1. Aerial Photography in Kobe Earthquake 
and Organizing a WG( Digital Photogrammetry) 
Kobe Earthquake attacked the Awaji Island , Akashi bridge under 
construction and densely populated area; Kobe city, Ashiya city, 
Nishinomiya city ,amagasaki city and Osaka city in Japan widely 
and severely at 5:46 a.m. on Jan. 17 1995. 
Many photogrammetrists worked for rescuing, investigating and 
reconstructing the damaged area just after the first news from 
mass communication media. 
Flight crew started to take aerial photos of the damaged area 
through the dust and smoke , with overlapped scenes and oblique 
shots, over and over ,for several days, at large and small photo 
scales (from 1/1,300 to 1/25,000). 
Table 1 shows a list of aerial photos taken by 10 organizations just 
after the earthquake, over the entire area. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Organization|Period | Photo No. |No. Covered 
(95) |Scale Str.|Photos |Area 
Air Graph 117  |1:10000 2 109 |Urban area 
Asahi Koyo .|1/17- |1:5000- 37| 1710 [Kobe 
1/21  |1:10000 Rokko Mt. 
Asia 1/17- |1:4000- |160| 4979 |Kobe 
2/11  |1:20000 Rokko Mt. 
G.S.l. 1/17- |1:7000- 89| 3571 |Awajils. 
2/1  |1:20000 Kobe, 
Hasshu 1/18- |1:8000- 26 664 |Urban area 
1/24 |1:14000 
Kanko 1/17- |1:4000- 13 900 |Urban area 
2/19 11:15000 
Kokusai 1/17- |1:4000- 48| 1678  |Kobe 
1/24 11:20000 Port Is. 
Nakanihon  |1/17- |1:4000- 37| 1183 [Urban area 
1/24 1:20000 
PASCO 1/18- |1:1300- |122| 4178 |Awaijils. 
2/28  |1:10000 Kobe, Osaka 
Toa 1/28  |1:25000 2 36  |Kansai Airpo 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tab.1 Aerial Photos after the earthquake 
Working group (Deformation Analysis of the Kobe Earthquake 
using Digital Photogrammetry) ,in Kobe Earthquake Investigation 
Commission of Japanese Geotechnical Society ,was organized 
and guided by Dr. Okamoto a week after the earthquake. 
Members collected copies of flight line maps of the whole 
organizations , and started to digitize them into CAD system. 
Parallel with photo mosaicking, the authors planed to produce 
digital orthophotos out of these aerial photos for initial investigations 
among geotechnical researchers . 
The WG organized the investigation projects as follows; 
1) GPS surveying and aerial triangulation of the entire area 
(10km x50km, from Kobe city to Osaka City) 
2) 3D deformation measurement using aerial photos with analytical 
and digital plotters for pilot areas 
3) New configuration of aerial photography, based on GPS 
navigation system and digital map data, including raster 
maps, such as geological maps 
4) 3D presentation of the investigated results on 3D digital terrain 
models and texture maps, including 3D animation 
Aerial photos in print were sold widely to the municipal, 
governmental and private companies, such as general construction, 
real estate and insurance companies from individual aerial survey 
companies, for getting approximate regional overview. 
GPS navigation system for aerial flight was under testing at the 
period of earthquake, most of the flights were accomplished in the 
ordinary (experimental) way and aerial flight line maps as well. 
Aerial flight line maps were made on existing 1/25000,1/50000 
topographical maps, and copied for delivery to the common users. 
This process has been modified in such a way that a GPS receiver 
on an aircraft takes exposure positions and transfer them directly to 
the PC for CAD system, combined with raster (image) map data. 
Leica ASCOT system and Kyoritu VEGA system were used in a 
testing-modification process after the earthquake. 
Most of color prints were used as albums for reference and simple 
color copies were the most popular media in practice, and even 
photo color mosaics were used for exhibitions and explanatory 
meetings mostly, then real productive tools in the future might be 
digital color mosaics( orthophotos) or satellite image 
data ,immediately acquired after a disaster. 
We continue to propose the entire procedures(manuals) for aerial 
photography for many kinds of disasters. 
With respect to this matter, we have tested the following items; 
1) rasterized maps; scanning, editing and printing for CD format 
2) superimposition of vector maps on raster maps, orthophoto 
images within CAD environment 
3) Orthophoto production from negative roll films to paper prints 
4) Pen computers of A4 or A5 size used at site consistently 
Our experience and investigation taught us some considerations . 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Consideration Item |at the Earthquake |in the future 
Flight budget voluntary flight reserved fund 
command system [flight office emergency manual 
flight planing paper map GPS flight design 
(aerial triangulation , 
digital ortho oriented 
flight management |pilot, navigator GPS navigation 
,cameraman system 
film development |separated process — |combined process 
duplication 
  
high precision 
measuring material 
individual storage 
(depository) 
3 major materials 
database 
  
  
  
  
  
ground controls GPS surveying under |continuous GPS 
testing network Sa 
digital orthoimage [simple color print in production 
project plan individual public organization 
  
  
  
  
Tab.2 Aerial photography in future 
344 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996 
  
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