Thoughts - Green Dots on a Deep Black Sea

Cook Islands - Landsat ETM+ Coverage

I have been very busy digitizing islands. In fact, I have just completed digitizing over 3,000 large and small islands making up the western portion of the Solomon Islands. I'm currently digitizing island shorelines in Papua New Guinea. All of this work is being done at EVS precision - using Landsat ETM+ base imagery and digitizing shorelines at a scale between 1:25,000 up to 1:50,000. Some of you have reminded me that because Landsat ETM+ is typically 14.5-meter resolution that digitizing at the scale I work at is overkill. After spending close to 3-years working with 14.5-meter resolution imagery, the maps I am able to produce work quite well. I wouldn't want to sail into a lagoon using only ETM+ imagery, but I could do excellent advance planning and rough navigation using maps derived from this imagery. I know my maps are often far superior in shoreline validity when compared to some of the very old nautical charts still in use today.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about green dots on a deep black sea. In between work on the Solomons and Papua New Guinea, I completed EVS precision mapping of the Cook Islands. The first image in this post struck me. It took seven Landsat ETM+ mosaics to cover the Cook Islands. If you study the above image at full size, almost all of these very small islands are impossible to see. Yet, they enable countries, like New Zealand, to claims (EEZ) enormous chunks of liquid real estate. These very small islands play a significant role in the distribution of world resources. Interesting.

Cook Islands - Marplot Map with 25-km Ocean Masks

The Marplot map of the Cook Islands shows their distribution more clearly. They are scattered about within a peculiarly shaped border, that is if one finds rectangles peculiar. Actually, their EEZs would spill outside of their international border. I'm not sure if the border serves to limit their 200-NM EEZs. If that is the case, too bad for New Zealand and the Cook islanders.

Penrhyn Atoll CW - Landsat S-04-05_2000 Image (1:125,000)

Just to confirm that there are islands located in this broad expanse of black ocean, here is one of them, Penrhyn Atoll. It has a classic atoll shape with a lagoon full of near surface coral heads. I have not researched Penrhyn as I was in a digitizing mode when I worked on it, not in an investigative one.

Penrhyn Atoll CW - EVS Precison Island Polygon Map (1:125,000)

This is my EVS precision map of Penrhyn Atoll. It is a solid shoreline depiction. My customary mapping effort of an atoll would include a number of additional layers of information - reefs, beaches, vegetation. As my client requires only shorelines, I digitizied and mapped the island's above-water shoreline and portion of it's awash reef. Again, it is a solid shoreline mapping effort and one that I will revisit to complete the other layers of information I would typically map.

I am still here, just not able to post as often as I would like. When I finish my paying mapping project (Whoopee!), I will share many, many, many more islands. Until then...

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Be Careful What You Wish For...

It has been a few days since my last post, but it has been a very busy few days. I am working on a paying island mapping project. The client ( who shall remain anonymous) wants the eastern Pacific islands mapped at EVS precision (using Landsat ETM+ as base imagery). For the past four days I've been mapping the Solomon Islands. All I have to do is create a shoreline polygon for each island. If you've ever studied the Landsat imagery for this part of the world there a lots of clouds. Clouds are a royal pain to the shoreline digitizer. However, I am an enterprising soul and am using Landsat 1990 imagery to try and skirt the cloud issue. It works!

Now for the challenge associated with this project. I have 1,000s of islands to digitize, label, add elevation contours and bathymetry, create urban polygons and label, and all of this within two to four weeks.

This is what I wished for and now I have it. I will work many many many hours on this project and get paid a few thousand for my efforts (it's never enough). But am I complaining. No, not at all. This is what I want to do - make EVS precision maps of islands. At the end of this project I will have completed EVS precision mapping for the eastern Pacific. That is quite an accomplishment.

So my "For Hire" shingle is out. Any more takers?

Enjoy!

Thoughts - How and Why I Did What I Did When I Did What I Did

Titan's Methane Seas - Radar Swaths PIA 10008 Modified

Reviewing my RSS science links, I came across an article describing Titan's liquid methane seas that were imaged by the Cassini spacecraft. The article contained a link to the base image of these seas, PIA10008. Studying these seas, I noticed what looked like islands. There they were swimming in a methane sea. Not one or two, but an entire archipelago of islands scatter about the sea. I figured I would construct a map of the islands. To begin my extraterrestrial island mapping project, I downloaded the base image, PIA10008. I was able to determine the appropriate lat/lon grid and this allowed me to georectify the base image. Using Global Mapper v9.01 software, my favorite digitizing software, I created vector shorelines for the islands within the methane sea. A few days later, I went ahead and digitized the entire shoreline of this unnamed methane sea.

