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What Are the Different Types of Aerial Photos?
What Are the Different Types
of Aerial Photos?
When you’re flying in a plane and look out the window, you’re looking down
on the landscape below. If you had a camera and took a picture straight down
from under the plane, you’d be capturing a vertical photo. Take a look back at
Figure 9.4—the Cuban landscape as seen by the U-2 is photographed like you
UAVs are not limited to military operations. Aircraft
that can be piloted via remote control and equipped
with multiple types of aerial surveillance equipment have a variety of other uses. For example,
an article in the January 2010 issue of Popular Science ( available online at http://www.popsci.com/
technology/article/2010-01/british-police-monitorcivilians-uavs-2012) indicates that the British
police intend to use UAVs for security purposes,
especially during the 2012 Olympics in London. How
else can UAVs be utilized for functions such as border security or law enforcement? How could police
or federal agents utilize UAV capabilities for gathering intelligence about dangerous situations or
acquiring reconnaissance before entering an area?
Also, if UAVs are being used to remotely monitor civilian conditions, what potential is there for abuse
of these types of data-collection platforms? Is UAV
surveillance in a domestic urban environment an
invasion of privacy or not?
How Can UAVs Be Used for Security Purposes?
Thinking Critically with Geospatial Technology 9.1
The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP)
was a federal program sponsored by several agencies (including the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Department of the Interior) to provide
regular aerial photography of the United States.
NAPP imagery consists of 1-meter-resolution photography and is now available online via the USGS’s
EarthExplorer utility (also used back in Hands-on
Application 5.3: USGS Digital Line Graphs). Open
your Web browser and go to http://edcsns17.
cr.usgs.gov/NewEarthExplorer/ to begin (make
sure your computer can accept cookies for the Website to load properly).
Using Earth Explorer is a four-step process. First,
enter your search criteria, such as a place name (for
example, try New York City, NY). Next, select the Data
Sets tab and choose the datasets you want to search
(in this case, expand the Aerial Photography option
and select NAPP). In the third option, Additional Criteria, you could add other information to your search
request to help narrow it down (if needed). Lastly,
click on Results to see what NAPP imagery is available for the place you’ve searched for. A thumbnail
preview of the images will be available that you can
click on to expand so that you can view the image.
The USGS requires users to be logged in with an account before you can access download options for
the photos. Use EarthExplorer to view what NAPP
imagery is available for your local area or home
address, and then examine the results.
Hands-on Application 9.2
The National Aerial Photography Program
vertical photo an
aerial photo in which
the camera is looking
down at a landscape.
What Are the Different Types of Aerial Photos?
What Are the Different Types
of Aerial Photos?
When you’re flying in a plane and look out the window, you’re looking down
on the landscape below. If you had a camera and took a picture straight down
from under the plane, you’d be capturing a vertical photo. Take a look back at
Figure 9.4—the Cuban landscape as seen by the U-2 is photographed like you
UAVs are not limited to military operations. Aircraft
that can be piloted via remote control and equipped
with multiple types of aerial surveillance equipment have a variety of other uses. For example,
an article in the January 2010 issue of Popular Science ( available online at http://www.popsci.com/
technology/article/2010-01/british-police-monitorcivilians-uavs-2012) indicates that the British
police intend to use UAVs for security purposes,
especially during the 2012 Olympics in London. How
else can UAVs be utilized for functions such as border security or law enforcement? How could police
or federal agents utilize UAV capabilities for gathering intelligence about dangerous situations or
acquiring reconnaissance before entering an area?
Also, if UAVs are being used to remotely monitor civilian conditions, what potential is there for abuse
of these types of data-collection platforms? Is UAV
surveillance in a domestic urban environment an
invasion of privacy or not?
How Can UAVs Be Used for Security Purposes?
Thinking Critically with Geospatial Technology 9.1
The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP)
was a federal program sponsored by several agencies (including the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Department of the Interior) to provide
regular aerial photography of the United States.
NAPP imagery consists of 1-meter-resolution photography and is now available online via the USGS’s
EarthExplorer utility (also used back in Hands-on
Application 5.3: USGS Digital Line Graphs). Open
your Web browser and go to http://edcsns17.
cr.usgs.gov/NewEarthExplorer/ to begin (make
sure your computer can accept cookies for the Website to load properly).
Using Earth Explorer is a four-step process. First,
enter your search criteria, such as a place name (for
example, try New York City, NY). Next, select the Data
Sets tab and choose the datasets you want to search
(in this case, expand the Aerial Photography option
and select NAPP). In the third option, Additional Criteria, you could add other information to your search
request to help narrow it down (if needed). Lastly,
click on Results to see what NAPP imagery is available for the place you’ve searched for. A thumbnail
preview of the images will be available that you can
click on to expand so that you can view the image.
The USGS requires users to be logged in with an account before you can access download options for
the photos. Use EarthExplorer to view what NAPP
imagery is available for your local area or home
address, and then examine the results.
Hands-on Application 9.2
The National Aerial Photography Program
vertical photo an
aerial photo in which
the camera is looking
down at a landscape.