COMMISSION II
Theory, Methods and Instruments of Restitution
Reporter: R.A. STEWART, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources
Over the past four years, there has been an accelerated and widespread conversion from the previously
predominant anaglyphic (optical projection) plotting instruments to higher order mechanical projection plotters,
This is the case across the entire spectrum of Canadian surveys and mapping endeavour - at all federal, pro-
vincial and commercial agencies engaged in photogrammetric work, The previous barrier of the higher capital
investment required for 1st order plotters has been broken by the consideration of the economies that are realized
by the employment of higher order instruments and their applicability to automation,
The federal mapping agency, i.e. the Topographical Survey Directorate, surveys and Mapping Branch,
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources, is responsible for the national topographic mapping programme and
employs 60 plotting instruments, ranging from lst order through 3rd order. Their conversion from anaglyphic
to mechanical projection plotters is at this time 65% completed. Five of the ten provincial governments have
mapping capabilities, and they are equipped predominantly with high order plotting instruments, Ninety percent
of the twenty-four private mapping companies across Canada have first order restitution instruments - slightly
over fifty plotters in number, Three Universities, the National Research Council and several technological
institutes are well equipped with high order plotting instruments,
The influx of high order restitution instruments has been accelerated to a considerable degree by recent
widespread utilization of the independent models method of aerotriangulation, Using a single higher order
restitution instrument, smaller firms can now perform both aerotriangulation and compilation to a high degree
of accuracy.
The remaining requirement for the basic 1:50, 000 mapping coverage of Canada lies in the northern
hinterlands. A very great area still remains to be done. For the northern country, the majority of users still
request that conventional line maps be produced. However, there is a growing demand for photomaps (either
photoplan or full orthophotomap) through a wide range of scales, from across the length and breadth of the
country, and for a wide range of clients,
Thus, while the major portion of the national effort in photogrammetric restitution is still being accomplished
by conventional optical-mechanical plotting instruments, many private and governmental agencies have acquired
orthophoto producing instruments and are producing photomapping as a standard procedure,
It is in the field of orthophotography that Canada is playing a leading role among the nations of the world,
After their initial successes with the Stereomat in the early 1960's, what is now the firm of Hobrough Ltd.
has produced the Gestalt Photo Mapper, a high-speed computerized orthophoto printing system employing auto-
matic image registration, This instrument has enjoyed a considerable degree of success over the past two years
and improvements are being developed for ensuing models,
The National Research Council is proceeding with their development of a stereo-orthophoto mapping system,
This system consists of several innovations, The Orthocartograph instrument produces simultaneously an ortho-
photo plus its "stereomate'', The stereomate is a special continuous-image photograph in which the X-coordinates
of points are changed by horizontal parallaxes proportional to the elevation differences. The orthophotograph and
its stereomate are then viewed in a relatively simple instrument called a Stereocompiler, and compilation, con-
touring and photo interpretation are performed by direct viewing. By overlaying a transparent drafting sheet
over the image, both the stereo model and the plotting can be observed continuously by the operator, A contouring
table and provision for automatic hill-shading complete the total system,
The Photogrammetry Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Communications, has developed a
photogrammetric digitization system that is employed principally for the recording and subsequent compilation
of transportation systems in the Province of Ontario,
Developmental work continues in the Surveys and Mapping Branch, Ministry of Energy, Mines and
Resources, on automated terrain digitization procedures for new mapping, map revision and map generalization
for special purpose mapping.
COMMISSION III
Aerial Triangulation
Reporter: J.R.R. GAUTHIER, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources
In Canada, the period of 1968 to 1972 was one of consolidation for aerotriangulation, Graphical methods
of adjustment were completely abandoned and aerotriangulation became an accepted method of control densifi-
cation for large scale mapping. The period of 1972 to 1976 should be one of renewed progress when rigorous
methods of adjustment developed in the sixties become production tools in mapping. These adjustment methods
will further reduce the amount of ground control required, and will increase the accuracy of aerotriangulation
results,