EVS-Islands

Thoughts - Quantum GIS, Africa and 6th Graders, A Recipe for Mapping Success.

2012-01-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

If you have followed my posts you know that I do most of my mapping work in Global Mapper, a solid mapping program that is easy to use and handles very large format image files with ease (Landsat, SRTM, GeoTIFF). However, it costs real dollars. Big bucks for me and unaffordable bucks to outfit each student workstation with a mapping package. I have spent the last year learning how to make maps using Quantum GIS (QGIS), a well-maintained and powerful open-source mapping package.

I teach middle school students between the ages of 11 to 14, social studies which includes world history, US history and geography. We spend a good deal of time working with open-source software (OpenOffice, Irfanview, Audacity, etc.) to learn about our world and how to make effective use of technology in the classroom. I have always wanted to bring mapping into the classroom. This year I decided to give QGIS a try with my students. I was determined to teach my students how to identify and display spatial data on a map. That brings me to the West Africa map and QGIS..

This year all of my students are learning to make maps. They have learned the difference between vector files and raster images. They are becoming adept at labeling countries, cities, empires and city-states. They love to use all the wrong colors and fonts, but I let them because they are having fun making maps. So far the projects have been relatively simple, but challenging in a mapping sort of way.

Today, my 6th graders (11-years old) were identifying and labeling countries in Africa using QGIS and a variety of vector files and a large format raster image of Africa taken from the Natural Earth website. They finished the country identification phase of the mapping project and wondered what to do next. I said, "Make a capital city point file and identify and label African country's capital cities." In the past, I would have labored long and hard to teach them how to make and use a point file. We would have spent a great deal of time setting up the symbology and label parameters. However, today within minutes all of the students created their capital city point file, defined parameters and were busy plotting capital cities. How cool is that!

Enjoy! I know I sure am!

Samana Cay BF - Columbus' First New World Landfall?

2011-12-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

Samana Cay - Locator Map
Samana Cay - Landsat ETM+ Image N-18-20_2000(1:85,000)
Samana Cay - EVS Precision Map (1-85,000)
My interest in Samana Cay was the result of a serendipitous moment. A few evenings ago while editing my Islands of the World point file, I became curious about the Turks and Caicos Islands. Using my GSHHS World Shoreline map, I located the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not an area I have done much mapping in, but interesting. To the northwest was a small island off by itself, Samana Cay. Nothing particularly outstanding, just a nice little island facing the Atlantic Ocean. Curious soul that I am, I checked out the Wikipedia article and Wow! Some scholars think this might be the site of Christopher Columbus' first landfall in the New World. Pretty cool.

I identified the Landsat ETM+ mosaic, loaded it into Global Mapper and began mapping. The completed map is nice. The Landsat image is pretty cloudy. More research and my next Wow! Samana Cay is the largest uninhabited island in the Bahamas. An uninhabited island close to home (USA). How cool.

All of you Florida readers hunting for your Crusoe Getaway, Samana Cay could be your island. People from Acklins Island visit periodically to collect cascarilla bark. Other than the occasional Acklins Island visitors, you could be all alone contemplating whatever it is you want to contemplate.

Enjoy!

Data - The Latest Edition of the WPI (World Port Index) from NGA Maritime Safety Information

2011-04-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of the more popular data files offered from this site is the NGA Maritime Safety Information World Port Index. In 2006, I secured a copy of the WPI database in KML file format. For 2-years I made this abbreviated version of the WPI available to any wanting a copy.

In 2008, I secured a copy of the WPI in MS Access format. I reworked the data, getting an MS Excel spreadsheet which was ultimately converted into an ESRI shapefile which I made available to any wanting a copy.

I am not a regular visitor to NGA Maritime Safety Information, but today I chanced to visit it. In looking at the WPI and what was being offered, I was pleased to discover that they now offer the WPI in ESRI shapefile format.

So, here is the deal. If you want to download the WPI data directly from the NGA MSI unit follow this link. If you want to download the WPI shapefile and a pdf file of the WPI 150 book follow this link.

Enjoy!

Marmara Island TR - Modifying SRTM v4 TIF with EVS Precision Coastal Vector File

2011-01-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

Turkey - SRTM with EVS Vector Modifications

The map of Turkey on the left is a portion of a 600-MB World Map created by Tom Patterson. His excellent and informative website, Shaded Relief, contains a wide variety of shaded relief maps. He explains how you could create your own shaded relief maps. I have been content to download his finished maps and use them in my classroom. The students love working with them.

I have been a long time user of SRTM data. Using tools within Global Mapper, I was able to generate interesting 3D views of islands. Last week I came across SRTM v4 data at CGIAR Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI), which I call Cigar (See-gar) for short. I downloaded a number of SRTM TIF images covering Turkey, where I am plotting Roman era towns and cities. Using the Shaded Relief Natural Earth 1 world map I was able to plot at scales of 1:1500000 to 1:1000000. When I attempted to work closer the map became a screen full of pixels. What to do?

Marmara Island - SRTM EVS Modifications Before and After (1:25,000)

The SRTM v4 data offered me some intriguing possibilities. First, I was able to zoom into areas at scales between 1:500,000 down to 1:50,000. At 1:50,000 I had to contend with pixels. The vertical side of a pixel in the part of the world I am working in is 90 meters, the horizontal side is 70 meters. Clunky looking when working at 1:50,000. It was then that I had my "ah-ha" moment. I loaded Landsat imagery on top of the SRTM imagery. I then digitized shorelines using the Landsat imagery (section 1). I switched off the Landsat imagery and my EVS precision shoreline cut through SRTM v4 pixels (section 2) and allowed me to determine the shoreline on the SRTM image. The SRTM modified shoreline is now useful to scales as fine as 1:25,000 (section 4).

