Schadow1 Expeditions - the web presence is now a Decade old!

Schadow1 Expeditions - the website (but not the mapping advocacy) will be turning a decade old on November 26. 

This is after over 35 mapping expeditions in the country, calculating more accurate heights of mountains we have mapped, placing over several hundred thousand kilometers of roads and trails, mapping over 2 million structures, and introducing several previously unknown tourist attractions in the country.

We reminisce how we have turned our hobby and passion of mapping roads and sharing these mapping data and information into words and experiences as well as videos. 

Initially, to bring experiences and faces to the men and women who have been building our maps in the Philippines.

The Amadeo Coffee Capital Avenue

Amadeo, a municipality down south of the province of Cavite in the Philippines has been revered as the nation's coffee capital. Among many other municipalities in the country that produces a variety of coffee, still, the information may still be contested as many other parts of the Philippines are more popular for the production of coffee. Probably due to the fact that the municipality is one of the smallest in Cavite and that previously, the road to Amadeo is far less traveled, thus commercialization and its popularity is compromised. Now we see what Amadeo has become that makes this quaint town something to look forward to.

Virtual Visita Iglesia

One of the traditional activities of Catholics during Holy Week as they commemorate the suffering Jesus of Nazareth has experienced during the time of the Roman Empire in Jerusalem is "Visita Iglesia" or Visitation of Churches. This happens every Maundy Thursday night where devotees visit seven Churches and pray. Experienced on the eve of the commemoration of the Crucifixion on Good Friday.

However, as the Philippines' largest island, Luzon is on "Enhanced Community Quarantine", or simply put on "lockdown" to avoid transmission of CoViD-19, a global pandemic. It is probably the first time that Catholic Filipinos would not be able to perform the Visita Iglesia. Captured in 360, immerse in the Church as if you are there.

Specialized CoViD-19 Luzon Lockdown Navigation Map Released

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and its effect on the Philippines, Schadow1 Expeditions has released a specialized navigation map for front liners and consumers during the Luzon Lockdown. The map includes the features of the Humanitarian Activation map which we provide to our partner responders and at the same time, including some of the functionalities of the Donation version which includes opening hours and contact numbers of establishments.

Elevation and 3D Terrain Map of the Philippines 2020 Update

With the aim to provide our supporters and collaborators with the best available map for the country, aside from expedition-accurate navigation maps, we also provide a highly accurate topographical map of the Philippines for scientific, explorational, and military purposes. And so we released our latest high accuracy map this year based on NASADEM.

Taal Volcano Eruption and the Mapping Initiatives

On the noon of January 12, 2020, a Sunday, coming from an escalated level since March 2019, the Taal Volcano has erupted and billowed out ash plumes up to 17 kilometers up in the atmosphere, spreading its ash clouds from its crater up north to Batanes in just 4 hours. This eruption has enveloped most of South Luzon and Metro Manila with light-brown colored ash from its phreatic-magmatic eruption. The massive evacuation took place and there is a need for a navigation map for efficient response.

Cabongaoan and the Death Pool, an awesome beach getaway of Western Pangasinan

The Death Pool and the White Sand Beach of Burgos. We’ve heard most of this monicker yet they only pertain to one, the Cabongaoan Beach of Western Pangasinan. This beach is one of the many beaches that can captivate your sunset-driven beach getaways in Pangasinan.

The White Beach of Tambobong at Western Pangasinan

A white beach hidden behind a laid-back village at western Pangasinan, where golden sunsets stun people with its awe. This white sand haven is one of those sought after in Pangasinan amidst its distance to the usually populated province of the north.

Aiming to Hold the Record of the Tallest Statue of a Saint

Known as a missionary and converted many Jews to Christianity. A Dominican Friar and revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Independent Church of the Philippines, many have sought pilgrimage. In response, a town in Pangasinan has dedicated a Prayer Park in his name and attempting to break the Guinness Book of World Records for his statue.

Callao Cave and the Mini Man Discovery

Callao Cave was once again at the center of attention when a new species of possibly human ancestry have been discovered to which the fossil dates back 50,000 years ago. Where is this cave and why does it give importance to archaeologists to never stop excavating this area?

