The Bright Earth eAtlas Basemap dataset collection is a satellite-derived global map of the world at a 1:1M scale for most of the world and 1:200k scale for Australia. This map was inspired by Natural Earth II (NEII) and NASA's Blue Marble Next Generation (BMNG) imagery.

Its aim was to provide a basemap similar to NEII but with a higher resolution (~10x).

This basemap is derived from the following datasets: Blue Marble Next Generation 2004-04 (NASA), VMap0 coastline, Coast100k 2004 Australian coastline (GeoScience Australia), SRTM30 Plus v8.0 (UCSD) hillshading, Natural Earth Vector 10m bathymetry and coastline v2.0 (NE), gbr100 hillshading (JCU).

This dataset (World_Bright-Earth-e-Atlas-basemap) contains all the files required to setup the Bright Earth eAtlas basemap in a GeoServer. All the data files are stored in GeoTiffs or shapefiles and so can also be loaded into ArcMap, however no styling has been included for this purpose.

This basemap is small enough (~900 MB) that can be readily used locally or deployed to a GeoServer.

Base map aesthetics (added 28 Jan 2025)

The Bright Earth e-Atlas Basemap is a high-resolution representation of the Earth's surface, designed to depict global geography with clarity, natural aesthetics with bright and soft color tones that enhance data overlays without overwhelming the viewer. The land areas are based on NASA's Blue Marble imagery, with modifications to lighten the tone and apply noise reduction filtering to soften the overall coloring. The original Blue Marble imagery was based on composite satellite imagery resulting in a visually appealing and clean map that highlights natural features while maintaining clarity and readability. Hillshading has been applied across the landmasses to enhance detail and texture, bringing out the relief of mountainous regions, plateaus, and other landforms.

The oceans feature three distinct depth bands to illustrate shallow continental areas, deeper open ocean zones, and the very deep trenches and basins. The colors transition from light blue in shallow areas to darker shades in deeper regions, giving a clear sense of bathymetric variation. Hillshading has also been applied to the oceans to highlight finer structures on the seafloor, such as ridges, trenches, and other geological features, adding depth and dimensionality to the depiction of underwater topography.

At higher zoom levels prominent cities are shown and the large scale roads are shown for Australia.

Rendered Raster Version (added 28 Jan 2025)

A low resolution version of the dataset is available as a raster file (PNG, JPG and GeoTiff) at ~2 km and 4 km resolutions. These rasters are useful for applications where GeoServer is not available to render the data dynamically. While the rasters are large they represent a small fraction of the full detail of the dataset. The rastered version was produced using the layout manager in QGIS to render maps of the whole world, pulling the imagery from the eAtlas GeoServer. This imagery from converted to the various formats using GDAL. More detail is provided in 'Rendered-bright-earth-processing.txt' in the download and browse section.

Change Log 2025-01-28: Added two rendered raster versions of the dataset at 21600x10800 and 10400x5400 pixels in size in PNG, JPG and GeoTiff format. Added

This dataset contains both large (A0) printable maps of the Torres Strait broken into six overlapping regions, based on a clear sky, clear water composite Sentinel 2 composite imagery and the imagery used to create these maps. These maps show satellite imagery of the region, overlaid with reef and island boundaries and names. Not all features are named, just the more prominent features. This also includes a vector map of Ashmore Reef and Boot Reef in Coral Sea as these were used in the same discussions that these maps were developed for. The map of Ashmore Reef includes the atoll platform, reef boundaries and depth polygons for 5 m and 10 m.

This dataset contains all working files used in the development of these maps. This includes all a copy of all the source datasets and all derived satellite image tiles and QGIS files used to create the maps. This includes cloud free Sentinel 2 composite imagery of the Torres Strait region with alpha blended edges to allow the creation of a smooth high resolution basemap of the region.

The base imagery is similar to the older base imagery dataset: Torres Strait clear sky, clear water Landsat 5 satellite composite (NERP TE 13.1 eAtlas, AIMS, source: NASA).

Most of the imagery in the composite imagery from 2017 - 2021.


