Kariba Sunset

A map of Kariba showing the under-water topography has been published and is offered in both hard copy and digital version.

The map information covers the eastern basin from Charara to Photo Corner just beyond the narrows.

The height and river information was compiled from the state topographical maps, completed in 1955. Mapping technology has since vastly improved so the accuracy of these old maps is not great. To improve accuracy the vectors were adjusted to fit, as best as possible, more modern data. The maps were then re-projected onto the WGS 1984 datum (spheroid).

The contour intervals are at 25 FEET vertical distance and water supply level is taken at 1600 feet a.s.l. and thus this is the level depicted by the shoreline.

At a scale of 1:100 000 the physical map size is approximately 1100mm x 600mm. Due to the small size of the market lithographic reproduction is uneconomic and so the prints are generated on demand. They are printed on a 150 gram gloss art paper through a colour laser printer that produces an excellent image which is colour-fast and waterproof. However the restriction on the print size means it has to be produced in two halves and joined down the length. Unfortunately they are relatively expensive. The map can be personalized to include photographs and other specifically provided detail. This option may well be popular for house-boat owners.

The digital version comes on CD with an application that needs to be installed on a desktop/laptop. Global Mapper is a simple application and experimentation will familiarise you with its workings. As the map is geo-referenced the cursor position is shown with a lat/long readout. Zooming in and out, measuring distances and adding your own data are primary functions of this application. You can change view parameters from kilometres to nautical miles, for example A search tool allows you to find any of the named data features.

If you have a data cable you can plug your GPS into your desktop/laptop and experience live tracking. Global Mapper 5 only works with serial port connections so if your data cable is USB you will need to purchase GM version 7 or later. Please note that the map cannot be up-loaded to your GPS instrument.

The digital data also includes A4 sized bitmaps of the lake (Zim side only). These have been supplied so that you can print out copies of specific areas at a larger (1:50 000) scale.

This product is the result of thousands of man-hours and is a very useful tool for planning, navigating, recording and analysing. The cost of one hard copy is USD45 and the digital version is USD40 (includes installation on a laptop). Bundled in a package deal the cost together is USD75.

A copy is displayed in the Fishing Shop in the Golden Stairs Nursery complex – come along and see it when you have time.

Contact Kevin Philip on 744067, 0912 709 350 kevnlea1@yahoo.com for more information.

Kariba on Amazon.co.uk

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