Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2025 number 5

The political vectors of the eastern trend of Russia within the framework of Greater Eurasia are considered. The necessity and importance of its cartographic support has been proved. It is proposed to create the Atlas of Asian Russia (Siberia and the Far East) in digital and printed versions in 2024-2029 by the institutions of the eastern branches of RAS and universities. The atlas will be created on the model of academic atlases created and released by the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography in recent decades. Developed content, structure, technical conditions of preparation of the Atlas. The atlas will consist of two volumes - «Archaeology, history, natural and cultural heritage» and «Nature, society, economy, ecological environment», from territorial blocks of different spatial level of cartography and modules, separated by thematic content. There are three two-year stages in the creation of the Atlas.

The article presents the experience of creating an atlas information system (AIS) that provides the collection, storage, processing of geodata and automated compilation of thematic maps according to user requests. The territory of Asian Russia, which is actively being developed and dynamically integrating into the Asia-Pacific region, was chosen as the object of cartographic research. AIS is intended to be a scientific reference system, subcontinental in territorial scope, and socio-economic in content. The information, technological and organizational structures of an AIS consisting of a database based on the ArcGIS software environment and four subsystems are described: an access subsystem; a geodata formalization subsystem; a subsystem of cartographic queries and a subsystem of cartographic reports. The information content of AIS is based on the materials of the state statistics. The technological basis is a server, a workstation with licensed ArcGIS software and cartographic workstations connected by a corporate network of BINM SB RAS. The access subsystem provides regulated access to cartographic resources and management tools in accordance with rights based on the system of classification and coding of mapping objects. The geodata formalization subsystem is designed to collect cartographic materials, evaluate their quality and content, vectorize and catalog the created information resources. The subsystem of requests for cartographic resources allows the formation of requests that meet the specified topological criteria and qualitative and quantitative conditions. The subsystem of cartographic reports provides compilation and interactive editing of thematic maps for various purposes and the required scale, as well as creation of any graphic materials and preparation of cartographic reports and presentations. For a comprehensive representation of the territory, a system of territorial and administrative mapping levels has been developed: the state level (:10 000 000-1:20 000 000); the district level (1:5 000 000-1:10 000 000); the subjective level (1:1 000 000-1:5 000 000); the administrative level (:500 000-1:1 000 000). A system of socio-economic indicators has been formed to map the socio-economic dynamics of Asian Russia, a methodology for mapping socio-economic processes based on a statistical data warehouse has been developed, and an example of compiling a thematic map is presented.

Atlas is a system of geographical maps, organically linked and complementary to each other. Previously, the atlas was printed in traditional paper format, limited to a limited number of copies and distributed through a certain network of subscribers. It is shown that with the development of information technology, there is a possibility to present an atlas in the form of a web-application of the Internet. Several advantages of web-access to the atlas are considered: a larger number of users, dynamic map display, constant updating of data, regular addition of new maps and so on. Implementation of computing services in the atlas allows users to carry out operational analysis of data, to display information in different temporal or spatial slices etc. which greatly expands the range of tasks for which an atlas can be useful. The method of composition of services has been developed, which allows to create maps. The methodology forms compositions of services based on statistics of use of services by users, metadata of services and ontologies. It was concluded that the application of the methodology can greatly simplify the creation of new maps and allow to create cartographic works according to user requests. It is also shown that the developed methodology allows atlas users to rapidly apply analysis techniques to atlas data, create new maps and provide software access to data based on standards using a single directory system and search data based on their metadata descriptions, allows users to apply various tools in the form of services for operational data processing, display of information in different time or space positions, i.e. expands the possibilities of using atlas for a wide range of tasks.

Prediction of vegetation fire occurrence, development and effects is impossible without maps containing pyrological characteristics of vegetation fuels (VF). The forest fire maps created in Russia during forest inventory management reflect the fire hazard of forest areas only in a rough integrated form and are intended for fire prevention arrangement of territories, and not for the purpose of fire behavior prediction. Analysis of the international VF mapping experience has shown that it is difficult to borrow it due to historically established approaches to the pyrological classification of vegetation in different countries. In Russia, the VF classification, which made it possible to create multi-scale VF maps, was developed at the V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the basis of many years of fundamental pyrological research. Examples of information databases have been created for making large-scale VF maps for the Chunsky Forest Office in the Krasnoyarsk Angara region and nature reserves: “Stolby” (now a national park), Sayano-Shushensky, Kuznetsky Alatau, Ubsunur basin. Software programs have been developed and registered for predicting fire occurrence, development and immediate effects based on VF maps, which makes it possible to prevent fires, and when they occur, to make optimal plans for their control and suppression, taking into account their possible development from surface to crown or ground fires, as well as to assess the possible tree mortality in stands of different tree species. The article provides an example of a VF map for the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, made in a GIS system using forest inventory data.