Method:
The Sentinel 2 basemap was produced by processing imagery from the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset (01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery in the data download) for the Torres Strait region. The TrueColour imagery for the scenes covering the mapped area were downloaded. Both the reference 1 imagery (R1) and reference 2 imagery (R2) was copied for processing. R1 imagery contains the lowest noise, most cloud free imagery, while R2 contains the next best set of imagery. Both R1 and R2 are typically composite images from multiple dates.

The R2 images were selectively blended using manually created masks with the R1 images. This was done to get the best combination of both images and typically resulted in a reduction in some of the cloud artefacts in the R1 images. The mask creation and previewing of the blending was performed in Photoshop. The created masks were saved in 01-data/R2-R1-masks. To help with the blending of neighbouring images a feathered alpha channel was added to the imagery. The processing of the merging (using the masks) and the creation of the feathered borders on the images was performed using a Python script (src/local/03-merge-R2-R1-images.py) using the Pillow library and GDAL. The neighbouring image blending mask was created by applying a blurring of the original hard image mask. This allowed neighbouring image tiles to merge together.

The imagery and reference datasets (reef boundaries, EEZ) were loaded into QGIS for the creation of the printable maps.

To optimise the matching of the resulting map slight brightness adjustments were applied to each scene tile to match its neighbours. This was done in the setup of each image in QGIS. This adjustment was imperfect as each tile was made from a different combinations of days (to remove clouds) resulting in each scene having a different tonal gradients across the scene then its neighbours. Additionally Sentinel 2 has slight stripes (at 13 degrees off the vertical) due to the swath of each sensor having a slight sensitivity difference. This effect was uncorrected in this imagery.


Single merged composite GeoTiff:
The image tiles with alpha blended edges work well in QGIS, but not in ArcGIS Pro. To allow this imagery to be used across tools that don't support the alpha blending we merged and flattened the tiles into a single large GeoTiff with no alpha channel. This was done by rendering the map created in QGIS into a single large image. This was done in multiple steps to make the process manageable.

The rendered map was cut into twenty 1 x 1 degree georeferenced PNG images using the Atlas feature of QGIS. This process baked in the alpha blending across neighbouring Sentinel 2 scenes. The PNG images were then merged back into a large GeoTiff image using GDAL (via QGIS), removing the alpha channel. The brightness of the image was adjusted so that the darkest pixels in the image were 1, saving the value 0 for nodata masking and the boundary was clipped, using a polygon boundary, to trim off the outer feathering. The image was then optimised for performance by using internal tiling and adding overviews. A full breakdown of these steps is provided in the README.md in the 'Browse and download all data files' link.

The merged final image is available in export\TS_AIMS_Torres Strait-Sentinel-2_Composite.tif.


Source datasets:
Complete Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Island and Reef Feature boundaries including Torres Strait Version 1b (NESP TWQ 3.13, AIMS, TSRA, GBRMPA), https://eatlas.org.au/data/uuid/d2396b2c-68d4-4f4b-aab0-52f7bc4a81f5

Geoscience Australia (2014b), Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 - Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a - Geodatabase [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539DFE87D895

Basemap/AU_GA_AMB_2014a/Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit.shp
The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014a). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Exclusive_Economic_Zone_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data.

Geoscience Australia (2014a), Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) 2014a [Dataset]. Canberra, Australia: Author. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [license]. Sourced on 12 July 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.4225/25/5539E01878302
Basemap/AU_GA_Treaties-AMB_2014a/Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit.shp
The original data was obtained from GA (Geoscience Australia, 2014b). The Geodatabase was loaded in ArcMap. The Papua_New_Guinea_TSPZ_AMB2014a_Limit layer was loaded and exported as a shapefile. Since this file was small no clipping was applied to the data.

AIMS Coral Sea Features (2022) - DRAFT
This is a draft version of this dataset. The region for Ashmore and Boot reef was checked. The attributes in these datasets haven't been cleaned up. Note these files should not be considered finalised and are only suitable for maps around Ashmore Reef. Please source an updated version of this dataset for any other purpose.
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Names/Names.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Platform_adj/CS_Platform.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Reef_Boundaries_adj/CS_Reef_Boundaries.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth5m_Coral-Sea.shp
CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features/CS_Depth/CS_AIMS_Coral-Sea-Features_Img_S2_R1_Depth10m_Coral-Sea.shp

Murray Island 20 Sept 2011 15cm SISP aerial imagery, Queensland Spatial Imagery Services Program, Department of Resources, Queensland
This is the high resolution imagery used to create the map of Mer.

