Spaceborne photography applied to cartograph

Sibert, W.

English

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UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
	
Technical Letter
Geological Survey	 NASA-51
Washington, D. C. 20242 	 August 1966
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Dr. Peter C. Badgley
Chief, Natural Resources Program
Office of Space Science and Applications
Code SAR, NASA Headquarters
Washington, D.C. 20546
Dear Peter:
In accordance with your request for submission of Significant'."
Scientific Achievement Documents, I am transmitting herewith :.'x-*
2 copies of:
TECHNICAL LETTER NASA-51
APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSOR DATA TO CARTOGRAPHIC PROGRAMS
by
W. Sibert
Sincerely yours,
William A. Fischer
Research Coordinator
Earth Orbiter Program
-Work performed under NASA Contract No. R-09-020-024
**U.S. Geological Survey, Topographic Division, McLeanq Virginia
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UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
TECHNICAL LETTER NASA-51
APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSOR DATA TO CARTOGRAPHIC PROGRAMS*
by
We Sibert**
July 1966
These data are preliminary and should
not be quoted without permission
Prepared by the Geological Survey
for the National. Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA)
*Work performed under NASA Contract No. R-09-020-02+
**U.S. Geological Survey, Topographic Division, McLean, Virginia
Photo copies of illustrations are available for viewing at the following
places:
Author(s); Discipline Coordinators; NASA Data Bank (Houston); Remote
Sensing Evaluation and Coordination Staff (RESECS) and the U.S.
Geological Survey Libraries (Denver, Menlo, Washington).
`b
CONTENTS
Page
HISTORY OF NATURAL RESOURCES.SURVEYS.IN THE UNITED STATES
	
I
APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSOR'DATA TO TOPOGRAPHIC MAPPING
	
