Welcome to Coastal Guam Aerial Imagery Project by Water & Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) and Island Research & Education Initiative (IREI). The goal of the project is to provide easy access to oblique aerial imagery of coastal Guam. We have developed an extensive collection of more than 4,800 images covering the entire coastline of Guam. Indexed and organized in multifaceted database and accessible via an intuitive user interface, these quality images are readily available and may be freely utilized by students, educators, researchers, planners, government, and any other users. Some of the key features and advantages of this imagery database include the following:
DIGITAL QUALITY: All images in this collection were shot by digital SLR cameras and are all available in original high- resolution, uncompressed format and natural colors.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: This collection includes an uninterrupted array of images covering the entire coastline of Guam, as well as many individual views from different angles and altitudes and close-ups of special interest features.
ACCESSIBILITY: Aerial photographs can be difficult to index, keep organized, and locate when needed. This project makes it all effortless, as included imagery is permanently labeled, sorted, and easily accessible by one of three inherently simple methods, as outlined below. Irrespective of the method employed, the user has immediate access to the entire database from which to readily obtain a series of thumbnail images that fit his/her query. Clicking on any image thumbnail launches the full resolution image, allowing the user to immediately see it on the screen or download/save it to any location.
BROWSE SEAMLESS IMAGERY: The hallmark of this project is a unique seamless and continuous image representing the entire coastline of Guam. It allows remarkably intuitive access to the imagery database. The user needs to merely scroll left and right to explore the coastline clockwise and counterclockwise as the continuous image moves across the screen. This method offers a truly fascinating way to view Guam's diverse coast, including all of its most remote locales. In addition, if the user wishes, he/she may superimpose the continuous image with different annotation layers such as place names, various landmarks, names of rock formations, and approximate geographic coordinates. Clicking any part of the image queries the database and retrieves all aerial photographs available from that particular area. Downloading the original continuous image file in greater resolution offers the user even more possibilities (e.g., zooming in and out, copying and pasting, producing custom annotation layers, etc).
POINT AT A MAP: For the purposes of this project, the coastline of Guam was divided into 100 zones. The images are organized so that each belongs in one of these zones. (Images of inland areas are beyond the scope of this project, but those that are available are classified within two additional zones that correspond to the non-coastal areas of northern and southern Guam respectively.) The zone arrangement is identified on a map so that it can be used to query the database. The user merely needs to point and click any part of the map to retrieve all available images from that particular area, with flexibility to choose between an accurate map to pinpoint single zones and a flexible map to indicate general regions.
SEARCH FOR KEYWORDS AND PLACE NAMES: Images in the database are labeled according to location and content and contain place names (e.g., 'Cocos Island', 'Talofofo Bay', 'Tumon') and keywords (e.g., 'beach', 'reef', 'bay') that correspond to locales and features visible on a particular image. The database can be queried by selecting any of the 325 place names and 30 keywords from a drop-down menu or by directly entering search terms into a text box. The former method is best for quick searches, whereas the latter allows complex queries, which may combine two or more search terms.
UPDATEABLE: This database has been designed to enable administrators to update existing data or add new images to the database at any time. Each time a new image is added to the collection, the program prompts for information about that image location and for any associated keywords and place names. Upload is permitted only after the relevant information is provided. This allows the database to remain organized and all new images to be readily accessible by any of the three query methods.
COPYRIGHT-FREE FOR FAIR USE: Unlike most high quality aerial photographs, the images included in this database are free for fair use. They may be downloaded, copied, stored, modified, printed, and used for any non-commercial purposes. Please be aware, however, that their source must be properly acknowledged. Full terms and conditions are available.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Whether using the database locally from a hard drive or providing it from an Internet server, installation of supporting is a definite pre-requirement. Our database runs on MySQL, the dynamic pages are generated by Php, and all must be supported by a web server. These three necessary components are available for free download within AppServ software bundle for Windows and XAMPP for Mac OS X. The user interface and database have been successfully tested on Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers.
For more information check the project background information or contact us. | Find images: browse the coastline, point at a map, or search for keywords | Copyright information