World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery
The base image composites used in this dataset were based on an early version of Lawrey, E., Hammerton, M. (2024). Marine satellite imagery test collections (AIMS) [Data set]. eAtlas. https://doi.org/10.26274/zq26-a956. A snapshot of the code at the time this dataset was developed is made available in the 01-data/World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery folder of the download of this dataset.


Data Location:
This dataset is filed in the eAtlas enduring data repository at: data\custodian\2020-2029-AIMS\TS_AIMS_Torres-Strait-Sentinel-2-regional-maps. On the eAtlas server it is stored at eAtlas GeoServer\data\2020-2029-AIMS.


Change Log:
2025-05-12: Eric Lawrey
Added Torres-Strait-Region-Map-Masig-Ugar-Erub-45k-A0 and Torres-Strait-Eastern-Region-Map-Landscape-A0. These maps have a brighten satellite imagery to allow easier reading of writing on the maps. They also include markers for geo-referencing the maps for digitisation.

2025-02-04: Eric Lawrey
Fixed up the reference to the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery dataset, clarifying where the source that was used in this dataset. Added ORCID and RORs to the record.

2023-11-22: Eric Lawrey
Added the data and maps for close up of Mer.
- 01-data/TS_DNRM_Mer-aerial-imagery/
- preview/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.jpeg
- exports/Torres-Strait-Mer-Map-Landscape-A0.pdf
Updated 02-Torres-Strait-regional-maps.qgz to include the layout for the new map.

2023-03-02: Eric Lawrey
Created a merged version of the satellite imagery, with no alpha blending so that it can be used in ArcGIS Pro. It is now a single large GeoTiff image. The Google Earth Engine source code for the World_AIMS_Marine-satellite-imagery was included to improve the reproducibility and provenance of the dataset, along with a calculation of the distribution of image dates that went into the final composite image. A WMS service for the imagery was also setup and linked to from the metadata. A cross reference to the older Torres Strait clear sky clear water Landsat composite imagery was also added to the record.

This web map draws attention to your thematic content by providing a dark, neutral background with minimal colors, labels, and features. Only key information is represented to provide geographic context, allowing your data to come to the foreground. Open this web map and choose the "Add" button at the top to add your thematic content, or drag and drop your GIS-ready data to the map.This web map uses the World Dark Gray Base map service as its basemap. This web map also contains the World Dark Gray Reference map service to provide labels for selected cities and towns.This dark gray web map supports bright colors and labels for your theme, creating a visually compelling map graphic which helps your reader see the patterns intended. See this blog post for more information on how to use this map.The map shows populated places, water, roads, urban areas, parks, building footprints, and administrative boundaries. Alignment of boundaries is a presentation of the feature provided by our data vendors and does not imply endorsement by Esri or any governing authority. This map was compiled by Esri using HERE data, DeLorme basemap layers, MapmyIndia data, and Esri basemap data. The basemap includes boundaries, administrative labels, and major roads worldwide from 1:591M scale to 1:577k scale. More detailed nationwide coverage is included in North America, Africa, South America and Central America, the Middle East, India, Australia, and New Zealand down to the 1:9k scale. Data for select areas of Africa and Pacific Island nations from ~1:288k to ~1:9k was sourced from OpenStreetMap contributors. Specific country list and documentation of Esri's process for including OSM data is available to view.In addition, some of the data in the World Dark Gray Base map service has been contributed by the GIS community. You can contribute your data to this service and have it served by Esri. For details, see the Community Maps Program. For details on data sources in this map service, view the list of Contributors for the World Dark Gray Base map. Note: The light gray basemap is not supported in ArcGIS for Desktop 9.3 or 9.3.1 because it uses the mixed cache format (both JPEG and PNG).

