This is Version 1 of a project to map the Great Wall of China. It is based upon high-resolution images in GE, but also from frequent visits to different parts of the Great Wall. ZOOM IN TO SEE THE LINEAR ROUTE; ONLY THE PLACEMARKS SHOW AT HIGH ALTITUDE

The pink colour lines are confirmed either from GE or from actual GPS tracks (mainly in Gansu, Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia). In some places, placemarks are used for specific known single sites. A green line is used for interpolated gaps, although short gaps of less than 500m are generally ignored. A (discretionary) yellow line has been used in areas of low-resolution and sometimes to dilineate specific possibilities of related structures. Beacon towers, watchtowers and fortresses are located (althogh there is some inconsistency in terminology as various parts were drafted at different times!). This has been done so far only in patches...as I said, this is a work in progress!

There is plenty of tidying up to do, so your patience is tolerated. It is intended to use specific customised icons.

Section numbering starts at 100 for each folder and different lines or spurs start at 200, 300 etc. The most extensive coverage so far is for the Dunhuang area, Jiayuguan and Jiuquan, Gulang County in Gansu and east towards Jintai, the eastern part of Zhangjiakou city, Badaling (naturally).

The next areas to be covered will be northern Shaanxi, Huanghuacheng-Jiankou-Mutianyu and the "Qingdao" Great Wall. Several suspected parts of the Jin Great Wall in the suburbs of Hohhot and in the area north of Dalai Nur have been plotted from GPS cooordinates. The use of NX means "not exact", where coordinates have been taken some distance from a structure.

Additional fortifications have been identified by placemarks, although eventually I hope to get around to identifying specific linear features with a path (e.g. the Hidden Great Wall at Jiayuguan). If anyone has specific GPS coordinates of former oases and beacon towers in the eastern Taklamakan/Kumtag Shamo (I need the exact locations, not guesswork from low-res GE!). Anyone wishing to donate high-res overlays of that area sufficient to allow the planning of a jourmey from Yumenguan to Hami, that would be particularly appreciated!

- Mark

Haven't gone through point by point yet, but what I looked at was spot-on. Look forward to more to come.

I hope you post future work under this thread so I can find it

I'm working on more and hopefully the upcoming National Holiday will give me the opportunity to plot more parts of the wall in the Hebei area.

It is remarkably difficult to confirm whether structures on the ground are actually part of the wall or not. It would be good to get higher resolution images along the line of the wall, especially north of Beijing, in Liaoning and also in Shanxi and Shaanxi.

I have much of the wall plotted on the eastern side of the Huanghe in Ningxia (easy to spot) but struggling on the western side.

What is particularly useful is the ability to see former routes of the wall from certain high-res GE images when it is almost impossible to see it on the ground. Sometimes, though, it's the other way around where you know something is part of the Wall on the ground but can't distinguish a "line" from even high-res GE images. (The case near Huairou and Nankou near Beijing).

Please (anyone) feel free to contribute either single GPS fixes or known lines.

- Mark

This file contains additional sections.

Hi,

Great work on the wall!

I was browsing on the GE.Hacks forum and someone asked where the wall was.
I made an overlay from an image i found on wikipedia. Its not perfect by any standards, but i thought i'd post it in here in the hope it may help you on your quest.

The url for the image is:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Great_Wall_of_China_location_map.jpg

and my placemark/overlay is above!

Good Luck and hope this helps, and if it doesnt...sorry for interfering


Dave

Eagle-eyed Great Wall watchers may have noticed that GE has recently uploaded some new high-res images that lie over the Great Wall, which will help identify the exact location of various parts of the Wall.

Particularly interesting sections that I have noticed in Gansu, include:
- area around Yumenguan and Hecang
- area around Gaotai in the Hexi corridor

For the many people interested in the weird desert markings in the area, part of the solution is now visible...heh heh.

Also of interest, if your passion is Silk Road sites, new high-res images "just" include the great Buddhist cave temples at Matisi, south of Zhangye (although the Jintasi is still on low-res).

Work pressur prevents me from spending any time updating the main files that I have already uploaded, and I have noticed that the current high-res images to the east of Yumenguan seem a little "offset" because many of my points are based upon GPS readings in the field, usually with high accuracy.

My GE wishlist...if anyone from Google can tear themselves away from watching YouTube videos...is for the area to the west and north-west of the current Yumenguan/Sanlongsha high-res images to be updated wit high-res images. The area east and north east of Lop Nur is a fascinating, largely unexplored area where there are known to be remnants of the Great Wall (mainly isolated beacon towers) and the central and northern Silk Road.

Also, please, please, please can we have high-res images of the mountains north of Beiing for about 55km........I promised Santa I'd be good last year.

Here's an overlay of the Great Wall from MapQuest's perspective.

sorry if this was already posted.

I've really enjoyed following your work on the Great Wall - thanks! Just wondering if you could shed any light on the unusual features in the desert east of the wall to the south of Jiayuguan (at 39�46′57.20"N 98�13′05.53"E)?

Hi. I'm currently walking the length of the Ming Dynasty Wall (from Jiayuguan to Shanhaiguan) and have posted my GPS track route on my website www.greatwalltrek.info. Hope this may help.
Cheers,
Mark

My feeling is that the structures at 39�46′57.20"N 98�13′05.53"E is part of a military exercise area. The place is full of definite trenches and bigger ditches that could be Anti tank trenches, and some old weapon emplacements.
I have no explanation for the diagonal rows of squarish holes through the big structure though.
It's quite interesting to try to understand the reasoning behind the different sets of trenches that you can find in the area.