Mars Map (redone)

[Ilanthar]

I'm a bit scattered I'm afraid, but I really want to redo my old map of Mars for my Elzevir world. I'm going with a very huge base from USGS for this, in order to work out the details...
Just testing right now, so every comment is welcome!

This is approximately a quarter of the map (without the poles), and sadly, I already had to split it in two...
neo elzevirmars.jpg
neo ezmars2.jpg

[ChickPea]

I can't fault you for ambition! Watching this one develop with interest.

(PS did you happen to see this Mars map that was all over the web the other day?)

[Ilanthar]

Thanks a lot for the comment and the link ChickPea. It's a great map that goes right in my inspiration folder!

I was thinking of doing something more close of my Elzevir Geopolitics map, with a painting that indicates the biomes... I'm doing a few tests actually, as you can see below.
ezmars1.jpg
It's gonna be a long run anyway, and I'm not sure of what I want exactly (except that I want to put a lot of informations on it), so every idea is very welcome!

[Caenwyr]

Cool, it looks like an interesting project! A suggestion (and your free to take it or leave it or do anything you want with it): if your aim is to make it look like a habitable world with seas and rivers, you might wanna try eroding the landscape a bit before you start colouring it in (Wilbur might help there). At the moment it looks like a parched, pockmarked world someone just dumped a few billion gallons of water on. Everything is filled in nicely, but there's no sign of a history of sedimentation, erosion, ... as you would have in an actual river-and-ocean world.

Also, if you squint real hard, the image starts to look a bit like a blond poodle

[jshoer]

A suggestion (and your free to take it or leave it or do anything you want with it): if your aim is to make it look like a habitable world with seas and rivers, you might wanna try eroding the landscape a bit before you start colouring it in (Wilbur might help there). At the moment it looks like a parched, pockmarked world someone just dumped a few billion gallons of water on. Everything is filled in nicely, but there's no sign of a history of sedimentation, erosion, ... as you would have in an actual river-and-ocean world.

The scientific consensus at this point is that Mars was once a river-and-ocean world. It does have a history of sedimentation, erosion, and so on. The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover has provided pretty unequivocal evidence for lots of water-influenced features. If Ilanthar used DEM data, then he's got those features already!

I think the issue you're seeing is that those features are difficult to see at the global scale of Ilanthar's map. And, in fact, every time NASA puts out a concept image of Mars in its primordial oceanic state, it looks kind of like a "pockmarked world someone just dumped a few billions gallons of water on."

[johnvanvliet]

. If Ilanthar used DEM data, then he's got those features already!

the problem is with the MOLA data

it is inferred from VERY sparse data using a spline curve fit ( i have work extensively with this data )
the hirise stereo dems and stereo pairs of CTX images is needed
this will be a while before it is near being done

the river flows and flood plains seen in the imaging data is really not in the mola dem

[Ilanthar]

Thanks Caenwyr!

I like your suggestion, but I'm not likely to do drastic changes from the original map. I could do things though and interested in the idea. How would you do it with Wilbur? I'm afraid the size of the map and the not-so-great abilities of my computer will make it quite impossible to handle...
Maybe I could erode some craters?

And yeah, after the bloated pelican, it's hard for me to not see the blond poodle !

[Lingon]

And yeah, after the bloated pelican, it's hard for me to not see the blond poodle !

Lol Ilanthar We should do a challenge of that, maps that look like animals…
This looks really cool! Maybe I'm slow though, but I don't quite understand how much of it that is the base map, and how much is your work. Possibly just because I'm not familiar with the technique... A before/after comparison would be interesting for me!

[Wired]

I'm a bit scattered I'm afraid, but I really want to redo my old map of Mars for my Elzevir world. I'm going with a very huge base from USGS for this, in order to work out the details...
Just testing right now, so every comment is welcome!

This is approximately a quarter of the map (without the poles), and sadly, I already had to split it in two...
neo elzevirmars.jpg
neo ezmars2.jpg

Uh, could you link me to the USGS database you're using? 'cause it seems I'm too dull to find it myself on the USGS site...

[johnvanvliet]

in the PDS ( Planetary Data System ) archive

the MOLA (Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter ) data is here
http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/mis...mgs/megdr.html

The laser died VERY early in the mission so the laser count if very LOW
90+% of the data is interpreted


MSSS processed the MOC data
the old almost full map of mars

http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/...las/index.html
the data
http://www.msss.com/mgcwg/mgm/



for the old files at the USGS
the viking MDIM2.1 data
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/...lobal_232m/cub


also other grided data
http://www.mars.asu.edu/data/

you can also use "map-a-planet "
http://www.mapaplanet.org/


or one of the search tools
http://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/mars/