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DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY REACHES GRASS ROOT LEVELS IN INDIA 
Vinod K Agrawal ** G.S.Kumar* 
**Commissioner, Survey,Settlement & Land Records, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad India, - 
email vinodkagrawal@ap.gov.in 
*Former Director, Survey of India; Managing Editor, GIS India , Hyderabad, India - 
email: gisindia.in@gmail.com, F 2, 6-3-1216/50, Nest Apartments, Methodist Colony, Begumpet, Hyderabad, India 
Interactive Presentation by WG VII/7 - Innovative Problem Solving Methodologies for Less Developed Countries. 
KEY WORDS: Photogrammetry, Developing Countries, Digital, Land, Measurement, National, Future 
ABSTRACT: 
Revenue surveys initiated by East India Company towards the end of 18th Century remained the responsibility of Survey of India 
established in 1767 till 1904 and later came under the State government Departments. 
Starting 1949, attempts have been made to use aerial photography for cadastral surveys. Digital photogrammetry emerged as the 
most efficient technology for mapping large areas for cadastral surveys. Amendment to the existing Act in 1995 by government of 
Andhra Pradesh allowed for public-private partnership in cadastral surveys. As a result of this, the first Integrated Land Information 
System (ILIS) project using photogrammetry materialized and has reached successful completion stage in 2008. 
In this project, about 6000 sq km area is involved. In the field, ownership boundaries have been identified on the ortho images. Using 
the laptop computers, the surveyors produced Land Parcel Maps ( LPMs) with an accuracy of 20 cm in position. What is most 
interesting in this project is delivering latest LPMs to owners within 24 hrs of ground visit with all the measurements and other 
details. 
Cost under ILIS has worked out to less than Indian Rupees 700 per hectare ( one US $ = Indian Rupees 39 approx). Governments 
in India are planning to take up over 500 districts in India using this technology in the coming years. Digital Photogrammetry thus 
has emerged as the most efficient and cost effective model while providing land base vital to various development activities and 
generating huge employment in rural areas in particular. 
1. INTRODUCTION: 
The first objective this paper is to give a brief overview of the 
attempts made from time to time to develop an appropriate 
methodology for cadastral surveys in Indian conditions. The 
second objective is to present the recent successful project 
results using aerial photography and photogrammetry for 
Nizamabad district in India covering about 8000 sq km. 
Various methods have been in operation from time to time and 
pilots have been undertaken using modem technologies.This 
paper focuses on the aerial photo based methodologies and 
discusses the Nizamabad project under Bhoo Bharati scheme of 
government of Andhra Pradesh reaching completion stage. 
Attempts to use aerial photography were made in 1929, 1945 
and 1954 by Survey of India to produce revenue maps. Based 
on the recommendations of All India Cadastral Surveys 
Conferences, Survey of India undertook a pilot project covering 
8000 hectares consisting of 16 villages in Goa during 1969-71 
under United Nations Development Programme. 
Photogrammetry methodology using 1:6700 scale aerial 
photography was employed. The project was technologically 
successful. But there were some hurdles in implementing at 
national level. 
Angul-Nalco cadastral survey Project in Orissa funded by the 
government was taken up by Survey of India in 1991-93, using 
1:10,000 scale Aerial Photography covering over 300 villages. 
In this case also some hurdles prevented in adoption of 
photogrammetry for cadasral surveys on a wider scale. Similar 
attempts were made to use cost-effective approaches of 
photogrammetry in some other States of India. 
Land records remained out-of-date by several decades in all the 
States of India depriving proper titles to owners and adversely 
affecting development projects, with increasing Land litigation 
cases. 
2. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY & PPP 
As Digital photogrammetry emerged as the most efficient 
technology for mapping large areas, experts and planners 
considered this approach. Amendment to the existing Act in 
1995 by government of Andhra Pradesh allowed for public- 
private partnership (PPP) in cadastral surveys. As a result of 
this, the first Integrated Land Information System (ILIS) project 
under Bhu Bharari schemeusing photogrammetry materialized 
in 2005. 
Based on the available results of photogrammetic surveys, 
experts favoured the scale of 1:10,000 for rural areas. For 
urban areas, 1:4000 scale was adopted in view of accuracy 
requirements. 
National Remote Sensing Agency flew GPS-based aerial 
photography on 1:10,000 scale and created digital ortho images 
for the Disticit of Nizamabad. 
The total area of Nizamabad district is about 8000 sq. km of 
which forests cover 1700 sq. km area, constituting 221% of the 
total district’s area. Speck Systems, a Private Company was 
involved with field operations and development of required 
spatial data bases.