Achieving of long-term economic development is impossible without relying on high-tech business (HTB). It is high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies that contribute to the emergence and implementation of technological changes in the economy, which determine the transition to a higher level of development. The HTB companies’ development is the subject of numerous studies, with the regional level of analysis being particularly emphasized. Existing studies of Russian HTB show significant differentiation in regional development, they also identify characteristics of the regional environment that provide favorable conditions for the activities of high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies. The spatial distribution of Russian high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies is extremely uneven. The most successful companies are located in a limited number of regions, while there are differences between the European and Asian parts of Russia. Given the importance of the geographical level of the analysis, this article is aimed at substantiating the need to single out the geographical distribution of HTB as an independent subject of analysis. This paper presents a generalization of existing approaches to the analysis of the development of Russian HTB at the regional level, which reveals how the spatial factor is taken into account in the study of Russian practice. It is shown that despite the regional aspect of the analysis, the region is often considered as a combination of certain economic conditions, and not as a geographical unit. Thus, especially taking into account the great geographical diversity of Russian regions, there is a need for additional analysis of the inequality of regional development of HTB in terms of the geographical distribution of high-tech and knowledge-intensive activities. At the same time, the need to single out the regions of Asian Russia as a separate object of analysis is emphasized, since the trends in the development of HTB in this territory have their own distinctive features.

The article examines the evolution of scientific cartography in Russia and the mapping of Siberia and the Far East by academic and government expeditions of the XVIII - first half of the XIX century as relevant processes. Materials from the scientific heritage of the expeditions are analyzed from modern theoretical and methodological positions and the historical dynamics of cartography in Russia is traced. It is revealed that the form and content of cartographic works of the participants of the Russian expeditions of the first half of the XVIII century (D.G. Messerschmidt, the First and Second Kamchatka, etc.) indicate the formation of cartography as a science, its further evolution is associated with the results of the expeditions of the 1760s-1790s, and a new stage in the development of cartography is marked by the scientific works of G.A. Sarychev, I.F. Krusenstern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, F.P. Wrangell, F.P. Litke and other travelers of the first half of the XIX century.

The article examines the history of missionary development in Siberia and the Russian Far East from the late 16th to the early 20th centuries. Orthodox missionary activity of ascetics and saints significantly influenced the structuring of the entire space of Russia, contributed to the emergence of new areas, development centers and transport axes. In the developed areas, a symbiosis of religion and economy arose, reflected in the unique features of the sacred cultural landscape. A map of Orthodox missionary work in Siberia and the Russian Far East, as well as in adjacent foreign territories (China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, etc.) has been compiled. The map shows the centers of missionary distribution in different time periods, educational institutions with missionary programs, places of activity of the most famous missionaries, as well as spiritual missions (Altai, Kyrgyz, Daurian, Kamchatka, Mongolian, Beijing, Korean, Japanese, Kodiak).

Land cover/land use maps compiled from remote sensing data provide information on vegetation types, existing land use, and their dynamics in an understandable language for solving management problems. To map the land cover of Asian Russia, the MODIS Land Cover Type map for 2023 with a spatial resolution of 0,05 degrees (17 classes) was intersected with the ecoregion map (42 regions). As a result of interpreting 399 region/class combinations obtained during the intersection, using thematic maps (landscape, vegetation, etc.) and space images from open sources, a hierarchical classification of land cover types and a corresponding map for the Asian part of Russia at a scale of 1:2 000 000 were compiled. The classification includes 6 types of natural zones and 76 types of land cover. The map can have practical value for territorial management at different levels and also serve as basic overview information for non-geographer specialists.

