This is as good a site as any in the United States for mapping information and map sources http://mapping.usgs.gov/

The map below shows the coverage of the mapping of the earth mission of STS99. It will be the most extensive mapping project ever undertaken. Endeavour OV105 Launch: Friday, February 11, 2000 12:30 PM (eastern time) Mission Objectives The primary objective of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission is to acquire a high-resolution topographic map of the Earth's land mass (between 60�N and 56�S) and to test new technologies for deployment of large rigid structures and measurement of their distortions to extremely high precision. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission represents a breakthrough in the science of remote-sensing and will produce topographic maps of Earth 30 times as precise as the best global maps in use today. The information will be used to attempt to produce one of the most comprehensive and accurate maps of Earth ever assembled. A Comparison of Resolution Data Data Statistics Planned Data Takes Approximately 1,000 (every time Endeavour is over land) Data Acquisition more than 80 hours Data recording rate 180 Mbits/sec for C-band, 90 Mbits/sec for X-band Total Raw Radar Data 9.8 Terabytes (15,000 CDs) Data Tapes 300 high-density tapes (each tape records 30 min. of C-band, or 60 min. of X-band data) In addition, this mission offers a number of applications for data products and science, including: geology, geophysics, earthquake research, volcano monitoring; hydrologic modeling; ecology; co-registration and terrain correction of remotely-acquired image data; atmospheric modeling; flood inundation modeling; urban planning; natural hazard consequence assessments; fire spread models; and transportation/infrastructure planning. Civilian Applications Enhanced ground collision avoidance systems for aircraft; civil engineering, land use planning, and disaster recovery efforts; and line-of-sight determination for communications, e.g., cellular telephones. Military Applications Flight simulators; logistical planning, air traffic management; missile and weapons guidance systems; and battlefield management, tactics. Space Radar Mission To Detail the Earth's Surface An innovative imaging radar, the first to map the Earth in three dimensions, is the primary payload onboard STS-99, the first Shuttle flight of the new century. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, this radar system represents a breakthrough in the science of remote-sensing and will produce topographic maps of Earth 30 times as precise as the best global maps in use today. The information has the potential to produce one of the most comprehensive and accurate maps of Earth ever assembled. Scheduled for launch no earlier than January 31 from the Kennedy Space Center, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry the radar into space for an 11-day mission to learn more about the planet's changing landscapes, its environmental health, and many ecosystems. Space Radar Mission To Detail the Earth's Surface An innovative imaging radar, the first to map the Earth in three dimensions, is the primary payload onboard STS-99, the first Shuttle flight of the new century. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, this radar system represents a breakthrough in the science of remote-sensing and will produce topographic maps of Earth 30 times as precise as the best global maps in use today. The information has the potential to produce one of the most comprehensive and accurate maps of Earth ever assembled. Scheduled for launch no earlier than January 31 from the Kennedy Space Center, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry the radar into space for an 11-day mission to learn more about the planet's changing landscapes, its environmental health, and many ecosystems. The imaging radar will be able to capture landscapes that have been sculpted through the millennia, with the passage of ice ages and periods of warmer weather. This new imaging system will orbit at 145 miles (233 kilometers) above Earth, with two radar antennas mounted in the Shuttle payload bay and two extended on a 200-foot-long (60-meter) mast. The radar will image vast, barren deserts, frozen tundra, and deep valleys carved by glaciers, such as those found in Alaska, the Andes, and Himalaya mountains. The vestiges of ancient human settlements, such as the Eighth Century Khmer civilization of Angkor, Cambodia, and the habitats of endangered species, such as the mountain gorillas of Central Africa will be mapped. The 13-ton radar system will be able to collect highly accurate, high-resolution images of Earth's crust between 60 degrees north latitude and 56 degrees south latitude. The regions to be mapped are home to about 95 percent of the world's population and will be captured with an accuracy of better than 100 feet (30 meters). The genesis of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission lies in NASA's 1994 flights of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar C/X-band Radar on STS-59 and STS-68. Several modifications have been made to the radar systems, which give the mission new capabilities compared with its predecessors. The cornerstone of innovation is the addition of a C-band and an X-band antenna at the end of a deployable mast, which will be the longest rigid structure ever flown in space. This will be the first time that a dual-antenna imaging radar is flown, allowing scientists to use a technique called interferometry--which is akin to combining stereo images--to map terrain elevation in a single pass. The 13-ton radar system will be able to collect highly accurate, high-resolution images of Earth's crust between 60 degrees north latitude and 56 degrees south latitude. The regions to be mapped are home to about 95 percent of the world's population and will be captured with an accuracy of better than 100 feet (30 meters). The genesis of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission lies in NASA's 1994 flights of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar C/X-band Radar on STS-59 and STS-68. Several modifications have been made to the radar systems, which give the mission new capabilities compared with its predecessors. The cornerstone of innovation is the addition of a C-band and an X-band antenna at the end of a deployable mast, which will be the longest rigid structure ever flown in space. This will be the first time that a dual-antenna imaging radar is flown, allowing scientists to use a technique called interferometry--which is akin to combining stereo images--to map terrain elevation in a single pass. By using interferometry to combine two images electronically, researchers will be able to generate computer versions of topographic maps, called digital elevation models. With the exception of weather satellite measurements, this topographic information will be the most universally useful data set about the Earth ever produced. The mission is a partnership between NASA and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, in which the agencies are jointly seeking information with valuable research and operational uses. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission will provide important information for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, which is dedicated to understanding the total Earth system and the effects of human activity on the global environment. In addition to NASA and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission is a collaboration of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfart) and the Italian Space Agency, which provided the experimental X-SAR radar system. The two agencies are providing science teams for the mission. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the project for NASA's Earth Sciences program in Washington, D.C. Background The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) provides a platform for mapping vast areas of the Earth in the relatively short time of a Shuttle flight. In addition, the processing of SRTM data will be almost completely automatic, allowing nearly 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography to be integrated into a consistent, high-resolution map. Surprisingly, our home planet isn't mapped as well as one might think. A few countries, such as the U.S., much of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, have digital maps at the 30 m (100 foot) resolution level, but the vast majority of our planet lacks maps at that resolution, and many lack reliable maps altogether. The main reason for this is that much of the globe, the equatorial regions in particular, are cloud-covered much of the time. Thus, optical cameras on satellites or aircraft can't image the areas. SRTM radar, with its long wavelength, will penetrate clouds as well as providing its own illumination, making it independent of daylight. The land area to be mapped by SRTM In the past decade, numerous imaging radar satellites have been lofted to orbit by the European Space Agency, Japan, and Canada. These radar systems have been demonstrated to have the capability to produce digital topographic data in many situations. However, none of these satellites was designed for the production of digital topographic maps, so they lack some important features of SRTM. The most important feature they lack is a second antenna. While it is possible to obtain the second radar image on a subsequent orbit using a single radar system, it is difficult to measure the separation between the two passes to the required millimeter accuracy. If enough control points can be measured in each scene so that the elevation is known for those points, it is possible to solve for the unknown radar positions. Since SRTM will measure the separation and orientation of its two antennas to a high precision, it needs few control points to make its maps. SRTM is the culmination of a broad arc of technological innovation. Starting with the first civilian spaceborne imaging radar, Seasat, in 1978, it was discovered that meaningful radar images of the land could be obtained from space. Subsequent tests using the Shuttle proved the worth of that platform for improving the technology. The third Shuttle Imaging Radar, SIR-C, tested two critical technologies required for the development of SRTM: active, phased array antennas and ScanSAR. The active antenna was required for its ability to steer to any angle through electronic manipulation of the radar beam. No moving parts were required. ScanSAR was derived from that capability. The radar beam is literally scanned back and forth across as the Shuttle orbits, painting out a much wider swath than was possible in ordinary operation. Thus, the earlier swath of 50 km was increased to 225 km. It turns out that 225 km is just enough for an 11-day Shuttle mission to literally "cover the Earth" by painting one swath at a time.

