A SERIES OF ATLASES ON METHODS OF SPACE IMAGES INTERPRETATION 
Yu.F. Knizhnikov, Ph.D., Prof. 
V. I. Kravtsova, Ph.D. 
Moscow State University, Geographical Faculty 
Russia 
ISPRS Commission YII 
ABSTRACT : 
Space images have become an indispensable staff for geographical research and thematic 
mapping. lo provide for deeper and broader utilisation of space images specialized at- 
lases of space pictures are beeng compiled as scientific and methodological manuals. A 
series of such atlases is beeng compiled now by the geographers of Moscow State Unive- 
rsity in cooperation with the USSR Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute and 
Some other institutions. The following triad is on the basis of data representation in 
the atleses: space pictures - interpretation techniques - interpretation results. The 
methods of interpretation include visual and automatized ones. The recommendations on 
image interpretation techniques are given for various directions of thematic research 
and mapping. 
Recently two fundamental atleses were compiled and the third one is going to be comp- 
leted. The first two volumes are devoted to interpretation of multispectral images as 
new kinds of remote sensing materials, which had been widely introdused into life alo- 
ng with the development of space exploration. The first volume entitled "Atlas of in- 
terpretation of multispectral aerospace photographs. Methods and results" deals with 
Space photography and it is based on high quality images obtained by means of the MKF- 
-6 camera, The 2-nd volume is based on high resolution multispectral scanner images 
obtained from the "Fragment" scanning system installed on the "Meteor-20" satellite. 
The both volumes include dozens of images and about 150 thematic maps, their subjects 
covering the whole spectrum of Earth sciences. The atlases have been elaborated with- 
in the confines of the "Intercosmos" consil International cooperation and published 
jointly by the "Nauka" (Moscow) and "Academie Verlag" (Berlin) publishing houses in 2 
languages - Russian, German and English. These publications have been widely referred 
to in the world press and used in education and training specialists in remote sencing 
in countries belonged to USSR. 
The laboratory of aerospace research methods of the Moscow State University Geographi- 
cal faculty Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics has taken the initiative of 
compiling the 3-rd ecologically directed volume. The new atlas will have 2 parts. The 
scientific-metodological part will include image representations of Man's impacts on 
nature in various geographical zones for various kinds of land use, as well as methods 
of ecological mapping and imagery interpretation,The 2-nd, "applied" part of the atlas, 
will be devoted to the prospects of space images' utilisation for solving global, Tegi- 
onal and local ecological problems. Atlases are very useful for scientific, practical 
and educational purposes. 
KEY WCRDS: Space pictures, Multibund, Interpretation, Methods, Atlases, Ecology 
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