Cloud services or equipment colocation with a provider
For the first version of the platform, services and document storage. Contract terms, backup, portability and total cost are compared.
Science and the Russian Orthodox Church
Pilgrimage, science and digital infrastructure
A programme for sites at monasteries: hosting pilgrims, applied research and a shared system for recording facilities, routes, land plots and results.
Explore the programme
One site — agreed roles
The first step is to select a land plot with the necessary documentation, a host pilgrimage service and a research partner. A small pilot project is proposed using existing suitable infrastructure.
- Monastery and church organisation. Rules for staying on site, compatibility of the programme with monastic life and approvals from authorised participants.
- Pilgrimage organiser. Route, programme, hosting the group, accompanying participants and contractual terms.
- Property rights holder and infrastructure team. Land and building documents, permitted uses, preparation and operation.
- Research partner. Research lead, study protocol, measurements and verification of results.
- Platform operator. Record keeping, access rights, support, backup and recovery.
- Data centre operator or service provider. Agreed infrastructure services and engineering reliability.
Seven areas of applied work
One or two topics are proposed for the first pilot project. Before measurements begin, the research question, hypothesis, comparison method, baseline and acceptance criteria are recorded.
- Water and water use: metering points, a sampling protocol, baseline data and proposals for reducing losses.
- Soil and biodiversity: experimental and comparison plots, repeatable observations.
- Energy efficiency: a baseline consumption profile and verification of the effect, taking operating conditions into account.
- Agricultural technologies: a comparable growing cycle, with records of water, labour, soil and harvest.
- Heritage documentation: agreed documentation and a digital catalogue that records the provenance of entries.
- Accessibility and visitor flows: obstacles, waiting times, visitor load and proposals for hosting visitors.
- Digital territory profile: linked records of facilities, land plots, documents and measurements.
The report includes data limitations and results showing no positive effect. The research programme and rights to the results are agreed before work begins.
Platform: from a directory to a working system
The document refers to 128 reference records in the original atlas. A reference record, a confirmed site and an active contract are recorded separately. The atlas itself is not included in this publication.
Proposed modules: facility register; atlas and routes; land and sites; pilgrimage and reception; education and events; research; data centres and resources; documents and approvals; finance; access and administration.
The first version is planned to include the main registers, a map, site records, group reception and access management, with a minimal research module and approval functions. This is a development plan, not a description of an operating service.
The public map, institutional working information, application data and technical documents have different access levels. Each record retains its source, date, version and responsible person; backups are verified through recovery tests.
A data centre is a separate engineering decision
The proposed first step is to compare hosting options and assess infrastructure rental in Russia. A data centre of their own is considered after the workload, site, power supply, connectivity, budget and operations team have been confirmed.
Local computing node
For instrument readings, educational work and data processing where connectivity is unstable. A defined workload, premises and a person responsible for operation are required.
Own data centre
For a confirmed set of organisations and tasks. Capacity, area, cost and timescales are determined through surveys and documents; they have not been approved in the programme.
The first 90 days after selecting the pilot project
The period starts once authorised participants have agreed and the initial documents have been received. The plan covers an organisational pilot, research without major construction work and the first version of the platform. Construction and utility connections are planned separately.
- Days 1–15. Site profile, responsible people, initial records and missing information.
- Days 16–30. Permitted uses, baseline measurements, a draft route and comparison of infrastructure options.
- Days 31–45. Study protocol, contracts and a prototype of the register, map and organisation account.
- Days 46–60. Agreed reception of a small group, initial observations, and tests of access and recovery.
- Days 61–90. Analysis of results, a pilot report and a decision on the next phase; for the data centre, assessment of further design work.
Preparation for a specific site requires the monastery name, land documents, contact details for an authorised representative, the proposed reception programme and infrastructure information.
Materials by area
Programme and preparation forms
The document contains the allocation of responsibilities, a reception programme, a research project profile, platform modules, a data centre assessment, economic considerations, a land plot profile and a pilot decision form.
- Download the programme for sites, data centres and the platformDOCX · 23 October 2026
Publication copy with website addresses. The main text and status of the source document have been preserved.