'Fly Cast' Keeps Shuttle Radar Mast Stable CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavour did a tricky piece of flying dubbed a ``fly cast'' on Sunday to boost the shuttle's orbit without too much jiggling of a 20-story radar mast being used to make the world's finest three-dimensional map of Earth's surface. The astronauts were in their third day of orbit and their second day of map-making, using sophisticated radar gear aboard the orbiter and at the end of the 197-foot mast. A technical problem arose with a small thruster at the end of the mast that appeared to be malfunctioning, NASA said. The small puffs of nitrogen gas, about one-third ounce pressure, help keep the shuttle and mast stabilized. Without that thrust, the astronauts had to use control jets on the orbiter to keep the configuration stable, but those jets may not have enough fuel to complete the 11-day mission. Mission managers were assessing the problem on Sunday night. The radar mast, a truss made of stainless steel, titanium and plastic, is lightweight and resilient, just like the fly-fishing rods used by fishermen in trout streams. As with the fly rod, a gentle touch gets the best results. Unlike a fly rod, Endeavour's crew does not want to see its mast whipping back and forth, since that would upset the radar readings. ``Early this morning when we got up we did the very first fly-cast maneuver, and it was just about perfect,'' shuttle pilot Dom Gorie said in an interview. The maneuver began with a short forward firing of the orbiter's control jets, which causes the radar mast to bend back as the shuttle accelerates. As the mast whipped back forward, the crew caught it at its vertical point by firing the thrusters again, offsetting the mast's forward momentum. They continued to fire until the shuttle reached the desired orbit. Since Endeavour is flying in a rather low orbit for this mapping mission, the upper fringes of Earth's atmosphere slow it down and cause it to lose altitude. The maneuver's success was one of the critical milestones for the 11-day mission. ``All six of us were up on the flight deck to watch and perform that maneuver, and it came off without a hitch,'' Gorie said. ``We'll be doing that once a day, and it'll raise up the orbit two to three miles (3 to 5 km) on each attempt.'' As Gorie spoke, the shuttle was flying over nighttime Siberia, bouncing radar signals off cities, mountains, forests and anything else that shapes Earth's surface. On the same 90-minute orbit, they measured the Scottish Highlands and the Oslo Fjord. ``We've already got about 15 percent'' of Earth, said Mamoru Mohri, an astronaut with the NASDA, the Japanese space agency and a mission specialist on Endeavour. The crew is expected to record about 72 percent of the planet in nine days of mapping. A 10th day would allow it to get 80 percent, virtually every land mass between the polar circles. ``We are hoping for an extra day,'' said Mohri. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said the topographical data collected by Endeavour will result in a map that is 30 times better than existing whole-Earth maps, but most of it will remain classified. Although the best quality map of the United States will be made public, the rest of the world will be available to scientists and civil engineers only on a case-by-case basis. A lower resolution world map, which is still superior to existing charts, also would be made public, NASA said. The six Endeavour astronauts are scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 22.