I know! A 14.5 meter pixel defining a 90-meter pixels leads to potential problems. However, for my purposes, plotting Roman era towns and cities, these SRTMs modified with EVS precision shorelines work just fine.

Marmara Island Vicinity - SRTM with EVS Modifications Before and After (1-250,000)

And at 1:250,000, they look great!

A word about my custom hypsometric tints. The colors I initially took from the Shaded Relief website. But I have since tweaked them a number of times. The current version, certainly not my last, looks great for this part of the world.

I am slowly, but surely working my way around the shoreline of the Sea of Marmara, a place I spent time as a young man. I do hope this was both informative and interesting.

Enjoy!

Clipperton Island FR - It Has Been a Long Time Between Maps and Why.

2010-11-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

Clipperton Island - DigitalGlobe Image taken from Google Earth

Clipperton Island - EEVS Precision Map (1:17030)

I have been a busy map maker these past four months. My day job, as many of you know, is a middle school teacher. That means that every weekday I attempt to teach meaningful Social Studies lessons to a room full of less than eager students. This year I am trying something different, I teach Social Studies lessons using both Google Earth and Quantum GIS mapping software.

For example, we just completed a unit on Mesopotamia. Instead of a textbook only lesson, first we toured modern day Mesopotamia (Iraq) using Google Earth. After our preliminary inspection of the area, we used a raster image of a world map (Natural World II) from Shaded Relief as our base image and applied a number of vector layers to enable better orientation. Then the students created point files of various Mesopotamian city-states. They also created transparent polygons which detailed the extent of various ruling empires

We have just began our unit on Africa and will be exploring West Africa using Google Earth and Quantum GIS. So far, so good! The students are gaining a working understanding of spatial data and how it can be displayed and used. They are even learning "map speak" - polygons, shape files, symbology, etc.

So, I haven't had much time to make island maps. In fact, Clipperton Island is my first in over four months. I love making island maps, but I love teaching students the craft of map making even more. Let's see if I can indulge in both of these fine activities.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Music from the Tahitian Choir, Rapa Iti.

2010-07-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Rapa Iti Island - Ikonos Image (1:55,000)

The Tahitian Choir

Tahitian in name only, this NPR segment introduces the music of Rapa Iti.

Enjoy!

How To Digitize Vegetation and Land Layers using Landsat Imagery at 1:12,500 Scale

2010-06-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Faaite Atoll FP - Comparison - Landsat Image, EVS Precision Map, DigitalGlobe Image (1:12,500)

I keep telling all of you that I typically digitize off of Landsat imagery at approximately 1:12,500 scale. Checking out the above montage you will see a Landsat image of a portion of Faaite Atoll FP. Beneath it are two layers of information I digitized using Landsat as base imagery, vegetation and land. The final DigitalGlobe image from Google Earth is of the same stretch of atoll. The Landsat image has a green hue over all of the land and vegetation features. However, having digitized so many islands the sand or low vegetation, which I classify as land is identifiable. My Landsat derived vegetation layer is a decent approximation based on the vegetation shown on both Landsat and DigitalGlobe's hires imagery. The digitized land layer, I believe, is a strong match.

Why should one care at what scale one is able to digitize using Landsat as base imagery? Ask any photogrammetrist and they will tell you Landsat is reliable between 1:125,000 to 1:62,500. Each pixel covers a ground area of 14.5 meters by 14.5 meters. However, working at 1:12,500 does not render an image useless, but allows one to discern details in a rough but usable fashion. I can't make out individual trees, but I can identify stands of vegetation and most often the density of that vegetation. The most difficult feature on an atoll to reliably digitize is that portion of the reef which is awash depending on the time of day (high tide or low tide) and the amount of vegetation found growing on the reef. It is often difficult to determine whether the feature is above water land or below water shallow reef. Typically, if I'm uncertain I classify the feature as above water land.

Who knows, one day you might want to try your hand at island map making and you will want advise as to what scale you might expect to work at using Landsat as your base imagery. Digitizing at 1:12,500 should work just fine. Give it a try.

Tepoto Nord FP - A Redo of a Redo of a Small Coral Island

2010-06-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

Tepoto Nord FP - Landsat Image from S-07-10_2000 (1:20,000)

Tepoto Nord FP - ISS002-E-8862 Image

Tepoto Nord FP - EVS Precision Map (1:20,000)

My first map of Tepoto Nord was completed on March 31, 2006. I used Landsat as my base imagery. Most of my finish work was done using Marplot, a fine poor-man's GIS program. In December 2006 , I came upon the ISS image of Tepoto Nord. I decided to redo my original work using the ISS imagery to digitize from.

I look at my completed Tepoto Nord mapping project today and contemplate how far my map making skills have progressed. My digitizing of shorelines, vegetation and reefs remains fairly consistent. I routinely work at between 1:12,000 to 1:8,000, depending on my base imagery and the ultimate objective for my map. I am content to map four to five layers of information taking what Landsat is able to provide. The first time I mapped this island, I remember being frustrated by the Landsat imagery. The odd colors and blurred appearance of the island made digitizing problematic. Eventually, I came upon the ISS image and was able to redo my mapping of this small island in a more satisfactory manner. I reposted the map and base imagery in December 2006 and gave this small island no more thought.

