ROT Alaska Search And Rescue Dogs 2019

Remote Overland Travel: Route Planning and Navigation

Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs
August, 2019
Contact: Luc Mehl
Shared Google Drive

These resources are described in some detail, including video tutorials, at thingstolucat.com.

A data-driven approach to remote overland travel allows you to identify best routes, bailouts, and best-guess at current conditions.

Remote Sensing

• MODIS: 2x daily, low resolution, NASA Worldview
• Landsat: Sentinel Hub
• Sentinel 2 L2A: 4-5x /week, best resolution, EO Browser

Other imagery

• Bing Aerial (aka ESRI Worldview) — compare with Google Earth imagery for the Brooks Range
• Arctic DEM

Weather

• Current conditions: AOOS Real-time Sensor Map
• Forecast: windy.com
• Historic: AOOS Historic Sensor Map

Route planning

Caltopo

1. $20 annual subscription to access the superoverlay.kml (Free upgrade for SAR)
2. Download the superoverlay.kml to view topo map, etc.
3. Recently added MODIS and Sentinel imagery

Topo maps

1. Caltopo offers a very mature printing interface. Unfortunately, I find that most of the maps in Alaska need some contrast adjustment to be workable.
2. USGS quads can be downloaded and printed for free from topoView.
3. DNR offers topo maps for view and print, without having to select individual quads.

Gaiagps.com

• 6-month Premium promo code only valid for new users
• If you already have an account, small discount code
• website features
  • base layers
  • route planning
  • community routes

Google Earth

• different flavors
• import topo (superoverlay.kml, Earth Point, or topoView)
• layers
• historical imagery
• elevation profile
• slope % to degrees
• create route
• share route

Navigation

Gaia GPS app

• app features (youtube tutorial)
• custom layers:
  • ESRI Worldview (premium)
  • Google Earth (zoom level 16 vs. 19, preview at 63.1, -151)
  • Strava (E.g., Mount Ascension, Seward)

Google Earth,
http://mt0.google.com/vt/lyrs=s&hl=en&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}&s=Ga

ESRI Satellite, https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

Strava Heatmap, https://heatmap-external-b.strava.com/tiles/all/bluered/{z}/{x}/{y}.png

• slope angle shading overlay
• import route
• hidden features: line of sight, distance and bearing
• share/import/export/airdrop
• manually enter point (choose 2 of these)
  • 63.065852°, -151.009386°
  • 67° 4’46.94″N, 158°56’32.86″W
  • 62° 6.858’N, 144° 39.006’W
  • 4 V, 551721.70 m E, 6305751.73 m N
• import point/route from text or email
• battery life