164 DISCUSSION ON THE GENERAL REPORT OF SUB-COMM IV-3
certainly think that with such tools they could
have been far better than the diapositives we
had to work with.
Due to the time factor we limited the evalua-
tion in the instruments to three different models,
twice in each model. That was done so that the
Hydrographic Department with the A7 Auto-
graph of the Institute of Technology could treat
(a) and (b), the National Road Board treated (a)
with an A8, and the Geographic Survey treated
all three models with an A7 automatic punch
tape recording of the co-ordinates.
There was a little variation in the number of
signals which were pointed by each operator due
to interpretation difficulties. In each treatment
every point was pointed twice, and the average
was used.
The instrument co-ordinates were trans-
formed with a Helmert transformation with an
electronic computer, two ways. We first made it
on all the points; up to about 100 transformation
points were used. The second time it was only
on 10 well distributed points, and it was about
the same result. We took as many as 10 because
we did not like to introduce any errors which
might be in one or other geodetic points.
We were faced with a final error which was
not of the same magnitude but only about three
times as big as the errors in the signals — the
mean error — so we had to be careful. The mean
of all six models was the mean square value of
the discrepancies between the photogrammetric
and geodetic co-ordinates, 25 mm in x and
24 mm in y; in radial it was 34 mm.
That was when transformed on all the points.
Those values are about exactly the same, as a
matter of fact they are a little lower. When we
transformed only ten points there was no signi-
ficant difference.
Of course, it was not only a matter of x- and
y-co-ordinates. There was also the z-co-ordi-
nate. But we had no problem for the electronic
computer to adjust the model to z, and so we
made it graphically and rather simply and
found the average error to be about the same.
The standard error was about the same, that is
about 30 mm.
The conclusions are mentioned in the short
report which has been distributed to the Con-
gress. The title of the report is “Precision Aerial
Photogrammetry from Very Low Altitudes”.
This is offered by Mr Thunberg and myself. We
say:
“It is quite possible to take aerial photo-
graphs from a normal speed aircraft from
very low altitudes under almost any weather
conditions at any time of the year and deter-
mine co-ordinates of signal points with an
accuracy in x, y and z of about == 30 mm."
I might add there that one idea we have is
that the accuracy must be such that construction
people — for instance, in harbour — can use
such signal points if they are marked well on the
ground; they can use them as reference points
for building work, for construction work. I
might also add before I go on with the conclu-
sions — as I am not sure I mentioned this —
that the sun was about 13^ above the horizon.
I was very much interested in the slides which
Professor Schwidefsky showed. That does not
give me much light, but it is certainly enough.
“Plotting of details and control lines for very
large-scale maps is possible even in under-
exposed negatives from this very low altitude,
if the ground surface contains such contrast
and texture that the greyness of the film will
not cause an erroneous stereoscopic impres-
sion. In the described test, this was, however,
on the lawns of a park."
On the grass lawns, however, there was too
little difference to put the floating mark on the
surface.
That is what I have to say.
Dr H. HArRry: I would like to thank Mr
Fagerholm for his communication. My opinion
is that he has achieved very fine results and has
given us a good look at our work for the future.
Are there any other people who have experience
in this matter?
Mr. H. G. Dawe: Dr Schwidefsky and Mr
Fagerholm have, in fact, covered most of what I
had in mind to say, but I should like to add a
comment or two. Firstly, I should like to say
that our experience in the use of photography
taken under adverse weather conditions was
born out of dire necessity. Here in this country
there are very many days — consecutive days —
when the cloud basis sits at about 2,000 to
3,000 feet, days where the light is not bad at
all, sufficient to register on the light meter, and
with the super-fast films we have certainly ca-
pable of producing a negative of sufficient
strength.
There is one danger, however, in that when
one has opened the possibilities of photograph-
ing under adverse conditions, one wants to go
on photographing under worse and worse con-
ditions. We have found that our air crews and
photographers tend to take photographs under
conditions which result in too long a develop-
ment and a build-up of grain. These super-fast
films work extremely well providing they are
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