Soviet military mapping of the world: an introduction

Since the late 19th century, international efforts to standardise topographic mapping have encountered numerous challenges and many have experienced limited success as a result. Nevertheless, between the 1940s and 1990s, the Soviet Union undertook a standardised mapping project larger than any other attempted before or since – in total secrecy. Twenty-five years after the collapse of the USSR, this emerging and relatively untapped source of topographic data has potential to take on new life as a model for current and future standardisation initiatives. By asking fundamental questions about the accuracy, source materials, accessibility and symbology of Soviet city plans at 1:25,000 and 1:10,000, it is hoped that a foundation can be built for future applications of this unprecedented geospatial resource.