Developments in digital photogrammetry:
revolution, evolution or extinction
that specific hardware will disappear making photogram-
metry a more accessible tool for non-specialists. Further
more the processing of these digital images will be based
heavily on the methods used for image analysis and
image understanding, so that the thematic image con
tents will play a dominant role over the image geometry
like in remote sensing applications.
The board of the Netherlands Society for Photogram-
metry based the choice of a theme for its symposium on
these considerations. An organizing committee was in
stalled chaired by Jan Timmerman. They took a great
effort to make this symposium to a success. Five speak
ers were invited to give their view on the modern develop
ments in photogrammetry and its effect in a modern geo-
information environment. Jan Timmerman could even
persuade them to publish of their presentations in this
special issue of NGT Geodesia. The sequence of the
papers in this issue is like the sequence of the presen
tations during the symposium:
Ian Dowman of University College London (UK) deals
in his article with the technological aspects of the
acquisition and processing of digital photogrammetric
data;
Wolfgang Förstner of the University of Bonn (D)
reviews the conceptual and scientific aspects of digital
image analysis;
Peter Dale of the University of East London (UK) looks
at photogrammetry from a mapping and information
science perspective and asks what the photogram-
metrist could do to ameliorate the problems of the
world;
Jure Besenicar from the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and Regional Planning of the Republic of
Slovenia describes the development of a new geo-
information infrastructure in the Republic of Slovenia,
emphasizing the role of photogrammetry;
Richard Groot from ITC in Enschede (NL) gives a
managers perspective on the role of photogrammetry
and photogrammetrist in a modern geo-information
production environment.
We hope that the reader will enjoy these as much as the
members of the Netherlands Society for Photogrammetry
enjoyed listening the presentations and hopefully they
help to form an idea about what can be expected of
photogrammetry in the near future.
Many people were involved in the organization of the
symposium and the society's board would like to thank
them all for their assistance. We would like to thank the
speakers for accepting our invitation to give the presen
tations and publish them. We are also grateful to the
editorial board of NGT Geodesia offering the possibility to
publish these presentations in this special issue. Last but
certainly not least, the board of the Netherlands Society
for Photogrammetry would like to express its gratefulness
to Jan Timmerman and his committee who put so much
effort in the organization of the symposium.
by prof. dr. I. J. Dowman, University College London, United Kingdom.
SAMENVATTING
Ontwikkelingen in digitale fotogrammetrie
revolutie, evolutie of ondergang?
Dit artikel beschrijft de ontwikkelstadia van de fotogrammetrie en geeft een overzicht van de huidige
situatie met betrekking tot gegevens, apparatuur en programmatuur. Momenteel wordt het grootste deel
van de kartering uitgevoerd met analoge of analytische stereo uitwerkings-instrumenten, maar foto
grammetrie wordt ook toegepast voor andere doelen zoals het verzamelen van gegevens voor GIS,
CAD/CAM, wegmetingen en de hele wereld omvattende gegevensbanken, waarbij digitale technieken
worden gebruikt. Voorbeelden van toepassingen binnen en buiten de karteringsdiscipline worden be
oordeeld en de vraag wordt gesteld: kan fotogrammetrie overleven als een onafhankelijke discipline. Tot
slot worden de nieuwe ontwikkelingen onder de loep genomen en hun mogelijkheden voor de toekomst
beoordeeld.
SUMMARY
This article sets out the stages in the development of photogram
metry and reviews the current situation regarding data, equipment
and software. Over the years as the science of photogrammetry has
developed, new uses have emerged which have influenced the
development of the subject along with the technology. Today the vast
majority of map production is done with analogue or analytical
stereoplotters, however photogrammetry is being used for other
purposes such as the production of data and information for GIS,
CAD/CAM, road surveys and global data bases for which digital
techniques are being used.
This contribution focuses on the current state of technology in digital
workstations and current issues and problems are explored. Exam
ples of current applications within and without the mapping com
munity are examined and the question is asked: can photogram
metry survive as an independent discipline
The concluding section looks at developments which are now taking
place and examines their influence on the future.
NGT GEODESIA 93 - 8
Where have we come from?
The origins of photogrammetry lie in the second half of
the 19th century with the early work of people like
Meydenbauer and Laussedat, working of course with
terrestrial photographs and graphical methods. At the
turn of the century the work of Stolz, Pulfrich and Von
Orel produced a stereo comparator and an 'autograph'.
In South Africa and Great Britain Fourcade and Thomp
son were developing similar instruments. The first double
projection instrument for aerial photography is attributed
to Gasser in 1915 but it was during the 1920s and 1930s
that, what we now call analogue plotting instruments,
were invented and developed with a high degree of
sophistication up to the 1980s. However the last gen-
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