User talk:Skookum1/BC&PacificNorthwestHistory/MapResources

This sandbox page is a directory of online maps and map services and how to use them, or of maps from my collection (PD ones only) uploaded for use, plus WikiMedia Commons materials/links relevant to Mapmaking for British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Alaska and Yukon included, and some of Alberta (Rockies).


NASA Visual Earth sat images edit

The following is a selection of images from Visual Earth related to our region, with some specialty pictures, including infrared versions of the same frame in some cases (usually fires pics). All come in various sizes on the main catalog pages below, and more details and more images are available at higher resolutions for each. Sizes and resolutions vary. Mpgs may also be listed in some cases (usually fires, smoke or other phenomena/events). Note that pictures titled, e.g. "Idaho and Montana" probably also carry southeastern BC and southern Alberta, depending on the frame, those saying Western Canada may be only British Columbia, and in one of the earlier examples "Alaska and Northwestern Canada" the Canada part's pretty much BC north of about Hecate Strait over to the Rockies. Even the fire images, at higher resolution, may contain clear-weather patches which could be cut up for maps. All images here are in the public domain.

The first batch is from a search for "Canada"; over 3000 matches came up - the current listing is a selection from the first 500 searches; more to come.
There are lots more fire pictures, including continental-scale ones; search "Fires" on the main page.
Feel free to review/comment any of these that you look at by inserting a line and at least double-indenting it, then indenting after other comments; pls sign your reviews.
(and Atlin Lake and Taku Arm, and all frozen!...quelle amazing...)
(Fires in BC Interior - Kelonwa/Okanagan Mountain, etc)
(real nice of BC, bit N-S stretched and some cloud cover, but...)
(Barriere Fire, close-up as seen in thumbnail available by "more images, details" link; main image is whole region, not just Kamloops as in thumb)
(infrared, colour-keyed)
that one's for me, to take out later and put, I think, on my user page as decor...but check it out...
(contains great close-up of Canadian Rockies at high res)
Extends south as far as Pitt Island, including Atlin, Tagish and Teslin Lakes...great for certain range illustrations, like other such images, but this one is going to be great for Meszah Peak - Black Tusk please note if you're cruising this list...)
(all main valleys filled with thick fog, mountains mostly visible, pretty neat; Palouse/Interior Washington completely covered except south of Snake)
Same frame/image as previous, but in infrared-colourkey..red, green, white...looks kinda psychedelic/'60s]
Similar, but green and turquoise.
(to BCers - that was the big one south of the line between Osoyoos and Grand Forks this last summer)
(main citites titled)
(Olympia/Puget Sound to Prince George)
(Yukon Border to mid-Bute Inlet/Seton Lake)
Particularly nice colour-key infrared-style image in green and turquoise; burn scars at Barriere etc show up as rusty brown, but so do alpine areas; glaciers in turquoise. Useful for illustrating certain areas of the province maybe; very map-like if used right. Surprising how small the Revelstoke and Kinbasket/Mica reservoirs are....
elongated N-S closeup of southern Lake Okanagan esp. City of Penticton, in infrared/red; smoke at top is Okanagan Mountain Fire; Kelowna is just out-of-frame to the north
side-shot, rather than from-above, nice landscape although comp-generated apparently; maybe useful to illustrate the article on these three volcanoes
plus Lower Mainland and the southern Coast Mountains. Nice detail, some snow cover remaining on mountains. This is June 5, 2003 (not sure of date format used here by NASA); clear everywhere but NE of Kamloops, where mackerel/cumulus cloud-cover obscures landscape
not the Rockies, but forgive NASA the mislabelling: bizarre-looking red-green infrared shot of fog banks, notably one covering Prince George but also offshore; not Vancouver area where the Strait of Georgia is pretty well clear but Vancouver is socked in except for the South Arm of the Fraser, which is likely due to industry around Annacis Island etc. Clear areas are stark, with red for glaciers/snow cover and green everywhere else; interesting but not so useful for maps, maybe.
Covering only Prince George-Omineca area; rest of province is clear, goes down to Columbia River; November 20, 2002; some snow cover on high altitudes.
Barriere and Brittanny Triangle fires, Aug 3, 2003; smoke only, no flames as in images farther up list
Nice shot, some cloud cover, good for maps of certain areas; as far north as mid-Vancouver Island eastwards to Calgary or so; but cirrus cover around BC, so obscured
and some of Utah and Alberta. Many summits dotted by thermal cumulus, but otherwise a great shot; Spokane urban area visible, also quilt-patch logging/silvilculture plantations in Idaho and Montana
some cloud cover over Interior; seems to be best for southern Vancouver Island and Greater Seattle-Puget Sound; there are clearer shots of the Coast Mountains and Cascades
the title refers to lines in the fog/clouds covering much of the Pacific; but the continental part of the shot is very clear, good of Greater Seattle/Vancouver and southern Island; irrigation areas around Wenatchee/Walla Walla clearly visible; northern edge of shot is mid-Lake Okanagan
Flathead-Kalispell at upper left, Black Hills and Wind River Range at right, bit of SE BC and southern Alberta
Southeast corner is mid-Bute Inlet/Seton Lake - NW corner is Southern Lakes, Skagway, northern limit is foot of Teslin Lake
Date is Feb 27, 2003, snow cover except for lowlands and Interior of Washington/Oregon. Patchwork-quilt of logging operations in the Cariboo/Chilcotin is clearly visible