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'You Can See Almost Everything.' Antarctica Just Became the Best-Mapped Continent on Earth (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the impressive-feat dept.

Antarctica has become the best-mapped continent on Earth with a new high-resolution terrain map showing the ice-covered landmass in unprecedented detail. From a report: According to the scientists at Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota who created the imagery, Antarctica is now the best-mapped continent on Earth. The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) was constructed using hundreds of thousands of satellite images taken between 2009 and 2017, Earther reports. A supercomputer assembled the massive amounts of data, including the elevation of the land over time, and created REMA, an immensely detailed topographical map, with a file size over 150 terabytes. The new map has a resolution of 2 to 8 meters, compared to the usual 1,000 meters, says an Ohio State press release. According to The New York Times, the detail of this new map is the equivalent of being able to see down to a car, or smaller, when before you could only see the whole of Central Park. Scientists now know the elevation of every point of Antarctica, with an error margin of just a few feet.

52 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Clicking.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    snow.... snow.... snow.... snow... snow... snow... snow... hollyfuck, an Ancients outpost and.... snow.... snow.... snow...

    1. Re:Clicking.... by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

      snow...snow...snow...Robert Scott...snow...snow...

    2. Re:Clicking.... by Heathren-bert · · Score: 1

      snow... snow... snow... you know nothing Jon Snow... snow... snow...

  2. Almost everything. by hey! · · Score: 4, Funny

    At that resolution we should be able to see the abandoned Dornier flying boats used by the Dyer Expedition.

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    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    1. Re:Almost everything. by Cygn_H · · Score: 1

      So you think that HPL wrote fiction ? ts ts ts

    2. Re:Almost everything. by hey! · · Score: 1

      He's better of believing that.

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      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  3. Obligatory... by npslider · · Score: 1

    "I can see my house from here!"

  4. If's it not available on google maps... by forkfail · · Score: 1

    ... does it really exist?

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    Check your premises.
    1. Re:If's it not available on google maps... by npslider · · Score: 1

      The real issue is if it's not posted on Facebook, then it does not exist.

  5. Highly Compressed HTML Representation by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Funny


    <head>
    <title>Antarctica High-Resolution Map (land only)</title>
    </head>
    <body style="background-color: #EEEEFF"></body>
    </html>

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    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:Highly Compressed HTML Representation by TFlan91 · · Score: 3

      You're missing the removal of line feeds, compression algorithm failed.

  6. There's a lot I didn't know about Antarctica by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    " According to The New York Times, the detail of this new map is the equivalent of being able to see down to a car, or smaller, when before you could only see the whole of Central Park."

    Wow! There's a park and cars under the ice in Antarctica?!

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    1. Re:There's a lot I didn't know about Antarctica by npslider · · Score: 1

      There's also a second Stargate under the ice...

    2. Re:There's a lot I didn't know about Antarctica by azcoyote · · Score: 1

      There’s lots of things at the mountains of madness... Finally, we can open it up for tourism.

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      Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
    3. Re:There's a lot I didn't know about Antarctica by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I knew about the Stargate - saw a documentary about it.

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      #DeleteChrome
  7. Re:Is it overall lack of change? by WhiplashII · · Score: 4, Informative

    The reason there is such good coverage is that many of the low orbit imaging satellites orbit North/South, following the day/night terminator. It's called a sun-synchronous orbit, and while it covers the entire planet eventually, the north and south poles are covered on every pass. So you can get a lot more detail there for free, essentially.

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    while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
  8. Wonder how accurate the Piri Reis map is by pgmrdlm · · Score: 2

    Drawn in 1513, showing the Antiartica without ice. I wonder how accurate it really is. Better yet, will they ever let us know how accurate it is?

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    Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
    1. Re:Wonder how accurate the Piri Reis map is by barakn · · Score: 2

      Have you ever actually looked at the Piri Reis map? The cartographer clearly ran out of room while drawing South America and had to artificially bend the coast to fit it. The portion that people like to pretend is Antarctica is simply the southern coast of South America, which explains why it is drawn as connected to it.

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      "I'm so moist I'm sticking to the leather." -Kermit the Frog on The Late Late Show
    2. Re:Wonder how accurate the Piri Reis map is by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

      Since some of the ice is a million years old, I'd say it's not very accurate.

  9. Re:Impressive by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    This can be used as a baseline for climate change study.

    Or just general Earth Sciences research. Even without climate chance concerns, Antarctica can be hardly assumed to be frozen in time (pun not intended).

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    Ezekiel 23:20
  10. oh great by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

    Just think what terrorists can do with this???

    1. Re:oh great by npslider · · Score: 1

      Think of the baby penguins!

  11. Hey, there's Kurt Russel! by Dirk+Becher · · Score: 1

    Let's take him home! Maybe he has a present for us!

  12. web browser seems a little week by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    I tried to use the web browser, just with the shaded terrain - zooming in anywhere near the level of interest most people would have, the terrain just vanished...