The article examines the challenges of mapping political-geographic processes and phenomena in the Asian part of Russia. It presents conceptual approaches to atlas mapping in political geography within the framework of preparing a special section, “Political Geography of Asian Russia”, for the forthcoming “Atlas of Asian Russia”. The political-geographic phenomena identified as the most significant subjects for cartographic representation include political boundaries, international cooperation among regions of Asian Russia, geopolitical phenomena, electoral events, and various aspects of regional identity. The cartographic representation of these processes reveals territories with multi-level overlapping factors influencing the political situation in the area under consideration. It is noted that both statistical data and constructs derived from their analysis can be subjects of cartographic representation. The article features maps such as “Electoral Behavior of Residents in the Baikal Regions during the All-Russian Vote on Amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation” and “Ethnic Diversity and Ethno-Administrative Divisions in the Asian Part of Russia”.

The article discusses the methodology and content of the maps in the botanical section of the new cartographic work “Atlas of Asian Russia”. In the thematic structure of the Atlas, maps of the botanical section occupy a special place among natural objects, revealing many aspects of biodiversity in its broadest manifestation at different levels of biota organization. The main themes of the maps in this section focus on the inventory of vegetation cover. The central place is traditionally occupied by a scientific reference overview map of the current vegetation of the Trans-Ural part of Russia, compiled within the framework of the methodology of the Siberian (Irkutsk) school of geobotanical mapping, founded by acad. V.B. Sochava. The map is compiled using a set of scientific data, the most important of which are: regional and overview geobotanical maps, materials from remote sensing of the Earth, and scientific publications on geobotany and floristics, as well as the stock materials of the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The section will feature new types and themes of maps related to the biodiversity of Asian Russia. In this series, there will be an integrated map of the new generation “Biomes”, which, on a single scientific and methodological basis, displays ecosystems and biota diversity of lowland and mountainous territories in accordance with the bioclimatic parameters of the regions, taking into account the altitude belt in the mountains. The maps will be accompanied by texts, drawings, and graphs that complement their main content.

Within the framework of the development of the project “Atlas of Asian Russia”, which provides for comprehensive mapping of the macroregion, it is necessary to solve the complex problem of providing a variety of relevant zoological information on such a vast territory of the country. The article analyzes the accumulated experience of multi-scale zoological mapping, the content of works on regional atlases of Siberia and the Far East, the main methodological approaches and problems of mapping. Based on the accumulated experience of compiling maps, the authors’ team will have to determine their clear connection with the developed theme of new types and plots of atlas maps. Zoological maps in the Atlas will be placed in three sections: “Nature”, “Economy” and “Ecological situation”.

Given the dispersion and dynamism of the Asian Russia’ modern nival glacial geosystems, it seems advisable to draw up a map reflecting the spatial areas of concentration of relief characteristics that contribute to the emergence and stability of modern glaciation under a certain climatic regime. Fragments of publicly available digital terrain models processed by the basic SAGA software are used to automatically calculate such characteristics. These indicators are: the general hypsometry, the predominant exposure of the slopes, and the internal dissection of the ridges. The latter characteristic is an integral indicator, including the distance between the watersheds and the steepness of the slopes. The distance between watersheds is calculated by automatically calculating the distance of each point in space from the nearest point (Overland Flow Distance to Channel Network tool) and manually linking reference points and known vertices. Thus, at the level of macro-regions, areas with the presence of modern glaciation are designated, and at the level of the main basins and larger areas with a combination of relief characteristics are reflected, under which glaciers are able to maintain their condition. This allows us to identify areas with geomorphological preconditions for the stability of the modern glaciation of Asian Russia on different scales and for different user challenges.

Rivers of Asian Russia are characterized by a great variety of channel formation conditions, sizes, water regime, geological and geomorphological structure of basins, runoff and sediment composition, morphodynamic types of channels. This determines complex geographical patterns of distribution of mountain, semi-mountain and plain rivers, incised and wide-floodplain, meandering, branched and relatively rectilinear channels, and each channel type with a different combination of natural factors and anthropogenic impacts on rivers differs in development features. General patterns, regional and local specifics of manifestations of channel processes are reflected on the channel processes map, which highlights areas of free or limited development of channel deformations, distribution of mountain and plain rivers, reflects morphodynamic types of channels, indicators of channel deformations and anthropogenic changes in river channels. For the main basins - the Ob, Yenisei, Lena and Amur - maps of channel processes have been compiled on a larger scale. The compilation of the maps is based on the methodology for mapping channel processes developed at Lomonosov Moscow State University in the 1980s and 1990s, refined and adjusted based on the latest research.

