DATA BASE UPDATING BY DIGITAL MONO-PLOTTING* 
B. Makarovid 
International Institute for Aerial Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) 
350 Boulevard 1945, Enschede, The Netherlands 
ABSTRACT 
The potential impact of the digital mono-plotting (DMP) system on upda 
ting existing map series and on transition from graphical to digital 
data bases is outlined. Analogies are pointed out between updating and 
data pre-editing of original mapping, and furthermore between the upda 
ting and thematic mapping. Analogue and digital procedures for updating 
are defined and the data flows discussed. Attention is focussed on pre 
paration, mensuration, and transformation stages. A distinction is made 
between the 'semantic' and the 'geometric' data and operations, and 
further between the 'basic' and the 'process-control' data. A review is 
given of the issues concerning changes in terrain, of the different data 
sources, and of the means and techniques for change perception. Attention 
is also given to the transformation of the new locational data from photo 
to model space with the inclusion of differential heights. Finally, the 
operational characteristics of DMP are reviewed, and the properties 
affecting technical decisions and work management are summarised. DMP is 
a supplement of photogrammetric stereoplotting; its potentials tend to 
meet the requirements for an up-to-date data base. 
INTRODUCTION 
Today mapping institutions all over the world are increasingly confronted 
with the problem of updating existing maps. Updating should reflect the 
dynamics in geo-information. Thus it is useful to reassess the existing 
concepts and methods for updating in the light of the present and antici 
pated environment, and to promote further development of the updating 
techniques. 
The objective of this paper is to outline a photogrammetric digital 
approach for updating existing graphical and/or digital data bases. 
Attention is focussed on digital mono-plotting (DMP) technique (Case, 
1980, Makarovid 1973), especially on change identification and extraction 
mensuration and the subsequent geometric transformations. 
Updating of maps has been regarded as an automonomous process, and the 
techniques have been predominantly graphical and analogue. At present, a 
transition is taking place from analogue to digital techniques and thus 
from graphical to digital data bases. The techniques and equipment can 
be differentiated as indicated in figure 1. 
The subject of this paper is digital mono techniques, which can, however, 
be further classified as shown in figure 2. 
Fig. 1: Updating techniques Fig. 2: Digital mono techniques 
DMP permits conversion of line (and point) data, collected from a single 
photograph, to the orthogonal (or another) projection. The planimetrie 
x) Contribution to the 50th anniversary of the Netherlands Association for 
Photogrammetry, 1982. 
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