    That was on the eastern side of the upper peninsula (the peninsula is where most people go when they visit Antartica).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:web browser seems a little week by strikethree · · Score: 1

      That was on the eastern side of the upper peninsula

      Eastern? Which way is East? It seems that all directions are North. :)

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      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    2. Re:web browser seems a little week by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      I think east does work anywhere but at the pole, however it was a bit hard to think of how to describe the direction away from the pole - I thought of "northmost" but looking at an overhead view of Antartica I think the tip of the peninsula is actually closer to the pole than the other side! In the end just peninsula seemed the clearest, since like I said most people go there...

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      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  13. And yet by Kohath · · Score: 1

    I still can’t find a Starbucks there.

    1. Re:And yet by npslider · · Score: 1

      It's not going to be built until the McDonald's is finished first. Billions and Billions served. I hear the iced coffee will be a big seller down there!

  14. Does it show the edge? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    The edge of the flat Earth has to be down there somewhere.

  15. Lovecraft by chthon · · Score: 1

    I was actually looking for Lovecraft references. Come on, guys and gals, you can do better than that!

  16. who finds the spaceship by FudRucker · · Score: 1

    with the frozen aliens that crash landed down there?

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    Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
    1. Re:who finds the spaceship by npslider · · Score: 1

      I suggest you call Area Code 51-321-12 ** NO CARRIER

  17. Re:Impressive by magarity · · Score: 1

    This can be used as a baseline for climate change study.

    Never mind that; now self driving cars can make the trip from McMurdo to Mirny without any passenger intervention!

  18. Unpossible by Zalbik · · Score: 1

    This isn't possible. The Earth is flat...Antarctica is a lie. Wake up, sheeple!

    More "scientists" in on the conspiracy. How much did they pay you, Ohio State? How much?!?
    .
    .
    .
    P.S.
    The above is intended as humour. If you actually believe the Earth is flat, please seek professional help.

  19. hmmm by Virtucon · · Score: 1

    I can see Russia from there.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:hmmm by cyberchondriac · · Score: 1

      I can see Tina Fey from there too.

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      Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
    2. Re:hmmm by npslider · · Score: 1

      In Soviet Antarctic, we can see everything from here.

  20. Re:Study of climate change is against GOP rules by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 1

    In any case they've fiddled with the images, there's no trace of the Plateau of Leng, the Isle of Oriab, or any signs of the Pabodie Expedition camp.

  21. Re:Impressive by cyberchondriac · · Score: 1

    Self driving "dog" sleds? (The new dogless sled!)

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    Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
  22. 'You Can See Almost Everything.' by RoccamOccam · · Score: 1

    Patrick Stewart has already seen everything - https://imgur.com/r/hqrg/zqVBn...

  23. The NRO laughs... by aaronb1138 · · Score: 1

    ...while they make NSA interns count blades of grass in old images of Pablo Escobar's estate.

  24. Re:Impressive by magarity · · Score: 4, Informative

    It would have to be a dog-less sled since sled dogs are banned by international treaty from Antarctica.

  25. 150+TB? by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

    --I hope they made a copy of that... On a ZFS-backed system, so they don't have to run a multi-month SHA1 or whatever checksum on the file... Good God, could you imagine the effects of bit-flip errors on that?

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    == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
    1. Re:150+TB? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      When you find the download link please copy it onto floppies and send it to me as my internet is slow.

  26. FInaly something better than GIS by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    I hope we can now see the South Pole center area clearly, as before it was poorly stitched together.

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    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  27. its still crap by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    Oh man still hiding the center 200km of the south pole.

    http://www.maps.arcgis.com/app...

    Looks like those hidden military bases are still safe.

    Why is every other planet so much more clearly imaged to death to each pole in detail, but EARTH, the south pole is HIDDEN once again. And the usual excuses are 100% bullshit, as they mapped the moon and mars pretty well.

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    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  28. wow by smithcl8 · · Score: 1

    That is all.

  29. All for a good cause by Trogre · · Score: 1

    I assume this is done so that Dubai can know which parts to tow away first.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  30. Re:Is it overall lack of change? by complete+loony · · Score: 1

    Plus there are no transient changes that would mess up the measurement over time. Like tree leaves, crops or vehicles.

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    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
  31. Best-mapped continent? by hackertourist · · Score: 1

    1000 m resolution may have been the old standard for Antarctic maps, but first-world countries have long had much better maps than that. In the Netherlands, pretty much the whole country has been surveyed with an accuracy better than 1 m (by the Kadaster, the office that tracks land ownership).

  32. Re:Study of climate change is against GOP rules by JDevers · · Score: 1

    They didn’t have to fiddle with the images for the Plateau of Leng, it moves constantly and since this is basically a collage of different photos from different times it just wasn’t ever captured...

  33. Good Excuse by Dareth · · Score: 1

    Sorry honey, I can't pull you on a sled in Antarctica since I'm a little husky.

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    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling