Digital Aerial Photography UNBC March 22, 2011 Presented by: Dick Mynen TDB Consultants Inc.
Airborne Large Scale Digital Photography Who is using the technology in today s environment Options available How is it being used Strengths vs weakness Differences with conventional airborne photography Terminology Project applications
State of the Local Industry Full slate of small, medium and large format digital cameras are now deployed across Canada and used in British Columbia Fisik Aerial Surveys - UltraCamX Aero Photo 1961 - UltraCamXp Airborne Sensing UltraCam Xp and D AreoMetric DMC II Midwest Aerial Surveys DMC II Selkirk Remote Sensing UltraCamXp (planned) Northwest Geomatics Leica ADS40 II
State of the Local Industry Global Remote Sensing Film Wild RC30 Terrasaurus Aerial Photography Twin Canon 1D MarkIII - 21 mp & Alpa Metric P65+ 60 mp WD McIntosh Land Surveying - Canon 32 mega pixel Foto Flight Film Geodesy Remote Sensing Medium Format In 2005-100 Large Format Digital Cameras world wide and by 2010 there are100 of the DMC models alone
Medium Format Digital Camera Common Characteristics 60-70 mm focal length Various configurations of professional to off the shelf or amateur, much bias, labels and distinctions Custom cameras and lenses Capability for Camera Calibration reports has been recently adopted but not widespread Smaller image foot print
Large Format Digital Camera Common Characteristics Radiometric resolution of 12-14 bit better in shadow areas 12,000 (across) -11,000 (along) pixel Single Pass - Panchromatic + 4 multispectral Red, Blue, Green and Near Infrared 92-120 mm Focal Length pan, 25 mm multispectral New large footprint equal to film
Medium Format Sony and Kodak early entry professional digital camera
Medium Format Canon EOS1Ds Mark II 60 mm focal length Image size = 4,992 x 3,328 pixels Calibrated
Medium Format Imacon Ixpress 132C 60mm lens 4080 x 5440 pixels 10 cm GSD Calibrated
Medium Format Imacon Ixpress 132C Dual Camera configuration
Medium Format Applanix 22.2 mega pixel 5,436 x 4,092 pixel image 60 mm focal length 125-4000 sec shutter speed RGB and CIR
Medium Format Rollei AIC 22 mega pixel 5,440 x 4,080 pixel image 125 1000 shutter speed 50 mm focal length 4 channel RGB Minimal moving parts Aluminums alloy1 piece body
Medium Format - limited success Intergraph Ziess introduced it s first medium format camera RMK D in 2009 Limited Success 8 cm GSD at 500 m flying height 14 bit per pixel for lower light conditions 4 band imagery with single pass Digital forward motion compensators
Large Format Early Model Microsoft s Vexcel UltraCam D smallest pixel size at 1,000 ft or 300 m flying height = 1.1 or 3 cm 11,500 x 7,500 pixels 4 channel RGB and NIR captures up to 2,692 images at 20 cm GSD in 5 hrs ~ 1:10,000 film scale = ~ 1.5 terabytes
Large Format Latest Model Microsoft s Vexcel UltraCam Xp smallest pixel size @ 300 m flying = 1.8 cm @ 500 m flying = 2.9 cm 17,310 x 11,310 pixels 104 mm focal length Similar to film 23 cm x 15 cm 4 channel RGB & NIR Holds up to 4,700 images with extra capacity for up to 9,400 images in one flight
Large Format Early model Ziess/Intergraph DMC(Digital Mapping Camera) smallest pixel size at 1,000 ft or 300 m flying height = 1.5 or less then 4 cm 13,824 x 7,680 pixel image 120 mm focal length 4 channel RGB and NIR
Large Format New model Ziess/Intergraph DMC II smallest pixel size at 500 m flying height = 3.9 cm 7.2 micron = 12,096 x 11,200 pixel image 92 mm focal length 5 channel Pan, RGB, NIR 2 sec frame rate
Focal Length / Footprint
Large Format Leica Geosystems ADS40-II Line sensor technology capable of 5-10 cm GSD at 1:500 scale Focal Length 62.77mm 12,000 pixel array Resolution of Pan image and RGB images are the same, no processing required
Large Format - Film Wild RC20 and the Leica (Wild) RC30
Digital advantages over film Offers a faster, and now noticeably a better solution to conventional film-based aerial imaging In addition, digital images contain no analog anomalies such as scratches, lint, dust or grain-noise Radiometric clarity is the most evident advantage that digital sensors have over analog technology Forward-motion compensation can support pixels as small as two centimetres on the ground. No film developing or scanning No noise from film grain, no film, developing, scanning
Film and Digital Terminology Photo Scale spec is now referred more to the Ground Scale Distance GSD Ground Scale Distance Distance between the neighboured pixel centers projected on the ground Film at 230 mm x 230 mm = 18,400 pixels Large format digital is now capable of 18,000 x 12,000 pixels
Digital vs Film Photo prints can now be created with similarity from film or digital solution Foot print issue is now similar Less or equal flying weather windows Less photo control required overall with IMU and now similar foot print Biggest difference today availability and cost (film and cameras)
Small-Medium Digital vs Large Format Digital or Film Low cost digital solutions can produce inferior image results when used for large projects Low cost solutions may incorporate inferior Forward Motion Compensation solutions. Results in a typically more expensive acquisition phase, though can be offset with reduction in costs for other phases. (scanning developing) Can require up to 3 times more flying.
Recent TDB Projects/Applications BC/Alaska border 3,000+ images - Film Yukon Mine 300+ images Film BC Silviculture Surveys Film & Digital Province of PEI -1,800 images - Digital New Brunswick Region 3,200 images - Film Ottawa Region 1,000+ images - Digital All new provincial projects in BC are going Digital Camera Technology
Thank you!