1 
Reprinted from 
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING 
June 
1953 
AERONAUTICAL CHART RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT* 
D. L. Raddiffe, Chief, Mapping and Charting Branch, P.R.L., 
Wright Air Development Center 
A FRIEND of mine, recently returned from Korea, stated that his photo 
reproduction unit, on the average, produced some 1,000,000 9X9 inch 
prints per month. This huge number indicates the importance that military in 
telligence places on procuring information by aerial photography. Intelligence 
data from these photographs, in general, can then be presented either in the 
form of photo interpretation reports or of aeronautical charts. 
The purpose of my talk is to outline Air Force research and development 
work in the field of aeronautical charting, as carried out in the Photo Reconnais 
sance Lab of the Wright Air Development Center. A simplified organizational 
and functional chart of the Laboratory gives some idea of the extent of the Re 
search and Development Program underway in the Mapping and Charting 
Branch. The Branch is concerned with all new airborne and ground equipment 
ORGANIZATION 
OF 
THE MAPPING a CHARTING BRANCH 
PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE LABORATORY 
Fig. 1 
required to record airborne intelligence (either photo or radra), to transfer data 
on the photograph to a charting sheet, and to reproduce the resulting chart in 
quantity (Figure 1). 
Our most important “customers” for new equipment and techniques are Air 
Force Reconnaissance Technical Squadrons, and the Aerial Photographic and 
Charting Service. The “Chart Service” is charged with producing and distribut 
ing Air Force charts of all types on a world-wide basis. The St. Louis plants have 
met and continue to meet this tremendous responsibility by means of a staff of 
experts in photogrammetry and cartography, combined with a large organiza 
tion capable of taking in photographs at one end of an assembly line and 
turning out charts at the other end. Reconnaissance Technical Squadrons in the 
field have a cellular organization capable of photo processing, photo interpreta 
tion, and cartographic revision and reproduction. The difference in equipment 
requirements for the two types of organization is obvious. 
* Paper read at Bolling Field Air Force Base during Seventh International Congress. Per 
mission for publication granted by International Society of Photogrammetry.