Wehrli & Associates Inc.
7 Upland Drive
Valhalla, NY 10595
USA
Tel.: +1-914-948-7941
Fax: +1-914-948-7941
Email: rm1wa@aol.com
Stand number: 330
Our goal is to develop and manufacture leadingedge pho-
togrammetric systems of the highest quality at the lowest
cost to the user; thereby offering our customers the ability
to earn a fair and quick return on their investment.
We are pleased to demonstrate the RasterMaster precision
photoscanner. These easy-to-use RasterMaster photo-
scanners are installed world-wide and supply images to all
softcopy, orthophoto and aerotriangulation software sys-
tems.
Z/ Imaging GmbH
P.O. Box 1106
D-73442 Oberkochen
Germany
Tel.: +49-7364-20-8002
Fax: +49-7364-20-2929
Email: info@ziimaging.com
Website: www@ziimaging.com
Stand number: 640
ZA Imaging Corporation, an Intergraph Carl Zeiss joint
venture, provides open Windows NT-based imaging solu-
tions, including aerial cameras, workstations, photogram-
metric scanners, and image management, processing and
distribution software. Z/| Imaging is the premier provider of
total customer service in the industry, committed to long-
term, mutually beneficial relationships.
Co-exhibitor: Hansa Luftbild GmbH
Warming Up for ISPRS Amsterdam
A Look at Current and Future Imagers, Imagery & Systems
by Professor Gordon Petrie
To begin with, we can certainly expect a great deal of atten-
tion at the forthcoming ISPRS Congress to be focused on
the new generation of optical airborne and space-borne
imagers. Of course, optical imagers have always been
important, indeed vital parts of the mapping process, yet at
the same time, they have been something of side-show at
past ISPRS Congresses. On the airborne side, over the last
30 years, the very high performance frame-type film cam-
eras from the two major European suppliers, Zeiss (now Z/I
Imaging) and Wild (now LH Systems) have totally domi-
nated the scene. Over this long period, the only really major
change was the adoption of image movement compensa-
tion (IMC) in combination with gyro-controlled mounts and
fine-grain high-resolution film to give markedly improved
ground resolution. By contrast, on the space-borne side,
over the same period, there has been a steady progression
in the form of scanners producing digital image data with
ever smaller ground pixel sizes -from 80m (MSS), through
30m (TM), 10m (SPOT) to 6m (IRS-1C/D). During this time,
optical space imaging technology has been dominated by
the use of scanners equipped either with rotating optical-
mechanical elements, as used on Landsat (since 1972), or
linear array sensors, as used on MOMS (since 1983), SPOT
(since 1986) and IRS (since 1995).
Frame-type Imagery &Linescan Imagery
Thus there has been af very clear distinction from the geo-
metric, technological and the physical product points of
view between (i) airborne analogue film data consisting of
discrete frame-type images with a very high geometric res-
olution; and (ii) space-borne digital data comprising con-
tinuous strips of line-scan imagery having a much lower
geometric resolution.
262
Furthermore the Congress should reveal a complete
cross-over and mixture of the previously distinctive tech-
nologies, including frame-type digital cameras being oper-
ated from space and pushbroom linear array scanners
being operated from aircraft.
Kodak 's Airborne Digital Frame Cameras
In recent years, small-format digital framecameras with
areal arrays of CCD detectors have appeared that are
suitable both for airborne and space-borne imaging oper-
ations. Thus Kodak has produced its relatively inexpen-
sive Megaplus range of monochrome cameras, typically
with 2k x 2k 24 Megapixel arrays. These have been used
to take both single-shot pan images and sequential expo-
sures in conjunction with the use of a rotating filter wheel
placed in front of the camera to produce multi-band
images -as in the case of the Sensys Technologies AA497
Airborne Multi-spectral Digital Camera (AMDO). Kodak 's
own DCS 460 CIR cameras employ 2k x 3k 26 Megapixel
arrays with integral filters (giving 18 Megapixels for three
bands) to produce colour infra-red (CIR) false-colour
images. Over the last two or three years, these have
proven to be very popular, especially those developed
with special mounts for use in small aircraft and inte-
grated with GPS sets by Positive Systems in the USA
(with its ADAR system) and GeoTechnologies (with its
ADPS) in the UK.
These have given a number of commercial mapping com-
panies, environmental organisations and universities expe-
rience of using digital cameras in light aircraft with low
operating costs, especially for applications such as crop,
environmental or disaster monitoring -where rapid local
response is a key issue. Notwithstanding the limited
International Archives of Photogrammerty and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part A. Amsterdam 2000.
