Operational Parallel Processing in Digital Photogrammetry- | 
Strategy and Results using Different Multi-Line Cameras | 
F. Scholten *, K. Gwinner 
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research 
Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin-Adlershof, Germany | 
(Frank.Scholten, Klaus.Gwinner)@dir.de 
ICWG IVIV 
KEY WORDS: Digital, Three-Line, Processing, Automation, High resolution, DEM/DTM, Multispectral, Orthoimage 
ABSTRACT: 
Digital sensors, providing excellent quality with respect to geometry and radiometry, are more and more replacing traditional 
analogue photogrammetric data acquisition. Allowing for a completely digital data flow, particularly line scanners based on the 
three-line principle offer new opportunities for higher productivity and for cost reduction, since automated processing of 
orthoimages and DEM does not depend on specific and expensive photogrammetric hardware components. With the airborne version 
of the HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera) the efficiency of this end-to-end approach to digital photogrammetric mapping has 
been proven within many projects during the past 7 years. The system can be applied to data of any three-line sensor since it is based 
on the general camera model of a multi-line camera. Thus, besides photogrammetric data products derived from imagery of the 
HRSC versions HRSC-A/AX/AXW, also data of LH SYSTEMS ADS40 have been processed successfully. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Building upon previous developments (Wewel et al, 2000, 
Scholten et al., 2000), which started in 1997 based on digital 
data of the HRSC-A camera, the entire system for DLR's 
airborne HRSC data acquisition and photogrammetric data 
processing has been further optimized. The airborne HRSC is a 
high-resolution digital photogrammetric multi-line sensor 
system applying the pushbroom and multi-stereo imaging 
principles to derive multi-stereo and multi-spectral imagery 
along the flight track. While the HRSC camera family was 
extended by the HRSC-AX and -AXW (12,000 pixel/line with 
150 mm resp. 47 mm focal length) the workflow of the 
automated photogrammetric data processing has been entirely 
re-designed to allow for parallelization based on client/server 
processes. In contrast to traditional processing based on specific 
photogrammetric hardware or software solutions linked to 
interactive workstations this new approach is responsive to the 
needs for time and cost efficient processes in modern digital 
photogrammetry. 
The intensive use of direct geo-referencing by high-end 
DGPS/INS systems, combined with high redundancy provided 
by the multiple-stereo characteristics of HRSC allows a 
streamlined generation of high-resolution raster products, such M SONIS 
as true-ortho image mosaics and digital surface models (DSM) Figure 1. HRSC-AX standard products: 1m-digital surface 
model, true-color and CIR ortho-image mosaic (15cm/pixel) 
(Berlin 2003, flight altitude 4,400m, subset Tempelhof Airport) 
       
EN 
(see Figure 1). 
  
* Corresponding author : 
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