Photo Interpretation (Visual)

BEL, ABH, SB, KW

Overview

Data that can be derived from Aerial Photo

Photo interpretation (Visual)
Difference
Examples of Difference
Interpretive elements
3D
Types of interpretation
Guides to interpretation
Summary of Photo Interpretation

Data that can be derived from Aerial Photo

Distance (using ruler and scale of the photo)

Angel (using protractor - Direction)
Areas
Height (3D contour using stereoscopy)
Extraction of natural and artificial features

Photo Interpretation
Interpretation is based upon the concept of
differentiation - the ability to identify a single
element due to its difference with respect to
background and/or surroundings
Difference can be "measured" in three responses:
spatial, spectral, and temporal
Visual interpretation is dependent on the skill of the
operator, experience, and knowledge of the area
Automatic classification (Digital) is based on using
computers instead of human eye

Difference
Spatial: related to dimension or location
(includes size, shape, position, association)
Spectral: EM response (tone, colour as a result of
reflection and emitted EM energy)
Temporal: change in spatial or spectral
characteristics with time. Can be cyclic (daily,
seasonal, annual) or "permanent" (eg. clearing,
construction)

Examples of Difference
Object is big in size spatial Suitable image scale ?
Water is similar to vegetation in Black & White
imagery from the visible band (dark tone) but
different in the Near Infra Red spectral Portion
EM spectrum to sense in ?
In late summer, crop based agricultural activity is
minimal due to the dry conditions. By spring crops
are reaching their prime temporal what time
scale / point is best to identify a specific feature ?

Key interpretive elements

Pattern, Texture, Shadow

Tone, Colour
Association , relationships

TEMPORAL

SPECTRAL

Size, Shape, Site / Location

(stereoscopic appearance)

Change in characteristics with time

Primary: Size, Shape, Tone, Texture, Pattern

Additional: Site / Location, Association, Shadows,
Stereoscopic Appearance

Interpretive elements
Shape: General form, configuration or outline of individual
objects, eg. regular, irregular, linear, curved, rounded,
triangular etc. e.g. House, Round About
Size: The physical extent or dimension of a feature. May be
comparative (relative) (eg. a big bird is still small compared to
an elephant).
Comparable: Large, small, massive, tiny
Magnitude: kms, metres, microscopic, macroscopic

Tone: Relative brightness or colour of a feature

Gray scale:very dark tone, dark tone, dark gray, mid tone, light tone,
white
Colour: Blue, Green, Red, etc.

Interpretive elements-continue
Pattern: Relates to the spatial arrangement of objects.
Repetition of form or spectral response (tone) eg.
gridded, regular (plantation), linear, irregular, ordered
(hierarchal), symmetric, geometric etc. e.g. Agriculture,
Orchard, Forest
Texture: Frequency of tonal change of the object eg.
smooth, coarse, speckled, fine, fuzzy, soft.e.g. water
appears as smooth while forest as coarse
Site/Location: physical position of object feature
(topographic or geographic), hill slopes, ocean, land,
mountains etc.

3D
Monoscopic (easier and quicker, flat area) versus Stereoscopic
(number of photos, cost, purpose)
Shadow: Used to determine 3D information from a 2D image,
shape and height of object via shadow
Shadows can enable objects to be "seen" when the natural
conditions may not be favourable eg. power poles (small
planimetric extent, can only be identified by shadow), sand
dunes (shadows result in contrast, can see topographic outline)
Appearance: How the surface appears in 3D, generally related
to surface consistency and change in height, eg. Object (Tall,
spherical) and Area (Undulating, flat, rugged)

Types of interpretation
Generally there are two types of interpretation:
Selective (Descriptive, graphical, pictorial, sample images)
Elimination (Dichotomous)
The selective method provides the interpreter with a range of choices
with accompanying information or descriptions (eg. feature
characteristics such as tone, shape, texture etc). The interpreter simply
refers to the object and then selects the choice that best matches that
seen (eg. pictorial/graphical, sample images, descriptive text)
The elimination method uses a structured "routing" process to reduce
the classification to a minimum number of options (ideally only one).
Usually simple 2 path decision making tree with only minor decisions
to be made at each step

Guides to interpretation
Define the objective of the interpretation: Simple (feature recognition)

and complex (modeling)

Identify the type of photos needed (B/W, Color_IR, Stereoscopic vs

Monoscopic coverage, Temporal, Scale, Calibration / enhancement /
rectification)
Prepare an equipment that aid in interpretation e.g. magnifying lens,
stereoscope - mirror stereo, pocket stereo, and digital visual system
Have a good eyes, lateral thinking, and patience
Acquaint yourself with the area: Knowledge of phenomenon and area:
general, local, specific
Follow a deductive process: general examination of the image and
concentration on specific features
Check the consistency and reliability of interpretation by maps and ground
truth data (Accuracy)

Summary of Photo Interpretation

Features on a photo can be delineated based on the
following characteristics:

Tone (B/W -gray shade), color and brightness)

Size (depend on scale e.g. size of house)
Shape (geometrical arrangement, road/house)
Texture (smoothness or roughness,water, grass)
Pattern (spatial arrangement, network of streets)
Shadow (height of object)
Site (geographic location, features on rivers)

Photo interpretation can be supported by magnifying

lens and stereoscope (pocket, mirror)

Photogrammetric Applications
3D analysis for environment
3D analysis enables users to create, analyse, and display surface data,
which is important in many applications in the urban areas, for
example, road, canal, dam, and simulation of air and water pollution.
3D data can be extracted from aerial photo directly (stereoplotters)
which allow Photorealistic presentation with possibilities for
navigation through the 3D city model (fly through) and animate onscreen designs

Urban Growth
Tracing socio-economic and physical pattern of urban development
overt space and time is a key element for heritage and future
development. Historical aerial photographs imagery can be classified
and integrated with GIS to show the historical development of a city

Aaerial photo: Kuala Lumpur