Assignment 2

Deliverable 9231-D2 Stereoscope
Usage, Elevation Estimates and

Photogrammetry
Mireya Mosquera (ID 4345096); Tetiana Yurchenko (ID 4341637)

NIAGARA COLLEGE
OCTOBER 2018
October 18, 2018
GISC9231-D2
Mark Wilkinson
Lecturer
Niagara College
135 Taylor Road,
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
L0S 1J0
Dear Mr. Wilkinson,
RE: Deliverable 9231-D2 (Assignment #2) Stereoscope Usage, Elevation Estimates and
Photogrammetry
This is our official submission for Deliverable 2 – Stereoscope Usage, Elevation Estimates and
Photogrammetry.The following document contains the answers for the questions from the
document “Terms of Reference for Deliverable 9231-D2 (Assignment #2) Stereoscope Usage,
Elevation Estimates and Photogrammetry”. As a result, we gained experience in stereoscopic
management, we also learned how to perform calculation of photogrammetric data for stereoscopic aerial
images. We become familiar with terms related to photogrammetry.
Please contact us at your convenience at (905)324-6825 / (289)969-6448) or by e-mail at

tatianayu20@gmail.com / mmosquerapatino@gmail.com. We look forward to your comments and
suggestions.
Best Regards,
Tetiana Yurchenko Mireya Mosquera

