| Cities | The Distances Between the Cities (D) | Cities | The Populations of the Cities in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brezoi–Călimănești | 18 km | Brezoi | 7063 inhabitants |
| Călimănești–Băile Olănești | 22 km | Călimănești | 8587 inhabitants |
| Băile Olănești–Râmnicu Vâlcea | 21 km | Băile Olănești | 4374 inhabitants |
| Râmnicu Vâlcea–Ocnele Mari | 10 km | Râmnicu Vâlcea | 115,684 inhabitants |
| Ocnele Mari–Băile Govora | 14 km | Ocnele Mari | 3441 inhabitants |
| Horezu–Băile Govora | 23 km | Băile Govora | 2586 inhabitants |
| Brezoi–Drăgășani | 88 km | Horezu | 6780 inhabitants |
| Drăgășani–Bălcești | 44 km | Drăgășani | 19,573 inhabitants |
| Ocnele Mari–Băbeni | 16 km | Bălcești | 4951 inhabitants |
| Băbeni | 8973 inhabitants |
| No. Current. | Total Number of Structures with Public Catering Functions | Administrative Territorial Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 | Băile Olănești |
| 2. | 14 | Horezu |
| 3. | 1 | Bărbătești |
| 5. | 2 | Costești |
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© 2025 by the authors. Published by MDPI on behalf of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Niță, A.; Drăguleasa, I.-A. Choreme-Based Spatial Analysis and Tourism Assessment in the Oltenia de sub Munte Geopark, Romania. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2025, 14, 444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14110444
Niță A, Drăguleasa I-A. Choreme-Based Spatial Analysis and Tourism Assessment in the Oltenia de sub Munte Geopark, Romania. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2025; 14(11):444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14110444
Chicago/Turabian StyleNiță, Amalia, and Ionuț-Adrian Drăguleasa. 2025. "Choreme-Based Spatial Analysis and Tourism Assessment in the Oltenia de sub Munte Geopark, Romania" ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 14, no. 11: 444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14110444
APA StyleNiță, A., & Drăguleasa, I.-A. (2025). Choreme-Based Spatial Analysis and Tourism Assessment in the Oltenia de sub Munte Geopark, Romania. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 14(11), 444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14110444

