The 'Lost' Island That Maps Made Up

ABC News via Yahoo ^ | 11/23/12 | DRAGANA JOVANOVIC

[Kartographer]

Sandy Island was nowhere to be found when Australian scientists reached the South Pacific location where it appeared on Google Earth, nautical charts and world maps. "It raises all kinds of conspiracy theories," expedition member Steven Micklethwaite said, adding that the CIA is among the sources of the world coastline database. "It reminded me of the hypernatural island in the "Lost" TV series." The phantom Manhattan-size island in the Coral Sea was shown as Sandy Island on Google Earth, sized about 15 miles by three miles on Google Maps, and halfway between Australia and the French New Caledonia.

[Kartographer]

ABC News - The 'Lost' Island That Maps Made Up (ABC News)

[Kartographer]

How could this be? I mean Oceanic Airways Advertises flights to there all the time.

[agere_contra]

Maybe that island was added by map-makers as copy-protection.

You add a fake island, and if anyone else has that island on their map then you sue them.

[Joe 6-pack]

"You add a fake island, and if anyone else has that island on their map then you sue them."

And if anyone lost at sea seeks safe harbor at the island and dies because it's not there, their estate can sue the mapmakers :-)

[Joe 6-pack]

Amelia Earhart must have been using Google maps.

[Kartographer]

Maybe?

[willgolfforfood]

Currently, Google Earth shows Sandy Island just where it’s indicated on the pictures in this post. There are even pictures attributed to being taken from people with a camera on Sandy Island.

[Kartographer]

Did any of the pictures look like this?

[Tupelo]

I was told many years ago that cartographers would add a town or two to their road maps as a way to check if other cartographers were just copying their maps. Maybe Google did the same thang*.

* a little Ebonics for the CBC.

[muir_redwoods]

See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatosu_and_Goblu

For a similar version of the idea

[Bryanw92]

>>And if anyone lost at sea seeks safe harbor at the island and dies because it’s not there, their estate can sue the mapmakers :-)

If you are lost at sea with access to Google Earth, can’t you just text for help?

[Joe 6-pack]

Maybe they just printed out hardcopy before the voyage....

[Chipper]

Google Earth app now looks like someone took a black sharpie to the island.

[GreenLanternCorps]

The explanation:

Ben Linus: Did he tell you what we're supposed to do?

John Locke: He did. He wants us to move the island.

[Yo-Yo]

It’s still there in Google Maps.

[KC_Lion]

I always fly Ajira Airways myself.

I never did get the final check from Charles Widmore though.

[Calamari]

-19.22299,159.918938

Plug these coordinates into a Google search. Then select maps and then the satellite view, zoom in and you will notice that the “island” appears to be covered in black pixels as if it is redacted.

[KC_Lion]

Actually I take it back, that would require forethought and critical thinking.

THE WRITERS OF LOST NEVER HAD A PLAN!

[KC_Lion]

Actually, your coordinates are incorrect.

The Right ones are 4 8 15 16 23 42