Spatial dataset derived from many different open data repositories and cropped on the Omo-Turkana Basin boundary, used to create a base-map describing the components of Water-Energy-Food nexus in the case study.

omo-turkana.gpkg: vector dataset including the following layers, together with the related map style for QGIS Desktop used in the DAFNE Geoportal basemap:

• basin: Hydrological basin of the Omo-Turkana river (case study boundary)
• subbasin: Basins of the main tributaries
• waterbodies: Natural lakes and reservoirs boundaries
• rivers: River network
• dams: Existing dams
• protected_areas: Protected areas
• aei_pct_cells: Area equipped for irrigation, expressed as percentage of total area.
• roads: Main roads network
• cities: Main cities in the riparian countries
• countries: Administrative borders of riparian countries
• markers: DAFNE model components location, with existing and planned dams and power plants, irrigation schemes, environmental target areas.

zambezi_raster.zip: raster dataset including the following layers:

• srtm_90m: Digital Elevation Model
• Global Surface Water:
  • change: Occurrence Change Intensity map provides information on where surface water occurrence increased, decreased or remained the same between 1984-1999 and 2000-2015
  • extent: Maximum Water Extent shows all the locations ever detected as water over period 1984-2015
  • occurence: Occurrence shows where surface water occurred between 1984 and 2015 and provides information concerning overall water dynamics.
  • recurrence: Recurrence provides information concerning the inter-annual behaviour of water surfaces and captures the frequency with which water returns from year to year.
  • seasonality: Seasonality map provides information concerning the intra-annual behaviour of water surfaces for a single year (2015) and shows permanent and seasonal water and the number of months water was present.
  • transitions: Transitions map provides information on the change in surface water seasonality between the first and last years (between 1984 and 2015) and captures changes between the three classes of not water, seasonal water and permanent water.

Original data sources include:

• AQUASTAT, the FAO global information system on water resources and agricultural water management;

• Natural Earth, a public domain map dataset available at different scales;

• Protected Planet, the most up to date and complete source of data on protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, maintained by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN;

• OpenStreetMap, a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world;

• NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Database;

• Global Water Surface, a virtual time machine that maps the location and temporal distribution of water surfaces at the global scale.

Coastline for Antarctica created from various mapping and remote sensing sources, consisting of the following coast types: ice coastline, rock coastline, grounding line, ice shelf and front, ice rumple, and rock against ice shelf. Covering all land and ice shelves south of 60°S. Suitable for topographic mapping and analysis. High resolution versions of ADD data are suitable for scales larger than 1:1,000,000. The largest suitable scale is changeable and dependent on the region.

Major changes in v7.5 include updates to ice shelf fronts in the following regions: Seal Nunataks and Scar Inlet region, the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf, between the Brunt Ice Shelf and Riiser-Larsen Peninsula, the Shackleton and Conger ice shelves, and Crosson, Thwaites and Pine Island. Small areas of grounding line and ice coastlines were also updated in some of these regions as needed.

Data compiled, managed and distributed by the Mapping and Geographic Information Centre and the UK Polar Data Centre, British Antarctic Survey on behalf of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

Further information and useful links

Map projection: WGS84 Antarctic Polar Stereographic, EPSG 3031. Note: by default, opening this layer in the Map Viewer will display the data in Web Mercator. To display this layer in its native projection use an Antarctic basemap.

The currency of this dataset is May 2022 and will be reviewed every 6 months. This feature layer will always reflect the most recent version.

For more information on, and access to other Antarctic Digital Database (ADD) datasets, refer to the SCAR ADD data catalogue.

A related medium resolution dataset is also published via Living Atlas, as well medium and high resolution polygon datasets.

For background information on the ADD project, please see the British Antarctic Survey ADD project page.

Lineage

Dataset compiled from a variety of Antarctic map and satellite image sources. The dataset was created using ArcGIS and QGIS GIS software programmes and has been checked for basic topography and geometry checks, but does not contain strict topology. Quality varies across the dataset and certain areas where high resolution source data were available are suitable for large scale maps whereas other areas are only suitable for smaller scales. Each line has attributes detailing the source which can give the user further indications of its suitability for specific uses. Attributes also give information including 'surface' (e.g. grounding line, ice coastline, ice shelf front) and revision date. Compiled from sources ranging in time from 1990s-2022 - individual lines contain exact source dates.