A methodological approach combining databases, economic and mathematical methods and geoinformation modeling technologies is proposed. Based on this complex, maps are constructed characterizing resources, infrastructure, factors and results of distribution of economic activity in the territory of the Asian part of Russia. The article discusses in detail an example and constructs a map for the territory of potential influence of a large infrastructure project and then demonstrates one of the maps obtained on the basis of the proposed approach for Asian Russia as a whole. Based on the combination of information layers using the obtained maps, the consistency of the development of different elements of the resource, production and infrastructure potential of Asian Russia is studied. The conclusion of the study was the confirmation of the spatial gap between the southern part of the east of the country, which has a developed transport infrastructure and a relatively high density of economic activity, and the northern territories of the Asian part of the country, where rich deposits are located and resource projects significant for the country as a whole are being implemented, but there is no transport infrastructure. The absence of all-season meridional roads makes it impossible for the southern zone to perform the functions of a production, service and scientific base for resource development and project implementation in the north. Visualization of the spatial imbalance of economic activity in Asian Russia on the map emphasizes the importance of transport and communication infrastructure for the prospects of not only the macro-region, but also for the country as a whole, which is currently solving the strategic task of reorienting business and launching the eastern vector of development.

The paper shows the capabilities of mapping as a way to visualize geospatial data that reflect technical, economic, and environmental indicators of energy production. The environmental performance of energy production is compared through a specific indicator of pollutant emissions released by energy facilities per energy unit produced. This characteristic of energy production largely depends on the mix of generating facilities, which reflects the proportion of energy sources of various types. Each of the subjects of Asian Russia has its energy infrastructure that combines both fuel and non-fuel power plants. The environmental performance of energy production significantly relies on the structure of fuel consumption, which also differs across various regions within Asian Russia. The paper presents diagrams and maps that demonstrate the environmental performance of energy production, making it possible to conduct comparative assessments. Differences in the structures of energy generation, fuel consumption, and emissions of pollutants are shown for various territories of Asian Russia. The use of mapping capabilities in energy system development studies, in conjunction with environmental and economic assessments, adds validity and improves the perception of analytical research results through the consideration of a wide range of indicators.

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the state and development of road transport in Siberia and the Far East, based on geoinformation mapping and statistical data. The study covers 24 regions of the Russian Federation, including the Siberian, Far Eastern federal districts, and part of the Ural Federal District. The research focuses on the following key aspects: road network density, transport accessibility of rural settlements, volumes of freight and passenger transportation, and the level of vehicle ownership among the population. The study highlights significant regional disparities: the most developed road infrastructure is observed in southern regions such as Omsk and Novosibirsk Oblasts, while northern territories, including the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, remain underdeveloped. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of freight transportation, which shows a decline in some regions, likely due to economic factors, while passenger transportation demonstrates growth, linked to the recovery of demand after the pandemic. Differences in vehicle ownership levels are also identified: high rates in Kamchatka and Primorsky Krais contrast with low values in the Republic of Tyva and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The findings emphasize the need for targeted measures, such as modernizing road infrastructure, developing logistics hubs, and supporting public transport, especially in remote and underdeveloped regions. The study contributes to the understanding of transport systems in Siberia and the Far East and may be useful for government authorities, transport companies, and researchers involved in regional development and transport planning.

The relevance of the study is determined by the important role of forests and various activities carried out in forests in the overall economic development of the Asian part of Russia. It meets the objectives of the Strategy for the Development of the Forest Complex of Russia until 2030. Statistical, comparative-analytical, cartographic, and geoinformation research methods were used for the study. It was determined that the forested area of the study territory is large and constitutes 78,1 % of the similar area in the country. Small-scale forest mapping of the territory was carried out in terms of the development of activities, and sample maps were compiled reflecting the priority and degree of their development within the boundaries of economic zones of forest development. Some key forest indicators (stock and annual increment of timber per unit of forested area, the share of commercial forests), reflecting the potential for the development of logging activities, were mapped within the boundaries of 26 forest districts. It has been determined that the relatively low forest production and timber reserve formation indicators, as well as the intensity of forest management development, are due to the harsh forest growth conditions in most of the region’s taiga geosystems.