Titan's Unnamed Methane Sea

I selected a funky mustard color for the land and pretty blue for the sea and rivers. The resulting map was posted and then the world came to view my creation. I have made so many maps of islands that I failed to appreciate just what I had fashioned - a first map of an extraterrestrial sea and islands. I feel I've made more satisfying maps of islands, but this other worldly depiction is still widely viewed, vigorously discussed and enjoyed by thousands of readers.

Life is swell when you are able to create something appreciated by an audience of first time visitors to your website. I am pleased that my efforts have fired the imagination of island lovers throughout the world.

Enjoy!

Gough Island UK - An Atlantic Isolate

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Gough Island - Landsat S-29-40_2000 (1:65,000)

Gough Island - EVS Precision Map with 50 Meter Contours (1:65,000)

Gough Island, a dependency of Saint Helena Island, is located in the distant south Atlantic. Today, South Africa maintains a weather station on the southeastern tip of the island. This is a blustery portion of the Atlantic and the island is subject to weather extremes. For more detailed information follow this link.

I actually digitized the island shoreline last summer. I wanted to fancy the map up, but had other chores to do. Now that I fancy my maps with Marplot, I finished this map tonite, April 15th - Tax Day. Taxes are a drag, but my map is nice.

Enjoy!

Lukuga River - All Finished! 1,000 Riverine Islands Later.

Lukuga River - Entire River Overview Landsat S-35-05_2000 (1:1,000,000)

I am done! To manually digitize a river is a challenge. Lots and lots of twists and turns make up the river's shoreline, as well as water-inundated areas. One frequently must decide where the river shore ends and the river begins. After one completes the river shore, then comes the islands. The Lukuga River has almost 1,000 island polygons. The majority of this polygons are very small, but the conscientious map maker digitizes every visible feature that might possible belong to a certain layer. Let's take a look at what I was able to accomplish.

Lukuga River - Entire River Overview EVS Precision Map with 100-Meter Contours (1:1,000,000)

At this scale the effort might not look very impressive. However, having digitized this east-west flowing African river and it's many islands, it is an impressive effort. I've added SRTM generated 100-meter contours. Lake Tanganyika makes up the eastern edge and the Lualaba River is the western edge. Now for a few close-ups.

Lualaba and Lukuga Confluence - Landsat S-35-05_2000 (1:50,000)

Lualaba and Lukuga Confluence - 3D View Landsat S-35-05_2000 (1:50,000)

Lualaba and Lukuga Confluence - EVS Precision Map (1:50,000)

This series of images show the confluence of these two rivers. The Lukuga has meandered over relatively flat westward sloping terrain for about 200 kilometers before joining the Lualaba. The large island at the western end of the Lukuga is a water inundated feature that was a challenge to digitize. Water and land quite often blend making digitizing difficult.

Lake Tanganyika and Lukuga Confluence - 3D View Landsat S-35-05_2000 (1:250,000)

Lake Tanganyika and Lukuga Confluence - EVS Precision Map with100-Meter Contours (1:250,000)

These images show the Lukuga flowing from Lake Tanganyika through the town of Kemba. The Landsat image shows agricultural lands throughout this area. The river then courses through a cleft between the hills to the west.

I'm going to go ahead and post this. I have one more series of images to include, but I'll add them when I return after a date with my wife. I hope you all find this effort interesting. I, myself, find it extremely satisfying. This river is mapped at EVS precision, manual digitizing from Landsat ETM+ 14.5-meter resolution base imagery.

Enjoy!

Data - Locations of 506 Crude Oil Refineries

Locations of 506 Crude Oil Refineries

First, I'd like to credit RoadRunner for his original Google Earth (GE) post titled "The World's Crude Oil Refineries". This data was compiled and posted to GE in October 2005. In his post he references a list of Oil Refineries in Wikipedia as his source. Whatever his source, I wanted the locations of these refineries and bpd production figures so that I could map them in Marplot.

I took his data, which was in the form of a KMZ file. Then I loaded it into Global Mapper and exported the data into a SHP file format. I took the resulting DBF file and modified the data so that my Marplot record would read - refinery name and 2005 production in bpd. I connected this with the refineries lat/lon. I created a layer within Marplot called Refineries, imported my modified file and now have the locations of 506 Crude Oil Refineries in my EVS Projects map file. Oh yes, I do have the original data in SHP and KMZ/KML formats. If you want to see RoadRunner's original data, follow the above link. If you want to see my data, look at the map. If you want a copy of the file from which to create your own layer of information, drop me a line and tell me your desired file format and I'll see what I can do.

The original file is the work of RoadRunner. He gets all of the credit or non-credit. The production figures for many of these refineries have changed. I don't have the new figures, that is for you to gather. Some of the refineries within the list are not refineries at all, but something else. However, if you are an energy industry person, this is a great starter list.

