Tourist web maps and geoportals: the essence and functions (through the case of Moscow oblast)

The sphere of tourism and hospitality in Moscow oblast is an actively developing sector of the economy. According to expert estimates, the tourist potential of Moscow oblast is at least 20% of the tourist resources of the Russian Federation. The geography and content of thematic programs and tourist routes are constantly expanding, supplementing, updating and undergoing various changes. However, potential tourists themselves may not know about this, because today on the Internet there is no single point of access for interested parties to spatial information about the tourism sector of Moscow oblast, including based on a tourist interactive web map. This problem can be solved by developing and creating a geo-portal of interactive tourist web maps of the Moscow oblast based on modern open accessible software with open source code for viewing, studying and changing (Open Source), which, in turn, will become not only relevant and easy to use for all interested parties, including: tourists, relevant departments, representatives of the tourism industry, as well as local communities of the region, but also located on the basis of an interactive tourist web map, the recommended tourist routes will be focused on different categories of tourists, which will help solve the problem of unevenness of the tourist route network in the region and the environmental load on Moscow oblast. The main research methods were modeling, descriptive, analysis and synthesis, classification. This project has a multiplier effect. The assortment formed within the geoportal of interactive tourist web maps of Moscow oblast, as well as the experience in its creation, can be used by other regions and municipalities of the Russian Federation, both comprehensively and in individual types of tourism. The study was carried out within the framework of a grant from the All-Russian public organization "Russian Geographical Society", provided by the Russian State University of Tourism and Service