That is until I received a question from an EVS Islands reader. He wanted to know everything he could about this small island. I answered that he should contact Alex W du Prel, publisher of Tahiti-Pacifique magazine. If anyone could give information about this small island, Alex is the man. After answering the reader's question, I checked out my map of the island. Unsatisfactory! The map presentation choices I make today are far superior to those I made in 2006. I decided to redo my redo of this small coral island.

Tepoto Nord FP - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:12,000)

Tepoto Nord FP - EEVS Precision Map (1:12,000)

I checked out Google Earth, as almost all of the islands within the Tuamotus are covered by DigitalGlobe's hires imagery. Sure enough, Tepoto Nord has excellent, cloud-free imagery from which I could redigitize various layers of information with a high degree of confidence. Seven layers of information later my redo of the redo is done. Since I have no designs to offer the map for commercial purposes, I decided to use DigitalGlobe imagery as my base imagery. I have worked on this redo of a redo for about two weeks. Not because it was particularly difficult, but I've been busy with school. Finally, I have a Saturday with no pressing projects. Only this, to finish my Tepoto Nord FP map. Pretty nice, huh?

Enjoy!

Reao Atoll FP - Finished . . . At Last!

2010-04-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Reao Atoll

Reao Atoll - ISS004 Image Mosaic (1:70,000)

Reao Atoll - EEVS Precision Map (1:70,000)

Reao or Natūpe is an atoll in the eastern expanses of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. The closest land is Pukarua Atoll, located 48 km to the WNW.

Reao is 24.5 km long and its maximum width is 5 km. The whole length of its north-eastern rim is occupied by a single long island. There is no navigable pass into the lagoon.

Reao Atoll's population is 344 inhabitants.

That is about it for Reao Atoll on the internet. There might be some scattered bits of information, but nothing of newsworthy significance. Why? It could be the location. Unlike many of the other atolls making up the Tuamotus that receive numerous pleasure cruisers, Reao Atoll is situated away from the normal cruising routes. In addition the lagoon has no entrance for sailing vessels making for percarious landings on and off of the main island.

Even with the geographical difficulties associated with Reao Atoll, I wouldn't mind visiting. The southern end of the atoll looks a bit on the wild side. If not real wild, it looks to be far from the population center of the island located on it's northern end. One could perhaps find an isolated small motu along the atoll's western edge. There are in the neighborhood of 50 motus along this edge of the atoll. I am certain one of these small motus could offer one a few days of solitude. If not a few days, for sure a few hours.

Now for a few comments on the map. First, the base imagery is from ISS004. I took 3 excellent images and assembled them into a mosaic of the entire island. I rotated the image about 37° to align it with the atoll's true alignment. I had created a shoreline of Reao Atoll a few years back, but had not saved the georectified image. All I had to work with was the island polygons which came from the ISS004 imagery. I used over 37 GCPs (ground control points) to georectify the ISS004 image mosaic. It wasn't until this weekend that I had both time and energy to complete my typical four vector layers - island polygons, vegetation polygons, shallow reef polygon and lagoon polygon. I completed all of the layers as Phil Mickelson was busy winning the Masters for the 3rd time.

P.S. - Later that day, I compiled my first OSM formatted vector file consisting of the island polygons. Ultimately my goal is to place my EVS copyright free vectors onto OpenStreetMap. That is another story for later time.

Marutea Atoll Nord FP - An Uninhabited Atoll...Kind Of

2010-03-17T23:24:00.000-07:00

Marutea Atoll Nord FP

Marutea Atoll Nord FP - Landsat ETM S-07-15_2000 Image (1:150,000)

A portion of the Landsat ETM+ image looks great, the other portion is cloud covered. If I had only used the Landsat image to create my EVS precision map, it would have been an incomplete effort. Fortunately, ISS imagery helped to fill in the gap.

Marutea Atoll Nord FP - ISS006E37438 Image Modified (1:150,000)

First I had to rotate the ISS image and georectify it to my Landsat base image. I was able to do it after much tweaking of the ISS image it was positioned properly for my mapping purposes. Many of the coral heads, which I classify as shallow reef, were derived from the ISS image.

Marutea Atoll Nord FP - EVs Precision Map (1-150,000)

And here is the finished map! If one requires hi-res imagery, it can be found in Google Earth. Located at the channel leading into the lagoon are a few houses. I suspect they are used by coconut or black pearl harvesters. Although the island is uninhabited, people frequent the atoll doing the things that people do, harvesting resources.

Looking at the DigitalGlobe imagery found in Google Earth, large stretches of the island appear to be without a sand covering. It looks as if the island was washed over by a typhoon or a storm surge. Perhaps someone with first hand knowledge might share more about this uninhabited atoll...kind of.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Which Color Scheme Works Best for EVS Maps?

2010-02-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

King George Islands FP

King George Islands FP - Landsat ETM S-06-10_2000 Image (1:175,000)

King George Islands FP - EVS Precision Map (1:175000)

Takapoto Atoll FP - EVS Precision Map (1:80,000)

I spent today digitizing the King George Islands located in the Tuamotu Islands FP. The top atoll, Takapoto, was just completed using my new NIMA color scheme. Not only am I limiting layers to EVS island projects to island polygon, reef shallow, lagoon and island water feature, but I've changed my color scheme to match NIMA's nautical charts. My current color scheme is as follows:

island polygon is R-245 G-245 B245

reef shallow polygon is R-205 G-225 B-235

lagoon is R-225 G-250 B-255.