Enjoy!

Bastoy Island NO - Radio Amateurs and Prisoners

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Bastoy Island - Landsat ETM+ Image N-32-55_2000 (1-20,000)

Bastoy Island - EVS Precision Map (1-20,000)

When I was a young man I learned a language that used to be widely practiced. Now it is an oddity employed by radio amateurs. Morse code was once the primary method of communication within many sectors of the world of the 1960's and 70's. I encountered it in the military. I still enjoy hearing the "dits" and "dahs".

This island is home for Norway's privledged prisoners. Apparently, Bastoy Island is a minimum security prison that is a choice location for all convicted Norwegian criminals. Not only prisoners visit this island, but radio amateurs as well.

Bastoy Island will be the location that LA4HNA and friends will transmit from between June 20-22, 2008. He will not transmit in CW (morse code), but will use RTTY and SSB. Oh, well, that's ok.
I like RSGBIOTA (Radio Society of Great Britain Islands On The Air). They encourage amateur radio transmissions from islands around the world - a real natural for me.

Someone that looked at LA1NIS's website visited EVS Islands, perhaps looking for a map of Bastoy Island. If they wanted one, now they have it. The map took about 2-hours to complete. The best resolution imagery is Landsat ETM+. However, Statens Kartverks has excellent, highly detailed mapping for all of Norway. I used their mapping to digitize the road network on the island.

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Congo River Journey - Into Africa's "Heart of Darkness"

When I was in 5th grade (10-years old), I told my folks that as soon as school finished, I planned to leave home and do a "Huckleberry Finn" along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. I would construct a raft and float along at a carefree pace. I yearned for that freedom, that independence. Needless to say, I didn't make the raft trip, but a long voyage into uncharted, unexplored waters still holds a fascination for me.

Lukuga River (280-km) - Landsat S-35-05 (1-1,500,000)

The Dark Heart of Africa, the Congo River basin is an expansive, sparsely traveled hydrological highway encompassing the center of Africa. To the west is the Atlantic coast and to the east is the Rift Valley lakes. What a place to explore!

The above image is centered on the Lukuga River, the only major outlet for Lake Tanganyika. It connects to the Lualaba River, which flows into the Congo River. 3067-kilometers later, one would arrive along the Atlantic coast of Africa. What a magnificent journey it would be! The trip of a lifetime.

Lukuga River - Landsat S-35-05 (1-25,000)

My mapping of the Lukuga River, is progressing. I have completed 60% of the river shorelines. The additional 40% of shoreline will be completed before the weekend. Then I will work on the many riverine islands that are found within the river.

Congo River Journey (3067 km) - Lukuga, Lualaba and Congo (1-7,700,000)

Picture yourself in a kayak plenty of supplies and with the assurance you will always have access to necessary supplies. Each day the beauty and magnificence of tropical Africa would be yours to explore.

Unfortunately, this part of Africa is in dramatic turmoil. It is the playground of thugs, killers and miguided fighters that believe a well-aimed bullet solves local, regional, national and multinational problems. Problems that the dead and dying will never solve. An intrepid river explorer would be well-advised to avoid exploring this stretch of river without local guides that have well-established connections with all warring factions. Even then, the trip would be extremely dangerous.

Now let's dream. Image exploring this river system without the fear of death from bullets or machetes. Where the only challenges facing you would be those presented by the rivers, not the people living along the rivers. Maybe a 10-year old kid could seriously dream of exploring these rivers that make up the heart of Africa.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Wow! Who Would've Thunk it!

On February 21, 2008, while reading my science RSS feeds, I came across an article about some stunning radar images of methane seas located on Titan. I followed the links and came across the initial image showing strips of the surface of the northern polar region of Titan. And sure enough, there was something that looked like a sea. And best of all, the image of the sea showed what looked to be islands. "Cool, islands!", I said.

Titan Unnamed Methane Sea Base Image PIA10008

Curious mapper that I am, I downloaded the image, georectified it by deciding that 180° would be south and 0° would be north, and digitized a cluster of islands.

Titan Island Group - Cassini Image PIA 100008 (1:1,000,000)

Due to the interest generated by my first map, I digitized the shoreline and islands of the entire unnamed methane sea, made my map and posted it. And then the fun started.

Titan's Unnamed Methane Sea

Over the past month the above map has been viewed on my site alone in excess of 1,500 times. It was picked up and posted to the following sites: Centauri Dreams, Strange Maps, Io9 Unmanned Spaceflight and a few Livejournal posts out of Russia. This map of extraterrestrial islands in a methane sea has generated lots of new traffic to EVS Islands. Hopefully, they will find the world of terrestrial islands of interest.

Enjoy!