A Cartographic Analysis of Soviet Military City Plans

The collapse of the Soviet Union has led to the emergence of a comprehensive global secret military mapping project and the commercial availability of detailed topographic maps and city plans. This thesis examines over 2,000 large-scale city plans produced in secret by the Military Topographic Directorate between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of the USSR in 1991. A poststructuralist perspective suggests that the maps can be used in new contexts, and a comparative analysis with the current OpenStreetMap symbology indicates their potential value as a supplementary topographic resource in global mapping initiatives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 01 October 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The dissolution of the Soviet Union has witnessed the emergence of an extraordinary global covert military mapping project, accompanied by the widespread availability of comprehensive and detailed topographic maps and city plans across various scales. This thesis delves into an in-depth exploration of a series of over 2,000 large-scale city plans meticulously crafted in secrecy by the Military Topographic Directorate (Военное топографическое управление) of the General Staff between the conclusion of the Second World War and the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

By contextualizing the series within its historical framework, the thesis proceeds to examine the nature and content of these plans in great detail. A poststructuralist perspective is introduced to explore the potential applications and utilization of these maps in novel contexts, which this thesis facilitates by undertaking a systematic, empirical analysis of the Soviet map symbology at scales of 1:10,000 and 1:25,000. This analysis employs newly translated production manuals and a sample of city plans to provide insights into the intricate symbology employed in these maps.

A comparative analysis with the current OpenStreetMap symbology reveals significant opportunities for Soviet mapping to serve as a valuable supplementary topographic resource in a wide range of existing and future global mapping initiatives, particularly in the context of humanitarian crisis mapping. This leads to a compelling conclusion that the relevance and value of Soviet military maps endure in modern applications, serving as both a valuable source of data and a means of addressing contemporary cartographic challenges related to symbology, design, and the management of large datasets.

Weight: 349g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030840198
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021