Takaroa Atoll FP - EVS Precision Map (1:80,000)

Takaroa Atoll, completed a few months ago, contains my old color scheme:

island polygon is R-240 G-232 B-217

reef awash is R-208 G-234 B-224

reef shallow is R-153 G-214 B-236

lagoon is R-090 G-169 B-211

In both projects the vegetation layer R-157 G-179 B-151 and the deep ocean layer R-165 G-207 B-231 are unchanged.

For visual appeal, I like the old style. The NIMA nautical chart style gives a cleaner, crisper look. What do you think?

Enjoy!

Nosy Antaly-Be, MA - Fishermen, Tourists and WWII Japanese Midget Submarines

2010-02-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Nosy Antaly-Be, MA,

Nosy Antaly-Be, MA - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:12,500)

Nosy Antaly-Be, MA - EEVS Precision Map (1:12,500)

Every so often I like to scout a coastline in Google Earth to find an interesting island to map. Nosy Antaly-Be's image is cloud-free, hi-resolution and located along the eastern shore of the northern peninsula of Madagascar. The two islands I mapped are the northern most of a cluster of islands that are just off shore as one enters Diego-Suarez Bay. I mapped these two islands because I was bored with my current project, remapping Papua New Guinea, a very big job. I wanted to make a pretty map and to use DigitalGlobe imagery. So far, so good!

I mapped the islands quickly and completed all of the additional details using Global Mapper. My cursory check for information concerning these two islands initially turned up nothing of great interest. The semi-permanent population was made up of fishermen and tourists. Then came the WWII Japanese midget submarines. In 1942 Japan flush with a number of victories in Southeast Asia looked to control the entire Indian Ocean. A key area to control was the northern end of Madagascar. From this vantage point they would have been able to intercept allied shipping with ease. They attacked ships located in Diego-Suarez Bay in May, 1942. One ship was damaged and another was sunk with a lose of 6 crewmen. If you would like to know more about the "Whys" and "What Fors" follow this link, Imperial Submarines. The article will give you loads of background information concerning Japanese midget submarines and the war in Madagascar.

Life never fails to intrigue me. I select two nondescript islands and they turn out to be used to screen Japanese ships prior to an attack on ships in Diego-Suarez Bay. Who would have thunk it.

Enjoy!

Caspian Sea Isobaths from Russian Topographic Maps

2010-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Caspian Sea Isobaths - Taken from 1:1,000,000 Mapping

Caspian Sea Isobaths - Entire Sea (1:5,000,000)

If I'm not careful, I can turn a finite mapping project into a never ending task, one that requires tweaks on top of tweaks. My Caspian Sea isobaths fall into that type of project. I have worked on the Caspian Sea shoreline and now isobaths since 2006 and I'm still not finished. The northern shore, including the Volga River delta remain my final shoreline to map. At my current rate I should be finished around 2012. In the mean time I would like to share my recently completed Caspian Sea isobaths. These isobaths were taken from Russian topographic maps downloaded from Poehali.org. One can download Russian topographic maps for free. The maps are georeferenced and load easily into most mapping programs. My Caspian Sea topographic map is a mosaic of 65 individual maps at scales between 1:500,000 to 1:100,000. All of these maps contain isobaths. Using the most detailed scale, I constructed the following isobaths: -10m, -20m, -50m, -100m, -150m, -200m, -300m, -400m, -500m, and -700m. Compared to the other Caspian Sea isobaths, mine differ. I hesitate to claim my isobaths are more accurate. I suspect they are, as they were derived from 1:500,000 to 1:100,000 scale maps. The other isobaths were taken from 1:1,000,000 scale maps.

Caspian Sea Isobaths - Baku Vicinity (1:250,000)

Where my isobaths prove most interesting is when one zooms into an area. An interesting area to study these isobaths is around Baku, the site of many oil rigs. The isobaths twist and turn in and around oil rigs as one would expect.

Caspian Sea Isobaths - Baku Vicinity Offshore (1:62,500))

Currently, my Caspian Sea isobaths are quietly residing on my hard drive. Before I do anything with them, other than my own mapping, I need to secure permission from Poehali.org. I know I did an excellent job tracing these unique isobaths. Not sure this is going to be a "give away". Would love to make a buck or two off of this data set. We'll see.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - North Sentinel Island Five Years After the "Big" One

2009-12-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

North Sentinel Island - Pre December 26, 2004

North Sentinel Island is home to a few hundred of the most isolated people on the earth. This group of people has chosen to remain separate from all other peoples. To the credit of India, they have been allowed to remain separate. Prior to December 26, 2004, the inhabitants were content to hunt and gather on their small forest covered island. Then came the dreadful 9.0 earthquake that caused death and destruction throughout this part of the world. North Sentinel Island was not spared. It is unclear if any of the inhabitants were killed as a result of the earthquake. What is clear is that the island underwent a dramatic transformation. This small island was thrust upward. The submerged reef was no longer submerged.

North Sentinel Island - February 2005

The February 2005 image shows the once submerged reef exposed above water. The forest is intact, but the island's fringing reef is now permanently above water. The stark white indicates that the reef is a new comer to the above-water environment.

