What is aerial photography?

Airphoto Information

Here is some brief information about aerial photography. Much of this information came from the third edition of Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation (Lillesand and Kiefer 1994). Please see this book for more information, or visit the aerial photography section of the Wisconsin State Cartographer's web site [exit DNR].

• Definitions
• Short Guide to Airphoto Interpretation

Do you want to see a larger picture of an airphoto?

What is an ortho airphoto?

An ortho airphoto (also known as digital orthophoto, or DOP) is an aerial photograph that has been corrected ("orthorectified") to remove distortion due to topography or camera tilt such that the product may be used similar to a digital map. As base maps, orthophotos prove very useful in that they retain visual ease in identifying landscapes while also providing an accurate depiction of the earth's surface.

Ortho Airphotos are digital images of detailed, rectified aerial photographs that have been geo-referenced so they can be used with other map data. When displaying DOPs on your computer, you can zoom in and out, pan, and print out portions of the airphotos just as you would any other kind of map. You can also display a wide range of other DNR map data over top of Ortho Airphotos.

Accurate measurements of distance, area, and directions can be made, but these should not be used for detailed photo interpretation due to a loss in resolution.