Application of GIS-technologies for the estimation of erosion process at the archaeological sites situated on the bank of the Kujbyshev reservoir

The paper deals with the problem of creation of an archaeological geo- information system in Tatarstan Republic. Estimation of erosion on the sites situated at the Kuibyshev Reservoir, one of the largest ones in the Volga-Kama cascade is highly important. The bank erosion is a real danger for the cultural heritage, and collection of the data on trends in exogenous geological processes is necessary. Every year the increasing water level in the Kuibyshev and Nizhnekamsk reservoirs causes erosion of around 800 archaeological sites. Modern geoinformation methods are highly promising in advance of rescue archaeological investigations. Some areas at the eroded sites were chosen for testing. Remote sensing data (aerial photography and space digital images) were used, as well as topographic maps 1:50 000 and sites monitoring data. The data were analyzed by means of GIS technologies. It became possible to identify the dynamics of bank erosion during recent 40-50 years, and to create a prognostic model of sites destruction. A unique information system on archaeological objects in Tatarstan is worked out aimed at formation of a unified system of archaeological researches in the region.