The short version of this email:
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- has anyone visited BCIDWA or BCIDMT, and if so,
is the visit info online?
- if there have been no visits, is there info online
that documents the locations of these tripoints?
- for the Degree Confluence Project we have rules about
what constitutes a successful visit to a confluence,
and that is all outlined on our website - is there
somewhere that I can refer to online for this group's
'rules' for a successful tripoint visit & documentation?
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The long version is listed below :-)
Two years ago, I asked in this group for any information
about the British Columbia/Idaho/Washington(BCIDWA) and
British Columbia/Idaho/Montana(BCIDMT) tri-points:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoundaryPoint/message/6843
I never did make it to either point - my trip was cut short:
http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=49&lon=-117&visit=2
I may be going to the area of these tripoints again fairly soon.
Brian Butler indicated in 2002 that he was going to try visiting
these tripoints in 2003:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoundaryPoint/message/6846
but his website doesn't have any info about them:
http://www.bjbsoftware.com/corners/us_canada.html
and he hasn't replied to a recent email(June 30th) from me.
Does anyone have any additional information?
Here's what I have so far. I'm using OziExplorer as
my mapping program. Unless otherwise indicated, all
coordinates listed below are using NAD27 CONUS.
BCIDWA
======================================================================
A) Data sources
From the University of Washington Geospatial Data Archive website:
http://wagda.lib.washington.edu/data/drgs.html
the Salmo Mountain 1:24,000 DRG(with full map collar):
http://duff.geology.washington.edu/data/raster/drg/sandpoint/o48117h1.zip
From the Idaho Panhandle National Forests GIS webpage:
http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/gis/index.html
the IPNF National Forest Boundary in Arc/Info export format(e00):
http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/gis/lands/forestbdry.zip
NOTE: the e00 file was imported into OziExplorer as a track,
assuming NAD27 CONUS, and UTM Zone 11.
International Boundary Commission's NAD27 Boundary Segments webpage:
http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/ibccoordnad27.htm
the data for section M. 49th Parallel:
http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/coordinates/M49thp.txt
NOTE: the NAD27 IBC data was converted to a format that could be
imported into OziExplorer as a waypoint for each boundary monument.
NAD27 was assumed to mean NAD27 CONUS.
B) Data validation
DRG map image is calibrated correctly, as UTM and lat/lon
grid lines superimposed by Ozi match up with the map's tick
marks. Map image calibration done automatically by OziExplorer.
The locations of the Canada/USA Border Monuments 194 and 195
are shown on the DRG, and the waypoints from the IBC data are
shown on the map as matching the center of the map symbol.
The track showing the IPNF Boundary matches closely with the
Canada/USA and Washington/Idaho borders.
C) BCIDWA Tripoint Coordinates
Based on setting a waypoint in OziExplorer, centered on the
junction of the Canada/USA border with the Washington/Idaho
border, as shown on the DRG:
N 48° 59' 57.3628" W 117° 01' 52.7731"
From a June 2002 email from Brian Butler:
N 48° 59' 57" W 117° 01' 53"
From the "corner" trackpoint of the IPNF Boundary data:
N 48° 59' 57.4096" W 117° 01' 53.1115"
If there is a monument at the Cananda/USA border, then it
of course would be definitive as to the tripoint location.
The DRG to the south of Salmo Mountain, Helmer Mountain:
http://duff.geology.washington.edu/data/raster/drg/sandpoint/o48117g1.zip
shows Washington/Idaho Border monuments 165 and 166, with 166
being to the north of 165. The Salmo Mountain DRG shows monument
177, which is 949 meters due south of the border.
If there is no Washington/Idaho border monument at the Canada/USA
border, I'm inclined to consider the first coordinate shown above
to be the best one at this point, because:
- Brian's coordinates are only to the nearest second, and don't
place the waypoint exactly on the border intersection
- the IPNF boundary data matches the middle of the Cananda/USA
border line shown on the DRG, and also matches the middle of the
Washington/Idaho border line shown on the DRG south of border
monument 177. However, there is a data point at monument 177,
but north of that, the next two data points(one of which is the
"corner" point)line up with the west edge of the Washington/Idaho
border line, not the center.
======================================================================
BCIDMT
======================================================================
A) Data sources
From the Idaho Department of Lands Geographic Information Systems
http://gis.idl.state.id.us/GIShtm/static/GisProgram.htm
via the Dynamic Data Server, the Canuck Peak 1:24,000 DRG
(with full map collar):
http://gis.idl.state.id.us/webGIS/drgzip/h1rc4816.zip
International Boundary Commission's NAD27 Boundary Segments webpage:
http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/ibccoordnad27.htm
the data for section M. 49th Parallel:
http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/coordinates/M49thp.txt
NOTE: the NAD27 IBC data was converted to a format that could be
imported into OziExplorer as a waypoint for each boundary monument.
NAD27 was assumed to mean NAD27 CONUS.
From the Idaho Panhandle National Forests GIS webpage:
http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/gis/index.html
the IPNF National Forest Boundary in Arc/Info export format(e00):
http://www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/eco/yourforest/gis/lands/forestbdry.zip
NOTE: the e00 file was imported into OziExplorer as a track,
assuming NAD27 CONUS, and UTM Zone 11.
B) Data validation
The Canuck Peak(h1rc4816) DRG map image, when automatically
imported into OziExplorer doesn't appear to be calibrated
correctly. UTM and lat/lon grid lines superimposed by Ozi
match up with the map's tick marks for Longitude, but are
"not quite right" for Latitude. Also, the IBC border monument
waypoints show up slightly north of the symbols on the map,
and the IPNF boundary tracklog shows up as slightly north
of where it should be(e.g. in the vicinity of Canuck Peak).
I used OziExplorer's 'Move Map Calibration' tool to adjust
the map calibration by 6 pixels, and then all the grid lines
matched the map ticks.
The locations of the Canada/USA Border Monuments 220, 221,
and 222 are shown on the DRG, and the waypoints from the
IBC data are shown on the map as matching the center of the
map symbol.
The track showing the IPNF Boundary matches the NAD27 49th
parallel, and also the boundary line drawn on the DRG in
the lower part of the quadrangle, near Canuck Peak.
C) BCIDMT Tripoint Coordinates
Based on setting a waypoint in OziExplorer, centered on the
junction of the Canada/USA border with the Idaho/Montana
border, as shown on the DRG:
N 49° 00' 03.2520" W 116° 02' 53.6531"
From a June 2002 email from Brian Butler:
N 49° 00' 03" W 116° 02' 53"
If there is a monument at the Cananda/USA border, then it
of course would be definitive as to the tripoint location.
The Canuck Mountain DRG shows Idaho/Montana Border monuments
2 through 12, with 2 being 1.8956 meters due south of the border.
If there is no Idaho/Montana border monument at the Canada/USA
border, I'm inclined to consider the first coordinate shown above
to be the best one at this point, because:
- Brian's coordinates are only to the nearest second, and don't
place the waypoint exactly on the border intersection
======================================================================
--
Dave Patton
Canadian Coordinator, Degree Confluence Project
http://www.confluence.org/
My website:
http://members.shaw.ca/davepatton/