Ailuk Atoll RMI - 49 Named Motus Out of 57

Ailuk Atoll - Locator Map from ARB-127

Ailuk Atoll - Map From ARB-127

Just a few more atolls to map to complete the Republic of Marshall Island (RMI), specifically the Radak Chain. This particular island is made up of 49 named motus out of 57 total. I labeled a few of the larger motus. The atoll is home to 488 people. They make their living from harvesting and the sale of copra, fishing andcatering to the few tourists that come their way.

Ailuk Atoll - Landsat Image N-59-10_2000 (1:165,000)

Ailuk Atoll - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:165,000)

I began this mapping project using the Landsat image. The clouds obscure many of the motus and underlying reefs. I checked out Google Earth's imagery and found the above DigitalGlobe image. First I constructed an image mosaic from the DG data, georeferenced it using my Landsat image. Once finished, I digitized the following layers of information: Island Polygon, Vegetation, Reef Awash, Reef Break, Reef Shallow and finally Reef Deep. Due to the size of this atoll and to display the entire atoll on one page required a scale of 1:165,000.

Ailuk Atoll - EVS Precision Map (1-165,000)

And here is the finished map. I only labeled the larger motus. The map took about 10 hours to complete. The motus were mapped primarily using DG images from Google Earth except in the southern part of the atoll where no DG imagery is posted. Whereas the reefs were mapped primarily from Landsat N-59-10_2000 imagery.

I finished the map at 12:00 AM this morning. At the time, the map and the post looked pretty good. This morning I had to make a number of corrections to both the post and the map. A word of advice, don't map after midnight. Your judgement gets cloudy and can obscure your normally keen perception.

Enjoy!

Mejit Island RMI - Los Lonely Island

Mejit Island

Mejit Island - Landsat Image N-59-10_2000 (1:31,250)

Mejit Island - EVS Precision Map (1:31,250)

The Marshall's are home to numerous atolls, many with a classic shape consisting of a deep central lagoon surrounded by shallow reefs and an occasional sliver of land with vegetation. That is except for islands like Mejit. It is a chunk of land between 5 to 10 meters high covered with lush vegetation and completely surrounded by a shallow reef. The shallow fringing reef makes landing difficult. There are 497 people living on Mejit. The islanders have an excellent school, medical facility and fishing is great. They also have a freshwater lake on their island that is supposed to be wonderful to swim in. Also, it seems that many of the coral atolls harbor poisonious fish, but the fish of Mejit are safe to eat.

How would you like to live and die on this small island? It is approximately 1 sq mile in area. To live your entire life within 1 sq mile seems confining. I am confident Mejit has had residents that have lived on this piece of coral from birth to death. Were they frustrated by their island's size limitation? Or were they so caught up in their daily lives that the size of their island never really entered their minds? Who knows!

If it appears the map was simple and fast to construct, you are right. It is a simple map, but the vectors are EVS precise and that makes for a good map.

Enjoy!

Utirik & Taka Atolls RMI - One With and One Without, People That Is.

Utirik & Taka Atolls

Utirik & Taka Atolls - EVS Precision Map (1:170,000)

Utirik Atoll - Landsat N-59-10-_2000 Image (1:100,000)

Utirik Atoll - EVS Precision Map (1:100,000)

Utirik Atoll is the northernmost RMI atoll with a permanent population. 490 people harvest copra, catch fish and work at any other means to put food on the table and maintain a quality of life suitable for them and their families.

Taka Atoll - Landsat N-59-10_2000 Image (1:100,000)

Taka Atoll - EVS Precision Map (1:100,000)

About 6-miles away is the uninhabited Taka (or Toke) Atoll. People from Utirik Atoll periodically visit Taka Atoll to harvest copra and catch fish.

The maps took 6-hours to complete. If you study the maps closely you will notice two additional reef layers of information. I added Reef Awash for very shallow reef and Reef Break for the area of reef marked by breaking waves. All other layers, Island Polygon, Vegetation, Reef Shallow and Reef Deep are included as well. This was a satisfying map making effort.

Enjoy!

Taongi Atoll - Uninhabited, H-Bombs and My EVS Precision Map

ARB-127 Ornithology of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands

Taongi Atoll (H.O. 6024) ARB-127

Marshall and Gilbert Islands ARB-127

I enjoy reading the Smithsonian Atoll Research Bulletin available at the above link as PDF documents. First encountering them at Scripps Institute of Oceanography's library, I most especially enjoyed the detailed discussion of specific atolls. The articles are scholarly in content, yet accessible to the interested public.