GIS-GM Certificate Candidate GIS-GM Certificate Candidate
T.Y. M.M
i
GISC9231 D2: Stereoscope Usage,
Elevation Estimates and Photogrammetry
Table of Contents
SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 2
INTERPRETATION..................................................................................................................................... 4
SECTION A .................................................................................................................................................................4
Approximate Stereopair Viewing Method ............................................................................................ 4
Exact Stereopair Viewing Method ........................................................................................................ 7
Introductory Photogrammetry ............................................................................................................... 8
SECTION B ..................................................................................................................................................................9
Relief Displacement in the Grimsby area ............................................................................................. 9
Elevation Measurement in the St. Catharines CBD ............................................................................ 13
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 18
APPENDIX .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table of Figures
Figure 1 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018) .................................................................................................. 4
Figure 8 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018) ................................................................................................ 10
Figure 9 (Lillesand, 2014)........................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 10 (Lillesand, 2014)......................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 11 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018) ............................................................................................... 16
ii
tatianayu20@gmail.com
mireyamosquerapatino@gmail.com
SUMMARY
In this document, you will find information about Stereoscope Usage, Elevation Estimates and
Photogrammetry. It is divided into two sections: A and B. The first section will talk about Approximate
Stereopair Viewing Method which exposes three different questions regarding this specific topic. There
will be also two questions related directly to the Exact Stereopair Viewing Method that discuss several
definitions such as fiducial marks, principal points and conjugate points. It will show how to make a flight
line based on the features mentioned above. Finally, it will be found one question regarding introductory
photogrammetry. In this part of section A, basically would be discussed different topics such as scales,
focal length, flying height and height of the lens, and how to perform the calculations to obtain the results
requested in this last question. The calculations will be presented as required, written using formal sentences
in proper paragraphs. All calculations were formally laid out with all variables defined.
Section B will be based on two main themes, relief displacement in the Grimsby area and elevation
measurement in the St. Catharines CBD. In this section, the acquired knowledge of all the aforementioned
definitions will be applied. Several calculations will be made with their respective explanations and
conclusions. It is important to mention that throughout the document you will find figures and images that
will help visualize in a better way and understand each answer. In the same way, several sources of
references were used in this document and they will be cited throughout it. Some of the data was provided
by Niagara College.
Also, different tools were used to perform the analysis of the aerial photos, such as stereoscopic
glasses, computer, printed copies of aerial photos, topographic map, ruler and MS Excel as well.
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INTRODUCTION
As described in the terms of reference for this assignment, this document is going to serve as an
introduction of Stereoscope Usage, Elevation Estimates and Photogrammetry. The main overview and
purpose are to gain a basic practical familiarity with stereoscopic aerial images, learn how to set up
stereoscopic aerial images and to do calculations of photogrammetric data for stereoscopic aerial images.
In order to understand this document, we must first explain what is photogrammetry and some definitions
related to it.
Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining spatial measurements and other
geometrically reliable derived products from photographs. Historically, photogrammetric analyses involved
the use of hardcopy photographic products such as paper prints or film transparencies. Today, most
photogrammetric procedures involve the use of digital, or softcopy, photographic data products. In certain
cases, these digital products might result from high resolution scanning of hardcopy photographs (e.g.,
historical photographs). However, the overwhelming majority of digital photographs used in modern
photogrammetric applications come directly from digital cameras. In fact, photogrammetric processing of
digital camera data is often accomplished in-flight such that digital orthophotos, digital elevation models
(DEMs), and other GIS data products are available immediately after, or even during, an aerial photographic
mission (Lillesand, 2014).
It can also be said that photogrammetry is the art and science of making accurate measurements by
means of aerial photography (Jensen, 2015); or is the technique of obtaining reliable measurements of
objects from their photographic images.
COMMON TERMINOLOGY
The scale of vertical photograph: Scale is an important describing factor of vertical aerial photography.
It is important to know the scale of the image under examination, as this can affect how you perceive or
interpret what appears in the image. The scale also allows features in the image to be measured (National
Collection of aerial photography, retrieved in 2018).
Fiducial Marks: Small registration marks exposed on the edges of a photograph. The distances between
fiducial marks are precisely measured when a camera is calibrated, and this information is used by
cartographers when compiling a topographic map (Natural Resources Canada, modified in 2016) (Natural
Resources Canada, Modified 2016).
Focal Length: Is the distance between the camera lens and the film. The focal length of the lens affects
the scale of the image captured. A camera with a lens of long focal length will produce images which look
as if they have been taken close to the ground. Conversely, a short focal length lens will produce smaller
scale photographs which can look as if they have been taken at altitude (National Collection of aerial
photography, retrieved in 2018)
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Principal point: Geometric center of the photograph. Literally the point on the ground in line with the
axis of the camera lens. (Emporia, 2014)
Conjugate principal point: Point in overlapping photo that is equivalent to the principal point of the
adjacent photograph. (Emporia, 2014).
Photo base: Distance between principal point and conjugate principal point measured on a single
photograph. (Emporia, 2014).
Ground (air) base: Ground (air) distance between principal points of overlapping photographs.
(Emporia, 2014).
Parallax: An apparent shift in relative positions of objects when viewed (photographed) from different
vantage points (Emporia, 2014).
Relief Displacement: In essence, an increase in the elevation of a feature causes its position on the
photograph to be displaced radially outward from the principal point. Hence, when a vertical feature is
photographed, relief displacement causes the top of the feature to lie farther from the photo center than its
base. As a result, vertical features appear to lean away from the center of the photograph. (Lillesand, 2014).
Tilt Displacement: A tilted photograph represents a slightly oblique view rather than a truly vertical
view. Because of tilt, pictured objects are displaced by a small amount (tilt displacement) from the positions
they would occupy in a precise vertical photograph (Emporia, 2014)
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INTERPRETATION
Section A
Approximate Stereopair Viewing Method
a) What direction do you think the aircraft was flying when the photos were taken? Why?
Firstly, we define the North using Google Earth (Google Earth, retrieved 2018). For better orientation,
we put North, East, South and West directly on both airphotos.
According to this, the direction of the aircraft flight is from South-East to North-West. As the aircraft
flew on the left photo we see mostly the south-eastern part of the multi-story building (see Figure 1), but
then on the right photo we see the top of it (see Figure 2).
Figure 1 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

