GeoPearls - Thoughts

Daniel's Obama Speech

2008-08-05T10:09:00.001-07:00

Daniel and His Obama Speech

Yolanda, this should be Daniel's video.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Carteret Atoll PP and Sad Thoughts

2006-12-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Carteret Atoll PP

This is a disappearing island. It is not sinking, but sea level is rising and motus are disappearing. One estimate as to when this atoll will sink beneath the ocean surface is by 2015. As a result, the islanders are being relocated to dry land.

The Wikipedia article about Carteret Atoll is excellent in it's scope and detail. By 2007, according to the article, all inhabitants will be relocated. Due to rising seas, the island's fresh water supply is being heavily tainted with saltwater. Another article called "Carteret Islands Evacuation" includes a number of photos and an interview with inahabitants. And finally, The Guardian Unlimited, in an article entitled "Pacific Atlantis" discussed the plight of people living on low-lying islands in this age of melting ice and rising seas.

I love islands! They have an almost magical pull on my very being. This post makes me sad. I will not wade into a discussion of the reasons for this disaster. But a world without low-lying islands, without palm trees leaning from the shore to the water's edge, without beachs to explore, without the sounds of village life, without the sounds of a healthy shoreline is lessened. I don't know that they can be saved, at this point. For my part, I will continue to map them thus giving them a permanent place in our "Blue Marble" psyche.

This is not an "Enjoy!" post.

Thoughts - Creating Contours From SRTM Data Using Global Mapper

2006-12-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

Eiao Island - SRTM/DEM With Contours

Eiao Island - Contours 50-Meter Intervals

This was going to be a "How To" post, but I am not ready to tell you "How To" yet. I am still figuring all of the intricacies that apply to creating contours from Global Mapper. Needless to say, it is a fairly simple process. Load the SRTM DEM/HGT file, determine contour criteria, select "Create Contours" from the File Menu and you have created a series of contours.

Obviously, the contours are only as good as the underlying data (SRTM). As I work more with the data and how it foots with Landsat and Google Earth 1-Meter Imagery, I will gain greater confidence in creating a new layer of information to be included with some of my high islands.

I think it could be a great addition to my EVS Islands. Just have to wait and see.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Kaukura Atoll's 16 EVS Layers

2006-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Kaukura Atoll's EVS Layers

This post is all about EVS layers of information. You might want to pause it between slides and read my notes below the first time through. The next time, view it at a faster speed. So lets discuss the various layers used on this island.

The first 3-slides are for orientation purposes. Kaukura Atoll is located in the Tuamotus. It is a medium sized atoll.

Slide 4 - EVS Ocean Mask - I always place the atolls onto an ocean mask. Marplot has either a white or black background. Both not very practical to display an island on.

Slide 5 - EVS Shoreline - My shorelines were extracted from Landsat imagery. This layer is one of my core layers. It is the reason I make maps in the first place.

Slides 6 & 7 - EVS Land Island & EVS Airfield - The Land Island fills out the island giving it some land to view. If the island I am mapping is high, often this is the only additional land layer I will include, since I do not include elevations.

Slides 8 thru 13 - EVS Vegetation Layers - Althought the identification of vegetation from Landsat is relatively easy, to determine the density of that vegetation is difficult. My EVS Vegetation layers are as consistently identified as I am able to visually do. One of the difficult layers is the EVS Vegetation Wetlands. These tend to show up as a darker shade of green on the base image.

Slides 14 & 15 - EVS Land Bare & Land Sand - These layers define vegetation free areas. Land Bare is darker colored whereas Land Sand is most often white to shades of white.

Slides 16 thru 20 - EVS Reef Layers - The challenge with reefs is to determine depth of water based on what is visible. The reef that is lighter in color I classify as EVS Reef Shallow. As the color of the reef gets darker, I attempt to delineate logical divisions between various depths. My final reef is called EVS Reef Deep which is the darkest area within the lagoon.

