Read More Articles

History of Aerial Mapping

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began using aerial photographs for mapping in the 1930s. 
 
The USGS archives photographs it has used for making maps, as well as mapping photos from some other Federal agencies. Some of these black-and-white photographs date to the 1950's. Most show more detail than National Aerial Photography Program and National High Altitude Photography photographs.
 

In 1972, the United States launched its first Earth Resources Technology Satellite, ERTS-1, later renamed Landsat 1, for experimental global coverage of the Earth's land masses. Landsats 2 through 5 were launched in 1975, 1978, 1982, and 1984.

Photographs were taken over limited areas of the Earth on NASA's Gemini (1965-66) and Apollo (1968-69) Missions. Three Skylab missions in 1973 and 1974 resulted in more than 35,000 photographs.

The National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) program was a Federal Project that preceded NAPP, running from 1978 to 1988. NHAP photographs were taken simultaneously with two cameras, one containing black-and-white film, the other color infrared. The NHAP aircraft flew at 40,000 feet. These photographs covered more area, but showed less detail than NAPP photographs. 

The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) was established in 1987 to coordinate aerial photography for the United States among Federal and State agencies. NAPP photographs are used for mapping, resource planning, engineering, land use planning, and agricultural monitoring. Private citizens began purchasing them for hunting, hiking, and other recreational activities. 
 
USGS aerial photographs covering the United States since the 1950's and worldwide satellite data from the early 1970's to the present can be ordered directly from the USGS. The USGS also has information about images available from other Government and State agencies and commercial sources. The World Wide Web Internet address for the USGS home page is www.usgs.gov.

Uses of Aerial Mapping

Aerial photographs are an excellent data source for many types of projects, especially those that require spatial data from the same location at periodic intervals over a length of time. Typical applications include land-use surveys and habitat analysis. Trained interpreters utilize aerial mapping to determine land-use and environmental conditions, among other things. 
 
Aerial surveys are used for:

Applications for Fire Science

Satellite remote sensing research and applications are essential for providing required data for mapping fire fuels, assessing fire effects, monitoring fire danger, and measuring progress in implementing the National Fire Plan. Land management agencies, scientific communities, and citizenry affected by wild land fires can benefit from research and development of consistent and accurate geospatial fire data,

Phenological Application

Phenology is the study of the biological events in response to climatic changes in the environment. Certain biological events, such as growing season, have a key role in changing land surface and atmosphere boundary conditions such as surface roughness, humidity, etc. The phenology of ecosystems and its connection to climate is key to understanding global change. Phenology has historically been studied as direct observations of the timing of leaf opening, flowering, leaf fall, and such events. To study large areas, aerial mapping has emerged as an extremely valuable tool.

Dangers of Aerial Mapping

Can aerial photography be considered harmful? Some believe it can compromise national security by providing terrorists with exact locations for targeted agencies. Many airline companies do not allow passengers to take photographs from the windows of the plane for security reasons. The Secret Service airbrushes aerial photos. The details of several Washington D.C. government buildings were no longer discern overhead images on Mapquest's free aerial photo database.

Portions of overhead color photos of the Capitol building and the grounds of the Naval Observatory that have been distorted. The White House, the Old Executive Office Building, and treasury Department headquarters are still sharp, but the roofs have been digitally painted over with colors matching the surrounding landscape. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue now resembles a dirt field shaped like the White House.

Read More Articles