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b) Were both photos of the stereopair taken at the same time? Support your answer.
No, photos were not taken at the same time, as it is a small time difference of 6 seconds. We can observe
it from the clock on the side of the photos. The first photo was taken at 1:45:10 pm, the second one was
taken at 1:45:16 pm.
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c) Are these photographs ‘tilted’? Support your answer by defining a ‘tilted’ vertical aerial
photograph.
Aerial photographs are generally classified as either vertical or oblique. Vertical photographs are those
made with the camera axis directed as vertically as possible. However, a “truly” vertical aerial photograph
is rarely obtainable because of the previously described unavoidable angular rotations or tilts, caused by
the angular attitude of the aircraft at the instant of exposure. These unavoidable tilts cause slight (1° to 3°)
unintentional inclination of the camera optical axis, resulting in the acquisition of tilted photographs.
Virtually all photographs are tilted. When tilted unintentionally and slightly, tilted photographs can be
analyzed using the simplified models and methods appropriate to the analysis of truly vertical photographs
without the introduction of serious error (Lillesand, 2014).
As we can read in the definition of the book, all the aerial photographs are tilted. It also can be seen
because the bubble of the spirit level, in our case it is on the South-West.
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Exact Stereopair Viewing Method
d) Discuss how the exact method set-up can help you answer question a) more readily.
Once the flight line was made, we could realize that the exact method is more accurate than the visual
method. It can be determinate by the geometric centers (the principal points) of the photograph, using the
fiducial marks, which are a set of marks located in the corners or edge-centers, or both, of an aerial
photographic image. These marks are exposed within the camera onto the original film and are used to
define the frame of reference for spatial measurements on aerial photographs. Opposite fiducial marks
connected, intersect at approximately the image center or principal point of the aerial photograph (Fiducial
marks, retrieved 2018).
After establishing a flight line, which connects the principal points, we can clearly see that the flight
line of the aircraft is directed exactly to the South-East (Figure 7).
e) Include your ‘marked up’ aerial photos showing O and O’ as well as the flight lines on each as a
figure in your report
In Figure 7 it can be seen the flight line connecting the principal point (O), with the conjugate point
(O’). Principal points are the geometric center of the photograph; it is literally the point on the ground in
line with the axis of the camera lens. In order to get the right direction of the flight, we need to overlap two
of the conjugate points of each photo.
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Introductory Photogrammetry
f) What is the scale of the ‘vertical’ photographs that we have examined? We are told by the imagery
contractor that they recorded an altitude of 438 metres above the target at the time each photo was taken
(H’ = 438 m). They also report that the Zeiss metric camera has a focal length of 182.5 mm (f = 182.5
mm).
This calculation must be presented formally in your report. Research the topic of presenting
calculations online if needed. Remember to include your units.
The equation to determine the photo scale must be introduced with a formal sentence, followed by the
actual equation itself, which is in turn followed by a definition of each of the variables in the equation. The
actual values for the variables are then introduced (paying close attention to variable units) and the
equation is solved. Finally, the answer is stated in a formal, ‘plain English’ sentence to conclude the
solution.
N.B.: The format described above is the standard ‘layout’ expected for any and all equation solutions
in a formal professional or academic report/paper.
To find the scale of the photograph, we must first apply the following formulas:
𝑓
S= and H’ = H – h,
𝐻−ℎ
Where “S” is the scale, f is the focal length of the lens, “H” is the flying height and “h” is the height of
ground above sea level. The height of lens above ground level (H’) is equal to the difference between the
flying height and the height of ground above sea level (Lillesand, 2014).
We convert millimetres (mm) and metres (m) to centimetres (cm), in order to work with only one unit.
The experimentally obtained values are as follow:
f=182.5 mm = 18.25 cm
H’= 438 m = 43800 cm
Substituting this value into the equation yields the following:
𝑓 𝑓 18.25 𝑐𝑚 1 𝑐𝑚
S = 𝐻−ℎ = 𝐻′ = 43800 𝑐𝑚 = 2400 𝑐𝑚
The scale number relates focal length and height of length above the ground, as represented in the
equation. To determinate the scale number in this case, we obtain values for focal length and height of
length above the ground level.
When we substitute these values into the equation, we obtain a scale number of 1:2400 (in 1 cm - 24000
cm) (Presenting Equations in a report: Simple Calculations, 2000).
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Section B
Relief Displacement in the Grimsby area
a) If the camera focal length was 6 inches and the flying height was 6,500 feet, what was the ‘average
scale’ for the airphoto 72019-90? Show your calculations.
Photographs taken over the terrain of varying elevation will exhibit a continuous range of scales
associated with the variations in terrain elevation. Often it is convenient an average scale for an entire
