AUTOMATION IN PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
Morris M. Thompson 
U.S. Geological Survey 
In the period 1972-76, a significant American effort has been devoted 
to the development of systems for automating photogrammetric operations. 
Progress has ranged from relatively inexpensive modification of exist- 
ing stereoplotters by equipping them with simple digitizers to the 
development of complex and costly systems capable of simultaneous 
automatic production of orthophotos, contours, and digital terrain 
models. The current trends of automated photogrammetry in the United 
States can be summarized as follows: 
o Minicomputers on-line with existing stereoplotters, 
arranging several plotters to interface with one computer. 
o Off-line orthophoto systems, in which the orthophotos are © 
produced separately from generation of height-control data. 
o Systems based on sophisticated instruments such as analytical 
plotters, UNAMACE, and Gestalt Photo Mapper. 
o Digital image-processing techniques for manipulation of 
intensity and geometry, emphasis of detail, and change 
detection. 
o Pattern-recognition systems for automatic image-data extraction. 
o Sensors other than conventional photography as input for 
photogrammetric automation procedures. 
o Automated production of small-scale maps with image data 
obtained from space vehicles. 
o Automated electronic techniques to improve photolab operations. 
o Application of automated photogrammetry to a variety of 
terrain-related engineering problems. 
o Effort to develop a completely automated cartographic 
system in which the entire map is built by automated 
processes, with the photogrammetric phase constituting 
one element of an overall integrated system. 
In the following sections, brief descriptions of significant American 
projects in photogrammetric automation are presented. More complete 
information is available in papers prepared for Commissions II and IV 
at the Helsinki Congress (Yoritomo, 1976; Thompson and Mikhail, 1976). 
The material is here arranged according to the organizations reporting 
the developments. 
—26-