These are some of the decisions I have to make as I construct my maps of islands. I strive for consistency and as clean and sharp a delineation as possible between layers.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Poop, Pee, Garbage and Island Pollution

2006-12-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Lukunor Atoll FM

I've spent the morning exploring Pacific Islands using Google Earth while watching Saturday College Football. During my travels, I checked out Lukunor Atoll and noticed something that shows up all too frequently - people pollution.

Lukunor Atoll - The populated motu (1,000+)

What is that dark stuff along the lagoon shore of this motu? I think it is people residue - poop, pee and garbage. It only shows up where people live. These populated atolls aren't known for their state-of-the-art sewage facilities. Most often the poop, pee and garbage end up in the lagoon. I can't speak for Lukunor, but the sewage and garbage most likely ends up in the lagoon. Just a guess.

Lukunor Atoll - The populated motu (1,000+) Detail

This looks like people pollution to me. Especially, when you compare this populated shoreline segment with an uninhabited motu within the same atoll.

Lukunor Atoll - Populated motu and unpopulated motu

The motu on the right is populated. The motu on the left is unpopulated. One motu is marked with an unnatural dark stain along it's shore while the other looks natural. Let's zoom in on the clean shore and take a look.

Lukunor Atoll - Unpopulated motu and a pristine shore

This is an image of a clean shoreline. This motu seems to be unpopulated - no people poop, pee or garbage. This lagoon is flushed continually by the deep blue sea which gains access through some very large hoa's. The atoll would be able to maintain a decent level of cleanliness if it weren't for the people. We apparently generate much more pollution than the normal flushing system can handle.

People will live on islands. They will poop, pee and generate garbage. We need to do a better job at handling the pollution we generate. I know that the issue of pollution control on small islands is one that is oft discussed, but apparently difficult to solve. I don't have a ready answer, but the damage created is visibly evident. We need to be excellent stewards of our world. It is the only one we have.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - Antipode of Qibla at Mecca and the Antipode near Tematangi Atoll FP

2006-12-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Qibla at Mecca SA - Google Earth Image

I have had a number of visitors checking out Atoll Tematangi, the supposed antipode of the Qibla at Mecca. The curious soul that I am, I performed my own calculations. The above Google Earth image is of the Qibla at Mecca. I have annotated the image with the lat-lon (21.422508 39.826138) of the Qibla.

To calculate the antipode of the Qibla at Mecca do the following: 1) switch the sign on the lat 21.422508 to -21.422508. 2) take the lon and subtract it from 180 (180 - 39.826138 = 140.173874) then switch the signs (140.173874 to -140.173874).

Antipode of Qibla at Mecca - Marplot Map

The precise antipode of the Qibla at Mecca is located, as one can see, in the middle of the deep blue sea. The nearest land is Atoll Tematangi FP. However, that island is 50-km to the SW. If one wanted to pray from the precise antipode of the Qibla at Mecca a floating vessel would be required.

If one were to position themselves anywhere on Tematangi Atoll so that they might turn in any direction to pray toward Mecca, they would be 50-kms off (+ or - 6.7-kms the radius of Tematangi Atoll). The image below shows the location of the Antipode of Tematangi Atoll. It is not Mecca, but near a reservoir outside of Jeddah.

Antipode of Tematangi Atoll - Google Earth Image

A final word - the antipode of the Qibla at Mecca is an often discussed topic on the Internet. Some who discuss it do so with disrespect. I, on the other hand, have a great deal of respect for Islam and it's practices. So, I hope this post is not offensive to those of the Islamic faith.

Enjoy!

Thoughts - When is a Shoreline a Shoreline?

2006-12-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Frequent visitors know that I have a dream - to map shorelines of the world at a level of precision which I call Enhanced Vector Shorelines (EVS). Using Landsat ETM+ 2000 imagery, which I might add is the same imagery used to create the Prototype Global Shoreline (PGS), I would delineate, using vectors, all shorelines. PGS came close, but still requires a considerable amount of "fine tuning" before it would mirror EVS precision. In addition, PGS, at the request of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), followed a mapping protocol that excluded water-inundated shoreline (swamps, some wetlands, etc.). Not all was excluded, but some.

