DOQQ image anomaly of Rachel, NV

In my work I deal a great deal with both DRGs and DOQQs. While most I handle are site specific and in a shape file for ESRI's ArcGIS, I became curious and decided to use Terra server and locate the coordinates for Rachel NV. Has anyone ever seen this kind of pic before?

terraserver.microsoft.com...


Any comments or suggections are welcome.

[Edited on 14-1-2004 by astrocreep]

[Edited on 14-1-2004 by astrocreep]

God I love DOQQ'S!!! Looks like somebody has planted some radarscope seeds. I take it the lines radiating from the center are those big irrigation sprayers on wheels?

I'm not sure what they are. The image the link cam from is a part of a larger tapastry that show at least a half dozen of these over the town of Rachel. I've zoomed between them and managed to see a farm house and roadway or two and I can make out SR 375 but as to how this mask was done, I'm not sure. The photos have a fly date of 1983. Vector data isn't available so there is no chance of editing the layers to remove whatever that is. I agree that it looks like a radar scope. But as I zoom, it really looks more like old records...but no labels.

Yup, those are irrigation fields.

This is circular irrigation for farming in arid climates - these things can be quite large and look pretty strange from the air..
It's a common thing to see them from commercial aircraft (and I would imagine satellite images) in the deserts of the southwest. That's what it is though....

intelgirl, sweety, you know I respect your opinion but I'd like you to look again.

Better yet, try this..

goto

terraserver.microsoft.com...

and enter these coordinates. (geographic side)


37 38' 30" N
115 44' 30" W


I think you'll get the bigger picture when you use the zoom bar to your left to come in for a closer look.

I know what you mean by irrigation fields and how it's done but I don't think they do it through city streets.

Go to the coast to coast am web site and email Art Bell about it. He lives right down the road.

"Sweety"? hmmfff....

I did as you said - zoomed in and I must admit I'm still skeptical.
The roads in question go to the center of the irrigation field where the irrigation management system is. This is called "Pivot Irrigation" and a simple web search turns up plenty of similar images taken by satellite and the space station.
Maintenance no doubt has to be done on these massive systems and how else is "farmer Jim" supposed to get to the center of the field but by way of a road.
I also note that the roads are as much as 400 meters apart with minimal buildings. Not quite "city streets" in an urban setting.

Here's a link to a satellite picture taken over the Mojave Desert. (You will notice most roads appear to be service roads taking "farmer Jim" to to the center of the circles.)

Mojave Desert Pivot Irrigation


And another link to pivot irrigation in Saudi Arabia... (picture from NASA)
Saudi Pivot Irrigation


Below is a picture of one of these irrigation units taken in California...

external image

The circular "roads" are for the wheels of the irrigation system as seen above.







[Edited on 14-1-2004 by intelgurl]

Foot in Mouth disease anyone?

astrocreep, it'd probably be smart to research a little deeper before using terms that can be interpreted as derogatory. especially someone as well educated as it seems intelgurl is.

That is exactly the irrigation system I was talking about.

looks like irrigation to me and a regular farm house in the middle. why dont we drive down there to make sure its not area 5,000.

I had not intended for my comments to be perceived as derogatory..just the opposite, I was trying to get further input from her while trying to lighten the way I said it. Just a misunderstood attempt at tact on my behalf. If she is sure thats what these are, then I can deal with that. I'm in the Eastern US and although I use DOQQS everyday and we have such irrigation systems in Western, KY, we do not see this sort of signature (so dark) in sat photos here. However, being this is a different are and one which is very questionable to the whole area 51 thing, I thought it quite odd and when I zzomed out to include the surrounding area, no others were present. This could just be a localized farm which had just happened to have been freshly irrigated at the time. Still, there is just something a little too pronounced about them.

So, intelgirl, I apologize if I unwittingly offended you. It was nothing but a remark of fondness for your presence on the board. Thanks for replying to my post and your theory. At this point, in my mind, it is the most logical answer for this.

No problem - i'm happy~