Retrospective analysis of OSM road data of Siberian federal district, Russia for the forest transport modeling

The road network is a key element for the forestry in any region, and it has a significant impact on the overall development of the territory. The study aims to evaluate the applicability of road data for infrastructural GIS projects and forest transport modeling. We analyzed the parameters of archived road data on the Siberian federal district, Russia, for 2009, 2016, 2019, and 2023. The following tasks were set in accordance with the goal: to identify the dynamics of data changes from 2009 to 2023 for the regions and forestry management units of key areas, and to evaluate the geometry and attributive completeness of OSM road data. The most developed region in the dynamics of changes in the road network data was the Republic of Khakassia, where the number of roads increased more than threefold from 2016 to 2023. The least developed was the Altai Region, with an almost unchanged number of roads. There was a rather low density of road network in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk, and Tomsk regions. Forestry division for the Siberian federal district includes 286 units, and percentage of roadless units decreased from 27% in 2009 to 2% in 2023. The units of highest road density are located within the Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Kemerovo (Kuzbass) regions. Inconclusion, we state that present OSM road datasets as of 2023 are of help for projects that deal with infrastructure, and especially for forest transport modelling, but the content of OSM datasets has to be compared to road data from regional organizations and companies. A first experience of contacting them with a question of open data on the roads was gained, and we have some positive replies. This research is supported by the state funding contract 2024-2026 "Biodiversity and ecosystem functions of forests", registration number № 124013000750-1.