WVS and PGS - Landsat Image N-16-10_2000 (1-250,000)

WVS and PGS - Marplot Map

My initial question - When is a Shoreline a Shoreline? - begs to be answered. Intuitively, the WVS seems to track the shoreline. It would be the shoreline that EVS would follow, after improving upon it. PGS, however, follows the inland shoreline. I guess you would call it the permanent shoreline.

If I am a sailor steering my craft into this area, I would be sad when my boat ran aground well before the PGS depicted shoreline was reached. In NGA's zeal to create a consistent shoreline I believe they left out shoreline that all of us map makers, sailors, maritime engineers and coastal commissions would require.

As I make the above statement, I am keenly aware of the nature of these water-inundated shorelines. They are highly dynamic, fluid entities that often exist fleetingly. On the other hand, if they can be imaged by Landsat, or any of the other satellite imaging concerns, they should be mapped.

Most certainly, NGA, along with MDA, have a plan of attack for these shorelines that aren't shorelines. The PGS is a "prototype" waiting to be finished. It is most probably a funding issue that once satisfied will tackle the mapping of the world's dynamic shorelines.

My EVS-approach would be to map these outer margins as shorelines during phase one. If it floats and it is attached, map it. This would include the outer limits of wetlands, mudflats, river deltas, etc.) They would be tagged as dynamic in nature, subject to change. These shorelines, once tagged, could then be monitored on a scheduled basis for any substantitive changes. When changes are detected, digital mapping would be updated. Paper maps would be updated through existing channels (Notice to Mariners, etc.) on a less frequent schedule.

So all of you "sea-faring" folks, all of you with coastal shoreline interests - When is a Shoreline a Shoreline? PGS solution or EVS solution?

Thoughts - PGS to EVS Precision Needs To Be A Reality.

2006-12-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

If you've followed my recent posts you know that there is a great deal of interest in the NGA PGS map product. I had earlier reported that EarthSat had worked 300 man-years on the map files. According to my source, that number was not accurate. The individual I had spoken with had miscalculated. In actuality, they spent 13 man-years on the project. That is still a tremendous investment in time and effort.

To keep my readers abreast of my efforts relating to this database, I do have the NGA PGS database, all 28-files, loaded into my mapping program, Marplot. I use them exclusively when I am working on projects at 1:125,000 and larger. I move portions of them into Global Mapper and Google Earth Plus when I am digitizing shorelines and I require a frame-of-reference. The details that are available in the NGA PGS data are excellent.

I have also converted the Region-6W of the NGA PGS data into KML/KMZ, Google Earth (GE) format, and posted it to GE. It looks great on GE often turning some of their blurry images of islands into recognizable shapes. See my post entitled, How To Convert PGS Map Files into KML/KMZ. I also do comparisons of various shoreline map files, Comparison: PGS, WVS, EVS and 1-Meter Shorelines.

I am sure most of you are aware of my push to take the NGA PGS data to the next level, what I call Enhanced Vector Shorelines or EVS. My post entitled, How To Adjust PGS to EVS Precision - An Example and Thoughts, discusses how to make the adjustments and concludes with my ideas on how this might happen for the entire data set, that is converting PGS to EVS precision.

I know that EVS precision is cartographically sound based on a side-by-side comparison I recently completed using a Land Information New Zealand topographic map and my own EVS version of the same island (Palmerston Atoll). At a scale of 1:25,000 the LINZ map and EVS map are nearly identical. This leads me to conclude that EVS precision can often result in a map product useful at 1:25,000 scale.

I am adamant on two points regarding the NGA PGS map files:

1) They are, without question, the most precise representation of global shorelines available to the public.

2) Realizing that they are Prototypes (needing refinement), PGS should be refined to EVS precision in order to provide the most accurate, finished shoreline possible, derived from Landsat-7 ETM+ 2000 imagery.

So goes my quest to make this refinement a reality.

