90 Commission VII Invited paper
The Photo Interpretation Picture in 1960
by ROBERT N. COLWELL
Professor of Forestry, University of California.
Eight years ago, when this Commission on Photo Interpretation was being founded,
I made the following statement in the Report of the President of Commission VII to the
International Society for Photogrammetry:
“Photographic interpretation currently is proving to be unexcelled as an information-
gathering process in an extremely wide variety of fields, ranging from geography to
archaeology, from astronomy to microscopy, from criminology to mineralogy, and from
warfare to recreation." Then I boasted of "the newly-acquired stature of photo inter-
pretation" and the fact that “its value is widely recognized in both military and civil
circles".
Quite probably, one of the reasons that I have been called upon to give a summary
paper on the Photo Interpretation Picture in 1960 is that, in so doing, I will be obliged
to either justify my earlier statements or eat my own words. Having no appetite for the
latter, I should like to accomplish the former at all costs. But if I am too crude in this
attempt, my motive will be so obvious that my report will be discredited because of its
bias. So, as I attempt to interpret the photo interpretation picture in 1960, I promise to
remain mindful of the danger of distortions, as any good photo interpreter must.
First I should like to describe what I believe to be a few of the most significant
developments in photo interpretation since Commission VII was founded. Then I should
like to consider some of the most pressing needs with which photo interpreters still are
beset. From time to time, as I proceed with this discussion, I will reappraise some of
the aforementioned statements which I so jauntily made about photo interpretation
eight years ago.
Recent developments.
1. The field encompassed by photo interpretation has become much more clearly defined.
Eight years ago the report of Commission VII to the World Congress of the Inter-
national Society for Photogrammetry contained only four weakly defined sections:
Part I. General; Part II. Natural Resource Inventories; Part III. Applied Earth
Sciences; and Part IV. Military Applications. It is true that some of the inadequacy
reflected in this listing is attributable to the short notice given in 1952 that there
actually would be a Commission VII, and that a formal report would be expected from
it. But in addition, this inadequate classification reflects some of the uncertainties ex-
isting at that time regarding the essential relationships among the many disciplines in
which photo interpretation can be used advantageously. By 1956, under the vigorous
leadership of Charles G. Coleman, these relationships had been greatly clarified. Conse-
quently, at the 1956 World Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry,
the following resolution was adopted at the closing session of the Society's General As-
sembly :
Resolved: That Working Groups be set up under Commission VII to maintain cog-
nizance of and report upon the following fields of application of Photographic Inter-
pretation: 1. Photography (available of photo coverage, desirable photo specifications,
etc.); 2. Equipment and Techniques; 3. Surface configuration, drainage, soils, geology;
4. Vegetation; 5. Urban, rural and industrial structures; 6.Ice; 7. Archaeological deposits.
The working groups reporting at this 1960 World Congress are organized essentially
as outlined above, thus minimizing duplication in reporting, and enabling any busy dele-