This topographic radar image shows the city of Honolulu, Hawaii and adjacent areas on the island of Oahu. Honolulu lies on the south shore of the island, right of center of the image. Just below the center is Pearl Harbor, marked by several inlets and bays. Runways of the airport can be seen to the right of Pearl Harbor. Diamond Head, an extinct volcanic crater, is a blue circle along the coast right of center. The Koolau mountain range runs through the center of the image. The steep cliffs on the north side of the range are thought to be remnants of massive landslides that ripped apart the volcanic mountains that built the island thousands of years ago. On the north shore of the island are the Mokapu Peninsula and Kaneohe Bay. High resolution topographic data allow ecologists and planners to assess the effects of urban development on the sensitive ecosystems in tropical regions. This image combines two types of data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The image brightness corresponds to the strength of the radar signal reflected from the ground, while colors show the elevation as measured by SRTM. Each cycle of colors (from pink through blue back to pink) represents an equal amount of elevation difference (400 meters, or 1300 feet) similar to contour lines on a standard topographic map. This image contains about 2400 meters (8000 feet) of total relief.

More infor,ation and a bigger version of this image is available: http://www.spring.net/marcia/public/GeoMaps/PIA02720.jpg

Today is gloriously clear and sunny, so I'm gonna go out every 90 minutes, look up and smile. This is definitely the day to photograph our island. It is not often to have a totally clear morning on this side of the island Hello. world!

All of you in Austin, look and smile, too. They are photograph you, as well: TEXAS, HAWAII AND OMAN - SRTM'S LATEST IMAGES Dallas, Texas, the Hawaiian Islands, and Salalah, Oman are the locations of the newly released SRTM images. Access these images through the Mission Products section below. NINE HOURS ADDED ON TO SHUTTLE MAPPING MISSION Mission managers announced a nine-hour extension to the data-taking portion of the mission, which means mapping will continue until about Monday at 7am EST. More than 42 million square miles of the Earth have been mapped at least once and over 27 million square miles have been mapped with two or more passes. At 40,000 square miles of land a minute, SRTM can capture the topographic data of Rhode Island in two seconds.