Division of Palawan to Three Separate Provinces through RA11259

On April 5, 2019, Philippine President Duterte has signed into law the Republic Act 11259 which separates the province of Palawan to three. The once 81 provinces of the Philippines will now be 83 as soon as a plebiscite is held and constituents have approved the separation. How would this move be of importance to its people?

Tip: How To Install Schadow1 Expeditions GPS Map On Navigation Systems

Schadow1 Expeditions shares its mapping data with the open source and crowdsourcing community. Hence from its numerous expeditions all over the Philippines for the past decade, over 2.5 million of its data has been shared and integrated to OpenStreetMap. Data from our expeditions are being compiled for offline use to Garmin™ GPS devices. The following is a guide on how to install our maps to your device so that you will never get lost in the Philippines.

Balangay Voyage - 600th Year Commemoration of the Philippines Maritime Prowess

The Balangay Voyage Expedition is an adventurous attempt of the 35-crew members led by Arturo Valdez to commemorate the 600th year of Sulu Sultan Paduka Batara's voyage using wooden boats originally designed by the Kingdom of Butuan (now the province of Agusan del Norte) in the 4th century. Using the same wooden boats called Balangay, the expedition braved through the vast South China Sea to reach Xiamen, Fujian province of China to relive the footsteps of the great Philippine ancestor.

Cape Santiago Lighthouse - Guardian of Verde Passage to West Philippine Sea

April 15, 2018 

You have never been to a place if you have never seen all of its corners. As for Luzon, the Philippines' largest island, you have never seen it if you have never been to all its corners. The old lighthouses of Luzon are witness to the awe of the country's beautiful shoreline. In the late 19th century, Spanish urban planners have constructed lighthouses in the corners of Luzon to guide seafarers when navigating its seas. One of the several lighthouses was located at the southwestern point of the island of Luzon - Cape Santiago.

3D Terrain GPS Navigation Map of the Philippines - Newest GPS maps in PH

Schadow1 Expeditions released stunning and highly functional offline GPS navigation map for the Philippines upon the arrival of the new year for its advocacy on assuring that a Filipino would not be a stranger to his own motherland. With these maps, you would never get lost in the Philippines. With enormous accuracy and functional elevation details for road trips and hiking, the offline GPS map for the Philippines has never been this accurate.

Aftermath of the Battle of Marawi

 

Marawi is the capital city of the province of Lanao del Sur in the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. It is considered the center of commerce in the region, being the gateway to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. On May 23, 2017, the Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group, both ISIL-inspired extremists factions in the Philippines, has held the city hostage which resulted to a 5-month long battle with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

on Blatant Disregard to our rights as owners of our expedition data

October 9, 2017

In the morning of October 6, 2017, a Friday, a newspaper publication in Davao has published an article about Tawi-Tawi. I was delighted at first to see that our efforts in May 2017 to finally open Tawi-Tawi to those who see it as war-torn as something to be proud of as Filipinos. Unfortunately, what made this day different from any other day is that we saw very similar data down to its word that was extracted from our documentation. It caught our attention and so we took a deeper look to see what might have transpired. Was it plagiarism?

LIST: 99 Villages and Subdivisions Traversed by the Valley Fault System

The Valley Fault System is a dextral strike-slip type fault that traverses primarily in the eastern portion of Metro Manila and other provinces such as Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna that sums up to a total length of 146.71 kilometers. It traverses a densely populated area in southern Luzon piercing through over 90 private villages and subdivisions with over 6,000 buildings on top of the fault line.

Barangays and Buildings Traversed by the Valley Fault System

The Valley Fault System, which is composed of the West and East Valley Fault traverses to several provinces all the way from Bulacan in the north to Laguna in the south with a total length of 146.71 kilometers. This also includes the whole length of Metro Manila from Quezon City all the way down to Muntinlupa City. About 80 barangays are affected and more than six thousand structures sitting on top of the fault line with over 2 million people in the danger zone.

10 Longest Sandbars of the Philippines

Sandbars are one of the sought-after and picturesque tourist sites in the Philippines. Normally characterized with a fine white sand emerging mid-sea or extending out of an island that reveals itself during low tide. Sometimes they are also called shoals, but a sandbar is specifically made up of sand. The best thing about the Philippines, being an archipelago composed over 7,400 islands, is that there are thousands of sandbars and pristine beaches. And these are 10 of the longest sandbars in the Philippines.