North Sentinel Island - November 20, 2009

Fast forward to last month and one sees the reef still above water, but undergoing a gradual color change. As the once bone white reef remains in contact with the outside air, dust particles are blown onto the reef daily, algae colonies live and die and organic debris flows out from the island proper onto the reef, all of this contributing to the raised reef's gradual discoloration.

North Sentinel Island - EEVS Precision Map (1:62,500)

My post-earthquake map still gives a good picture of this small uplifted island. I'm glad it remains isolated and it's inhabitants have yet to encounter the world of modern man.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - All I Really Wanna Do Is, Baby, Make Highly Detailed and Accurate Island Shoreline Maps With You

2009-12-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

A Small Island Using NIMA Nautical Chart Colors (1:10,000)

I've been making highly detailed island maps for almost five years. In that time, I've mapped 1,000s of island shorelines. Always striving to make my finished island maps accurate and quality presentations, I've found myself adding many layers of information to my basic island shoreline maps. Most of my island maps contain a number of vegetation, reef, land and label layers. Some of my island maps contain in excess of 20 plus layers of information. Wow!

However, my zeal to continually add more information to my island maps has taken me far from my original objective - to make highly detailed and accurate island shoreline maps using Landsat ETM+ circa 2000 imagery as base imagery.

Currently, I am mapping islands within the Solomons. As I map them, I see a myriad of potential layers - mangroves, heavily forested areas, grass land, and the reefs that beg to be mapped in varying layers depicting depths based on shades of blue. I am resisting the temptation to map these fascinating layers. I am holding true to my original objective, to create highly detailed and accurate island shoreline maps. Posting these finished products will result in rather boring island maps, but so be it.

Life is too short! If I keep wandering away from my initial objective, I will never finish the island mapping I would like to accomplish in the 15 to 20 years I am both physically and mentally able.

Here is my renewed commitment to my original objective - keep your eyes, hands and mapping abilities on the prize! That prize being to construct a body of vector mapping containing highly detailed and accurate island shorelines.

And that I will enjoy!

Thoughts - They Aren't as Good as EVS Precision and That's the Fact , Jack!

2009-11-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Olimarao Atoll Locator Map

You all remember my last post, Olimarao Atoll? I spent a few days prior to posting it doing research into available online mapping. I checked out the standard mapping packages for Olimarao Atoll vicinity maps. Check out my results below...

Olimarao Atoll - Vicinity Map from Google Maps - Some land polygons, no labels.

Olimarao Atoll - Vicinity Map from Yahoo Local Maps - Nothing here.

Olimarao Atoll - Vicinity Map from Bing Maps - And nothing here.

Olimarao Atoll - Vicinity Map from OpenStreetMap - Land polygons and labels.

Google, Yahoo and Bing Maps rely on satellite imagery. The underlying maps of these oceanic island areas are largely neglected in map coverage. Google Maps provides land polygons from a mapping file similar to WVS 1:250,000. OpenStreetMap uses NGA PGS polygons along with NGA Country name files. Clearly the superior map product for oceanic islands is found on OpenStreetMap. But wait! What about a vicinity map using what I call EVS rough precision digitizing. Using Landsat ETM+ imagery, I could quickly digitize island polygons and reefs giving a much clearer map of the island.

Elato, Lomolior and Olimarao Atolls - Landsat N55-05_2000 Coverage

Landsat N55-05_2000 is the imagery I initially tried to work with. As you can see, The vicinity is not covered. It is a blank. So I did what any good mapper would do, improvised. Using Google Earth, I found the blank area and DigitalGlobe had hi-res imagery of the islands located within the blank area.

Elato and Lomolior Atolls - DG Preview Image from GE

Elato and Lomolior Atolls - DG Preview Image from GE Cropped

I decided to use the DG Image Preview from GE. I copied it, cropped it and georectified it. From there, I was able to complete the digitizing within a few minutes. I did this for all islands within the Landsat blank area. Atolls should have reefs digitized as they make up a critically important aspect of this feature. My finished map uses five layers - 1) land polygon 2) reef shallow 3) reef deep 4) ocean and 5) name labels. My island name layer is an extract from NGA's country files.

Olimarao Atoll - Vicinity Map from EVS Rough Precision (1-500,000)

This was all done using Global Mapper. The scale for the above map is 1:500,000. Now that is what I call a real oceanic island vicinity map.

Enjoy!

Olimarao Atoll FM - A Northern Pacific Island Jewel and Uninhabited Too

2009-11-25T07:31:00.001-08:00

Olimarao Atoll - DG Island Image from GE (=~1:25,000)

Olimarao Atoll - EEVS Precision Map (1:25,000)

After almost five years of EVS precision island mapping projects, countless comments from the curious and, most often, complimentary guests and thousands of hours of work aimed at making this website better...

1) I have struck a deal with a corporate "sugar daddy" that will pay me to make EVS and EEVS precision island maps as I see fit.

2) My wife finally put her foot down and instructed me to "shut it down"! I told her to back off and she left me for a younger, computer illiterate man.

3) I'm still making island maps, with my wife's blessing, and am still without a corporate "sugar daddy".

Okay, I'm at Option 3) and enjoying it. However, sometimes our complicated lives cause us to wish for profound simplicity. A place where one can get away from the pressures of "big city" living and spend a day making a single decision, that being to make no decisions.

