Grassroots Mapping is a series of participatory mapping projects involving communities in cartographic dispute. Seeking to invert the traditional power structure of cartography, the grassroots mappers used helium balloons and kites to loft their own “community satellites” made with inexpensive digital cameras.

Mapping River Dog Mouth, Mobile Alabama

January 24th, 2011 by Cesar Harada

Giant map_Oyster reef restoration in Mobile Alabama, Dog river mouth_ general map.

Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabama, Gulf of Mexico

Yesterday we went aerial mapping a landscape that is just about to change radically : restoration of the oyster reef in Mobile AlabamaDog river mouth – known as Helen Wood Park beach. In two hours from now (2011 January 22 6AM), hundreds of volunteers will come to install a massive oyster reef here. From 8AM today “Volunteers will be deploying approximately 23,000 bags of oyster shells to create new reefs and habitat at the mouth of Dog River” – see them in action here .

Prof Dawn McKinney & Prof Leo Dento Mapping

Prof Dawn McKinney & Prof Leo Danton & a red balloon
Aerial mapping Prof. Dawn McKinneyProf. Leo Denton of the University of Mobile South Alabama. Thanks to Shannon Dosemagen for organizing the trip.

oyster bags from....

concrete reef

reef at work :)

Oyster bag
These are the different reefs and bags of oyster they are installing. 5 non-profit organizations are working together to accomplish this massive landscaping project.


We took about 5000 aerial pictures that I turned into 3 very large resolution maps to make one huge map (at the top of the post):

7000x7000_Oyster reef restoration in Mobile Alabama, Dog river mouth_ south piece.

7000x7000_Oyster reef restoration in Mobile Alabama, Dog river mouth_ center piece.

7000x7000_Oyster reef restoration in Mobile Alabama, Dog river mouth_ north piece.

Download these full resolution maps to your computer as .zip file (27mb). If you want to learn how to make one of these map, check this post.

clay sample

This time, in addition of aerial photography, I also took ground samples (~250x microscopy), sand, sediment, organic material taken at regular interval. The idea is : if we are able to say what is on the ground – sometimes we may find oil spilled still – we can qualify and quantify what we see on the aerial pictures. We will come back in a few weeks to map again and see the effects of installing an artificial oyster reef here : “before and after” 🙂

sample -1, 20110121 Anne Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 1, 20110121 Anne Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 2, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 3, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 3b, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 3b, 20110121 Anne Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 4, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 5, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 6, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 8, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 10, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 11, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 12, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 14, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabamasample 15, 20110121 Helen Wood Park, Mobile, Alabama


Original blog post : http://cesarharada.posterous.com/mapping-river-dog-mouth-mobile-alabama
date : 20110121@15:41, low-tide.
Location : 30.57562, -88.07847
Mapping for Grassroots MappingLA Bucket Brigade.
Photos : Prof. Leo Denton and Prof. Dawn McKinney
Stitching : Cesar Harada
Left at 10:45 – return 20:30
Milleage : start 761963 – end 764803

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