Photogrammetry/Aerial Photography

Abstract

After a tentative start in the mid-nineteenth century, aerial photography developed during the twentieth century into a major tool of geographers. The first extensive use of aerial photography was during World War I for intelligence gathering and mapping. This led on to early civil applications in archaeology, physical geography, and forestry. In the United States, aerial photography was used extensively in New Deal programs. During World War II, aerial photography played an even more important role than in World War I. Following the war, aerial photography was an important tool in post-war planning and reconstruction. It also played an important role in the development of the former European colonies in Africa and Asia. At the beginning of the twentieth century, few countries outside of Western Europe were adequately mapped at medium scale (1:25 000 to 1:100 000). During the century, the development of photogrammetry was to completely change the situation by providing a cost-effective methodology. Most of the technical developments were in place by the outbreak of World War II, but most of the mapping was produced in the post-war era. Undoubtedly, the Cold War was a significant factor drive to provide comprehensive World mapping.