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INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING 
Commission VI 
Symposium held in Mainz, FR Germany, 22-25 September 1982 
TR. ACE TONG Q P PO PTOGCRAUME TR Ÿ AND REMOTE 
SENSING AT A US TR AL TAN 
T p-R-T T'AR Y INSTITUTIONS 
Prof. Alfred Adamec : 
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia 
ABSTRACT 
Photogrammetry, and more recently Remote Sensing, are predominantly taught under 
the umbrella of Surveying and Cartographic education. The reasons are mostly 
historical. Quite recently some interest in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 
has been shown by other associated professions such as Environmentalists, Plan- 
ners, Architects and others. A survey of the present state of teaching is given 
in the paper. 
  
An awareness of the potential of photogrammetry for mapping came late to Aus- 
tralia. The cause of this lack of awareness was the generally low standard of 
education of the Licensed Surveyor who was responsible for mapping in Australia. 
The surveyor of the pre-war period did not realise how versatile and information 
rich a photograph, in particular, one taken from the air, could be. 
Photogrammetry was first mentioned in th e Journal "Australian Surveyor" in March 
1934 where a paper by R.H. Pocock, delivered at a meeting of the New South Wales 
Institution of Surveyors on November 27, 1933, was reprinted. 
Little photogrammetric activity followed in those subseqauent years leading up 
to the second world war. 
The first description of an attempt to use aerial photography is given in the 
"Australian Surveyor", September 1947 in an article by A.E.G. Close, "The Use 
of Aerial Photographs in the Location of the Stuart Highway". 
The subject "Aerial Surveying and Photogrammetry" was introduced into the Survey- 
ors Boards' examination for licenced surveyors in 1949. Some éducational ine. 
stitutions however had photogrammetry and the theory of terrestrial and aerial 
photography already on their curriculum. 
The realisation that the fastest method of mapping Australia, largely unmapped 
inthe post second world war era, was from aerial photography, encouraged, indeed, 
made a necessity of the teaching of photogrammetry in Australian academic in- 
situtions. 
The technology spread rapidly and stereoplotting machines have been purchased 
by State authorities responsible for mapping the denser, more populated areas 
where ground control was more readily available or could be easily established. 
The responsibility for the sparsely inhabited regions was left with the federal 
government which used the Army Survey Corps and the Division of National Mapping 
for the execution of the task of mapping these areas. 
In the areas the federal government responsibility little or no ground control 
was available. Rapid establishment of control was therefore required to speed 
Bibliographic quotation 3 
Adamec, A. : Teaching of photogrammetry and remote sensing at australian tertiary insti- 
tutions. In : Int. Archive of Photogrammetry, 24 - VI, pp 186-190, Mainz 1982