Thoughts - PGS Stutter and Sharp Turn Vectors

2006-12-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

PGS EarthSat Stutter Vectors

These stutter vectors occur throughout the world on the PGS data base. They are obviously a hiccup in the automated vector drawing tool used by EarthSat. They show up as you zoom in. Are they a problem? If NGS paid per vector they definitely were overcharged. If the user does not zoom to the 1:7,280 scale, they are barely visible. However, if you expect PGS to track the visible shoreline, they are a problem. They are a problem that occurs throughout the PGS data base. These stutter vectors should be cleaned up.

PGS EarthSat Sharp Turn Vectors

These sharp turn vectors are angles that do not track the coastline. Again they are found throughout the PGS data base, so it happened during the vector creation phase. You can follow a curving shoreline that periodically has these sharp turns interspersed throughout. Again, they are barely discernable at 1:62,500 and above. However, they are part of the PGS data base and they do not track the shoreline accurately. They should be corrected as well.

EVS will correct all of these issues. EVS, properly administered, identifies the visible shoreline, and then tracks it with greater precision than PGS. PGS took a great deal of time, effort and money. A team of volunteers needs to adjust PGS to EVS precision. A one-time effort by volunteers using rigorous guidelines and then having their work QC'd to ensure an EVS quality map file.

Thoughts - What I Do For Fun, Besides Maps

2006-12-26T09:35:00.001-08:00

I do have a life beyond maps and map-making. Yesterday, I worked on computers in my classroom. Regular readers know that I am a middle school teacher in my other life. On my summer breaks I spend time in my classroom preparing it for the next school year. This summer, I am installing three donated Dell Optiplex Pentium III computers. I am not a computer nerd. I am a map nerd, not a computer type.

I have loaded them with operating systems, programs and even got them to talk successfully to my wireless router. The students will have three, Internet-ready computers to work with next school year.

The students will prepare PowerPoint presentations on people and events within World and US History. They also conduct Internet research on assigned projects. I use a laptop connected to a projector to teach the students history lessons. Every major unit is prefaced by a Google Earth Tour of the site(s) where things happened. For current events I use Google Earth and we tour the "hot-spots" throughout the world.

The students also work with maps. They routinely create political, physical, and thematic maps. Every chance I get to use a map to teach, I do it! I feel the students need to visualize history upon a map. I love that part of my job.Finally, I will continue teaching a few students, in an after school program, the gentle art of map-making. I teach them how to make maps from the base image to the final product. It is great fun and the audience is always eager to learn. I use my experiences to teach them the methods to employ in order to generate a quality map. It is great fun.

So goes my fun summer. I also take my grandchildren for a swim as often as we can. It is a great way to beat the heat.

Thoughts - Don't Worry, Be Happy! Island Life is Number One!

2006-12-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Why do I make maps of islands? Most likely because I would like to make a protracted visit to an island. An island is off the beaten path. An island can provide a simpler lifestyle. All of these are good reasons, but my reason is still being determined. However, according to an article published in the Mirror.co.uk, the No. 1 best place to live in the world is ... Vanuatu. The South Pacific still offers a strong allure.

Thoughts - Why Everyone Should Construct Their Own World Shoreline Vector Map - The Reasons

2006-12-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

I was so excited about posting the previous post that I forgot to tell you "why" you should make your own WSVM.

First - Just for the thrill of doing it. Taking software and vector files, smashing them together and getting what you set out to obtain is real cool! It is a challenge that can be met. Do I expect any of you to make the WSVM just because it is cool? Maybe. But, I do know that some of my vistors are folks like me, with a passion for maps and the craft of map making. And some of those visitors love a bargin, like free stuff. If you follow the steps, you can make your very own WSVM.

Second - All of us need to keep our creative juices flowing. Sure, you can purchase an atlas for a few bucks. It will show you the world according to the atlas maker's vision. But, how much more satisfying is it when you construct the world according to your vision. It is much more difficult, time consuming and challenging smashing all of that data together and eventually getting your very own WSVM creation. It is deeply satisfying.

