movement known as Maasina Rule, which lasted from 1944 to 1952. Subsequently, in response to the worldwide STAND OUT FROM THE REST movement for decolonization, the Solomons set out on the path of constitutional development. The country was formally earn asprs certification renamed in 1975, and independence was attained on July 7, 1978” (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 2014). ASPRS congratulates these recently Slightly smaller than Maryland, the Solomon Islands have Certified and Re-certified individuals: a coastline of 5,313 km, and its terrain is comprised of mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls. The lowest point CERTIFIED MAPPING SCIENTISTS is the Pacific Ocean (0 m), and the highest point is Mount REMOTE SENSING Popomanaseu (2,310 m) (World FactBook, 2014). Thanks to Mr. John W. Hager, the Astro Stations observed Paul Pope, Certification # RS217 in the Solomon Islands include: Cruz, at “Cruz Astro 1947,” Φ Effective April 8, 2014, expires April 8, 2019 o = 9° 25’ 27.61” S, Λo = 159° 59’ 10.14” E, αo = 99° 46’ 39.3” to Az. Mark from south, International ellipsoid​, elevation = 2.20 feet. Reported under water, 23 Oct. 1961. Established by the 657th ASPRS Certification validates your professional practice Eng. Astro. Det. March 1947. and experience. It differentiates you from others in the CZ-X-6, Φo = 11° 34’ 13.3920” S, Λo = 166° 52’ 55.8300”

profession. E, International ellipsoid, Ho = 10.5 feet. Area is Santa For more information on the ASPRS Certification program: Cruz Islands, Islands of Ndeni (Nendo), , (Vanikolo). I don’t know whether or not it includes the Reef contact [email protected] Islands. CZ-X-8, Φ = 9° 47’ 43.8000” S, Λ = 167° 06’ 24.3000” E, visit http://www.asprs.org/membership/certification o o International ellipsoid. . GUX 1 (1960), at GU.X.1

Jean, Φo = 9° 27’ 05.272” E, Λo = 159° 58’ 31.752” E, αo = 300° 16’ 31.045” to GU.X. 2 from north, International ellipsoid,

THE Ho = 576.25 feet. Also listed at DOS Astro Gux 1. Source IMAGING & GEOSPATIAL is “Co-ordinate List British Solomon Islands Protectorate,” INFORMATION SOCIETY Honiara, , 23 Oct. 1961. Swallow Islands, at 1966

SECOR Astro, Φo = 10° 18’ 21.42” S, Λo = 166° 17’ 56.79” E. International ellipsoid”. The official datum of the Solomon Islands is GUX 1 ASTRO FIX and the only Grid system ever used is the UTM Zone 57, all referenced to the International ellipsoid where a = 6,378,388 1 m and /f = 298. This appears to be the “working system” for cadastral applications. Current mapping is referenced to the WGS84 Datum. According to TR 8350.2, the transformation parameters from GUX 1 ASTRO Datum to WGS84 Datum are: ΔX = +252 m ± 25 m, ΔY = –209 m ± 25 m, ΔZ = –751 m What does an ASPRS Member look like? ± 25 m. The magnitude of the parameters that would apply to the Swallow Islands likely would be significantly smaller, perhaps by an order of magnitude or more, because of the superior timing of the SECOR satellites over spring-wound chronometers used for the classical Astro Stations. In September of 2013, the Solomon Islands reported on the condition of their geodetic control to the FIG Small Island Developing States Symposium in Fiji. Recent attempts to correspond with the Chief Surveyor have been unsuccessful because of a recent catastrophic typhoon that hit the Solomon Islands and flooded areas remain in disarray at the time of this You! April 2014 writing. The contents of this column reflect the views of the author, who is THE responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. IMAGING & GEOSPATIAL The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of INFORMATION SOCIETY the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and/ or the Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics (C4G).

496 June 2014 PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING