Project memories of... Yann Legros - French Polynesia

"The project led by IGN France International in French Polynesia was really impressive. It has been at least fifty years since these territories had been systematically mapped and many of the islands had never been mapped at large scales. Some of the territories had never been mapped at all!  

In order to really understand the dimensions of the project, one must not forget that it represented more than 250 new geodetic points, 550 new levelling benchmarks, the production of satellite images over 75 islands and aerial photographs on 65 of them... And all of this spread over an area as large as Europe!

The general public often does not understand that some projects can go on for years. The Polynesian project lasted seven years! But beyond the massive amount of information to be produced, it should be noted that special conditions, more specifically climate-related ones, can make some projects rather sensitive. The remoteness of certain islands and different cloud phenomena make conducting a project in French Polynesia much different than a project led on the mainland.

Most people think that the weather is always fine in Polynesia, but numeours clouds, especially over the High Islands, really complicated the aerial photography part of the project. It was actually nearly abandonned because of these factors.

Luckily, we were able to count on the latest generation of satellite technology and the innovative approach of the IGN agents and were able to save the project.

Everytime I left for a professional mission, I saw a glimmer of envy in the looks that my colleagues gave me. However, even though I was always happy to go back, I can assure you that my trips were nothing like a vacation!"

Yann LEGROS, a former IGN France International employee,  was the Regional Director for several African, Asian and South American countries including Senegal, Mauritania, French Polynesia, Brazil and Columbia. He now lives abroad.