DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF AN EXTENDED GEOMETRIC MODEL 
FOR HIGH RESOLUTION PANORAMIC CAMERAS 
D. Schneider, H.-G. Maas 
Dresden University of Technology 
Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 
Mommsenstr. 13, 01062 Dresden, Germany 
(danilo.schneider@mailbox, hmaas@res.urz).tu-dresden.de 
Commission V, WG V/4 
KEY WORDS: Panoramic camera, High resolution, Geometric modelling, Bundle adjustment, Three-dimensional model 
ABSTRACT: 
Digital panoramic photography has become a popular tool to record landscapes, city squares or indoor scenes in a single image with 
a full 360° view. In photogrammetric applications, a digital panoramic camera may present an interesting alternative to conventional 
image acquisition techniques such as large format film or plate based cameras. Advantages of such a camera are their very high 
resolution, which allows the recognition of fine object detail, and the possibility of recording panorama-like object geometries such 
as city squares or indoor scenes by taking only a few images. 
This paper describes and investigates a strict mathematical model for rotating line panoramic cameras, developed at the Institute of 
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing of the Dresden University of T echnology. The model accuracy was improved considerably 
through additional parameters, which describe deviations from the basic geometric model of cylinder projection. Furthermore the 
mathematical model was successfully implemented in different photogrammetric data processing routines, such as a self-calibrating 
bundle adjustment of panoramic image data. Based on this work, the combination of rotating line panoramic cameras and the 
mathematical model depict a very suitable tool for precise 3D modelling of indoor scenes, city squares or long façades in 
combination with the analysis of very high resolution texture information. 
The paper concentrates on results of a self-calibrating bundle adjustment using the developed geometric model of panoramic image 
data. Furthermore some examples of high resolution 3D-models generated with the panoramic camera EYESCAN M3 will be 
presented as well as other applications which are derived from the geometric model such as epipolar line geometry for stereo or 
ge matching. 
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multi-ima 
  
Fig. 1: Panorama of Theaterplatz, Dresden (camera: KST EYESCAN M3, Image format: 53,800 x 10,200 Pixel; 
further panoramas in (Schneider, 2004)) 
necessary to establish a generic geometric model for digital 
panoramic cameras (Schneider & Maas, 2003a). Based on 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Stereoscopic image acquisition of indoor scenes or city squares 
with conventional cameras may be rather laborious, since many 
images must been captured to achieve sufficient overlap for the 
following analysis. Therefore rotating line cameras (digital 
panoramic cameras) may present an interesting alternative to 
conventional methods, because  panorama-like ^ object 
geometries can be completely captured by taking only a few 
images, which concurrently offer a very high resolution 
(Tecklenburg & Luhmann, 2003). Analogue panoramic cameras 
exist a fairly long time, but they were primarily used for purely 
photographic purposes. 
Most photogrammetric imaging techniques are based on the 
central perspective principle. The geometry of panoramic 
images deviates from the central perspective, as the image data 
is projected onto a cylinder. To use this kind of imagery, it was 
knowledge of the mechanical and optical properties of the 
camera, the model was successively extended by additional 
parameters. The mathematical model was initially implemented 
in a spatial resection and tested with the camera EYESCAN 
M3, made by KST (Kamera & System Technik, Dresden) in a 
joint venture with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). 
Information about the EYESCAN camera can also be found in 
(Scheibe et al. 2001). 
Based on the geometric model, a self-calibrating bundle 
adjustment was developed, and other photogrammetric methods 
were adapted to panoramic geometry. Thus a detailed and 
accurate 3D reconstruction of objects such as indoor scenes, 
city squares or long façades based on digital panoramic imagery 
is possible. 
   
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
    
  
  
   
   
  
  
  
   
   
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