TIGHAR

Amelia Earhart Search Forum => The Islands: Expeditions, Facts, Castaway, Finds and Environs => Topic started by: Alan Williams on June 29, 2010, 09:49:57 PM

Title: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Alan Williams on June 29, 2010, 09:49:57 PM
For any who might be interested it is possible to easily view Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line.

Certainly better resources exist but Google effortlessly offers enough quality and resolution to fire the imagination looking around to see where our lost crew might have landed and looked for food and water and shelter and might have stood waiting/hoping for a rescue ship on the horizon. Just go to http://maps.google.com/ and start a map search for nikumar..... and then select the offering of "Nikumaroro Island, Kiribati". On the upper right of the map select "Satellite", then zoom in and look around.

(I see the wreck of the SS NC is disintegrated enough as to not be readily apparent [confirmed from recent expedition photos?], unless it can be pointed out under a wisp of cloud and Seven Site appears to be identifiable)
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Ric Gillespie on June 30, 2010, 04:45:31 AM
(I see the wreck of the SS NC is disintegrated enough as to not be readily apparent [confirmed from recent expedition photos?], unless it can be pointed out under a wisp of cloud and Seven Site appears to be identifiable)

Norwich City is still there but now reduced to the huge triple-expansion stem engine and the base of the hull.  A scatter of wreckage extends southeastward across the reef-flat.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on June 30, 2010, 09:51:12 AM
For any who might be interested it is possible to easily view Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line.

Certainly better resources exist but Google effortlessly offers enough quality and resolution to fire the imagination looking around to see where our lost crew might have landed and looked for food and water and shelter and might have stood waiting/hoping for a rescue ship on the horizon. Just go to http://maps.google.com/ and start a map search for nikumar..... and then select the offering of "Nikumaroro Island, Kiribati". On the upper right of the map select "Satellite", then zoom in and look around.

(I see the wreck of the SS NC is disintegrated enough as to not be readily apparent [confirmed from recent expedition photos?], unless it can be pointed out under a wisp of cloud and Seven Site appears to be identifiable)

I think it is at 4°39'39.42"S 174°32'43.69"W in Google earth.  Under the cloud, but sticking out from the edge of the reef.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Rudolf Alfons De Meter on July 01, 2010, 01:24:08 PM
Hello,
On Google Earth. at 4.41.11.74 S - 174.29.50.61 W, elevation 4 m, I have the impression of seeing some sort of a triangular feature. Settlement remains ? Or optical illusion ?

Rudolf.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 01, 2010, 01:44:14 PM
On Google Earth. at 4.41.11.74 S - 174.29.50.61 W, elevation 4 m, I have the impression of seeing some sort of a triangular feature. Settlement remains ? Or optical illusion ?

I see the "triangle" along the shoreline, too--at 4°41'11.74"S 174°29'50.61"W.  It is strange and not far from the 7 site (4°41'8.36"S  174°29'47.31"W).
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Erik on July 01, 2010, 02:02:13 PM
On Google Earth. at 4.41.11.74 S - 174.29.50.61 W, elevation 4 m, I have the impression of seeing some sort of a triangular feature. Settlement remains ? Or optical illusion ?

Interesting Rudolf...

Click HERE  (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-4.6865021,-174.49734&z=19&t=h&hl=en) for easy google map view

Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 01, 2010, 02:10:41 PM
Click HERE  (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-4.6865021,-174.49734&z=19&t=h&hl=en) for easy google map view

Much easier!

This view (http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=-4.68601,-174.496853&spn=0.001553,0.002202&z=19) shows the relationship between the triangle and the seven site.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Rudolf Alfons De Meter on July 01, 2010, 04:17:55 PM
Hi again.

Maybe there is something wrong with my eyes.

Does anyone else see something strange in the lagoon at 4.40.01.23 S - 174.31.44.23 W. Eye altitude 282 m.

I admit I had a glass of rum.

Rudolf.

Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 01, 2010, 04:43:35 PM
Does anyone else see something strange in the lagoon at 4.40.01.23 S - 174.31.44.23 W. Eye altitude 282 m.

