COST-EFFECTIVE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY 
Frantisek Pivnicka 
Vladimir Cervenka 
Karel Charvät 
Ales Limpouch 
Help Service Mapping Ltd. 
Brdickova 1916, 155 00 Praha 5 
Czech Republic 
limpouch@cs.felk.cvut.cz 
Commission II, Working Group III 
KEY WORDS: Photogrammetry, Technology, Software, Correlation, Rectification, Orthoimage Production, 
Cost-Effective Data Processing, Digital Photogrammetric Systems 
ABSTRACT 
Digital photogrammetry is currently acknowledged to be the way for the future and we live in time of transition 
to digital photogrammetry. Digital Photogrammetric Workstations (DPW) do not only solve the standard 
photogrammetric tasks, but data in digital form also introduce a new quality in the use of photographs. 
DPW solution brings much higher productivity into photogrammetric production, but this technology has been 
considered to be very expensive. This paper clearly states cost factors of digital photogrammetry. The use of 
standard personal computers seems to be cost-effective way for future systems. A live example of such solution 
based on our product PhoTopoL is outlined. PhoTopoL can meet many needs for digital photogrammetry, 
image-analysis, remote-sensing, and GIS software in one package. It offers end to end solution for the map 
production as well as image analyses. This paper also presents the use of PhoTopoL in real practice within 
middle-scale example. 
1 Digital photogrammetry photographs, especially concerning automatic evalua- 
tions of the imagery. 
Analogue stereoplotters using optical and mechanical Digital images enable to use special algorithms and 
components were used for map making for decades. technologies developed within other disciplines, such 
Later they were widely replaced with analytical stere- as computer graphics, data visualization and com- 
oplotters. It means that many of these optical and puter vision. Automatic evaluation of Digital Ele- 
mechanical components were substituted by computer ^ vation Models (DEM), feature extraction and image 
solution. It increased flexibility and productivity. But ^ interpretation, automatic computation of relative ori- 
it still was mechanical equipment joined with com- entation, image enhancement and radiometric correc- 
puter. Digital photogrammetry currently offers fully ^ tions belong into this field. 
terized solution. - : 
A The demand for digital photogrammetric systems has 
Digital photogrammetry is currently acknowledged to also been influenced by related information and design 
be the way for the future. We can say that we live systems, such as GIS/LIS or CAD. Effective combina- 
in time of transition to digital photogrammetry. The tion of vector and raster data seems to be the biggest 
main advantages of the digital approach have been dis- advantage of new systems. Superimposition of dig- 
cussed extensively and are well known. Digital Pho- ^ ital photographs with existing GIS databases allows 
togrammetric Workstations (DPW) do not only solve — to take advantage of both raster- and vector-based 
the standard photogrammetric tasks, but data in dig- GIS for data analyses and map production. System 
ital form also introduce a new quality in the use of flexibility and universality is given by handling data 
300 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B2. Vienna 1996 
  
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