24 REPORT OF COMMISSION VII
In view of the seeming ignorance as to the psychological and physical re-
quirements of a good photo-interpreter, it is believed that further study along
the lines pursued by Reyna (1952) and Aschenbrenner (1952) would be extremely
' desirable and potentially very fruitful.
There is one more field which 1 is believed to be worthy of additional study,
but which seemingly does not merit a heading of its own in such a brief general
survey. This might be termed “The Presentation and Dissemination of Photo-
Interpretation Data.’ Among the more common media used are annotated
mosaics, vectographs, anaglyphs, tri-vision prints, charts, three-dimensional
models, tables, graphs, and keys. Each is quite useful in certain respects. How-
ever, the lack of standardization in methods of presentation and dissemination
of photo-interpretation data indicates that no definitive research on this highly
important problem has been conducted to date.
SUMMARY
In summarizing Part I of this Commission VII report, the following four
points seem worthy of emphasis:
1. In order that the maximum amount of information may be extracted
from aerial photographs, each link in the photo reconnaissance-interpretation
chain should be matched to the other links.
2. Itis misleading to infer from the chain analogy that only by strengthening
the weakest link can the photo reconnaissance-interpretation chain be strength-
ened. For example, some authorities consider the photo-interpreter to be the
weakest link and therefore see no point in striving for better cameras, films,
filters, stereoscopes, etc., until the caliber of the interpreter is vastly improved.
But a poor interpreter profits perhaps even more than a good one from improved
image quality. Therefore, we should try to effect improvement in all links in
the chain concurrently, while placing greatest emphasis on improvement of the
weakest links.
3. As the photo-interpreter encounters new problems he should ask himself
"Is this a problem entirely peculiar to the field of photo-interpretation or is
it simply a new manifestation of a problem which has been previously dealt
with in related sciences?" With surprising frequency he will find the latter to
be the case and can profit accordingly. Thus, by borrowing from the centuries
old experience of plant and animal taxonomists, he may avoid many pitfalls
in the construction of keys; by borrowing from the precise terminology of the
mathematician or engineer, he may avoid the confusion which would result
by introduction of his own jargon for describing shapes, patterns, and other
characteristics of photograph images; by borrowing from the search techniques
used by microscopists when they are studying slide specimens, he may learn
improved methods for the systematic search of a photograph; and by borrowing
from the experience of oculists, doctors of medicine, and psychologists, he may
gain for the first time an accurate insight into the physical and mental character-
istics which are so critical in the making of a good interpreter. Such mass-
borrowing of information is not a shameful practice, but an intelligent one.
Furthermore, the photo-interpreter can find consolation in the fact that for
each bit of information he borrows, he offers repayment a hundred fold to those
many fields which are finding photo-interpretation to be the most reliable and
economical source of much of the information which they so vitally need.
4. Finally, by way of tempering the foregoing optimistic discussion, a cau-
tious note should, perhaps, be sounded. Recently the enthusiasm for photo-
interpretation has gone considerably out of bounds in certain instances. Those
E IMEEM eas cmn
