Russia has begun creating electronic navigational maps of lakes. Specialists have started digitizing Lake Baikal and the border lakes of the Pskov region — Lake Pskov, Lake Peipus, and Lake Teploe. The work is being carried out under the order of Rosmorrechflot, and it is planned to be completed by the end of 2028.
Researchers are recreating the bottom relief using modern equipment, and the coastline and coastal areas using satellite imagery. Earlier, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, as well as over 75 thousand km of rivers, were already digitized.
The creation of digital maps is part of a large-scale project to digitize all internal waterways of Russia. According to the Ministry of Transport, electronic maps are necessary for navigation safety, and the collected data will allow for more efficient planning of investments in infrastructure development.
Baikal in Digital: What We've Covered Before
Previously, researchers from 16 Russian institutes created a digital twin of Baikal — a computer model that reproduces the lake's natural processes with high accuracy and is designed to prevent environmental threats.
In parallel, the navigation infrastructure on the lake is also developing: a cruise electric vessel "Baikal" of project TFRP700 is being built at the shipyard, which will be used for expedition cruises and scheduled transportation. The appearance of maps with up-to-date bottom relief will directly affect the safety of such routes.
As for the digitization of water transport in general, in the spring of 2025, "Yandex Maps" added routes for water transport throughout Russia — over 300 directions. Electronic navigational maps of internal waterways form the basis on which such digital services are built.