Scientists from the Institute of Geography of Altai State University to create a geoportal with digital maps of Altai Krai

14 July 2022 Department of Information and Media Communications

Scientists from the Institute of Geography of AltSU are implementing a project to create a "Regional Competence Center for Digital Cartography." This is a geoportal that allows searching for geographic data and analyzing it. Public authorities, legal entities and individuals will be able to use services of the center. The project was included in the Priority 2030 program.

The main idea of the "Regional Competence Center for Digital Cartography" is to create a web-based geoinformation and cartographic database. It is designed to receive, enter, store, update, process, and visualize various types of geo-referenced information for operational complex analysis, forecasting and decision-making on a wide range of issues. They can be related to mapping, various surveys, design, construction and operation of engineering facilities, ecology, safety and other aspects of life.

Project manager, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Director-Deputy Rector of the Institute of Geography of AltSU Tatyana Baikalova notes:

“In Altai Krai, several disparate information resources are used, based on the use of cartographic materials and remote sensing data. At the same time, almost every user of geographic information systems who needs to manage infrastructure facilities is forced to collect information on their own. Therefore, we decided to create a single resource of regional significance, placing it on the basis of the site of our university. The geoportal will consist of two modules. The first one, the geoanalytics module, will be associated with the processing of cartographic data. The second block is a catalog of remote sensing data. The Center for Space Monitoring of Altai State University has a large amount of information collected over the past 20 years. Now space images are stored on CDs, but after their systematization, we will be able to quickly find the necessary information for further use in our work. With their help, you can, for example, track changes in the landscape in any area. Comparing two images from different years, you can see which landscapes are degrading, find out the reasons whether it is natural extinction or anthropogenic impact.

As part of the Priority 2030 program, for the implementation of the project, an unmanned aerial vehicle with a multi-camera capable of shooting in various ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum was purchased. It can be used to create detailed, large-scale maps with localization up to one meter, as well as three-dimensional terrain models, up to small gullies on the surface of the earth, for example, when developing a ravine network. Using these data, it is possible to trace the dynamics of the development of ravines, to give recommendations for slowing down or stopping their development. Also, the drone allows building moisture maps that are relevant for farmers during the sowing season.

The geoportal is planned to be launched this year. Some of the information will be available in an open format, some will be provided on a paid basis. The information on the portal will be replenished and updated.

The main beneficiaries of the project within AltSU are students, graduate students and scientific and pedagogical workers of the institutes of the university, whose subject area of training courses is related to the use of cartographic materials and remote sensing data. Besides, schoolchildren, employees and students of other universities, scientific institutions, public authorities and organizations of the real sector of the economy will benefit.

The geoinformation resource is the result of joint development and cooperation between the Institute of Geography, the Institute of Mathematics and Information Technology, the Institute of Digital Technologies, Electronics and Physics of Altai State University and the Institute for Water and Environmental Problems SB RAS. The project team has extensive experience in the field of mapping, creating individual maps and thematic atlases, developing databases, conducting natural-climatic, meteorological, ecological-landscape, hydro-ecological, geomorphological studies.

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