Symposium on Remote Sensing for Resources Development and Environmental Management / Enschede / August 1986 
Aerial photography photointerpretation system 
J.Besenicar 
University Edvard Kardelj, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia 
A.Bilc 
Geodetski zavod SRS, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia 
ABSTRACT: Paper deals with the technology and organisation of cyclic aerial survey being operational for last 
ten years in Slovenia, Yugoslavia. It is shown how the aerial photography is used for different purposes for 
human environment planning. At the end the advantages of the system are given: the fact that the system is 
completely independent and gives the relevant informations about the human environment status. 
Slovenia is a small tiny region on the suny side of 
Alps, having appr. 20 000 sq. km and being one of 
the federal republics in Yugoslavia. It is the most 
developed territory of Yugoslavia also because of 
its geographical position between west Europe, Me- 
diterranian sea and Middle East. Ondulated terrain 
has dictated different types of migration; industri 
al centres are concentrated in the valeys and plane 
areas whereas fast industrialisation and individual 
residential buildings have caused occupation of the 
rural environment. Answer to these anomalies was mo 
re and more organised human environment planning be 
ing firstly unitiated in the settlement area and fo 
llowed by the special emphasise on protection of a- 
gricultural areas. 
Such an development has required numerous data on 
human environment specialy about its physical ele 
ments. On this way the 2000 maps in scale 1 : 5000 
have been elaborated, covering the entire territory 
of Slovenia. Second phase of cyclic aerial survey 
was realised in 1980 and 1981. Before third phase 
in 1985 the basic concepts of cyclic aerial survey 
were changed which caused its transformation from 
periodicaly repeating action to qualitative perma 
nent activity. 
In order to form the cyclic aerial survey in such 
a way where all potential users would cooperate, nu 
merous condition had to be fullfiled. The most im 
portant was increasing conflict situation between 
agricultural and urban sectors which caused inten 
sive activities in human environment planning. Be 
sides this also systematic 10 years work on photo- 
interpretation gave the basic knowledge for diffe 
rent users, who cooperate financialy and professio 
nal without conflicting their own interests. 
CYCLIC AERIAL SURVEY IN SR SLOVENIA 
Preface 
Ibis contribution would like to show the present 
status of the use of aerial photographs in the hu 
man environment planning in Slovenia, Yugoslavia. 
As the unique system of cyclic aerial survey is u- 
sed to obtain the basic spatial informations the 
special consideration is given to different parts 
of the system. As an application of its use the 
technology for creation of the agricultural plan is 
given into detail. 
In the last ten years very intensive activities 
have been on in Yugoslavia for the society planning. 
New law regulations have integrated the planning of 
human environment as the part of the society plann 
ing which had the influence on the five-years plans. 
Practicaly this influence has been in the form of 
analogue data base for terrain coverage (vegetation, 
urban, rural, water). Since the cadastral data have 
been out of date the aerial photography from cyclic 
aerial survey were used in the process of photointer 
pretation in order to interpret the necessary infor 
mation. The basic map scale was 1 : 25 000 which was 
used mainly for administration purposes. (Figure 1). 
The spatial limitations among different sectors (a- 
griculture, forestry, water, rural and urban) needed 
for more detailed presentation. There fore it was de 
cided to use the basic topographic plan in scale 
1 : 5000 as the carrier for interpreted informations 
together with the cadastral boundaries data. This ba 
sic presentation has been used to make delineations 
among mentioned sectors, playing role in the human 
environment planing. 
Further on the cyclic aerial survey with its orga 
nisational and proffessional aspects and technology 
for creation of an agricultural plan will be given 
in the detail. 
Cyclic aerial survey 
The cyclic aerial survey is in Slovenia formed in 
such a way that gives complete basic data on status 
of human environment. The methods of using the aeri 
al photographs are mainly analogue and are widely 
known to the users. 
Geodetic service carries the most important part 
of the cyclic aerial survey - revision of data for 
basic topographic maps in the scale 1 : 5000 and for 
the renovation of the land cadastre. It must be po 
inted out that basic topographic map is used for 
showing the planning components for the entire teri- 
tory of republic Slovenia. 
Forestry includes the cyclic aerial survey into 
registration process of development and exploatati- 
on of wood. The cycle is 10 years and the conventi 
onal photography is combined with some infra-red 
techniques for air polution detection. For the opti 
mal use of the aerial survey a systematic technical 
specifications are defined in a great accordance with 
world known specifications: territories of aerial sur 
vey according to scales, cycles, time of the years 
and techniques. 
Photographic material for aerial photography is ma 
inly panchromatic in scale 1 : 17 500 and 1 : 10 000 
(Fig. 2). The choice of the scales has been influen 
ced by the raster of the map 1 : 5000 (2.5 x 3.0 km) 
covering the entire Slovenia. Strips are 3 km wide 
which enables the restitution for 1 map out of 1 ste 
reomodel (focal lenght of the camera is 150 mm). Due 
to the terrain configuration the photo scale varies