Introduction: Development in aerial and
Space Photography, Advantages and
Limitations of Photo Geological Techniques.
Presented By : Group 1
Dinesh Raj Regmi (Roll no. 1 )
Ramesh Bhattarai (Roll no . 3)
Sudikshya Neupany (Roll no . 4)
Sandesh Pandey (Roll no. 5)
Introduction to Aerial and Space Photography
• The term “photography” was derived from the two Greek
words meaning “light” (phos) and “writing” (graphien).
• Photography is production of permanent images by means of
the action of light on sensitized surfaces (film or array inside a
camera), which finally giving rise to a new form of visual art.
• Aerial photography is the science of obtaining photographs from air
using various platforms, mostly aircrafts for studying the surface earth.
• Aerial photography is one of the most common, versatile and
economical forms of the remote sensing and even used today in the
era of satellite and electronic scanners.
• Space photography is the field in which we can capture the images of
astronomical objects, celestial body and events occurring in the space
using optical telescopes.
• Space photography is, in one sense, extremely high-altitude aerial
photography.
(Souce: www. Spacephotography.com)
Space Photograph Showing
Himalaya arc belt.
(source: www.spacenasa
photo.com)
Development in aerial and Space Photography
In 1858 Gasper Felix Tournachon
“Nadar” took the first aerial
photograph from a captive balloon
from an altitude of 1200 feet over
Paris.
• In 1860 James Wallace took aerial photograph from tethered hot air balloon
Queen of the Air 2,000 feet above Boston.
• It is the oldest surviving aerial photograph and first made in America James
Wallace Black—Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• The early 1900s the kite photography of an American, G.R. Lawrence, brought him
worldwide attention on May 6, 1906.
• One of the smaller models of aerial
Camera ( photograph), dated 1907 kept
in Duetsches Museum Germany.
• In 1909 the first aerial photograph taken
from airplane were made by Wilbur Wright.
• In 1909 the first aerial photograph, taken from airplane were made by Wilbur
Wright.
• In 1909 the first aerial photo
• In 1909 the first aerial photograph, taken from airplane were made by Wilbur
• The use of aerial photography rapidly matured during the first world war (1914-
1918) as reconnaissance aircraft were equipped with cameras to record enemy
movements and defenses.
• Germany adopted the first aerial camera, a Gorz in 1913.
• In Asia, Burma is the first country to start aerial survey of vegetation of
Irrawaddy delta in 1924.
• In India aerial photography was used since 1925 to prepare topographic
map.
• In 1927, Northern Rhodesia used aerial photography to produce
topographic vegetation map.
• In 1927,
One of the first photographs of earth taken from space by Johns Hopkins' Applied
Physics Laboratory, 1946 Sheridan Libraries/Gado-Getty Images.
• Nepal used Aerial Photography in 1952 for first time. Then in 1993,
1964/65, 1978/79, 1985/86, 1990/91, 1994/96. Aerial Photography was
used for the estimation of forest and shrub land cover.
Aerial photograph of Kathmandu valley in 1972 Aerial photograph of Kathmandu valley in 2013
ADVANTAGES OF
PHOTOGEOLOGICAL
TECHNIQUES
• Large area information can be
obtained with a single image.
• Single land area can be studied in
different scale according to the
purpose of the study.
• Photogeology provides the current
geological features and view of the
surface that may not have been
included in the map.
• The data can be easily stored and
processed and analysed to get a
desired result within short time.
• Helps in obtaining maximum geologic
information within minimum
fieldwork.
• Photos are used as a base map for field
so as to locate field visitor more
precisely and plan to traverse in easiest
route where the outcrop occurs and
geologic relationship can be studied.
• Regional mapping, and analysing the
changes in the geological features
according to time.
• A single photograph provides varities of
information regarding pattern of
bedrocks, erosion and depositional
pattern, vegetation pattern, man-made
pattern etc.
• Outcrop patterns and structural features
which are very difficult to see on the
ground are readily observed in the
photograph.
• In military geology, photo
interpretation often is the only way
to obtain vital information on landing
beaches, areas suitable for moving
men or equipment etc.
• The stereoscopic examination
enables to observe the feature in 3D
which provides better accuracy in
interpretation of the features.
LIMITATIONS OF
PHOTOGEOLOGY
• Limitations of the photography: For many areas the photography now
available is deficient in scale, definition, or contrast, and all photography has the
great limitation that colors are shown only in black, white, and shades of
gray. i.e The scale is not uniform on aerial photographs. The scale varies from
strip to strip, photograph to photograph, and also on the same photograph at
different points.
• Limitations of the terrain itself: Where the soil cover is thin and comparatively
little vegetation is present, as in arid or semiarid regions, the surface expression
of geologic features generally is at its best, and the amount of information which
can be extracted by photo-geologic methods is maximum. Conversely, where
weathering is deep and a heavy forest cover is present, as in many humid regions,
there is less geology to be seen on photos, so that the results of interpretation are
more limited and less clean-cut. Under some conditions, bedrock geology is
almost completely- hidden, and even the details of surface configuration are
obscured.
• In some cases, the exact rock identification may become difficult as the rock
exposure may be covered by surficial cover, soil, vegetation etc.
• All aerial image contain geometric distortion ,It has many distortion , such as
terrain distortion relief displacement, vertical exaggeration. Hence, distance,
direction and areas cannot be measured directly from aerial photographs
without removing this distortion
• The technique of photo interpretation may not be very much useful in
interpretation of minor structural features unless the scale of the photograph is
sufficiently large to represent the same photographically , such structural
features include minor fold ,small scale joints, lineation, foliations, current
bedding, ripple marks etc.
• Limitation of interpreter:
The ideal photo-geologist should be thoroughly trained in all
the basic branches of geologic science, should have unlimited
field experience in the most widely diversified types of
terrain, together with long experience in using photos, should
be possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge of regional
geology and geography.
DISTORTION AND DISPLACEMENT
RELIEF DISPLACEMENT
when a vertical feature is photographed,
relief displacement causes the top of the feature to lie farther from the photo center than its base. As
a result, vertical features appear to lean away from the center of the photograph.
IMAGE DISTORTION DISTORTION
An example of barrel and pincushion distortion
TILTING:
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITION
THANK YOU !!!
