The discussion highlighted that in a complex and volatile world situation, the traditional single-discipline perspective can no longer meet the national strategic needs. Area Studies, as an interdisciplinary field, forms a holographic understanding of a nation or region by integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines. Constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies faces many challenges, such as knowledge organization and interdisciplinary knowledge connection. The article proposes a new approach to build the knowledge map of Area Studies based on global indices, aiming to provide new ideas for national strategic services.

I. The Supply and Demand Challenges of Area Studies Knowledge

The discussion addressed the mismatch between supply and demand in Area Studies when serving national strategic needs, referred to as the "five dimensions" problem. It includes the breadth of global coverage, depth of long-term research, strength of disciplinary integration, speed of demand response, and precision of cross-validation. The article notes that academia, as the knowledge provider, faces issues like information asymmetry, insufficient supply, and mismatch of supply and demand due to complex and changeable demands. The traditional modes of knowledge in the field and in the study have their limitations, making it difficult to form a global and interdisciplinary knowledge network. In recent years, "knowledge in data" has supplemented this by providing comprehensive, micro-level data and intelligent analysis methods, enabling more comprehensive, sustained, and rapid knowledge production and interdisciplinary validation. However, the bottleneck lies in constructing databases that meet research needs, which consumes vast resources. In the age of intelligence, "knowledge in data" can be understood as knowledge produced with the aid of artificial intelligence, including large-scale and expert models. For Area Studies, the large-scale model is more suitable but requires a vast database, posing a significant challenge to academia. Therefore, a short-term route between large-scale and expert models must be found. By building a global database that is medium-sized, highly accurate, and structured, it is possible to construct the knowledge map of Area Studies to serve national strategies. Exploring the construction of the knowledge map of Area Studies based on global indices is a worthwhile endeavor. The following text will discuss its feasibility and necessity and propose a framework for exploration.

II. The Feasibility and Necessity of Constructing the Knowledge Map of Area Studies Based on Global Indices

The discussion addressed the feasibility and necessity of constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies based on global indices. Indices, as a systematic measurement of specific aspects of human society in the field of social sciences, possess scientific and systematic characteristics and can quantify and integrate the different aspects of human society, meeting the needs for building the knowledge map of Area Studies. Global indices have wide coverage and include rich knowledge of Area Studies, serving as a link for cross-disciplinary integration with good knowledge connectivity. The related technical methods are mature, providing feasibility for constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies. Meanwhile, indices play a critical role in national image, international discourse power, and international influence, acting as the digital representation of Area Studies, an important source of international discourse power, and a covert tool of international influence. Although indices have their limitations, incorporating global indices into the knowledge map of Area Studies remains necessary to fill the gaps in our country's global knowledge research.

III. The Route for Constructing the Knowledge Map of Area Studies Based on Global Indices

The introduction laid out the route for constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies based on global indices, which includes six parts. First, the aggregation of global indices is fundamental to the construction of the knowledge map, involving four steps: index discovery, evaluation, collection, and management. Second, the purpose of intelligent development of global indices is to enhance the comprehensiveness of the knowledge map and fill the gaps in indices. Third, index-driven knowledge map innovation promotes new knowledge production through the knowledge embedded in indices. Fourth, the construction of a service platform for Area Studies knowledge provides services for knowledge production, management, and discovery. Fifth, theoretical research on index development and application focuses on issues about the construction, application, and regulation of indices. Finally, education linked to global indices trains students to recognize, analyze, and apply indices. Overall, a systematic route is proposed for constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies based on global indices, involving data aggregation, intelligent development, knowledge map innovation, service platform construction, theoretical research and education across multiple layers.

IV. Conclusion

The discussion centered on the role of global indices in the integration of interdisciplinary and transnational knowledge and proposed an innovative path for organizing and producing Area Studies knowledge based on global indices, highlighting its efficiency and feasibility. However, it also pointed out the shortcomings in comprehensiveness and depth of knowledge, as well as the difficulty in covering unmeasurable issues and the limitations in presenting profound information. Simultaneously, it emphasized that constructing the knowledge map of Area Studies requires multiple approaches and the breaking down of school and disciplinary boundaries. Aiming for scale, systematization, and theoretical grounding as long-term directions, it is essential to deepen global knowledge research and application, achieve innovation in autonomous knowledge systems, and enhance the capacity to serve national strategies.