Fig. 5
GIS/VM from Image Interpretation Systems
The suite of products from Aarau is completed by three devices
from the Industry and Special Products division. The RK820
stereoscope has optics of the highest quality and offers a
magnification of up to 285x for detailed examination of metric and
reconnaissance photography. The SMI2 stereoscope is designed for
viewing and measuring several rolls of 70 mm film, whereas the
Zoom Sight 20x is a simple viewer for single images. In all three
cases, image quality is very high and image fragments can be
captured digitally, or simply shown on monitors, by means of CCD
camera ports, which also accommodate 35 mm or Polaroid cameras.
The bulk of Leica's photogrammetric activity, therefore, takes
place in Aarau. Product lines from Heerbrugg, Rochester and
Solms, however, are important too.
3.2 Leica Heerbrugg AG
All photogrammetric products from Heerbrugg are located in the
Industry and Special Products division. The RC20 aerial camera
system and TSP1, ST4 and APT2 stereoscopes are familiar to most
photogrammetrists. Elcovision 10 is a low cost photogrammetric
measuring system based on the Leica R5 camera (see 3.4 below),
enlarged paper prints, digitising tablet, Wild software and the
AutoCAD package. Finally, a tiny proportion of the Wild plotters
is sold for use in photogrammetry, primarily TAlOs and TA30s.
3.3 Image Interpretation Systems, Inc.
The manufacturing unit of Cambridge Instruments located in
Rochester, New York, is now known as Image Interpretation Systems,
Inc. The products are well established and popular. Zoom 95,
Zoom 240 and Zoom 500 stereoscopes have sold in large numbers for
many years. The ZT-4, ZT4-H and Stereo Zoom Transfer Scopes are
used in numerous mapping organisations throughout the world to
transfer photographic information graphically on to maps. The
ZTS/VM is a Stereo ZTS with the VM Vertical Measurement Module for
calculating XYZ ground coordinates rigorously. The newest product
is the GIS/VM, which omits the map superimposition and optics for
anamorphic geometry from the ZTS/VM, leaving an economical
instrument designed for data acquisition for input to GIS systems
with straightforward operating procedures (Fig. 5).