photograph (Lillesand, 2014).
To find the average scale of airphoto 72019-90, we must first apply the following formulas:
𝑓 ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 −ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑔 = 𝐻−ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔
and ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔 = 2
,
Where “𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑔 ” is the scale average, f is the focal length of the lens, “H” is the flying height and “ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔 ”
is height average (Lillesand, 2014). Height average (ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔 ) will be equal to the arithmetical mean
of ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 and ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛 .
We convert inches (in) and feet (ft) to centimetres (cm), in order to work with only one unit.
f = 6 inches = 15.24 cm
H’= 6,500 feet = 198120 cm
ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔 = 200 feet = 6096 cm
Substituting this value into the equation yields the following:
𝑓 15.24 𝑐𝑚 15.24 𝑐𝑚 1 𝑐𝑚
𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑔 = = = =
𝐻−ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑔 198120 𝑐𝑚−6096 𝑐𝑚 192024 𝑐𝑚 12600 𝑐𝑚
The average scale of the photo is 1:12600 (in 1 cm – 12600 cm).
b) Using the topographic map (30M/4h), draw the air photo 72019-90 boundaries atop the map,
defining the Area of Interest (AOI). Find the lowest and highest points in the AOI. Label these points on a
print-out of the topographic map to be attached to your report. Using these two points, calculate the
minimum and maximum scales for the airphoto (hint: use S = f/(H-h). Again, show your calculations.
The map that was used for these calculations is located in the appendix of the document. Using this
topo map and air photo 72019-90 (Figure 8) we can outline the AOI. Exploring the map, we came to the
conclusion that ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 650 𝑚, ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 250 𝑚.
To find the maximum scale for airphoto 72019-90, we must first apply the following formula:
𝑓
𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐻−ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥
,
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Where 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 is the maximum scale, 𝑓 is the focal length of the lens, 𝐻 is the flying height and ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 is
the maximum height.
f = 6 inches = 15.24 cm
H’= 6,500 feet = 198120 cm
ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 650 feet = 19812 cm
Substituting these values into equation yields the following:
𝑓 15.24 𝑐𝑚 15.24 𝑐𝑚 1 𝑐𝑚
𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 = = = =
𝐻− ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 198120 𝑐𝑚 − 19812 𝑐𝑚 178308 𝑐𝑚 11700 𝑐𝑚
So, the maximum scale of the photo is 1:11700 (in 1 cm – 11700 cm)
To find the minimum scale for the airphoto 72019-90, we must first apply the following formula:
𝑓
𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝐻−ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛
,
Where 𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 is the minimum scale, 𝑓 is the focal length of the lens, 𝐻 is the flying height and ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛 is
the minimum height.
f = 6 inches = 15.24 cm
H’= 6,500 feet = 198120 cm
ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 250 m = 7620 cm
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𝑓 15.24 𝑐𝑚 15.24 𝑐𝑚 1 𝑐𝑚
𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝐻− ℎ𝑚𝑖𝑛
= 198120 𝑐𝑚 −7620 𝑐𝑚 = 190500 𝑐𝑚 = 12500 𝑐𝑚
So, the minimum scale of the photo is 1:12500 (in 1 cm – 12500 cm).
c) Locate the following point on the airphoto (using the topographic map 30M/4h): intersection of the
CN railway and Maple Avenue. Label this point on the topographic map. Again, using 72019-90 calculate
the amount of relief displacement at the point using d = rh/H.
Comment on the ‘sensitivity’ of this technique with respect to measurement error (i.e., for every mm of
measurement difference, how much relief displacement do you get?). Comment on this observation and
what it might mean for accurately estimating object elevations. Show all calculations.
Figure 9 (Lillesand, 2014)
According to the book “Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, 7th Edition” by Lillesand there is a
formula for relief displacement:
𝑟ℎ
𝑑= 𝐻
,
Where “d” is the relief displacement; “r” is the radial distance on the photograph from principal point
(O) to the displaced image point; “h” is the height above datum of the object point; “H” is the flying height
above the same datum chosen to reference “h” (Lillesand, 2014). Figure 9 perfectly illustrates it.
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Due to the low quality of the topo map, we cannot see all horizontals clearly. We assume that the height
of the point (intersection of the CN railway and Maple Avenue) above the sea level (h) is 290 feet.
To find the radial distance from the principal point (O) to the given point we need to draw the line
between these two objects on the airphoto and measure it in mm using a ruler.
r = 87 mm
Again, we keep centimetres as the only units that we use for calculations.
r = 87 mm = 8.7 cm
h = 290 ft = 8839.2 cm
H = 6500 ft = 198120 cm
Now we know all the components of the equation, therefore we can substitute them into the formula:
𝑟ℎ 8.7 𝑐𝑚∗8839.2 𝑐𝑚 76901.04 𝑐𝑚

