Methodology

We do not work in GIS, nor are we trained cartographers. All work is manual input on the Open Street Map (OSM) editing platform. Some edits are quick and easy (example: adding a bridge over a river based on the satellite view), other single small edits are a result of reading deep into Russian expedition notes, some as far back as 120 years (to help determine the trail difficulty, danger and the time of year it is snow free).

The main sources:

1. Manually mapping over satellite and aerial imagery from ESRI, Mapbox, Maxar and Bing

2. Visually confirming with Google Earth, Apple and Yandex satellite imagery

3. Vestra database of mountain passes and Soviet/Russian expeditions

4. Library of the Moscow City Central Tourist Club

5. Slazav (Vladislav Zavjalov) maps

6. The so-called "Soviet Military Maps," AKA General Staff Maps

Secondary sources:

1. Visits to the mountainous region

2. Markus Hauser's Southern Tajikistan Tourist Map

3. Turklub MAI

4. Gorny Klub MGU (esp. Kostya Sergin)

5. Numerous reports, books and articles by historical expeditions, travel bloggers and Russian trekking/climbing expeditions not in the above archives.

6. Wikimapia

7. Mountain.ru

8. Nakarte.me

9. Comments/notes and suggested edits submitted by the public via OsmAnd and MAPS.ME.

10. Email inquiries, discussion with acquaintances, and social media research

11. GPS tracks found on the internet

12. And anywhere else we can get information….