HIGH RESOLUTION SPACE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR LANDUSE INTERPRETATION AND THEMATIC UPDATE OF 
LARGE SCALE ORTHOPHOTOS 
Elmar Csaplovics, Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, University of Dresden, Germany 
Adele Sindhuber, Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, University of Technology, Vienna, Austria 
Ulrike Herbig, Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, University of Technology, Vienna, Austria 
Commission IV, WG IV/2 
KEY WORDS: Satellite, Photography, Large, Scale, Orthoimage, Updating, Landuse 
ABSTRACT 
Russian KFA- and KWR-space-photographs - besides forthcoming MOMS-02-data - fill the gap between medium 
resolution satellite data (Landsat TM, SPOT) and aerial photography. Comparative analysis of spatial and thematic 
accuracies of digital space and aerial ortho-images respectively show limits and advantages of using Russian space 
photography for generating and updating large scale orthophotomaps. Case studies prove, that large area coverage 
combined with high geometric resolution on the one hand and limited detectability of details as well as very low 
vertical accuracy on the other hand are the crucial points of the efficiency of Russian space photographs for the 
production as well as the thematic interpretation of large scale ortho-images. 
RESUME 
Les photographies satellitaires prises par les caméras russes KFA et KWR sont les liens entre les images satellitaires 
en résolution moyenne et les photographies aériennes. L'analyse comparative de la précision spatiale et thématique 
des ortho-images numériques dérivés des photographies satellitaires et des photographies aériennes indique les 
avantages ainsi que les désavantages des capteurs russes pour la production et la révision des ortho-images à grande 
échelle. Etudes appliquées montrent de la haute résolution géometrique d'une part et de la detectibilité limitée des 
objets ainsi que de la résolution verticale limitée d'autre part étantes les paramétres d'éfficacité de l'analyse spatiale 
et l'intérpretation thématique des ortho-images des capteurs satellitaires KFA et KWR. 
KURZFASSUNG 
Weltraumphotographien der russischen KFA- und KWR-Systeme stellen das aktuelle Bindeglied zwischen 
Satellitenbilddaten mittlerer und Luftbildern hóchster geometrischer Auflósung dar. Die vergleichende Analyse von 
digitalen Orthobildern, die aus KFA- und KWR-Daten bzw. Luftbildern gewonnen wurden, zeigt die entscheidenden 
Vor- respektive Nachteile der russischen Bilddaten für die Generierung und Nachführung großmaßstäbiger 
Orthobildkarten. Fallstudien zeigen, daß hohe geometrische Auflösung in der Lage einerseits, aber limitierte 
Erkennbarkeit von Objektdetails und geringe Höhenauflösung andererseits die entscheidenden Parameter der 
Nutzbarkeit russischer Weltraumbilder für Orthobildherstellung und thematische Interpretation darstellen. 
1. INTRODUCTION Russian Kosmos and Resurs satellite missions (Krämer et 
Illhardt, 1990, Kramer, 1994). 
Geometric resolution of current operational multispectral 
satellite sensors is limited by ground pixel sizes of 20m Combination of space photomaps with 2mx2m ground 
x 20m (Spot XS) and 18mx18m (MOMS-02/Priroda, resolution with existing topographic and thematic maps 
launch scheduled for spring 1996) respectively. as well as with actual field work increases the efficiency 
Combination of panchromatic data of Spot P (10m) of collection, analysis, management and display of 
and/or MOMS-02/Priroda (6m) with multispectral data of multiscale spatial informations for map production and 
Landsat TM, Spot XS and/or MOMS-02 improves GIS application up to scales of 1:10000 (Estes, 1992, 
geometric resolution to some extent. Nevertheless black- Steiner, 1992). 
and-white (BW) and colour-infrared (CIR) aerial 
photography are of unchanged importance to satisfy the 
demands of topographers and ecologists on detection of 2. HIGH RESOLUTION SPACE PHOTOGRAPHY 
details of landcover and vegetation structures (Annoni et 
al., 1992, Csaplovics et Senftner, 1991). Scanning of KFA-3000 diapositives with photoscanner 
resolution (max.7.5um) resolves linepairs = 80cm (= 
The missing link between medium to high resolution 1.4 * pixelsize) respectively could allow determination 
satellite imagery and very high resolution aerial of high contrast objects larger than 4Ocm. 
photography is high resolution space photography of the 
200 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996 
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