A few years ago I took a class on how to work with enamel. It was instant gratification. Coat the copper plate with different colors of enamel, cook for about 1-minute at 1500°, let cool for 5-minutes and you have your finished work of art. You'll never guess what I made, my very first project was a map of an atoll, Taongi Atoll. I used the ARB-127 map based on chart H.O. 6024. It turned out nice. Why Taongi, why not!

Last week I was browsing my collection of ARB's and was looking at the collection of maps of all of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands which make up a significant portion of ARB-127. I studied the Taongi Atoll map and decided that I would make an EVS precision map of the island. Using Landsat N-59-10_2000 as my base image I constructed my map in about 4-hours. The bulk of the time was spent digitizing the coral heads scattered throughout the lagoon. But more on that later.

Operation Hardtack - Proposal to include Taongi Atoll as H-bomb test site

While researching the atoll, I came across a once classified document proposing that Taongi Atoll be used as a site to explode atomic bombs. This atoll would have been the third atoll besides Bikini and Enewetak, to be catastrophically damaged by slowly desolving nuclear radiation. Cooler heads prevailed and Taongi Atoll was spared. The ordinances intended for Taongi Atoll were exploded at the Nevada test site.

Taongi Atoll - Landsat Image from N-59-10_2000 Standard Landsat ETM+ Colors (1:110,000)

Taongi Atoll - Landsat Image from N-59-10_2000 Modified Colors for Reef Digitizing (1:110,000)

Now for my map. I was convinced I could create a map that would be far superior to the H.O. 6034 version in ARB-127. Looking at the standard Landsat image, I could see that the mapping would be uncomplicated. Curious soul that I am, I decided to play around with colors. After a number of color tweaks, I discovered the puke green image. The shallow reef was a lighter puke green and the deep reef a different shade of green. As a bonus this color tweak turned the island vegetation into a reddish pink. In addition, this color scheme allowed for a greater number of coral head to be digitized.

Taongi Atoll - EVS Precision Map (1:110,000)

And here is my finished map. The scale is 1:110,000 (1 cm = 1.1 km). My finished EVS precision map of Taongi Atoll contain my normal vector layers; island polygon, vegetation, shallow reef and deep reef. I tried something different when labeling. I used a feature in Global Mapper to assign text to a specific point and in this way I assigned lat/lons. The island names and other text were also assigned using Global Mapper. I used MS Draw to construct the lat/lon lines. I think this is a good mapping effort.

Today, the atoll is a nature preserve and remains uninhabited. Thanks to some unknown beaurecrat, the island remains nuclear radiation free!

Enjoy!

Ebon Atoll RM - One More Look At A Quality Map

Ebon Atoll - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1:80,000)

Ebon Atoll - EEVS Marplot Map (1:80,000)

Ebon Atoll - EEVS Map Clear Version (1:80,000)

Ebon Atoll - EEVS Map Final Version (1:80,000)

The final map in this series of images is what I would like to be able to consistently produce. It was compiled at 300 dpi size using ImageForge software. The problem I face is one we all share - great objectives, not enough time. A critical key to my map-making avocation is to either get funding so that I can make MY ISLAND MAPS all of the time or retire and make maps. The first option hasn't happened yet, but I always have hope. The second option is still a few years away. So, I just do what I am able to do and make as many maps as my busy life will allow. Enough about me and my "Oh, Woe is me!" situation.

These images were part of a project I completed in July 2007 while on vacation. The first post was Ebon Atoll RM - Preliminary Maps and the second was Ebon Atoll RM - Fancy Map. I took both the clear Marplot map and the Lat/Lon Marplot map, using ImageForge, I added the finer details that I desire for my completed map projects. The final product, fancied up in ImageForge, is a far superior presentation compared to the Marplot product.

Given time - all of my island mapping projects should be of this quality. Anybody have any extra time I can use?

Enjoy!

Ebon Atoll RM - Fancy Map and Now I'm On Vacation

Ebon Atoll - Marplot Map (1:80,000)

This is the finished Ebon Atoll map I promised a few days ago. Sorry for the delay, but I am on vacation. With the post of this, all of my loose ends are tied up. Now I'm on vacation. So long until the first of August and, rest assured, I will...

Enjoy!