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TIME—CAST.BENEFIT'.CONSIDERATIONS	 3
ILLUSTRATIONS	 5
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sAPPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSOR DATA TO CARTOGRAPHIC PROGRAMS
by
W. Sibert
History of Natural Re-sources Surveys in the United States
in the first half of the 19th century, the Pacific Railway Survey
and the expeditions led by Schoolcraft, Lewis and Clark, Pike, Long,
Walker, and ,Fremont were conducted-by the Federal Government in the
western part of the country. These early Western surveys were aimed
chiefly at exploration. Increased migration westward after the
Civil War emphasized the need-for more thorough exploration of the
vast area, and'in 1867 Congress authorized the establishment of four
surveys which included the study of the geology and geography of the
territories. These were known as the King, Hayden, rowell, and
Wheeler Surveys, after their respective leaders. The:, in 1879, the
45th Congress, following recommendations of the National Academy of
Sciences, consolidated the scientific surveys and created a new agency,
the U.S. Geological Survey, to carry out all such surveys in the future.
A growing population and an expanding economy have emphasized the
wisdom of Congress in this decision. During the ensuing 87 years, the
{ publication of topographic maps has provided a means of cataloging our
Nation's natural resources and of assuring wise use of them.
F	 As the population grows, the consumption of raw materials and
energy grows. Because the Nation holds continued economic growth as
one of its cardinal aims, resource exploration and development must be
improved"to meet increased requirements. To this end, more knowledge
must, be acquired. More sensitive instruments and techniques must be
brought to bear, and scientific theory must be extended. Truly, the
Nation is more and more "living by its wits"; more effort must be put
into sharpening those wits if economic growth is to continue.
r
The relatively crude and time-consuming-practices of early
exploration, ground surveys have no,w' been replaced by the itse of
aerial photographs in precision photogrammetric plotting instruments.
Most topographic mapping is now being done in offices remote from the
areas being mapped. Ground surveys are needed only to establish
basic ground control, to obtain or confirm name information, and to
t	 complete ground detail that is obscured on the photographs by shadow
or vegetation cover.
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Advanced satellite technology and analytical phototriangul„a.tion
concepts now being dedeloped hold promise of further reducing the
requirement for ground surveys insofar as establishment of basic control
is concerned. And now, with the concept of earth
-orbiting remote-
sensor satellites collecting photographs of great precision and
resolution, it may be possible to survey the country's land resources
and to keep data current on published topographic maps within a time
frame that is meaningful in today's context. Also, space photography
offers a uaique and realistic potential for compiling topographic maps
at scales of 1:2+,000 through 1:250,000 on a selected area basis, and
at scales of 1:1,000,000 and smaller on a global. basis.
ARRl.ica" on of Remote .Sensor Data to Topographic 'Mappi g
As an example of the potential use of earth-orbital photographs,
reference is rode to photographs recently obtained during the Gemini. VII
flight over tl;te Cape Kennedy, Fla., area.	 (See Illustration 1)
f` These photographs, exposed on 70mm film in -a Hasselbl.ad camera having
- a lens of 250rm focal length, at an orbital height of approximately
165 nautical miles, produced rather startling clarity of imagery.	 The
film image resolution is approximately 12 lines per millimeter, and,
although the original photo scale is approximately 1:1,200,000, the
densd.ty of planimetric d tail compares favorably with that shown on the
published 1:250,000-sca> = topographic map.	 As shown by illustration. 2,
many major cultural changes can be identified, indicating the potential
u-,, of orbital-height photographs for map revision operations.	 This
s , :,, l e photograph covers approximately 1,600 squaXe miles, whereas
conventional photography at an altitude of 30,000 feet would require
approximately 21 exposures to cover the equivalent area.,
Inasmuch as the Gemini photographs indicate the potential
application of orbital photography to cartographic programs, it is
 interesting to speculate onapplication of orbital photographs acquired
by optimum camera systems.	 In this, regard, large scale and mdximum
h resolution z-would be desirable if they could Abe obtained without great
loss of coverage.	 Consideration, therefore is given to.'panoram.ic cameras:
These cameras provide the ' basic means for meeting otherwa.se incompatible
requirements through the
-
use of a long-focal-length lens, through use
of only, that portion of the lens field which are on or near the optical
axis, and through inclusion of mechanism for scanning the lens through
large angles across the direction of flight.	 As a result, panoramic
R ° cameras can maintain the inherently high resolution of the center of
the lens field over the total angle scanned, with central field
resolutions exceeding 100 lines being common with state-of-the,art
cameras.	 By employing; two such cameras in a convergent Diode,,,°•stereo-
t scopic crpability can be provided.' Illustration 3 indicates the
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0enlargement capabilities of panoramic camera photographs. The
original negative resolution is rated at 90 lines per millimbter.
As can be seen, a 20X enlargement doea -not show any appreciable
Loss of image definition.
Commercially available panoramic cameras, employing a 24-inch-
focal.-length lens, provide negative resolutions of approximately
120 lines per millimeter. It is interesting to consider employing
such cameras at earth-orbital heights of approximately 125 nautical.
miles. Original negative scale would be 1:380,000; a 10X enlargement
would provide 1:38,000-scale source material, and a 20X enlargement
would provide 1:13,000-scale source material. TGround targets as small
as 12 feet in diameter would be resolved. When one considers, in
retrospect, that photo scales of 1:60,000 were used icy compilation of
the U.S. 1:250,000-scale series maps and that, to date, the average
photo scale for compilation of 1:24,000-scale topographic maps is
approximately 1:20,000, it is evident that orbital-height photography
can be suitable for map construction and revision.
Time-Cost Benefit Considerations
The use of spacecraft as remote sensor platforms offers the
unique advantage of permitting cartographic data to be collected on
a national and global basis within a time frame and with coverage per
data-bit never before conceived. Therein lies the prime value of
remote sensor systems. They thus pave the way for a great step
forward in the production and maintenance of map products on a national
m	 and global extent, with potential for significant cost savings and
increased production rates.
It is estimated that benefits to the U.S,, economy, resulting from
4 y	 the availability of topographic maps, will be approximately $680 million
annually by 1981--when the topographic mapping program is completed.
Maintenance of the topographic map series within the shortest possible
time lapse, particularly with regard to cultural features, is essential
if we are to realize continuing annual dollar benefits. Cox:ventional,
present-day techn-Lques generally restrict map maintenance to intervals
of from 5 to 10 years for urban areas and from 10 to 15 years for
farming areas, whereas the potential of remote sensor data is such that
map maintenance intervals of from 1 to 2 years and 2 to 3 years,
respectively, is anticipated. Thus, through the use of remote sensors,
conditions may be established that would realistically permit continuing
annual. dollar benefits and, m-re importantly, provide a basis for
keeping pace with the Nation's rapidly expanding economy.
t.
-3-
#*
Direct dollar benefits that may be realized from use of remote
sensor data in cartographic, programs are as follows:
A. $136 million annually, or 20% of the total U.S. dollar
benefits resulting from availability of topographic
maps, through more responsive map-maintenance capabilities.
B. $2 million-annually through savings in production operations
for maintenance of the U.S. 1:24,000-scale topographic map
series.
C. $320,000 annually through savings in production operations
for maintenance of the U.S. 1:250,000-scale topographic
map series.
D. Based on an extrapolation of the data derived for the U.S.,
which is only 1/18 of the total land area of the world,
the global dollar benefits could exceed a billion dollars
annually.
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Applications of remote sensor data to cartographic programs

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