PHOTOINTERPRETATION IN ITALY 1968-1972 
NATIONAL REPORT FOR COMMISSION VII (PHOTOINTERPRETATION) 
OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
for the 
XII” INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
Ottawa 1972 
by Pietro Dainelli 
Geomap, Firenze. 
INTRODUCTION 
This report resumes the activity on photointerpretation developed in Italy during the 
period from 1968 to 1972. However are here also quoted contributions of the previous 
inter-congressual period (1964-1968) which were not discussed in the previous report. The 
data of this report are forcely limited to the information collected by the writer or for- 
warded by the various institutions, companies and individuals. 
As a first general consideration we may notice as photointerpretation has become a 
normal complement to the majority of either scientific and commercial research in the fields 
of geology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, agriculture, foresty, archeology. We deem however 
important to distinguish between the occasional use of airphotographs, as complement to 
research carried out with traditional methods, and the studies based completely or essentially 
on photointerpretation techniques. We will basically refer in this report to the second 
cathegory. - 
TEACHING 
Since few years, photointerpretation has been introduced as an independent course in 
the Geological Department of some Italian Universities. Among these we may mention Flo- 
rence (C. Conedera), Pisa (R. Mazzanti) and Rome (A. Biasini). In other Universities, pho- 
tointerpretation is included as part of other courses (Parma, Modena, Bologna). 
The Istituto Internazionale per le Ricerche Geotermiche of C.N.R. in Pisa has included 
a series of lectures on photointerpretation (held by P. Dainelli) in the Internationab Post- 
Graduate Course in Geothermics. A lecturing course has been held in 1970 by S. Bemporad 
of Geomap for the D.S.L, Ground Water Section, in Ankara, Turkey, followed by a train- 
ing period at the Geomap offices in Florence. 
Graduation theses based on photointerpretation work have been discussed in the Uni- 
versities of Bologna, Florence, Modena and Parma. 
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS (*) 
As mentioned in the introduction we will quote herein the research and publications 
based exclusively, or in a determinant way, on photointerpretation. A first observation is 
that, from the data in our hand, the photointerpretation activity is rather concentrated in 
few institutions, where however it has noticeably developed, particularly in the field of 
geology and related sciences. 
Department of Geology, University of Florence. 
P. Canuti and P. Tacconi have carried out research on photointerpretation techniques 
applied to hydrogeological problems. The studies are based on the annotation on airphotographs 
of the geological, morphological and vegetation factors, expressed through parameters al. 
lowing the quantification of other fenomena, as the hydrological potentiality of the rock 
units, the superficial water flowing, percolation, flowing time, erosion etc.. The same tech- 
niques can be also applied to the territorial planning. Such research are now in course on 
the Arno basin. A first example on a secondary basin has been published (8). 
Photogeological surveys have been carried out by P. Tacconi, P. Facibeni (1) and 
P. Dainelli (12) over various areas of Ethiopia as part of the activity of the Florence Group 
of the C.N.R. in that country. Part of these research are in course of publication. 
Department of Geology, University of Padova. 
A photogeological study of the Colli Euganei area has been published in 1969 (10) 
(*) The list is given at the end of the report. The numbers in parentheses refer to that list.