Research
From Above: Satellite Change Notes
Short, original observations of what a review of public satellite imagery over time would examine on notable islands. These are review notes, not verified fact, in the spirit of the Island Dossier.
Caribbean · Bahamas
Cave Cay
A time series over Cave Cay would be worth checking for changes to the sheltered inner basin, where a cut deep-water harbour and roughly three dozen dock fingers should read as hard-edged geometry against the natural shoreline. The straight scar of the landing strip along the island's spine is the other feature to track. Given the announced large marina expansion, any recent frames may show fresh dredge spoil or reshaped channel margins near the entrance worth confirming.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Caribbean · Bahamas
Musha Cay
Across this stretch of the southern Exumas, imagery review would focus on how the villa clusters sit relative to the many small beaches, and whether the surrounding cluster of lesser cays shows any linking paths, docks or cleared vegetation added over the years. The sand geometry on the leeward beaches is worth comparing season to season, as these thin banks shift readily. Look also for a small airstrip or helipad footprint and any tender jetties reaching into the shallows.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Caribbean · British Virgin Islands
Necker Island
On this small island north of Virgin Gorda, the hilltop main house is the obvious reference point, and a before-and-after around the 2011 fire and later storm seasons would be the interesting window. Imagery might show the rebuilt footprint differing in roof shape or extent from the earlier structure. Also worth scanning are the scatter of guest buildings, tennis court and any changes to beach width or reef colour on the exposed northern side after major hurricanes.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Caribbean · Bahamas
Royal Island
Royal Island's long protected inner harbour off North Eleuthera is the feature to track, along with the ridge line that runs the length of the cay. Because a large resort, marina and golf course have been approved but only partly realised, imagery over time may show cleared corridors, graded pads or road cuts that then revegetate. Compare the villa cluster near the water against older frames, and watch the harbour mouth for any dredging signature.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Caribbean · Bahamas
Little Ragged Island
At the tail of the Jumentos chain, the standout feature from altitude is the geometric grid of old salt evaporation ponds beside Duncan Town. A time series would be worth examining for pond walls breaking down, colour shifts in the brine cells, and hurricane damage to the small settlement and its harbour. Erosion along the thin windward cays and any change to the single lighthouse or dock structures are the other markers to check across successive years.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Caribbean · Belize
Water Caye
This large low caye near the Belize shipping channel reads mostly as mangrove threaded by natural tidal canals, so imagery review would centre on how much of that wetland fabric stays intact versus any cleared or infilled parcels. The developed corner with pier, palapa and beach is the spot to compare over time. Watch the canal network for widening or straightening, and the surrounding shallows for dredge plumes or new cut channels toward the deep water.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Indian Ocean · Thailand
Rang Yai Island
East of Phuket in Phang Nga Bay, Rang Yai's white beaches and forested interior make vegetation extent an easy variable to follow across frames. A time series would be worth checking for cleared building pads, new access tracks cut into the tree cover, or a jetty extended off the sheltered western beach. Because the island has changed hands and sat largely undeveloped, older signs of quarrying or day-visitor infrastructure may appear and then fade under regrowth.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Indian Ocean · Seychelles
Desroches Island
Desroches is a thin sand cay on the rim of a drowned atoll, so the single long runway dominates any overhead view and neatly splits resort from residences. A before-and-after around the 2018 reopening would likely show new villa rows and pool footprints appearing on the lagoon side. The features most worth tracking are beach migration along this mobile sand island and any shifts in the surrounding reef flat's colour and exposed edge.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Mediterranean · Greece
Makri Island
In the Echinades near the Acheloos mouth, Makri should read as hilly, forested and essentially unbuilt, which is itself the point to verify against successive frames. Given its protected-forest and Natura status, imagery review would look for the absence of roads, pads or clearings rather than their presence. Worth watching instead is sediment from the nearby river staining the coastal water, and any small mooring or landing point on the more sheltered shoreline.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
Mediterranean · Greece
Skorpios
Off Lefkada, Skorpios and its islet Sparti are worth a careful time series around the post-2018 development push. Imagery might show new building footprints, a reshaped marina or helipad, and graded terraces set against the older Onassis-era structures and cypress plantings. With protection capping built area to a small fraction of the island, the review question is how much cleared or hard surface has actually appeared, and whether shoreline works have altered the small harbour and beach edges.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
South Pacific · Fiji
Wavi Island
Wavi sits close to Vanua Levu near Savusavu, and the thin causeway or low bridge tying it to the mainland is a distinctive line to confirm in imagery. A time series would be worth checking for the surveyed lot grid, the completed signature villa and shared buildings such as pool, restaurant and tennis court emerging against otherwise green cover. The small marina and any reef-edge dredging near the approach are the other details to compare across years.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
South Pacific · Fiji
Katafanga Island
Ringed by a broad lagoon in Fiji's Lau group, Katafanga is an unusual case where imagery may show construction advancing and then stalling. A review across frames could reveal a formed airstrip, ring roads, jetties and part-built villa shells from the mid-2000s work, with a golf course outline steadily softening as vegetation reclaims the fairways. The question worth testing is how much of that earlier grading is still legible versus overgrown, and whether the reef line has shifted.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
South Pacific · Fiji
Tavarua
Tavarua's roughly heart-shaped outline, framed by a wide coral reef, makes it easy to register between image dates. A time series would centre on the ring of huts around the interior and any changes to the boat channel and small jetty on the lagoon side. Because the reef here takes powerful swell, worth watching are storm-driven shifts in beach sand, breaks in the reef crest, and colour changes across the flat that hint at coral health over time.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
South Pacific · French Polynesia
Nukutepipi
Nukutepipi is a small Tuamotu atoll where the interesting overhead story is how a compact resort was threaded onto a single motu while most of the ring stayed forested. Imagery review would look for the master villa and bungalow line, a raised observation platform, and any solar arrays or water-catchment surfaces. Around a low coral atoll, the features most worth tracking are storm overwash scars, shifts in the reef-flat margin, and the pass or channel colour into the lagoon.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.
North Atlantic · Scotland
Shuna Island
In Loch Linnhe off Scotland's west coast, Shuna reads as a large, rugged and mostly wooded island rather than a resort, so the review interest is stability rather than change. The ruined castle shell and the scatter of houses, boathouse and pier are the reference points to locate, along with tracks crossing the interior. A time series would be worth scanning for woodland gain or loss, jetty repairs, and any erosion where the loch works the more exposed shoreline.
Review notes from public imagery; not verified fact.