value of historical perspective

Transcription

1 History of Remote Sensing Part II James B. Campbell 2010 Virginia Community College System Geospatial Institute t Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA July th, 2010 value of historical perspective Place events in proper context; Understand connections between events; Understand origins of current processes; Recognize value of contributions from unexpected sources; Recognize trends and patterns; camera obscura 1

2 Joseph-Nicéphore Niépce, September, 1824 Louis Daguerre, 1830s 1850 Daguerre, 1839 Eadweard Muybridge, 1872 early aerial photographs Camera was used with kites and balloons to acquire aerial photography; These early photos mainly served as novelties and curiosities; NARA Inability to control altitude and flight path presented obstacles. roll film George Eastman ( ), transformed photography from an expensive hobby to an inexpensive and immensely popular pastime. 1884: Eastman patented the first practical roll film. 1888: He perfected the Kodak camera, designed specifically for roll film. 1892: He established the Eastman Kodak Company, one of the first firms to mass-produce standardized photography equipment. 2

3 San Francisco, 1906 George Lawrence developed a system to use multiple kites to fly a panoramic camera CHICACO HISTORICAL SOCETY NARA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS early airplane photography The camera and the airplane were not designed to be used with each other an uneasy partnership for a long time. World War I incubator of aerial photography First conflict to focus upon mechanized weaponry; Fixed lines across the western front- conventional reconnaissance blinded; Artillery became the principal combat arm; Aviation in its infancy; Photography still in its youth; Aviation and photography not integrated. "... aviation is a good sport, but for the army it is useless" General Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superiure de Guerre,

4 balloon observation aerial observation missions 1. Infantry liaison; 2. Artillery rélage; 3. Aerial observation and photography. aerial observation and photography soon became the primary foci, with increasing significance assigned to the photographic mission. aerial observers were trained to report against a detailed checklist; photography was ancillary to the observation mission. 4

5 aerial observation focused upon a rather narrow zone near the front hand-held cameras/aerial observation propeller blast; lens fogged by oil thrown by the engine; difficulty in aiming and framing; struts and wires block vision; observers distracted by multiple duties, including observation, navigation, and defense against enemy pursuit aircraft vertical photography difficult; changing plates in flight difficult; The photographer stood in the rear cockpit belted in by a leather strap hooked to the inside cowl. In taking pictures, he looked through a viewfinder with cross-hairs and fired away at the prescribed area. Optimum altitude ranged from 12,000 to 15,000 feet and of course there was no such thing as an oxygen mask should it be necessary to go higher. When the picture had been taken and the aircraft was back on the ground, the men in the laboratory field units raced against time to get the pictures developed. Ten minutes was considered fast work. Goddard (1969) (pp 10-11) 5

6 fuselage-mounted cameras attempts to avoid disadvantages of cockpit photography supply magazine early innovations in aerial camera design exposed plates handle advances unexposed plates 6

7 experiments with camera mounts origins of systematic photointerpretation interpretation by annotation; mosaics, indexes; change detection. at the conclusion of World War I: Rapid evolution of aviation and photographic technology; Rapid development of techniques and tactics; Organizational structures did not respond in a timely or effective manner; Lack of vision by senior aviation leadership. Rapid progress and innovation not sustained during the post-war era 7

8 Contributions of aerial reconnaissance not valued by senior leadership... with one or two possible exceptions [the] undersigned knows of no CAS who even seriously considered flying over the lines. Aside from a few visionaries,... no one in the Air Service gave a tin nickel for the advancement of aerial photography. Furthermore, neither the infantry nor the cavalry understood the value of photography.... In fact, its safe to say that while the U.S. Army cared about reconnaissance, it cared very little about reconnaissance from the air... [Goddard, 1969, p. 21). The Face of the Earth as Seen From the Air W.T. Lee, 1922; Lee envisioned a broad range of civil applications of aerial photography; His book can been seen as a blueprint for the development of aerial photography for the next 50 years The economic crisis of the 1930s was also an environmental crisis; Aerial photography was applied as a tool to address economic and environmental issues. 8

9 Innovation, Tennessee Valley Authority U.S. Geological Survey Private enterprise (Fairchild Aviation) Military Services (U.S. Army, U.S Navy) U.S. Department of Agriculture Pioneers in civil applications of aerial photography: Tennessee Valley Authority land use mapping, topographic mapping engineering applications; U.S. Geological Survey topographic mapping, geologic mapping Early applications attempted to use aerial photography to supplement or replace methods based solely on direct observation o from the ground; Improvements in quality and efficiency; Slow acceptance. 9

10 agricultural economy Agriculture was a key component of the economic and social structure of the nation. Economic recovery depended upon developing an understanding of commodity markets; Aerial photography was used to derive timely information about the function of the agricultural economy. aerial photography, historical coverage, USDA historical legacy we now have an achieve of 70 years of coverage technology, Development of equipment specifically tailored for aerial photography; Precursors to today s designs; Specialization to meet more specific tasks. Based upon mechanical designs 10

11 Werner von Fritsch , commander in chief of the German armed forces; Killed in action during the invasion of Poland, 1939 The military organization with the best aerial reconnaissance will win the next war. 11