Electronic maps development of the cultural heritage objects of the Russian North

Abstract

Now, interest in the exploration of territories located in the north of the Russian Federation is growing rapidly. The northern regions of the country began to play one of the key roles due to the redistribution of economic and financial flows, as well as increased attention to security and upholding Russian geopolitical interests. The concept of “Russian North” has moved from the category of ethno-historical to a rigid legal one and includes a list of administrative lands, where there are both huge mineral reserves and unique objects of nature and culture created by various peoples and ethnic groups. The use of geographic information systems (GIS) and maps as the results of the work of GIS is the most efficient, objective and visual tool for displaying cultural heritage objects for further use of knowledge on their functioning and conservation. This article demonstrates the experience of creating a series of electronic maps of cultural heritage objects on the territory of the Russian North (scale 1:6 500 000) based on geoinformation mapping using author’s classifications. The relevance of the study stems from the fact that at the moment there is no single unified database for mapping cultural heritage sites of the Russian North, and all cartographic materials and results of GIS operation that are in the public domain cannot provide all classification units in a single series of visual cartographic models. The article proposes for consideration three electronic maps: “Russian North. Objects of temple architecture of federal importance”, “Russian North. Objects of industrial and civil architecture of federal significance”, “Russian North. Objects of cultural heritage of regional significance”. It is proposed to introduce strict classifications of cultural heritage objects of the Russian North, which are logical for use on a series of electronic maps: categories (federal objects/regional objects), types of objects (monuments/ensembles/places of interest), content types (objects of temple/industrial and civil architecture, etc.) and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The experience of developing electronic maps of the cultural heritage of the Russian North aims to unite all the objects of these unique territories according to various classifications in a single series of thematic maps and thereby make it possible to simplify decision-making for administrators at various levels when working with protected cultural heritage objects of the Russian North.