Dallas has already been photographed http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02722 So has the San Andreas Fault (tiff download) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/tiff/PIA02712.tif

i was gonna ask about the mapping of hawaii and look, you've already taken care of it!

I think only 10% of what they photographed is available for our eyes (My civilian eyes, that is.) We are lucky to have seen as much as we have. DoD gets the rest of the pictures, of course!

yeah, well, it'll be made public when they've done with it. i won't see it either. and i know no one in the cartography field in the military. i know someone in the pentagon! *grin*

If I knew someone in the Pentagon, it would probably be a floor sweeper. *sigh*

NASA research aircraft scanning Hawaii The aircraft is taking photographs digitally or on film By Anthony Sommer Star-Bulletin LIHUE � Even as you�re reading this, you could be photographed either digitally or on film by an Airborne Visible and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer shooting your picture in 224 spectral channels from an airplane flying 13 miles above you. For most of April, NASA�s Airborne Science ER-2 research aircraft is scanning all of Hawaii. The ER-2 the science version of the famous U-2 spy plane used early in the Cold War and one of two based at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The aircraft started flying from Hickam Air Force Base last week. The ER-2�s instruments are mapping the extent and distribution of coral reefs in the greater Hawaiian chain, studying volcanic flows and gas plumes over Hawaii�s big island and tracking land use changes, according to NASA. The aircraft�s last photo mission to Hawaii was September 1992, when it conducted a damage assessment after Hurricane Iniki. The ER-2 carries two digital scanners and two film cameras. The Airborne Visible and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer looks downward at the Earth simultaneously in 224 spectral bands. Different spectral bands can be used to study geology, agriculture, forestry, land use, atmospheric composition or weather. The ER-2 also is carrying a second scanner duplicating one launched in December on NASA�s Terra Satellite to study the Earth�s global energy balance and contribute to climate change studies. The instruments flying on the ER-2 will be used to calibrate and verify the satellite data. The ER-2 aircraft typically flies at 65,000 feet. Most ER-2 missions last about six hours with ranges of about 2,500 miles at 467 miles per hour. It is 63 feet long, with a wingspan of 104 feet.

Hey, we'll get to see Marci out in her patio!

Lanai, sprin5, Lanai Come over and you'll see =)

What kind of plants do you have on the lanai? Do you have lianas growing on the lanai?

No lianas on the Lanai - Bouganvillas in pots. Lianas everywhere else. Take a look at that little pothos plant you have in a pot. One was tossed under my poinciana tree and it climbed and climbed until the vine is the thickness of my wrist (tiny, by most standards - about 6" circumference). Don't let them do it to your trees - it will kill it eventually! (I shall try to get the hairy-chest beater to yank it down again. He threw it out there in the first place!)

The estrogen challenged one should at least do that. As you noted, it's that "why" chromosome.

Indeed! *laugh*

Mercator Projection Cartographers have been trying for centuries to develop a method of displaying the surface of our globe on a flat map with the least possible distortion. It is mathematically impossible to unwrap a sphere in a way that meets all desirable criteria, so each of the different projections has its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the most famous projections is named after its inventor, Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who lived in the sixteenth century. The best aspect of the Mercator projection is that the primary compass directions are all projected as straight lines, which is useful for navigation. However, the disadvantage of this projection is that it severely distorts the relative surface area of each country, making those near the poles appear much larger than is the case. For example, China and Greenland appear the same size, although China is about actually about four times as large. There are many other projections that resolve this flaw, usually at the expense of distorting the shapes of the continents.

We desperately need someone who actually has done mapping to post here. Ask a guy who has trod the convoluted ground to contour a quadrangle map for the USGS. You will find a guy who truly knows the ground on which he trod and can explain it to you. Nothing nearly sophisticated as GPS was available when these veterans made the maps which define in minute detail, the United States of America.

(and, Yes, I do know one such...!)

I took a cartography course at U of I.

You once mentioned that you had studied it and enjoyed it, as I recall. Did you do any actual mapping? If so, how did you do it? Walk every inch and measuure then measure some more??? Did you have to identify the rocks underfoot? Please tell us more. My cartography was all class work despite the fact that Penn State is surrounded by lots of good "what happened here" stuff!