Here is the easy view for those coordinates. (http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2001+Main+St,+Buffalo,+Erie,+New+York+14208&ll=-4.666169,-174.528122&spn=0.006384,0.013078&z=17)

That area has been discussed.  There is nothing man-made there.  That may be true of the "triangle," too--just "artifacts" introduced into the picture by the vagaries of digital imaging.  Similarly, it seemed to some that there was an "ELP" visible in the slough near the Coast Guard station (http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2001+Main+St,+Buffalo,+Erie,+New+York+14208&ll=-4.693679,-174.494112&spn=0.001596,0.00327&z=19).  It's clearer in Google Maps at -4.6937396,-174.49409.  You also have to rotate it so you're viewing it from the north.  

Also just a digital "artifact."

I suppose I should start a photo gallery and FAQ.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Rudolf Alfons De Meter on July 01, 2010, 04:51:23 PM
Thought so.

Rudolf.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 01, 2010, 05:35:38 PM
... I suppose I should start a photo gallery and FAQ.

I have started the photo gallery (http://tighar.org/wiki/Google_Earth) for "unusual Google Earth sightings."

It's just a start.  I know that there was at least one other discovery--the underwater resting place of the airplane in the lagoon.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Mark Petersen on July 22, 2010, 05:21:50 PM
I thought it would be a fun exercise to recreate the 1937 Lambrecht photo using Google Earth.  Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to change the default camera perspective used by Google Earth to match the lens used by the camera that took the Lambrecht photo.  So this means that there are differences in perspective, but it's still interesting to figure out the true compass heading from the photo and get a rough estimate of altitude.  It looks like around 1000 feet seems to match the photo the best.  It might be of interest to others, is there a way to upload the photo?
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 22, 2010, 06:32:45 PM
... is there a way to upload the photo?

Google Earth lets you capture the image.

Edit / Copy image

Then import the clipboard into your favorite editor.  I use XnView and Gimp mostly;
sometimes Inkscape.

Upload the edited image to your favorite photo bin.  I use Picasa.  Many others
are available.

Here comes the tricky part: Right-click on the image and view it all by itself.
That will give you a URL directly and only to the image.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vZ4A06KI5BY/SW6hig3lZxI/AAAAAAAAFGs/7E_M2GYvUVY/s640/P1010054.JPG

Then put the URL between image tags:
Code: [Select]
[img]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vZ4A06KI5BY/SW6hig3lZxI/AAAAAAAAFGs/7E_M2GYvUVY/s640/P1010054.JPG[/img]

If all goes well, people will see what you've done.

(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vZ4A06KI5BY/SW6hig3lZxI/AAAAAAAAFGs/7E_M2GYvUVY/s640/P1010054.JPG)

Short tutorial on including images in posts. (https://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,128.msg516.html#msg516)
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Mark Petersen on July 22, 2010, 07:06:01 PM
Thanks Marty.  Some forum's allow images to be uploaded directly rather than linked to, but I'll upload it to Picasa and then post a link.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Mark Petersen on July 22, 2010, 08:30:26 PM
Bill, you could be right but it's hard to say.  At 2000+ feet the foreground (south-eastern shore of Niku) is a better fit to the photo, but the part of Niku in the distance (Tatiman Passage and North-Western part of the lagoon) looks more accurate to my eyes when I used 1000 ft.  I was never able to get the foreground and background details to match to any elevation which is why I think the focal length of the camera in the Lambrecht photo doesn't match whatever default settings are used by Google Earth.  In the end I used what looked to be the best elevation to match the distant part of the Lagoon.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Mark Petersen on July 22, 2010, 08:48:47 PM
After digging into it, it looks like Google Earth uses a focal length of 31.2mm and there is no easy way to change it.  Anyone want to speculate on the focal length of the camera used to take the Lambrecht search photo?  I assume that since the photographer is not known that it will be difficult to determine the camera used, but perhaps it was standard issue on the USS Colorado. 
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 25, 2010, 08:50:47 PM
... Lining up photos like this is a very tricky business!  ...

Beautiful lineup--thanks!
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Ric Gillespie on July 26, 2010, 11:53:11 AM
The flare pistol and flares were reportedly left in New Guinea to save weight.
Title: Re: View Nikumaroro aerial imagery on line
Post by: Mark Petersen on July 30, 2010, 12:57:19 PM
Hi Erik, 

Thanks for the info.  For some reason my snapshot view is grayed out.  It' s under the Edit pull-down, but not accessible.  How do you enable it so that the viewpoint numbers can be entered?  I assume that the right most screen cap in your images was done with the viewpoint info that you have provided and it looks like an excellent fit.  I'd like to play around with it in more detail so now I just need to get the snapshot view to work.