11th International Congress for Photogrammetry, Lausanne 1968
Invited Paper Commission VII (Photo Interpretation)
PROBLEMS OF DOCUMENTATION
By
Dieter Steiner
Department of Geography
University of Zurich
Introduction
Before embarking on a discussion of documentation problems in
photo interpretation, some introductory remarks are in order. First,
this report is dealing strictly with literature only, although the
question of documentation with respect to aerial photographic cove-
rage and availability of alr photos would certainly be of equal im-
portance. However, as a result of the short period of time between
the 2nd Internitional Symposium on Photo Interpretation in Paris 1965,
when the present writer was commissioned to prepare a report, and the
11th International Congress for Photogrammetry, a treatment of this
additional subject was entirely beyond the capability of the reporter.
Second, it should be noted that this report has been written by
a geographer specialized in photo interpretation, and not by an expert
in documentation. This should be kept in mind when reading the sugge-
gtions given in the las! section, Their main purpose is to stimulate
discussion and, hopefully, eventual action toward an efficient inter-
national informaticn system. It is obvious that any international eo-
operative program in documentation would have tc be prepared in close
collaboration with documentation specialists.
Third, this report is limited in scope in a further sense. The
questions usually asked during a literature search are: 1) "Who has
written what ?" or "what has been written on a particular subject ?",
and 2) "where can I get the documents in question ?". While the answer
to the second question decides, of course, upon the final success or
failure of a literature study, the first iype of question ig basic. It
is essentially this first point which is examined in this report. Con-
sequently, it is divided into three sections: 1) An appraisal of the
ever increasing growth of scientific knowledge as reflec'ed in the 31 7
