EVS-Islands

Hatutu Island - Digital Globe Image (1:25,000)

Hatutu island - Marplot Map (1-25,000)

Let me begin by apologizing to the fine folks at DigitalGlobe. Their imagery for this island is actually depicted by the bottom half of the image composite. The upper, grainy image is a thumbnail of imagery they have in their archive for this island. So, if I would have had the northern imagery to combine with the southern portion of the island, you would be looking at a nearly cloud-free image of Hatutu Island, which isn't cloud-free very often.

However, the shoreline I was able to fashion from this composite is excellent, based on the available imagery. The shoreline would allow researchers the opportunity to plot information onto the island surface with reasonable accuracy. Let me modify that, with excellent accuracy based on currently available mapping.

Hatutu Island - West to East Profile Using SRTM Data

I'm still waiting for my funding source - merely a living wage, access to Digital Globe's extensive archive of Hi-Res imagery and then get out of my way and let me make maps to share with the rest of us FOR FREE. That's all I need. Any takers?

Enjoy!

Labels: DigitalGlobe, EVS, French Polynesia, Global Mapper, island, Marplot, Marquesas, SRTM

Posted by Mr Minton at 5/25/2007 06:54:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

According to a news report in the Guardian Unlimited, the displaced islanders of Diego Garcia can return home. Almost 40-years ago they were forcefully moved. Every since that deportation, the islanders have tried to return to their homes. Britian said "No!". The United States military said "No!". It was the British courts that finally said "Yes!". What is surprising is that the courts took 40-years to recognize this injustice. Just because you need a military base, does not give one the right to steal property from the rightful owner. I do hope this episode is finished and the islanders can get on with their lives.

Oh, yes, I do know that this post contains an image and map of Egmont Island which is located in the same area as Diego Garcia Atoll. I doubt if the islanders would want to settle on this island. It is not as resource rich as Diego Garcia is. They will want to return to their old homes which were located on Diego Garcia. The image and map of Egmont are some of my best work to date.

Enjoy!

Labels: BIOT, Diego Garcia, Egmont

Posted by Mr Minton at 5/24/2007 11:15:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Malta - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1-50,000)

The first part of this post is called "Mapping Malta". Not necessarily a big island, but the shoreline has been quite a challenge to digitize. I am about 3/4's finished with the first pass using DigitalGlobe's imagery from Google Earth as my base and the digitizing capabilities of GE to map the shoreline. In the process, I have mapped moles, groins, breakwaters, quays, piers, slipways, ramps and a few dry docks. Thanks to DigitalGlobe's fantastic imagery, my shoreline mapping challenge is greatly magnified. But that's okay. Once this shoreline is finished, it will be a WOW!

Malta - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1-6,250)

Malta - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth (1-3,125)

Malta - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth Detail Shoreline (1-2,500)

The three detailed shoreline images above are extracted from the southern side of Malta. The coast appears to be made up of a base rock layer that sea and air manages to split apart and gradually weather these rocks into pebbles after many, many years. The rocks on the last images are very large. The rectangular-shaped boulder is over 17-meters by 17-meters! If that rock were in the sea, alone, it would be an island. Based on my mapping criteria, it is part of the shoreline. How should I classify this portion of the Malta shoreline? Rocky? That doesn't do it justice. Big Rocky? Better. Lots of Really Big Rocks Scattered Within 100-Meters of the Unfragmented Shoreline? Now, I like that name. I will work on the nomenclature to transform "wordy" into a succinct EVS label.

Malta - Landsat Image N-33-35_2000 Detail Shoreline (1:2,500)

I couldn't leave this post without giving you Landsat ETM+ 2000's comparable image of the same shoreline area. Digital Globe's HiRes imagery is amazing, from a mapper's perspective. The most accurate global shoreline freely available, NGA's Prototype Global Shoreline (PGS), approximately tracks the Landsat ETM+ shorelines. It is an impressive effort that will be useful in a wide variety of projects. But when you compare it to Digital Globe's derived shorelines - Forget about it! As you would expect.

Enjoy!

Labels: DigitalGlobe, EVS, Global Shorelines, Landsat, Malta, NGA, PGS

Posted by Mr Minton at 5/23/2007 11:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post