AI and Digital Platforms Set to Help Tatarstan Become Russia’s Environmental Benchmark
Tatarstan aims to become a federal model for “smart” environmental management by using digital technologies, mathematical modeling, and data analytics.
The goal was outlined by Azat Ziganshin, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Tatarstan, speaking at the ministry’s annual review meeting. According to him, the republic has built a technological foundation in recent years that makes it possible not only to record environmental violations but also to assess ecological risks in advance.
From Spotting a Problem to Solving It
A central role in this effort is played by a digital environmental monitoring ecosystem. It integrates data from stationary monitoring stations, inspection results, and models that simulate how pollutants spread. In 2025, a mathematical modeling system for ambient air quality began to be developed in the republic. The system makes it possible to track air mass movement in real time and identify areas where pollutant concentrations are forming.
The use of this ecosystem has already delivered measurable results. In Nizhnekamsk, the number of resident complaints about air quality has fallen 145-fold over seven years. In the northern parts of Kazan, the number of citizen reports dropped nearly threefold in 2025, while the number of detected exceedances of permissible pollutant concentration limits declined eightfold.
Digital Tools to Protect Air and Water
He added that the project is being implemented jointly with scientists from Novosibirsk and Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Digital tools are also being used to monitor water resources. The Hydrocascade software system, for example, is applied to analyze and forecast water levels in the Volga–Kama cascade. The system relies on autonomous measurement platforms that transmit water condition data to a processing center without human involvement.
Looking ahead, the unified digital platform Ecology and Natural Resource Management of the Republic of Tatarstan, which is already used by environmental specialists, businesses, and citizens, could be scaled to other regions of the country. According to regional authorities, there are currently no analogues to such a comprehensive digital environmental management system in Russia.
