EVS-Islands

When is an island an island? Silly question? Not really.

My current database of island names consists of approximately 86,000 unique names. It is a very complete list. I have it loaded into Marplot and am able to locate quickly and accurately, islands throughout the world. However, quite often, my island names database lacks the names of small off-shore islands. They are often referred to as islets, rocks, cays, sand bars, reefs or motus. Technically, they are islands - naturally formed areas of land, surrounded by water, which are above water at high tide. (definition taken from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Part VIII).

--As my maps are not yet complete, I will use Landsat ETM+ imagery for this discussion.--

How many islands are within the Pulau Romang Group of islands, Indonesia? I count nine main islands - Romang, Nyata, Mitan, Laut, Tellang, Limtutu, Kital, Maopora and Dyuha. Around Pulau Romang are an additional eight small off-shore islands. In the Pulau Tellang Group are four more off-shore islands. Pulau Maopora has eight more. That totals up to an additional 20 off-shore islands.

Every island has stories to tell, even the small, seemingly insignificant dots that are just off-shore. Consequently, when I map at a scale that permits me to digitize these off-shore entities, I map them. I feel they need to be recognized so that they have an opportunity to tell their stories. Unfortunately, their stories are seldom known, except to locals. That's a shame.

So, how many islands are there within the Pulau Romang Group? Is it nine or is it 29? Either way, I always show them on my EVS island maps. I can't say the same for other mapping efforts, but on mine you will see the very small off-shore islands in all of their glory eager to share their stories.

Enjoy!

Labels: Indonesia, island, Landsat, Marplot, Pacific

Posted by Mr Minton at 2/24/2007 10:42:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Tehuata Atoll FP

I am approaching 300 completed posts. By April 2007 I should finish another 22 posts and that will put my total for the first year of this blog at 300 completed posts. Of those, 150 will be completed island mapping projects. They include very large island shorelines - Taiwan to the very small - Bulgarian Islands. I have mapped the newsworthy islands - Carterets to the small and out-of-the-way - Eiao. My collection of completed EVS quality maps is impressive. It is my hope that many of you have downloaded most of either the Landsat imagery and the EVS island maps into your folder called "EVS Islands". Some of you requested the use of my map files - no problem. I sent you whatever layer(s) of data you required. As I stated to a student requesting my help on her mapping project, "I offer it for free, because it brings me enjoyment to create a map where none, consisting of EVS quality, existed before."

Long time readers know that my wife periodically comments regarding my efforts, "Show me the money!" Okay, I'll show you and her the potential money.

If I were to dollarize my efforts on this blog, it would amount to $24,000 for the 150 completed mapping projects ((150-projects x 4-hours) x $40 per hour) and $6,000 for the 150 other posts ((150-posts x 2-hours) x $20). All of my other incidental work to maintain and improve both the quality of this site and of my mapping efforts, based on hours invested, would be valued at $6,000 (300-hours x $20). That is $36,000 value for my product and efforts.

I am dollarizing my efforts and output conservatively. What I have not dollarized is the value of my audience - you, the readers. My site has had over 20,000 page views in slightly under 10-months. My visitors are a unique fraternity. They enjoy maps and islands. They appreciate the projects for their face-value ("Nice map!") and their suggestiveness ("I would love to visit that place."). They are both GIS shakers and the GIS enjoyers. They live all around the world - over 150 countries and counting. They have a great deal of value both monetarily and in their daily affirmation of my mapping efforts.

So, what is the value of my EVS-Islands blog? $36,000 plus the additional value of 20,000 page views the first year! Wow! That's impressive. It is far more than I earn as a middle-school teacher.

Note to Myself - Why do you do what you do for free?

Answer to Myself - Because I love it!

Question to Myself - Isn't that life's purpose?

Enjoy!

Labels: blog, dollarize, mapping, value

Posted by Mr Minton at 2/21/2007 06:22:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Kingman Reef is a US Minor Island Possession. Reefs are curious structures. If they qualify as above water islands, they enable a country to control a 200-NM Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and that is alot of potential resources to control. If the reef is a below-water, it is merely a hazard to navigation and an interesting spot for scientists and surfers. Kingman has a small strip of cobbled land that rises 1-meter above sea level. During any sort of stormy conditions, Kingman Reef is below water or, at best, a reef awash. However, during calm weather, Kingman Reef supports a sliver of an island making it EEZ elgible.

In 1983, President Ronald Regan declared Kingman Reef and Palmyra Island an EEZ of the United States. As stated above, EEZs represent potential riches for the country controlling them. The last image in the above pictobrowser shows the results of a USGS project to catalog the EEZs of the United States using GLORIA sidescan-sonar imagery. It shows the sea floor in the area of Kingman and Palmyra. All of this area is controlled by the United States. We are not alone in our quest to control underwater real estate. All nations with access to a shoreline are in the EEZ business. Even if they don't work the real estate, others will pay them dearly to mutually benefit.

Finally a comment about my image that compares a World Vector Shoreline (WVS) and my own Enhanced Vector Shoreline (EVS) of Kingman Reef. One of us is off, way off! And it isn't me! The WVS shows a reef that is about 28-miles N/S by 60-miles E/W. My EVS depiction of Kingman Reef shows it to be 5.5-miles N/S by 9-miles E/W. My product was created using Landsat ETM+ imagery whereas the WVS was created off of God knows what, by who knows what. The WVS vectors are grossly enlarged and misplotted

Now for the "wasted money" part. I think it is ironic that an enlarged misplot could cost money. I looked at cataloged imagery held by Digital Globe. It turns out that someone, probably NIMA or Navy, had the enlarged WVS area imaged. Kingman Reef is covered by three Digital Globe images. The Digital Globe sequence of images encompassing the misplotted WVS Kingman Reef consists of at least 60 images. At about $1,500 an image a big chunk of deep ocean was studied. The imagery alone would have cost $90,000. It appears someone commissioned the satellite imaging of a vector misplot! Somebody spent good money to determine the extent of bad mapping. Seems like bad business to me.

Enjoy!

Labels: atoll, Digital Globe, EVS, island, Landsat, Line Islands, map, Marplot, Pacific, reef

Posted by Mr Minton at 2/18/2007 05:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post