Formation of Biota Mapping Methodology at the Sochava Institute of Geography

This article examines the historical issues of methodological approaches and specific methods of mapping natural systems developed within the ideas of Academician V.B. Sochava. The stages of the formation of biota mapping as a special direction of cartographic work on the study of the main components of natural complexes—flora and fauna—are considered. These areas have been developing within the framework of the Siberian (Irkutsk) school of regional mapping since the 1960s and were responsible for scientific support for the active development of Siberian territories. A special place was given to the study of the vegetation of the regions as a source of diverse resources and as a critical component of natural complexes that determine many modes of their functioning. For more than half a century of the institute’s history, a team of employees has compiled a large number of inventory and evaluation geobotanical and zoogeographic maps of the Baikal region and its individual territories in the form of small-scale survey versions of the territory of Siberia and large-scale works on key sites. Much attention is paid by the staff to the development of the storyline of maps for atlas mapping. The accumulated scientific knowledge on the study and mapping of the biota of various regions of Siberia, the developed mapping methodology, and the experience of creating large fundamental cartographic works allow us to generalize and develop the ideas and approaches laid down. The use of digital technologies and the creation of databases greatly facilitates the work with big data and allows for a systematic analysis of the relationships of the cartographic image at various levels of generalization.