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Lecture 04

Aerial photography uses frame-based sensors to capture images from aircraft. Frame sensors capture a single image at a time, while scanning sensors capture images continuously as they scan across the landscape. Aerial photographs are used in photogrammetry to extract 3D spatial information and create topographic maps and orthophotos. Orthophotos are corrected aerial photographs that remove distortions and present a metric, undistorted view of the landscape similar to a map. Aerial photographs and derived orthophotos can provide data layers for use in geographic information systems.

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26 views

Lecture 04

Aerial photography uses frame-based sensors to capture images from aircraft. Frame sensors capture a single image at a time, while scanning sensors capture images continuously as they scan across the landscape. Aerial photographs are used in photogrammetry to extract 3D spatial information and create topographic maps and orthophotos. Orthophotos are corrected aerial photographs that remove distortions and present a metric, undistorted view of the landscape similar to a map. Aerial photographs and derived orthophotos can provide data layers for use in geographic information systems.

Uploaded by

abdul basit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Aerial

photography:
Principles
Frame capture sensors: Analog film and digital
cameras
• Introduction
 Frame vs scanning sensors
• Cameras (film and digital)
• Photogrammetry
• Orthophotos

Overview
• Air photos are collected using a frame-based sensor,
while most other remote sensing products are obtained
using a scanning or pushbroom sensor (e.g., LiDAR
uses a scanning approach).

Frames versus scans


• What is a significant benefit of frame-based
sensors over scanning sensors?
 Hint: geometry

Frames versus scans


Every aerial mapping camera
superimposes fiducial marks on
each photo. The fiducial marks
can be used to determine the
principal point (+) of the photo, as
well as to determine if the photo
is distorted (compare the measured
distances between the fiducial
marks to the known distances).

Aerial mapping cameras


Example aerial photo specifications Go to page 17 Section 2-02.1
Colour film characteristics
Panchromatic film
(black and white) Colour film

Film spectral sensitivities


Colour film processing
Blue-absorbing filter is placed in front of the film (e.g., on the lens)

Colour IR film characteristics


Colour IR film processing
• When working with film we need to be concerned with
its sensitivity - how little light (photons) is required to
activate the film’s crystals and what range of light can
be detected. The sensitivity is related to the speed of
the film. The finer the crystal the ‘slower' the film.
Larger grains are more sensitive with a bigger
dynamic range, but larger grains result in lower
spatial resolution. Finer grains produce higher
resolution, but with less sensitivity.

Up to the equivalent of
200 megapixels in an
9 × 9” photograph
with fine grain film

Film sensitivity
10 MB pixel camera

216 MB pixel camera, capturing both


panchromatic and multispectral images

Digital cameras
Panchromatic film IR film

Film characteristics
Panchromatic film IR film

Film characteristics
Natural colour film IR colour film

Film characteristics
Natural colour film IR colour film

Film characteristics
• Photogrammetry: geometric properties
about objects are determined from
photographic images. Photogrammetry is
as old as modern photography and can
be dated to the mid-nineteenth century.
• Photogrammetry allows for the
extraction of three-dimensional features
from remotely sensed data (close-range,
aerial, orbital, etc.).

The science of photo geometry


• The majority of aerial photos are taken for
photogrammetric purposes (e.g., to provide
information to be used in the creation of a topographic
map).
• To meet those purposes, stereo aerial photographs are
required.

Obtaining aerial photos


• How is it that we can use overlapping photos to view a
landscape in 3-D?

Stereo vision
Stereo photography
Obtaining stereo coverage
Photogrammetric control surveys

Producing topographic maps


Very sophisticated devices
used to derive precise coordinate information

Now, most photogrammetric projects


are completed using softcopy
photogrammetric software.

Stereoplotters
Topographic maps
• Compare the map and photograph below. Both show
the same gas pipeline, which passes through hilly
terrain. Note the deformation of the pipeline route in
the photo relative to the shape of the route on the
topographic map. The deformation in the photo is
caused by relief displacement. A single photo does not
serve well as a source for topographic mapping.

Air photo ‘distortions’


• Relief displacement: the radial distance between
where an object appears in an image versus where it
should be according to a planimetric coordinate system
(the datum plane). Displacement is radially outward
for features above the nadir elevation, and inward for
features below the nadir elevation (on the film plane).
Relief displacement
results in the tops of
the buildings to appear
as if they were leaning
outwards from the centre
of the photo.

Air photo ‘distortions’


• Relief displacement—a
simple explanation.
 Consider point A. On a map (the
‘datum plane’), A would appear at
point A’ (orthographically
projected down from A). A
photograph of the map would
show A’ at point a’. However, in
the actual photograph A shows up
at point a”. Point a” is displaced
outward from point a’.
 Similarly, point B would appear at
B’ on a map. On the photo point b’
(the photographed ‘map’ position
of B) is further away from the
nadir (represented as line N / n)
than is point b” (the actual
position of B in the aerial photo--B
is displaced inward).

Air photo ‘distortions’


Trying to fly the plane in a straight,
level path is often difficult.

Yaw

Notice how the photos


don’t line up, and how
they are ‘twisted’ relative
to each other,
which indicates that the plane
could not fly in a
perfect straight line.

Air photo ‘distortions’


• Orthophotos are created by (conceptually) draping the
air photographs over a DEM, carefully mosaicing them
together; removing the ‘distortions’ associated with the
perspective projection, scale differences, etc. (i.e., by
ensuring that the scale is constant everywhere in the
photo).

Orthophotos
• Four basic operations or corrections must be applied
to the standard vertical aerial photograph to produce
an orthophoto:
 standardization of scale across the image (i.e., use
a DEM to normalized the distance from the camera
to the ‘ground’)
 removing the relief displacement to position the
terrain in its true location.
 assignment of ground coordinate values (e.g., UTM
eastings and northings) to the image.
 The final task involves the radiometric or tonal
adjustments to allow the image to blend with
neighboring images. (a complete example)

Orthophoto Construction
Orthophotos provide the same view of the landscape
(an orthographic one) as do maps.

Aerial photos
provide a
perspective
Orthophoto
view of the
Landscape.

Orthophotos
• Orthophotos are metric photos; aerial photos are not
metric.

The qualities of aerial photos that enable us to see stereo images


mean that any single aerial photo presents
a non-metric view of the landscape.

Orthophotos
• A comparison of an aerial photo with an
orthophoto. Note how the linear feature is
distorted in the aerial photo, but is straight (as it
should be) in the orthophoto.

Orthophotos
• Using stereoplotters (analog
or digital [softcopy]) many
‘layers’ of information can be
derived from aerial photos;
as well, if orthophotos are
produced the resulting
images can also be used in a
GIS.

Aerial photos > GIS


• Introduction
 Frame vs scanning sensors
• Cameras (film and digital)
• Photogrammetry
• Orthophotos

Summary

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