𝑑= 𝐻
= 198120 𝑐𝑚
= 198120 𝑐𝑚
= 0.3881 cm
Based on this the relief displacement equals 0.3881 cm.
The sensitivity of this technique lies in the fact that the distortion directly depends on the distance from
the geometric centre to the object. The further the point is from the principal point (O), the bigger relief
displacement will be. For example, the most distortion can be observed at the corners of the photo.
The height of the point above the sea level (h) influences the amount of relief displacement as well.
Let’s imagine two different points that are both in 1 mm from the geometric centre. The first one has the
height that equals 1000 cm, the height of the second point is 5000 cm.
𝑟ℎ 0.1 𝑐𝑚∗1000 𝑐𝑚 100 𝑐𝑚

𝑑1 = 𝐻
= 198120 𝑐𝑚
= 198120 𝑐𝑚 = 0.000505 cm
and
𝑟ℎ 0.1 𝑐𝑚∗5000 𝑐𝑚 500 𝑐𝑚

𝑑2 = 𝐻
= 198120 𝑐𝑚
= 198120 𝑐𝑚 = 0.002523 cm,
Where 𝑑1 is relief displacement for the first point (h = 1000 cm) and 𝑑2 is relief displacement for the
second point (h = 5000 cm). As we can observe there is a distortion in the second point, which is five times
larger, than distortion in the first point, even with the same distance between points and geometric centre.
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d) From the topographic map 30M/4h, one can see that Mountain Road and Russ Street (south of the
escarpment) ‘line up’ exactly with roads north of the escarpment. Do they line-up exactly on each airphoto?
Why or why not?
On the topographic map we can see that both roads line up exactly with roads north of the escarpment
because there is no relief displacement on it. On the airphotos depending on the distance from the principal
point to the objects we can observe the distortion more or less, that is why it is not possible to line up the
roads in airphotos.
On a map we see a top view of objects in their true relative horizontal positions. On a photograph, areas
of terrain at the higher elevations lie closer to the camera at the time of exposure and therefore appear larger
than corresponding areas lying at lower elevations. Furthermore, the tops of objects are always displaced
from their bases. This relief displacement causes any object standing above the terrain to “lean” away from
the principal point of a photograph radially (Lillesand, 2014).
Elevation Measurement in the St. Catharines CBD
e) Using the stereopair 6080-61.tif and 6080-62.tif (set up using the method from Part A), referring
to the file “Points for Elevation Estimates.jpg”, noting that the point demarked as K has a known elevation
of hK = 108.9 metres above sea level, and the aerial platform was flying at a height of H = 438 metres
above sea level, calculate the following:
i. The elevation of point A (hA) by measuring the parallax between the known point and
the parallax between point A on each airphoto.
ii. The elevation of point B (hB) by measuring the parallax between the known point and
the parallax between point B on each airphoto.
The equation to use for this analysis is:
𝑝𝐾
ℎ𝐴 = 𝐻 − 𝑝𝐴
(𝐻 − ℎ𝐾 ) (Equation 1)
This formula is a derivation of formula 3.10 from Chapter 3, Section 3.7 of Lillesand, Kiefer and
Chipman, (Wiley, 2015). For points K and A or points K and B, the values of air base B and focal length f
are the same, so equation 3.10 can be used for points K and A or K and B. Knowing the height of point K
allows you to calculate the height of points A and B.
Again, comment on the ‘sensitivity’ of this technique with respect to measurement error (i.e. for every
mm of parallax measurement error, how much change in elevation do you get?). Comment on this
observation and what it might mean for accurately estimating object elevations. Show all calculations.
Initially we need to take the stereopair 6080-61.tif and 6080-62.tif, where the principal points were
already measured. To find the elevation of any point, we first need to measure parallax. There is a formula
to calculate the parallax:
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𝑝𝑎 = 𝑥𝑎 − 𝑥 ′ 𝑎
Where 𝑝𝑎 is the parallax of point A; 𝑥𝑎 is measured x coordinate of the image a on the left
photograph of the stereopair; 𝑥 ′ 𝑎 is measured x coordinate of image 𝑎′ on the right photograph
(Lillesand, 2014).
Figure 10 illustrates the scheme how it works. To find 𝑥𝑎 we need to take the left airphoto, project the
point a to the flight line and measure the distance between the projection a and principal point (O) in mm.
