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Mapping from Space 
ISPRS-WG VI/3 Workshop 
“International Cooperation and Technology Transfer” 
Mariano Cunietti Memorial Meeting 
University of Parma, Italy 
Feb 15,1 999 
Paper presented by 
Gottfried Konecny 
University of Hannover, Germany 
1. Introduction 
It is an honour that I have been invited by 
Prof. Mussio to give an introductory paper to 
this event of Commission VI to which Italy, 
more than other countries has made historical 
contributions, especially in the area of transfer 
of knowledge to the countries of the world. 
Permit me to make some historical remarks 
first. Unfortunately I did not know Prof. 
Cunietti personally, but he is to be seen in the 
context of Italian contributions to our 
discipline, and many of his collaborators I had 
the pleasure to know and to collaborate with. 
When I was asked to give my introductory 
paper to the last ISPRS Congress in Vienna in 
1996 I obviously concentrated on the Austrian 
contributions to photogrammetry and remote 
sensing, and I had to note the fact that I did 
not pay sufficient tribute to the important 
Italian contributions. But I am very much 
aware that the first use of photogrammetric 
geometry in form of the perspective was made 
in the Italian renaissance by Brunelleschi and 
Leonardo da Vinci. 
Soon after photogrammetry was invented in 
France in the 1850’s Italy made its own 
contributions. When the Military Geographic 
Institute was founded in Firenze in 1873 Col. 
Ferrero gave the order to Paganini to study 
■ whether photography is possible in the 
mountains 
■ whether it is possible to make panoramic 
views 
■ whether it is possible to do mapping from 
photos and panoramas. 
Through the first use of dry plates he was able 
to compile maps at the scale 1:25 000 with 
10 m contours, establishing by that time a 
leading methodology in the world. 
Paganini published his works in an internation 
ally well recognized article in 1889 “La foto- 
topografia in Italia”. Based on Porro’s optical 
progress he was able to present his maps “le cave 
di collonato” in 1887, “la seria dell’ argentera in 
1879, “passo di Spluga” in 1879 and “Gruppo 
del Gran Paradiso” in 1879. 
Another highlight in photogrammetry was the 
activity of Umberto Nistri, who served as aerial 
observer in the Italian military in 1917, and who 
founded Ottico Meccanica Italiana producing 
photogrammetric instruments shortly after World 
War I. What is perhaps less known in inter 
national photogrammetric circles is that Umberto 
Nistri was not only an instrument manufacturer, 
but that he also achieved fame as a photogram 
metric practitioner by his company S.A.R.A. 
(Societate Anonima de Relevamenti Aerophoto- 
grammetrici). This company, with branches in 
Rome and Parma contributed to photogram 
metric surveys of the urban cadastre in Rome, 
Milano, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Prague. 
Santoni developed Galileo in Firenze close to the 
Military Geographic Office. There was the ISP 
Congress of Rome in 1938 at which the father of 
Prof. Cassinis played and important role. 
At O.M.I. much later, after World War II, Italy 
produced the first analytical plotter under Helava 
& Parenti in Rome. In Milano Prof. Cunietti 
participated actively at the ISP Congresses from 
London 1960, to Hamburg 1980 presenting his 
works within OEEPE. His followers and 
colleagues up till today took on this heritage. 
The names Inghilleri, Solaini and Togliatti are 
intimately linked with his name.