By far, my most popular posts over the past few months have been about the challenge of locating and living on uninhabited islands. It started with my post "Thoughts - An Uninhabited Island and What You'll Need to Inhabit it 'Robinson Crusoe' Style" and continued with my post "Thoughts - How Many Uninhabited Islands in the World?". These two posts alone have generated over 1,000 page views. As the world's economies continue to struggle and the economically downtrodden victims hunt for ways out, a Google search of "uninhabited islands" will lead the desperate to my aforementioned posts.

Olimarao Atoll could be their Eden. The atoll is small, but affords one fairly secure anchorage near the large motu. The large amount of vegetation suggests an adequate supply of water, most probably in the form of a fresh water lens. The small size of the island might lead one to "island claustrophobia", manifest by a longing for continental security. However, according to the occasional yachtsperson stopping for a short stay, the island is beautiful beyond imagination. Could Olimarao Atoll be your Eden? More to follow...

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities

2009-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities

When I first exchanged emails with Frank Jacobs, it was shortly after my "Titan's Unnamed Methane Sea" had hit the internet. The subject of the map hit a hot button that translated into 1,000s of visits to this web site. Frank introduced himself and asked if I had visited his blog, Strange Maps. I had and shared that I thought it was a "kick". He revealed that he, likewise, was a follower of my mapping efforts. He most especially liked my Titan map and wondered if he might use it in a book he was going to have published. He quickly added, that he had no money to pay for the use of the map, but would make sure I got a copy of his completed book. "Of course!" I said, "You are welcome to use my map. Just give me proper credit." Deal done!

Now let me tell you what I really thought. Oh, sure. This guy is going to publish a book about strange maps. I'll probably get a pdf copy or a link to his self-published effort. Unfortunately, I do have a healthy streak of skepticisim. After our exchanges I forgot about Frank and his book.

Silly me! I will never doubt Frank Jacobs again. True to his word, last week Fedex delivered a package from the UK. Inside was a slick copy of Strange Maps, Frank's book. I quickly leafed through it and there was my Titan map on pages 206-207. A nice writeup is included speculating on a name for this methane sea. And, sure enough, a paragraph about the author of the map, me.

Buy the book! Amazon.com lists it at $19.80. Support a fellow map lover!

Titan's Unnamed Methane Sea with Lat-Lon Grid (1-750,000)

And, once again, this is my map of Titan's Unnamed Methane Sea. It is still an interesting effort and now my first published map.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Since My Last Post

2009-09-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bennet Island - Landsat Image N-54-75_20000 - A Partial View (1:44,260)

Bennet Island - EVS Precision Map - A Partial View (1:44,260)

So, Mr Minton, what have you been up to since July 30th, the date of your last post? Let me tell you...

1. I'm back at school. My day job is teaching middle school students social studies, science (physics) and religion. Teaching is always a challenge, however this year the challenge is two-fold. Not only am I teaching curriculum, but I'm doing 90% of the lessons using computers. This summer I installed 28 Dell GX620s in my class room with Windows XP Pro as my operating system. I have installed a number of open-source programs, the primary one being Open Office on each computer. The challenge is to teach my curriculum entirely within a digital world. After two weeks of school all of us are starting to get into a solid routine. My goal is to teach the students how to work with word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, mapping, and various drawing programs to enhance their school work and to send them on into high school with an extensive set of software skills that will enable them to be both successful and competitive students at the next and future levels.

2. Yes, I am still working on mapping projects. All of them are in various stages of near completion. I am creating isobaths within the Caspian Sea. I am extracting them from Russian topographic maps from 1:100,000 scale for the -5 to -10 meter isobaths and 1:500,000 scale topos for all other isobaths. These isobaths are considerably different in appearance and, hopefully, considerably more accurate than the ones available at the Caspian Environment Programme. I have completed all isobaths from -5 m to -150 m.

3. I continue working on Tuamotu Island maps. Also I am working on some far northern Arctic islands. Bennett Island is one of these Arctic islands.

4. This summer, I completed an EVS precision mapping project of the Falkland Islands. The entire island group was meticulously mapped for a client I've worked with in the past and I even made a few bucks for my work ($250 for 10 hours of mapping work). On my "for profit" projects, I only use Landsat ETM+ as my base imagery as the copyright restrictions enable one to use these excellent orthorectified image mosaics to generate "for profit" mapping projects.

5. I still dream of working as an island map maker full time and of earning a fair wage while doing what I love to do. However, my reality is also quite enjoyable, teaching, using quality technology, is a blast! I am invigorated as a teacher! And between 10 PM to 2 or 3 AM, I am a map maker. Isn't life swell?

Enjoy!

Thoughts - 239 EVS Precision Island Mapping Projects Since April 2006

2009-07-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

EVS Islands Projects - 239 Projects Since April 2009

I've been creating EVS precision island maps since April, 2006. During this three years plus time frame, I've posted all of the above island projects to this website. My island mapping and the satisfaction gained from having mapped an island few others have mapped at the level of detail I typically work at, continues to invigorate me, but my busy life keeps getting in the way of my ability of create more and better island maps. If you have any questions concerning past projects or possible future projects, drop me a line. Let's talk.

Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks to all of you readers, map lovers, island dreamers and the curious for spending time at EVS Islands. On July 23, 2009 EVS Islands received it's 100,000th page view. My goal with this website continues to be to provide quality maps, images and comments to educate and entertain. Hopefully, that is what I've managed to do.

