DIGITAL ORTHOPHOTO 
THE BASE MAP OF THE FUTURE 
J.Clark Beattie 
LINNET Graphics International Inc. 
600-191 Broadway Avenue 
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 3T8 
Telephone: (204) 957-7566 
Fax: (204) 957-7568 
Abstract 
As little as two years ago the concept of digital orthophotography was rarely mentioned outside 
of the research labs. Today, many vendors provide software to perform the corrections, soft 
copy photogrammetry is a reality, several companies provide full data production services and 
most GIS software has the capability of integrating digital orthophoto data structures. 
LGI has pioneered the use of digital orthophotography as a reference data set for GIS 
applications being developed for the MLRIS. Digital orthophotography provides a cost effective 
solution for the development of GIS data bases since it can be produced in a timely manner, 
takes advantage of modern data collection systems and has the potential to dramatically change 
the way users visualize and utilize topographic data. 
This paper will present the Manitoba experience form the perspective of how digital 
orthophotography data are being produced and used for various GIS applications. An analysis 
will be made of the pros and cons of these type of data as compared to conventional vector 
based topographic data sets. A technical analysis will also be presented to provide guidance to 
others who may wish to take advantage of this new technology. 
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