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Chapter 9 Remotely Sensed Images from Above
How Can You Interpret Objects
in an Aerial Image?
Understanding what you’re looking at when viewing Earth from the sky instead of the ground takes a completely new skill set. Objects that you’re used
to looking at head-on have a whole different appearance from above. For example, Figure 9.11 shows two different views of the Stratosphere Hotel and
Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—one a regular oblique photograph showing
details of the tower and its buildings and the second photo showing an overhead aerial view. Obviously, the complex looks completely different from
the ground than from directly above. If you look closely, you can see where
areas in the two photos match up, such as the tower on the right-hand side
of the image and the remainder of the hotel and casino on the left. However, if you were only given the aerial image and asked which building (of
all possible structures in the world) this was, it would be a whole different
ballgame.
From the aerial image alone, you’d have to search for clues to determine
what was really being shown. For instance, based on the size of the complex
(roughly a city block) you might guess that it was some sort of hotel, resort,
entertainment attraction, or museum. By looking at its location amidst other
large buildings and multiple-lane roads, you could guess that the building
Bing Maps is a great source of viewing online
oblique imagery supplied via pictometry. Like
Google Earth and Google Maps, Bing Maps allows
you to view aerial or satellite images of areas but
also gives you the option to view high-resolution
oblique images of areas (where oblique imagery is
available). To start, open your Web browser and go
to http://www.bing.com/maps and type the name
of a location (for instance, Atlantic City, New Jersey).
In the Atlantic City map, zoom in until you can see
the ocean and boardwalk. From the Road pull-down
menu, select the option for “Bird’s eye” and be sure
there’s a checkmark in the “show angled view” box.
The view will switch to oblique photography of Atlantic City. You can zoom in and out and pan the imagery (when you move past the edge of a photo, a
new tile of oblique imagery should load).
Reposition the images so you can see the
boardwalk and oceanfront at an oblique angle
and then move down the boardwalk to see the
casinos, piers, and developments. In addition,
Bing Maps provides oblique imagery from multiple angles—click on one of the arrows pointing
downward to the left and right of the compass
rose (around the letter “N”) to rotate the direction and load oblique imagery of the same location but shot from a different angle. You can use
this function to examine a spot from multiple
viewpoints. Once you get used to navigating and
examining “Bird’s eye” oblique images of the New
Jersey shore, search for your local area with Bing
Maps to see if Bird’s eye imagery is available to
view your home, school, or workplace.
Hands-on Application 9.4
Oblique Imagery on Bing Maps
Chapter 9 Remotely Sensed Images from Above
How Can You Interpret Objects
in an Aerial Image?
Understanding what you’re looking at when viewing Earth from the sky instead of the ground takes a completely new skill set. Objects that you’re used
to looking at head-on have a whole different appearance from above. For example, Figure 9.11 shows two different views of the Stratosphere Hotel and
Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—one a regular oblique photograph showing
details of the tower and its buildings and the second photo showing an overhead aerial view. Obviously, the complex looks completely different from
the ground than from directly above. If you look closely, you can see where
areas in the two photos match up, such as the tower on the right-hand side
of the image and the remainder of the hotel and casino on the left. However, if you were only given the aerial image and asked which building (of
all possible structures in the world) this was, it would be a whole different
ballgame.
From the aerial image alone, you’d have to search for clues to determine
what was really being shown. For instance, based on the size of the complex
(roughly a city block) you might guess that it was some sort of hotel, resort,
entertainment attraction, or museum. By looking at its location amidst other
large buildings and multiple-lane roads, you could guess that the building
Bing Maps is a great source of viewing online
oblique imagery supplied via pictometry. Like
Google Earth and Google Maps, Bing Maps allows
you to view aerial or satellite images of areas but
also gives you the option to view high-resolution
oblique images of areas (where oblique imagery is
available). To start, open your Web browser and go
to http://www.bing.com/maps and type the name
of a location (for instance, Atlantic City, New Jersey).
In the Atlantic City map, zoom in until you can see
the ocean and boardwalk. From the Road pull-down
menu, select the option for “Bird’s eye” and be sure
there’s a checkmark in the “show angled view” box.
The view will switch to oblique photography of Atlantic City. You can zoom in and out and pan the imagery (when you move past the edge of a photo, a
new tile of oblique imagery should load).
Reposition the images so you can see the
boardwalk and oceanfront at an oblique angle
and then move down the boardwalk to see the
casinos, piers, and developments. In addition,
Bing Maps provides oblique imagery from multiple angles—click on one of the arrows pointing
downward to the left and right of the compass
rose (around the letter “N”) to rotate the direction and load oblique imagery of the same location but shot from a different angle. You can use
this function to examine a spot from multiple
viewpoints. Once you get used to navigating and
examining “Bird’s eye” oblique images of the New
Jersey shore, search for your local area with Bing
Maps to see if Bird’s eye imagery is available to
view your home, school, or workplace.
Hands-on Application 9.4
Oblique Imagery on Bing Maps