Reworking the Layers
My EVS Layers. I have tweaked and twirled these layers over a 12-month period. The colors are what I frequently change. Trying to find the perfect color balance has not been an easy process. And I am still not satisfied with the colors...some of them, not all of them. For example, the EVS Land Arid is not dark enough. It looks okay (too light) on the screen, but when the map is printed the color is too light. I will get the right color eventually. My tweaking did not stop with the colors, but continued on with EVS Reef layers. Where I had six EVS Reef layers, now I have eight layers. These allow for a more accurate Reef definition. My EVS Vegetation layers now number four distinct layers. This group most likely will grow as I gain proficency at interpreting Landsat imagery. When I first began making EVS maps, I felt that if I could merely construct Enhanced Vector Shorelines that would satisfy my goal of creating a more detailed world shoreline map. However, working with the Pacific islands one must account for many additional layers of information (Reefs and Lagoons) that contribute to an island's ultimate geographic "footprint". I do not suspect that this will be the case as I map islands in other areas. I have mapped Greek islands and their shorelines are very straightforward. Layers of information can be added, but reef complexity, for example, does not apply to these islands. I am certain that I will tweak more layers. The maps I now create are solid cartographically. Plus, they look great too.
