# Kyrgyzstan Mountain Geography Dataset (KMGD)

**Version:** 2.0.0  
**Snapshot date:** 2026-08-30  
**Status:** public archival release  
**DOI:** https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22178396

## Overview

The Kyrgyzstan Mountain Geography Dataset (KMGD) is a curated, source-traceable geographic reference dataset covering selected mountain peaks, normalized mountain units, glaciers, and national mountain/cryosphere indicators associated with Kyrgyzstan.

KMGD v2 is a structural redesign of the earlier KyrgyzstanPlanner downloadable tables. It replaces ranking-oriented and mixed-type legacy tables with stable entity identifiers, normalized relationships, explicit uncertainty, and field-level provenance.

The dataset is **curated rather than exhaustive**. `kyrgyzstan_peaks.csv` is not a national top-42 ranking, and `kyrgyzstan_mountain_units.csv` is not intended to enumerate every named ridge or subrange in Kyrgyzstan.

## Current core

| Resource | Records | Purpose |
|---|---:|---|
| `kyrgyzstan_peaks.csv` | 42 | Selected major high peaks, notable peaks, and range high points |
| `kyrgyzstan_mountain_units.csv` | 33 | Normalized ranges, massifs, and one climbing-region entity |
| `kyrgyzstan_glaciers.csv` | 8 | Selected large and scientifically monitored glaciers |
| `kyrgyzstan_national_indicators.csv` | 20 | Defined national geography and glacier-inventory indicators |
| `kyrgyzstan_names.csv` | 115 | Canonical labels plus selected legacy/transliteration variants |
| `kyrgyzstan_sources.csv` | 129 | Only sources referenced by names or provenance in this release |
| `kyrgyzstan_provenance.csv` | 309 | Field-level source-to-claim evidence links |

## Core design principles

1. **Stable IDs.** Entity IDs are not reused when a record is renamed, revised, or removed.
2. **Normalized geography.** Peaks reference `mountain_unit_id`; unit names and mountain-system classification are not duplicated in the primary peak table.
3. **No artificial ranking semantics.** The old “Top 30” model has been removed.
4. **Numeric machine-readable fields.** Elevations and lengths are stored as numbers without thousands separators or unit text.
5. **Published disagreement is preserved.** Alternative or conflicting elevations are retained in `kyrgyzstan_provenance.csv`.
6. **Source hierarchy is explicit.** Evidence tiers A–D are KMGD editorial categories, not universal source-quality ratings.
7. **Measurement context matters.** Glacier lengths, areas, and national inventories retain reference periods and method notes.
8. **Unknown is not zero.** Missing values are blank.

## Evidence status

For this release:

- all 42 peak `elevation_m` values have Tier A or B support;
- all 33 mountain-unit `max_elevation_m` values have Tier A or B support;
- all `alternative_value` provenance records contain an explicit reported value;
- sources not referenced by either `kyrgyzstan_names.csv` or `kyrgyzstan_provenance.csv` have been removed from the public source registry.

## Important scope notes

### Peaks
The peak table contains selected geographic reference entities, not an exhaustive national elevation ranking.

### Mountain units
Records may represent ranges, massifs, or a climbing region. For transboundary units, `max_elevation_m` can describe the full represented unit rather than only its Kyrgyz portion.

### Glaciers
Glacier dimensions are time-dependent reference measurements, not timeless properties.

### National indicators
Similar-looking statistics with different definitions are stored separately. Source-dependent alternatives are preserved in provenance.

## Names and transliteration

`kyrgyzstan_names.csv` contains every current canonical peak, mountain-unit, and glacier name plus selected variants actually encountered during v2 migration or retained evidence.

`language_code=en` is used only where the rendered label is explicitly an English-form label. `language_code=und` is used for transliterated/local toponyms and legacy labels where KMGD does not model the underlying language explicitly.

## File conventions

- Encoding: UTF-8
- CSV delimiter: comma
- Column names: `snake_case`
- Dates: ISO 8601 where a complete date is known
- Numeric decimal separator: period (`.`)
- Country lists: pipe-separated (`Kyrgyzstan|China`)
- Missing value: empty field
- Coordinates: intentionally deferred from v2.0.0

## Standards files

Most public files follow the requested `kyrgyzstan_...` naming pattern.

Two deliberate standards-driven exceptions are used:

- `CITATION.cff` — conventional Citation File Format filename.
- `datapackage.json` — required descriptor name for conventional Frictionless Data Package tooling.

The data package is declared as a `tabular-data-package`; each CSV is a `tabular-data-resource`, and supported relational links are encoded as Table Schema foreign keys.

## Provenance

Evidence relations:

- `supports`
- `additional_support`
- `cross_check`
- `alternative_value`
- `conflicts`
- `derived_from_dataset`

An `alternative_value` row always contains the actual reported alternative in `reported_value`.

## Source registry

`kyrgyzstan_sources.csv` is a release source registry, not a discovery bibliography. It contains only source IDs that are actually referenced by `kyrgyzstan_names.csv` or `kyrgyzstan_provenance.csv`.

Tier A/B source metadata was normalized during the pre-release audit. Undated institutional web pages may legitimately have a blank year.

## Package integrity

- `kyrgyzstan_manifest.csv` lists the package payload files and intentionally excludes itself and `kyrgyzstan_sha256sums.txt`.
- `kyrgyzstan_sha256sums.txt` hashes every package file except the checksum file itself.
- `kyrgyzstan_validation.csv` records structural, semantic, metadata, Frictionless, hash, and ZIP-parity checks performed for the v2.0.0 release.

## Deferred to a later version

- coordinates and GeoJSON;
- exhaustive Kyrgyz/Russian name registry;
- glacial-lake/geohazard tables;
- ecosystem/hydrology evidence tables;
- exhaustive peak/range coverage;

## Documentation

- `kyrgyzstan_readme.md`
- `kyrgyzstan_methods.md`
- `kyrgyzstan_data_dictionary.csv`
- `CITATION.cff`
- `datapackage.json`
- `kyrgyzstan_changelog.md`

## Citation and licence

KMGD v2.0.0 is released under CC BY 4.0.

Suggested citation:

> Hamilton, Ethan. (2026). *Kyrgyzstan Mountain Geography Dataset: Peaks, Mountain Units, Glaciers and Geographic Indicators* (Version 2.0.0). KyrgyzstanPlanner. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22178396

Zenodo DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22178396

Project page: https://kyrgyzstanplanner.com/mountains-of-kyrgyzstan/