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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B6. Istanbul 2004
3. RFRESHERCOURSE IN DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR GEO-INFORMATION
PRODUCTION IN WEST AFRICA.
3.1 Justification
Geo-information production processes now have digital
components in most of the West African states. RECTAS
Council Members (who are the Heads of National Mapping
Organizations in the region) confirmed this in May 2000 and
urged RECTAS to reflect this in their courses. Need for training
in digital photogrammetry was also expressed at the ISPRS
congress in Amsterdam in June 2000. Discussions between ITC
and Leica confirmed this.
Cost sharing: RECTAS hosted the refresher course and provided
infrastructure supporting services (including space, counterpart
staffing and some computer equipment) for the course. The
contribution from Leica is acknowledged and Leica actively
supported this initiative. Both ITC and RECTAS (with ECA
affiliations) have input additional resources to ensure the
effectiveness of the course, which may be considered additional
donor support. The course was given at the Regional Centre for
Training in Aerospace Survey "RECTAS" ILE IFE in Nigeria
from November 19th to November 30™ by 2 ITC staff members
(Sokhon Phem, Karl Grabmaier). There were in total 16
participants (7 Nigerians, 2 Senegalese, 2 Cameroonians, 1
Burkina be, 1 Benin, INiger, 1 Ghanaian and 1 Malian). They
were from different background and organisations in which 4
Nigerians from RECTAS, other 3 Nigerians from “Survey
department, ICP Leica System, Ministry of Lands & Survey"; 2
Senegalese from “Cadastre department, Travaux Geographic"; 2
Cameroonians from “Min of town planning, Min of urbanism”;
| Burkina be from DASU; 1 Benin from IGN; 1 Niger from
IGN, | Ghanaian from survey department. Among those
participants there is only one lady from Cameroon.
3.2 About the course
This course was given in cooperation with RECTAS and LH-
Systems that made the software (SOCET SET and Pro600)
available and free of charge. The course was intended for 20
participants, and to be given in the last quarter of 2001. More
than 20 participants were not feasible with only five available
computer systems. It treated typical photogrammetric production
on digital photogrammetric systems in a practical manner
(Orientation of images including aero triangulation and SPOT
orientation, Production of DTMs, Orthophoto and mosaics,
editing of DTMs, and digitizing of topographic features). This
was done mainly with hands on practical, which were
introduced by a short lecture and concluded with a discussion.
3.3 Course objectives (for RECTAS)
° Primary objective: :
To provide awareness of and hands on familiarization with the
latest workstation based technological developments in digital
photogrammetry for 20 participants (16 regional participants and
4 from RECTAS)
. Secondary Objectives:
Institutional Strengthening: on completion of the course regional
staff from NMAS will be aware of the latest technologies and
operating procedures and be better able to advise their
governments and departments on developments to meet
demands for modern digital information. Furthermore the
refresher course provided institutional support to the RECTAS
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who will be able to reflect the latest technological thinking in its
technician, technologist and post-graduate courses.
The refresher course further strengthened the relationship
between RECTAS and ITC, which has existed for
approximately 30 years. It compliments other activities taking
place within the NFP/sister institutes linkage framework. The
course also strengthened the RECTAS network with its
sustaining partners in the West Africa region. The linkage with
Leica strengthened the ITC and RECTAS networks with the
private sector. Marketing of ITC expertise and products: the
course provided a platform to market ITC products and services
to key professionals in 8 West African countries. The refresher
course also supports the ongoing commitment to RECTAS in
view of the RECTAS/ITC/GDTA CABGLEN proposal
currently at ECOWAS/EU.
Potential for developing the refresher course into a commercial
course: RECTAS see the potential to develop this course into
commercial courses at different levels for technicians,
technologists and professionals from Nigeria and the region.
Acquisition of non-NFP participants: further extension of
support to RECTAS (the ECOWAS/EU initiative) will have a
project fellowship component. Cooperation with other donors:
refresher courses at RECTAS are coordinated by RECTAS to
meet regional needs. There will be short courses run at RECTAS
in 2001 with support from French bilateral assistance.
3.4 Content of the course
e Introduction to the course and to the hardware and
software used
e Project Setup and Import of data
e Digital Orientation and Aero-triangulation
e Automatic DTM and Orthophoto production
e Feature Extraction
e Final discussion about digital photogrammetric systems
and future outlook.
4. RECUITEMENT & SELECTION
One of the 20 places was granted to a participant to be
nominated by the local representative of LH-Systems in
consideration of the software being made available free of
charge.
Recruitment and selection was further done by RECTAS
according to guidelines from ITC and with the help of alumni
lists provided by ITC. 20 participants (of which one was
nominated by the local representative of LH-Systems) were
selected, but 4 of them did actually not come to the course.
5. EXECUTION OF THE COURSE
On Nov. 13" we left Enschede with 5 stereo shutters, a laptop
PC and a LCD-projector in our luggage and fetched additional
electronic components for the stereo-shutters on our way to
Amsterdam. Nov. 14" we flew from Amsterdam to Lagos. We
had approximately 75 kg of luggage, with 20 kg allowance each
(thus together 40 kg) but managed to pay for only 16 kg of
excess luggage. Mr. Lartey from RECTAS took care of all
formalities regarding our luggage. In Lagos we stayed
overnight, then arrangements for some course participants had to
be made locally before we could leave for Ile-Ife.
Local preparations had to start with the installation of the
hardware (fitting of the stereo shutters) and software (SOCET
SET, PRO600 etc.), and changing the course material to the
local situation. At our arrival the computer systems had not yet
been installed, so we started to change the course-material
according to the intended hard- and software configuration.
