Cartographic modeling of pipeline routes in the arctic zone of Siberia

This paper presents the scientific-methodological approaches to cartographic GIS-based modeling of pipelines with geoecological restrictions which essentially imply a spatial multiparametric analysis of the natural potential of the study territory in order to explore its possibilities of consistently performing the socioeconomic functions as pre-assigned without disturbing the life-support (environment and resource reproduction) functions. The suggested technique is illustrated by the example of selecting the route for the laying of the pipeline system on the model territory in the arctic zone of Siberia. Critical principles are applied to the technique of cartographic modeling of the pipeline route, i.e. the principles of systemacy, ecological security, priority of estimated indicators, unity of assessment and economic expediency. The following investigation methods were used in implementing the technique: ranking of the properties of natural landscapes according to their influence on the suitability of the territory, qualimetric assessments for the suitability classes of lands of natural systems, and graph theory for determining the optimal pipeline route on the basis of Dijkstra’s algorithm. The table of unnormalized and normalized weight factors is compiled, which are taken in consideration for assessing the suitability of natural landscape components and their characteristic properties. Archival and published reference data are used to calculate the reference values of the indicators used in an integral assessment of the suitability of the territory for the laying of the pipeline route.