Third - It is so good to be a life-long learner. We all need to learn. Learn about new software. Learn about shorelines and what they define. Learn about islands scattered about our seas, oceans, lakes and rivers. Learn about magnificent river deltas that splash out into oceans. Learn about the Caspian Sea shorelines. Learn, learn learn!

Those are three very good reasons why one should make their very own WSVM. Take it from me, I have made probably 10 to 15 WSVMs. They all come out differently. Yes, they show world shorelines, but how they show them is my choice. And I love making that choice!

Thoughts - Why Everyone Should Construct Their Own World Shoreline Vector Map

2006-12-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

I am relaxing, listening to Boz Scaggs singing "Harbor Lights" and I am thinking about why it is so important that everybody should learn to construct their very own World Shoreline Vector Map (WSVM).

First, my regular visitors know that I use a "poor man's" mapping program called Marplot. It is free and it works for my purposes. If you follow the above link, you will wonder why someone would bother to put a world shoreline vector map into software that was designed for EPA useage. Again, it is free and it works. When you install the program you will find a Maryland county pre-loaded. I believe it is Prince William County. You will see a very busy image. As you zoom in you will begin to distinguish roads, building locations, and various other Tiger info. To build your WSVM, you must delete these layers of information. Once these layers are deleted you can begin to prep Marplot for importing of vectors to create your WSVM. I name my layers for the data I am importing into them. For example, when I created the NGA Prototype Global Shoreline (NGA PGS) layers, I named them NGA PGS ## (appropriate number associated with the file). I also create a layer group (NGA PGS Shorelines) that holds all of the associated layers.

So, lets create a NGA PGS World Shoreline. Go to NGA PGS site and download each of the 32 files onto your desktop, or other storage device. They will arrive as zipped shp files. Now for the "poor man's" data conversion secret - shptomie.exe. It is a small, efficient program that does one thing well - convert shp files into mie formats. The program downloads ready to go. You will be asked to identify, from a list of choices the name for each object. Pick one. You won't use it, but it is fun to do. Next, you select the Marplot layer. I would name them for each file. For example, file #1 would be layer NGA PGS 1 and so on. Next, and very important, name the map you will import into. My map is called World Shoreline. Each file fill be imported into this map - World Shoreline. Each file, all 32 of them, will occupy their own unique layer. Trust me, it makes for fast importing and flexibility when working with your map. Once all of the files have been converted and placed into your NGA PGS folder, located on your desktop, you can begin importing them into Marplot.

The importing process is simple and typically fast, depending on your computer. From within Marplot select from the menu - File, Import and then go into your folder and select the first mie file to import. Import it - it is a Marplot formated file! When it is completed, import the next file. Bring in all of the 32-files, one at a time, each into it's own unique layer. When they are all into Marplot , you get to define the layer.

Construct a group layer to place all of the NGA PGS layers into. Select the layer, ctl-i, select the group and enter. Do that with each layer until you have each of the layers into that group layer. Then select the group and determine an appropriate color for the lines, thickness, fill or no fill, and symbol. Then select Range and determine when to show the layer and when to hide it. Don't show names or icons. A practical range for the NGA PGS is 1-cm = 120-km. When you go out farther than that the load time is very slow.

My WSVM contains shorelines for 1:2000000 scale available from NOAA Coastlines. I downloaded by WSVM @ 1:2000000 in sections and in ARC/Info Ungenerate format, which drops straight into Marplot. But, this is another story.

PS - I realize pictures would have made this post much more practical, but - so it goes. If this post tickles your fancy and you would like to give this exercise a try and you require more info, drop me a line and I will talk you through it.

PPSS - And yes, I know that there are powerful mapping packages, some of them at little cost others quite costly, that will map rings around Marplot. Marplot works for me and I am sure it can work for others.

Thoughts - Jean-Pierre Langer and His Island Maps

2006-12-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Jean-Pierre and Colette Langer - The Original Island Mapper

Makatea Island Map - An Example of Jean-Pierre's Work

Jean-Pierre is an important inspiration for my island mapping. I remember coming across his work on various websites. All of his island products were consistent, attractive and reasonably accurate. I love his simple, yet very effective maps. He maintains his Geovoyages website that contains all of his island maps.