To find 𝑥 ′ 𝑎 we need to take the right airphoto, project the point a to the flight line and measure the
distance between the projection a and principal point (O) in mm. In this case the value of the distance will
be negative as it has opposite direction to the flight line.
Figure 10 (Lillesand, 2014)
After completing this procedure for point K we got the following values:
𝑥𝐾 = 66 𝑚𝑚
𝑥 ′ 𝐾 = −14 𝑚𝑚
𝑝𝐾 = 𝑥𝐾 − 𝑥 ′ 𝐾 = 66 – (-14) = 80 mm
Where 𝑝𝐾 is the parallax of point K; 𝑥𝐾 is measured x coordinate of the image K on the left
photograph of the stereopair; 𝑥 ′ 𝐾 is measured x coordinate of image 𝐾 ′ on the right photograph.
We convert millimetres (mm) to metres (m) in order to work with only one unit.
𝑝𝐾 = 80 mm = 0.080 m
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We did this procedure for point A and got the following values:
𝑥𝐴 = 21 𝑚𝑚
𝑥 ′𝐴 = −61 𝑚𝑚
𝑝𝐴 = 𝑥𝐴 − 𝑥 ′𝐴 = 21 – (-61) = 82 mm
Where 𝑝𝐴 is the parallax of point A; 𝑥𝐴 is measured x coordinate of the image A on the left
photograph of the stereopair; 𝑥 ′𝐴 is measured x coordinate of image 𝐴′ on the right photograph.
𝑝𝐴 = 82 mm = 0.082 m
𝑝𝐾
ℎ𝐴 = 𝐻 − (𝐻 − ℎ𝐾 )
𝑝𝐴
0.080 𝑚 0.080 𝑚
ℎ𝐴 = 438 𝑚 − (438 𝑚 − 108.9 𝑚) = 438 𝑚 − ∗ 329.1 𝑚 = 438 𝑚 − 321.07 𝑚
0.082 𝑚 0.082 𝑚
= 116.93 𝑚
The elevation of point A (hA) equals 116.93 m.
We did the same procedure for point B and got the following values:
𝑥𝐵 = 13 𝑚𝑚
𝑥 ′ 𝐵 = −91 𝑚𝑚
𝑝𝐵 = 𝑥𝐵 − 𝑥 ′ 𝐵 = 13 – (-91) = 104 mm
Where 𝑝𝐵 is the parallax of point B; 𝑥𝐵 is measured x coordinate of image B on the left photograph
of the stereopair; 𝑥 ′ 𝐵 is measured x coordinate of image 𝐵′ on the right photograph.
𝑝𝐵 = 104 mm = 0.104 m
𝑝𝐾
ℎ𝐵 = 𝐻 − (𝐻 − ℎ𝐾 )
𝑝𝐵
0.080 𝑚 0.080 𝑚
ℎ𝐵 = 438 𝑚 − (438 𝑚 − 108.9 𝑚) = 438 𝑚 − ∗ 329.1 𝑚 = 438 𝑚 − 253.15 𝑚
0.104 𝑚 0.104 𝑚
= 184.85 𝑚
15
The elevation of point B (hB) equals 184.85 m.
The sensitivity of this technique lies in the fact that the parallax of the point directly influences the
𝑝𝐾
height of the point above the sea level (h). Based on the formula ℎ𝐴 = 𝐻 − 𝑝𝐴
(𝐻 − ℎ𝐾 ) only the parallax
value changes, everything else remains the same for different points.
We assume the further distance is from the point to the flight line, the greater will be parallax.
f) Using one image of the stereopair (6080-62) and referring to the file “Points for Elevation
Estimates.jpg”, calculate the elevation above ground level of point E, the chimney atop city hall. Shadows
will be used for this calculation, using the following equation:
L tan 
h  (Equation 2)
S
Where L is the photo length of the shadows on the aerial photo, S is the photo scale calculated in Error!
Reference source not found. on page Error! Bookmark not defined. and α is the sun angle in degrees. We
shall pretend the photo was taken at 1:45 PM (EDT) on 12 April 2000. Use internet calculation tools to
determine the sun angle over St. Catharines on this date/time.
According to question “f)” of the Section A the scale (S) of airphoto 6080-62 is 1:2400 (in 1 cm - 24000
cm). To find the length of the shadow of the building we need to measure from the edge of the shadow to
the edge of the building. The same procedure for defining the shadow of the chimney.
After completing this procedure we got the following values:
𝐿𝐵 = 6 mm
𝐿𝐶 = 4 mm
We convert millimetres (mm) to centimetres (cm) in order to work with only one unit.
𝐿𝐵 = 6 mm = 0.6 cm
𝐿𝐶 = 4 mm = 0.4 cm
16
In order to find the sun angle we search on the webpage Time and Date (St. Catharines, 2000) and we
could observe that the angle of that day and hour was 192⁰. We use MS Excel to calculate the tangent of
192⁰ as it was recommend in the Terms of Reference. Tangent of 192⁰ is 0.2125543.
𝐿𝐵 tan 𝛼 0.6∗0.2125543
ℎ𝐵 = 𝑆
= 1/2400
= 306.08 cm
Where ℎ𝐵 is elevation of the building above ground level, LB is the photo length of the shadows of the
building on the aerial photo, S is the photo scale, α is the sun angle in degrees.
Then we do the same for calculating to elevation of the chimney above ground level:
𝐿𝐶 tan 𝛼 0.4∗0.2125543
ℎ𝐶 = 𝑆
= 1/2400
= 204.05 cm
Where ℎ𝐶 is elevation of the chimney above the building, LC is the photo length of the shadows of the
chimney on the aerial photo, S is the photo scale, α is the sun angle in degrees.
To get the elevation above ground level of point E, the chimney atop city hall we need to apply
following formula:
∆h = ℎ𝐵 + ℎ𝐶 = 306.08 + 204.05 = 510.13 cm
So, the elevation of point E above ground level is 510.13 cm or 5.1 m.
17
REFERENCES
Emporia, A. (2014). Retrieved from

