Project memories... Dominique LASSELIN - French Polynesia

"For most people, the words French Polynesia evoke paradise. Clearly one cannot deny that the images produced during this project over more than 70 islands and atolls were magnificent! However, looking beyond the esthetic results, this wasn't an easy project. After two years of using aerial photos that didn't live up to par (because of clouds, yes really!) and trying to cover an archipelago that was spread out over a surface area the size of Europe, we decided, with the client's permission, to use very high resolution IKONOS satellite imagery. 

The atolls (without relief) were covered in monoscopic mode, while the high islands were processed with stereoscopic acquisition. The acquired images were then used in photogrammetry as aerial photos. This was the first time this had been done at this scale, and the choice payed. The IKONOS images allowed the production of no less than 114 topographic maps at a scale of 1:5,000 over 12 high islands, 55 regular spatial maps at a scale of 1:20,000 and 30 at a scale of 1:5,000 over 21 atolls, as well as more than 50 spatial map posters over entire islands and atolls! 

The local government was thus able to complete its large-scale cartography and can now benefit from these data, especially for the implementation of a brand new cadastre. Finally, looking past the charm of these faraway islands, this project gave us the occasion to create a sustainable and mutually trustworthy partnership with the Urbanism Service and our local partners."