I believe he said that he worked off of nautical charts, satellite imagery and any other available resources. His map work was done in Adobe Illustrator (I think - not sure). His maps are of the little geo-pearls that are seldom mapped. His contribution to the depiction of these islands in a cartographic style can be appreciated on a number of websites that use his island imagery.

My one and only email conversation with Jean-Pierre was brief. He said that he liked my work and encouraged me to continue my efforts. I asked if he was still making maps. He said his artistic efforts were currently directed toward Flight Simulator cockpits. Good for him, too bad for island mapping.

Thanks, Jean-Pierre, for your early efforts. They continue to be appreciated by those seeking maps of islands.

Thoughts - Why Islands?

2006-12-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

My first island was located outside of Mission Bay Amusement Park in a bay across the street. I think the swimming area was called Bonita Basin (or something similar). About 30-meters from the shore was this small circular sand island covered with very low scrub brush. I would wade out to the island until I had only about 10-meters worth of frantic swimming to do. That island was great. When I was on it, I felt like I was King of the World. Nothing could get to me on that island.

There were other islands, most of them real - a small mud island in the San Diego River, the Coronado Islands which I nicknamed the Buffaloes, and Shelter Island which is not really an island, but an artificial peninsula that juts out into San Diego Bay. There was Treasure Island made real by Wallace Berry and Jackie Cooper, Robinson Crusoe's amazing home and the Eden-like island populated by Swiss Family Robinson.

As I grew older and began to travel, I visited real islands - Buyukada in Turkey, Luzon in the Philippines. I visited Taiwan, Honshu, England, Wake Island, Oahu and Manhattan.

Lots of islands and a passion for maps has served me well my entire life. At one home I convinced my wife that a map would look nice on our bedroom wall. The map turned out to be a 12-foot by 8-foot creation. It was made up of a series of 1:250,000 series (JOG Charts) of Greece and the Greek Islands. It was beautiful!

In my Air Force job I worked with maps constantly. The more detailed, the better the map. I love quality maps for their information, their consistency and their inherent beauty. And make that map one of an island and I am in heaven.

For the past four years I have been honing my mapping skills. I have base imagery (Landsat ETM+) that depicts all of the world's islands, Google Earth and MS Live Search. I am quite proficient using both of my mapping software packages, Global Mapper and Marplot. Flickr is where I store my finished images. Blogger is home to my blogsite.

My constant challenge is to find time to map. Not to think about projects or to correct past projects, but to map new islands.

Why islands? Why not!

Islands still fascinate me. I love the process of selecting a target island, digitizing the various layers and compiling the map in Marplot.

I have been priviledged to visit a number of islands. I loved the time I spent on those islands. Now I get to map those islands and others. I enjoy the time I spend mapping islands. I feel that my completed projects help to call attention to these special places. Places that allow us to leave a busy, cluttered world behind.

Thoughts - Booted Off Of Planet GS Because My Blog Spams?

2006-12-26T06:44:00.001-08:00

All of us GIS souls that use Blogger, not just any Blogger, but the Blogger Beta that isn't beta anymore are being booted off of Planet GS. Apparently, when our RSS feeds come into Planet GS, they are a scrambled mess. I think the problem is with PlanetPlanet, the feed aggragator that James Fee is using. I have no proof, but my post feeds look fine in Feedburner and in FeedRaider. In fact, they looked so good in FeedRaider that I built a Blogger blog called GeoPearls RSS Feeds. I just activated it and loaded in a number of RSS feeds.

In time, I will refine the RSS feeds so that they not only satisfy my needs, but the needs and interests of my readers.

James, no hard feelings. I understand that you are trying to maintain the quality of your site and if the Blogger blogs are messing it up, send them my way and I'll accomodate them.

If and when Blogger RSS feeds work in Planet GS, reconsider me and other Blogger GIS'ers for inclusion. Until then GeoPearls RSS Feeds will have to do!