Motu Iti FP - Smaller is Quicker

2009-07-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

View Motu Iti FP in a larger map

Motu Iti FP - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:10,000)

Motu Iti FP - EEVS Precision Map (1:10,000)

According to widely accepted geographical feature identification practices Motu Iti and the rocky islets to the east are classified as islets (> 1 sq km). They are still defined as islands for the purposes of claiming Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), sea level to seafloor ownership encompassing a radius of 200 nm or 370 km from this island's shoreline. Interesting as this might be, it is not the reason I mapped these islets. Yesterday, I needed a break from the Komodo Islands project and these islets looked like a good option. I like the Marquesas and these are a part of the Marquesas.

There was nothing especially challenging in the shoreline mapping of these islets. The DigitalGlobe imagery is exceptional. I did preliminary shoreline mapping in Google Earth and finished the project up using Global Mapper. I've spent about 4-hours from start to finish which is par for the course when mapping a simple island shoreline.

Now for my guess work. The main islet, Motu Iti, has scatter vegetation on it. My source, Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands found in Google Books, states that three types of low lying vegetation are found on the islet (Perlman, unpublish notes, 1989). The main islet is said to be 220 meters high. Based on this unsubstantiated elevation, I guesstimated 25-meter contour intervals using visual interpretation of the base imagery. I was unable to use SRTM coverage for these islets as it is of very poor quality. It would be nice to have side views of these islets, but alas, no side views were turned up in my research. Consequently, the elevations are educated WAGs (Wild A...d Guesses).

I'll rest up today and spend time with my wife, doing long overdue honeydos. She will be happy and so will I.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Dining Out During the ESRI Conference - Recommendations from a Local

2009-07-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

Karina's Seafood, Chula Vista CA

ESRI 2009 is about to hit and all of you out-of-towners craving a delicious meal will head for the "Gaslamp Quarter", Old Town or to places along our bay - all of these are nice choices. They are pricey, but nice. I live in San Diego and have dined out quite often. I love to eat Mexican food (blame it on my wife) and seafood (I hear it is healthy). Friend that I am to all of my loyal readers, I'm going to turn you on to a great restaurant located in Chula Vista, about 5 miles south of the Convention Center. Follow the above link and it will give you their menu and a look at their humble digs. The view is urban, the mariachi music can be too loud, but the food is killer! I order the fish fillet plate with chipotle sauce for $12.95. Add in a couple of cervazas and you have a wonderful dining experience for about $20. Now for my favorite part - the waitresses are gorgeous. They are prompt, pleasant and visually pleasing. **** - four stars out of five and you will love your meal and your dining experience.

Enjoy San Diego and the ESRI Conference!

Thoughts - Working on the Komodo Islands EEVS Precision Island Mapping Project

2009-07-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

Komodo Islands, Indonesia

Bima, Indonesia (txu-oclc-21752461-sc50-4) Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

Why Make Another Map of a Previously Mapped Island?

The highly detailed mapping for this group of islands is paper. I create digital maps. The paper map lives in a library map drawer. My digital map will be available for any person wishing to use it. The raster imaged map above is a US 1:250,000 scale topo created from aerial surveys conducted in the 1940s and 50s. The scale my finished map will be useful is between 1:50,000 to 1:125,000. My map will contain additional layers of information detailing types of vegetation and reefs. Plus, I just like to make island maps.

Komodo Islands - EEVS Precision Digitizing using Landsat ETM+ Imagery (1:20,000)

Komodo Islands - EEVS Precision Digitizing using ASTER Imagery (1:20,000) Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Komodo Islands - EEVS Precision Digitizing, Size Modified (1:20,000)

Better is Better and More Accurate is More Accurate

I love the ASTER imagery for this island group. It is extremely detailed and provides a cloud-free look at almost all of the islands within this group. One is able to get an excellent view of different types of vegetation - mangroves, dense forests and scattered brush. Comparing it to the Landsat ETM+ image, the ASTER image provides a greater amount of cloud-free coverage. Combining the two images, ASTER and Landsat, one is able to create a virtually cloud-free image of the Komodo Island group. In the tropics, cloud-free is unique. One challenge was the georectifying of the ASTER image to the Landsat ETM+ image. It took 27 unique ground control points to twist, stretch and tug the ASTER image so that it precisely overlay the base Landsat image. Once that task was accomplished, I got around to digitizing layers of information. My first layer is always the island shoreline. Then comes all of the additional layers. I have completed the beaches and an inland vegetation layer at the northern end of Pulau Komodo and am currently working on the mangrove forest layer.

Pulau Siaba Besar and Kecil Islands - Landsat ETM+ Image (1:20,000)

Pulau Siaba Besar and Kecil Islands - ASTER Image (1:20,000

Pulau Siaba Besar and Kecil Islands - EEVS Precision Map, Preliminary (1:20,000)

Mapping at EEVS using ASTER Imagery

The above map is an example of the level of detail one can extract from the ASTER image. Those dark green areas along the island's shore are mangrove forests. Interestingly, these mangrove forests seem to primarily form along the eastern shores of the islands. This would be where the water is less turbulent.

Komodo Islands - Mangroves

The vegetation layer identified as EVS Vegetation Wetland, mangrove forest, detailed on the Pulau Siaba Besar map above, would look like the above image, dense dark green foliage along the shore. The dense dark green foliage that one sees inland will be classified as EVS Vegetation Forest (Hi). As you can see from the above image, much of the land is sparsely covered with vegetation. I have identified that layer as EVS Vegetation Scattered, which will include low lying grasses and small bushes.

