GE 178 Lecture 5:
Principles of Aerial Photography and
Photo Scale Determination
Aerial Photo (Image) vs Map
Images
central projection, non-uniform scale
actual features
Maps
orthogonal projection, uniform scale
symbols
Orthogonal vs Perspective Projection
Orthogonal vs Perspective Projection
Orthogonal vs Perspective Projection
Orthogonal vs Perspective Projection
Vertical Photography
Vertical Aerial Photograph
Characteristics
tilt 3 from the vertical
scale is approximately constant throughout the
photo
p=i=n
within limitations, a vertical air photo can be used as
a map substitute
most common format is a 9 by 9 inch photograph
Vertical Aerial Photograph
Negative plane
f (focal length) = C (principal distance)
O
f=C
Positive plane
Hmge (flying height)
p=i=n
Mean ground elevation
Elements of a Vertical Photograph
Fiducial Marks
optically projected geometric figures located at
either the four corners of a photograph, or on the
four sides of a photograph
define the coordinate axes and geometric center of a
single aerial photograph
Intersection represents the principal point of the
photograph
Fiducial Marks and Principal Point
Fiducial Marks
Three Photo Centers
1. Principal Point geometric center of the
photograph; intersection of the line normal to
the image plane through the PC
2. Nadir point vertically below the camera at the
time the photo was taken; intersection of the
plumb line through the PC with the image plane
3. Isocenter point halfway between the principal
point and nadir; point intersected by the
bisector of the angle between plumb line and
optical axis
Nadir
Isocenter
PPoint
Three Photo Centers
Ground
Kinds of Photography or camera according
to focal length (f)
Wide-angle (f = 6 inches)
Normal-angle (f = 12 inches)
Superwide-angle (f = 3.5 inches)
PhotoScale
Photoscale of Vertical Photo
Recall:
distance on photo
f
photoscale
distance on ground H
But what if not all the required values are
given initially, and instead some other
parameters are known?
Determining Photoscale
Photoscale may also be determined according to:
Smallest detail and resolution
C-factor and desired minimum contour interval
Expected accuracy
Enlargement from photo to map in the instrument
Smallest detail and resolution
Resolution smallest distance that a
feature on the ground is still discernible on
the image/photo
1
resolution
photoscale
s p smallest detail
Smallest detail and resolution
Example:
The smallest detail that needs to be seen on
the photograph is 1 foot in length. If the
resolution of the photo is 0.1 mm, determine
the photoscale.
Smallest detail and resolution
Solution:
1
photoscale
3000
C-factor and desired minimum contour
interval
Contour interval difference in elevation
between consecutive contour lines
flying height
H
C factor
contour interval h
C-factor range from 1200 to 1500
C-factor and desired minimum contour
interval
Example:
The C-factor of the instrument is given to be
1500. If the desired contour interval is 1
meter, determine the photoscale.
C-factor and desired minimum contour
interval
Solution:
1
photoscale
9000
Expected Accuracy
Mean square error of horizontal position of
points:
mh 0.1 H 0.0001H 10-4 H
% per mil; equivalent to 1/1000
For Cadastral Survey:
mh = 10 cm (urban)
= 30 cm (rural)
Expected Accuracy
Example:
Determine the photoscale for an urban area if
the camera to be used is a wide-angle camera.
Expected Accuracy
Solution:
1
photoscale
6000
Enlargement from photo to map
Using the stereoplotter, there will be an
enlargement from the photo to the
stereomodel:
Z
enlargement
C
where:
Z = projection distance for stereoplotter
C = f = projection distance of camera
Enlargement from photo to map
Example:
A map with scale 1:5000 was derived from a
stereomodel with a scale of 1:8000, using a
stereoplotter. The projection distance of the
stereoplotter is twice the focal length of the camera.
Determine the scale of the photograph that was used
to generate the stereomodel.
Enlargement from photo to map
Solution:
1
photoscale
16000
END OF LECTURE
