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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.