Comparison - Landsat ETM+ to ASTER Images (1:5,000)

Pulau Siaba Kecil Island - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth, Size Modified (1:5,000)

Pulau Siaba Kecil Island - EEVS Precision Map, Preliminary, Size Modified (1-5,000)

Mapping at Scales Between 1:1,000 to 1:2,500 Using DigitalGlobe Imagery

In a perfect world, maps created from DigitalGlobe imagery found in Google Earth would be owned by their map maker and that map maker would be free to use that map anywhere and anytime they wished. No restrictions. No ownership delimmas. Just a map one would be free to use as one sees fit. But this world isn't perfect and DigitalGlobe and Google Earth have stern restrictions on how one is allowed to use their imagery. Pulau Siaba Kecil EEVS precision map was constructed off of DigitalGlobe imagery found in Google Earth. I am able to post my map, but there are restrictions on how I might use this map further. With that said, let's move on.

I decided to experiement using DGs hi-res imagery found in GE. I have used their mapping tools before and found them easy to use, intuitive and flexible. There are drawbacks, but one can work around them easily. The DG imagery allowed me to digitize the dense vegetation along the island's western shore. I have mixed feelings working with hi-res imagery. It is the best for extremely accurate work, but sometimes it is too much. If you aren't careful, you can find yourself digitizing the location of individual trees or offshore rocks. That is overkill for my maps.

All other mapping within the Komodo Island group will be taken from ASTER or Landsat ETM+ imagery. A variety of vegetation layers will be used, along with at least two reef layers. All of the islands are outlined and I am currently working on vegetation layers for Pulau Komodo. Wish me luck and...

Enjoy!

Robinson Crusoe Island CL - When This Old World is Getting You Down or Two Other Maps

2009-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Robinson Crusoe Island CL

Robinson Crusoe Island - Landsat ETM+ S-17-30_2000 (1:85,000)

Robinson Crusoe Island - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:85,000)

Robinson Crusoe Island - EVS Precision Map (1:85,000)

When This Old World is Getting You Down

At times we all wish we could pull a "Robinson Crusoe", find some forgotten spot, seldom visited, yet replete with all the necessities of life - food, water, clothing and shelter. A place without financial pressures, martial woes, busy urban scene and no threat of crime spilling into our fragile lives. I'm not sure that place exists. Alexander Selkirk, the individual Daniel Defoe based his Robinson Crusoe character on, was so lonely by the end of his four year exile, he gladly rejoined the crew of the individuals who had originally abandoned him. His life on previously uninhabited Isla Mas a Tierra was often wretched. His diet was life sustaining, but challenging to gather. His clothing was handmade and unkept. His shelter is reputed to be a cave. He spent many lonely hours at his lookout scanning the horizon for a ship that might rescue him.

With that said, we still wish we could escape to his place. We all know in our heart of hearts we would do better. We would not grow lonely, but using our 21st century knowledge and preplanning, our island life would be a special time to reflect on the world and all of its mysteries and how we fit into them. When we grow tired of our adventure, we would merely dial our satellite phone and be whisked away, back to our previous lives.

Robinson Crusoe Island - Wikimedia Commons

Robinson Crusoe Island - Source Unknown (1:120,000)

Two Other Maps

A map is seldom an entirely unique creation. Robinson Crusoe Island has been mapped many times. Some of these are excellent compositions. I used two other maps to aid in the construction of my map. The first one, found in the Wikipedia article on Robinson Crusoe Island was used to gather feature names. The second map, source unknown, was used to confirm certain feature names and supply any new ones not found on the first "helper" map.

The vector files making up my EVS precision map were created using Landsat ETM+ and DigitalGlobe from Google Earth. The majority of the shoreline was extracted from DigitalGlobe imagery. Where clouds obscured the land, I used Landsat to map the underlying area. The 50-meter contours were derived from SRTM data. There is a problem with the elevations, some of the higher elevations are dramatically different than what they should be. El Yunque Peak is supposed to be 913-meters, but is shown to be approximately 650-meters using SRTM data. I did not correct the erroneous elevations in this version of my map. Perhaps, I'll correct them later.

Robinson Crusoe Island - Chilean Nautical Chart 5410 (1:50,000)

Finally, for all of you sailors that wish to explore Robinson Crusoe Island, the Chilean Hydrographic Office (SHOA) has a nautical chart you might wish to purchase. The above image is a copy of it.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - How Many Uninhabited Islands in the World?

2009-06-18T23:08:00.001-07:00

First one must define island. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Part VIII:

1. An island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide.

2. Except as provided for in paragraph 3, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf of an island are determined in accordance with the provisions of this Convention applicable to other land territory.

3. Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.

Now how about nations with lots of islands? Let's list those: Sweden 221,800; Finland 179,584; Canada 53,000; Norway 50,000; Indonesia 17,504; Philippines 7,107; Greece 6,000; Japan 3,000 and Maldives 2,000. In just these nine island rich countries, over 500,000 islands are accounted for. Now for the good news for all of you folks that want to find your own uninhabited island. That place where you can get away from all of the worries of the world - an uninhabited island. Of the 500,000 islands located in these nine countries, only 11, 000 (2%) have a permanent population. That leaves 539,000 (98%) mostly very small islands that have zero population. So take heart all of you Robinson Crusoes, there is an uninhabited island just waiting for you to claim it.

Enjoy!