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/airphoto/p_gram/p_gram.htm
Fiducial marks. (retrieved 2018). Retrieved from http://vision-cdc.csiro.au/changs/fiducial/node1.html
Google Earth. (retrieved 2018). Retrieved from Google Earth: https://earth.google.com/
Lillesand, K. a. (2014). Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, 7th Edition. Wiley.
National Collection of aerial photography. (retrieved in 2018). Retrieved from

https://ncap.org.uk/feature/scale-aerial-photography
Natural Resources Canada. (modified in 2016). Retrieved from https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-

sciences/geomatics/satellite-imagery-air-photos/air-photos/about-aerial-photography/9687
Niagara College. (retrieved 2018). Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Presenting Equations in a report: Simple Calculations. (2000). Retrieved from Writing Guidelines for
Engineering and Science:
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/handbook/visuals/donnell/equations/sld001.htm
St. Catharines. (2000, April ). Retrieved from Time and Date: timeanddate.com
18

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Deliverable 9231-D2 Stereoscope

Usage, Elevation Estimates and

Mireya Mosquera (ID 4345096); Tetiana Yurchenko (ID 4341637)

Dear Mr. Wilkinson,

Please contact us at your convenience at (905)324-6825 / (289)969-6448) or by e-mail at

Tetiana Yurchenko Mireya Mosquera

Figure 1 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Figure 2 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Figure 3 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Figure 4 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Figure 5 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Figure 6 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Exact Stereopair Viewing Method

Figure 7 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Substituting this value into the equation yields the following:

Substituting this value into the equation yields the following:

The average scale of the photo is 1:12600 (in 1 cm – 12600 cm).

Figure 8 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

Substituting these values into equation yields the following:

Substituting these values into equation yields the following:

Figure 9 (Lillesand, 2014)

𝑟ℎ 8.7 𝑐𝑚∗8839.2 𝑐𝑚 76901.04 𝑐𝑚

Based on this the relief displacement equals 0.3881 cm.

Substituting these values into equation yields the following:

𝑟ℎ 0.1 𝑐𝑚∗1000 𝑐𝑚 100 𝑐𝑚

𝑟ℎ 0.1 𝑐𝑚∗5000 𝑐𝑚 500 𝑐𝑚

Elevation Measurement in the St. Catharines CBD

The equation to use for this analysis is:

Figure 10 (Lillesand, 2014)

The elevation of point A (hA) equals 116.93 m.

The elevation of point B (hB) equals 184.85 m.

Figure 11 (Niagara College, retrieved 2018)

So, the elevation of point E above ground level is 510.13 cm or 5.1 m.

Emporia, A. (2014). Retrieved from

Fiducial marks. (retrieved 2018). Retrieved from http://vision-cdc.csiro.au/changs/fiducial/node1.html

Google Earth. (retrieved 2018). Retrieved from Google Earth: https://earth.google.com/

National Collection of aerial photography. (retrieved in 2018). Retrieved from

Natural Resources Canada. (modified in 2016). Retrieved from https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-

Niagara College. (retrieved 2018). Niagara-on-the-Lake.

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