perhaps better suited to interpretation than some 
of the specialists, but I leave this open to other 
people to discuss. 
The PRESIDENT: Before we go further I 
would like to ask whether anyone on the panel 
or on the floor would like to comment further 
on this psychological testing aspect that has 
been raised. 
Mr W. FISCHER: May I call attention to a 
paper which is being given on Friday by Dr 
Zeidner entitled “Research on Human Factors 
in Image Interpreter Systems”. It is not listed 
in the programme, but it may cover some of the 
points in question. 
Prof O. W. MINTZER: There is a good bit to 
be made known in this field of psychological 
problems as far as interpreters are concerned. 
The basic thing is a reason for what Mr Pryor 
mentioned a moment ago, a reason for these 
backgrounds, it makes these backgrounds im- 
portant, and that reason is this: it gives the inter- 
preter a mental image of what to expect or to 
find in the picture. It has been mentioned that 
he may not be able to predict what he expects 
to find, but if he can conjure up in his own 
mind a psychological image his interpretability is 
greatly enhanced. 
Professeur F. RUELLAN: Je pense que le pro- 
blème qui a été posé tout à l’heure tant au point 
de vue psychologique qu’au point de vue géné- 
ral de l’éducation du photogrammètre, est si 
important qu’il mériterait d’être discuté à part. 
Il y a en effet des expériences qui ont été faites 
par les uns ou les autres qui sont présents ici et 
personnellement j’ai plus de 20 ans d’expérien- 
ce de la formation d’interprétateurs. Je pourrais 
vous dire quelles sont mes conclusions sur ce 
point mais il me semble que cela demanderait 
beaucoup plus de temps. 
The PRESIDENT: I think that is quite true. I 
again suggest that some discussion on this sub- 
ject be held after Dr Zeidner’s paper on Friday. 
I would just like to toss out one comment that 
was made to me by Dr Colwell in this connec- 
tion. This was not a definitive test, but he had 
available to him two young boys who were 
brothers in the same family, and one of them was 
distinguished by a great fondness for those 
little problems that are given to children, where 
you have a landscape picture and you have to 
pick out various animals and birds that are put 
in in various positions in the picture. I think 
PHOTO INTERPRETATION PICTURE, DISCUSSION 
they are in use in practically all countries and 
the children love them. This one boy wa | 
distinguished by being excellent at doing this, he 
was much better than his brother. Dr Colwell 
took them both into the air and he found that 
the lad who had this particular leaning was 
better able to distinguish objects on the ground 
than his brother, and he was more interested in 
examination. So perhaps both the background 
and the leaning towards the subject are neces- 
sary. 
Mr C. E. Orsow: Going back to the question 
which was raised by three speakers earlier, ] | 
have not got an answer but I have perhaps two 
or three additional questions which I would like 
to put, possibly as a means of raising points 
which I have in the back of my mind concerning 
this same point. 
It has been said that we need as photo inter- 
preters for geology first of all a geologist, in the 
case of forestry first of all a forester, possibly 
in the military situation we need a man who is 
well grounded in several disciplines. It occurs to 
me, through my own background in forestry and 
a very small smattering of geology as well, that | 
in many cases the key to either the geologic or 
forestry photo interpretation lies not in the major | 
field but in the second field; it is frequently 
vegetation which gives the key to geology and | 
geology which gives the key to forestry. In this 
sense then we are faced again with the problem | 
that we are not able to split the academic dis- | 
ciplines in the interpretation process, which 
means that while the man may be first of all a 
geologist or a forester he must have a basic 
understanding not only of photo interpretation 
but also of the other related disciplines. In this 
sense I am led to ask the question and to put it 
this way: the engineers, the foresters, the geo- 
graphers, the geologists, all employ mathema- 
ticians and statisticians, yet are there mathema- 
ticians and statisticians whom we utilise first of 
all mathematicians or first of all foresters in the 
case of forestry? Are the statisticians we use {0 
help build highways first of all statisticians or 
highway engineers? I think we have a case where 
we are using a related and very useful science of 
art, as your point may be, and I am not too sure | 
that photo interpretation falls in the same 
category. It is a useful tool to us in many dis- 
ciplines in much the same sense that mathe- 
matics is. If we can accept this concept where 
then does the balance lie between a photo 
interpreter as such and a geographer or geok 
ogist or forester who can use the aerial pho- | 
tograph? 
| 
  
] 
not | 
muc 
T 
have 
like 
eithe 
that 
L 
anyt 
inter 
phot 
amol 
amol 
all, 
facto 
to gr 
to d 
studi 
being 
Forc 
work 
I ho] 
speci 
make 
M 
posec 
woul 
best 
comb 
statis 
Cussic 
ticula 
sider: 
Ce 
speak 
preter 
as ma 
his sy 
Archives 
;