The focus on the practical application of geographical knowledge is one of the main qualities of modern social geography and cartography. This article provides an overview of the cartographic experience of depicting the living conditions of people in Siberia as one of the main criteria for the quality of life, with the aim of applying it in the Atlas of the Asian part of Russia. The category «housing conditions» included mainly basic indicators of housing amenities, according to statistical observation (heating, hot and cold water supply, sewage disposal, electricity supply, and gas supply), as well as specific indicators of housing security, the introduction of new housing (in dynamics). For almost twenty years, a cartographic toolkit for the characteristics of housing conditions has been developed on the example of Siberian territories of various hierarchical status (macro-regional, regional, municipal): Russian and Mongolian territory of the Lake Baikal basin, the Baikal region, municipal districts of the Irkutsk region, the city of Irkutsk, etc. Scenario developments for the Asian part of the country include the regions of Western Siberia (the Altai Republic, Altai Krai, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, and Tyumen Oblasts, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts (Yugra)) and Eastern Siberia (the Republics of Buryatia, Sakha (Yakutia), Tyva, Khakassia, Zabaykalsky and Krasnoyarsk Krais, and Irkutsk Oblast). The data used are from the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia and its regional offices (2023-2024) for these regions. Currently, the geography of housing well-being in Siberia is determined by three regions: the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi (Yugra) Autonomous Districts, and the Novosibirsk Region, where the indicators of housing improvement are higher (in the first two regions) or at the level of the national average.

Based on a combination of statistical and cartographic methods, the spatial and temporal features of socio-demographic processes and structures are studied, and the socio-demographic situation in the macroregion of Asian Russia is interpreted. Mapping of individual indicators (analytical maps) and types of socio-demographic situation (synthetic maps) in the macro-region is carried out. The main research method is multi-scale geoinformation mapping at hierarchically interconnected territorial levels: the macro-region of Asian Russia, interregional systems (a group of neighboring regions-subjects of the Russian Federation, large river basins), sub-regions (urban agglomerations). The information basis for mapping is Rosstat data, which are based on population censuses (2010 and 2020) and current population censuses. The proposed methods and results of the study are focused on multi-scale complex population mapping.

Taking into account the stated eastern priorities in social and economic development of the Russian Federation, spatial relationships between hydroclimatic characteristics and health indicators of the population of Asian Russia were investigated by creating multi-scale maps included in an integrated atlas and their analysis. The underlying characteristic is climate discomfort as a factor determining the zonation of the impact of climate on population health. As the most dangerous consequences of air pollution, oncological diseases have been identified, maps for cities of the Baikal region have been constructed. The role for health preservation and self-purification of water through indicators of ecological water potential was studied, using the example of the Angaro-Baikal basin. Research on climate change has been identified.

Benzapyrene (BP), which has carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic properties, determines the level of urban air pollution. The purpose of the study: based on cluster analysis, to identify risk areas for the development of congenital anomalies of the nervous system associated with atmospheric air pollution in children of the аsian part of Russia. Materials and methods. The research was conducted based on data from 2017-2023 in 22 subjects of the Russian Federation. The following were studied: atmospheric pollution index (IPA), BP content; the number of exposed population (EN). The frequency of congenital anomalies of the nervous system in children aged 0-14 years is calculated per 100,000 population (‰ _оо ) . It was found that the maximum BP levels were >100 MPC, the proportion of EN was 76,95 %, and the average incidence of congenital anomalies of the nervous system in children was 14,1 cases per ‰ _оо. Correlation coefficients have been calculated, confirming the connection of the congenital anomalies of the nervous system and BP, IPA. Six clusters have been identified, among which the most disadvantaged with high levels of pollution and high pollution (43,9 ‰ _оо) includes only the Irkutsk region. Risk zones are formed due to the peculiarities of weather conditions that contribute to the accumulation of pollutants, which requires the implementation of measures to reduce atmospheric air pollution.

The current geo-ecological situation in the territory of Asian Russia and its depiction on maps is considered as a result of the historical process of the territory and its natural resources development. The developed and compiled series of geo-ecological maps reflects the current living conditions of the population, the state of the territory’s ecological and resource potential, the nature and extent of anthropogenic impact, and the quality of the environment.

The current geo-ecological situation in the territory of Asian Russia and its depiction on maps is considered as a result of the historical process of the territory and its natural resources development. The developed and compiled series of geo-ecological maps reflects the current living conditions of the population, the state of the territory’s ecological and resource potential, the nature and extent of anthropogenic impact, and the quality of the environment.