Stereo

photogrammetry
 Stereophotogrammetry
Introduction:
• Measurement from overlapping stereo-pair of
photographs
• Allows 3D information to be extracted
• Produce topographical maps of the Earth
– Show 3D information:
• planimetric detail
• contours or spot heights
Continue…Stereophotogrammetry

• Basic requirement
– Stereo-pairs of photographs
• two photographs can be made from different
positions, e.g. Vertical aerial photographs.
• using special metric cameras, that are built into an
aircraft looking straight downwards.
• While taking the photographs:
– the aircraft flies over a certain area in a meandric way, so
that the whole area is covered by overlapping
photographs.
• The overlapping part of each stereopair can be
viewed in 3D and consequently mapped in 3D
using various restitution techniques.
 Stereophotogrammetric
Techniques

1. Analogue
2. Analytical
3. Digital
Continue….

1. Analogue Technique: Mainly used until 1970’s.

• The method converts the aerial photo recording
procedure:
– 2 projectors should have the same geometric properties
as the used camera:
• (setting during “inner orientation”)
– project the negatives of the stereopair.
– The projectors positions must be rotated into the same
relationship towards each other replicating the moment of
exposure (“relative orientation”).
– Next step:
• the projected bundle of light rays from both photographs
intersect with each other forming a “stereo model”.
– Final step:
• Setting model scale to relate its true dimensions and
• Determine the rotations and shifts in relation to the
mapping (world) coordinate system.
• A minimum of 3 control points (absolute orientation).
Continue….

Analytical Technique: Introduced in 1957.

• The concept is similar to analogue instruments.
– But a computer manages the relationship between image- and real-
world coordinates.

• The restitution of the stereopair is done within 3

steps:
1. After restoration of the "inner orientation", where the
computer may now also correct for the distortion of the
film, both pictures are relatively oriented.
2. After this step, the pictures will be looked at in 3D.
3. Then, the absolute orientation is performed, where the
3D model is transferred to the real- world coordinate
system.
• at least 3 control points are required.
Continue….

• Digital Technique
– Digital techniques are now widely available.
• the images are not on film but digitally stored on
tape or disc.
• Each picture element (pixel) has its known position
and measured intensity value,
– Available in pancromatic black/white, colour or
multispectral images.
Continue….Stereophotogrammetric technique

• After completing the orientation processes:

– details are measured on the stereomodel in 3D.
• the model and a corresponding measuring mark are seen in
3D.
• The movements of the mark are under the operator’s control.
– The digital plotter uses the computer to calculate the
real-world coordinates,
• can be stored as an ASCII file or transferred on-line into
CAD-programs.
– 3D drawings are created, which can be stored
digitally, combined with other data and plotted later at
any scale.
 Overlapping Stereopair:
• a pair of photographs on which;
– the same object or area of terrain is pictured,
– but from different views or perspectives
• the simple shift simulates our biological
stereovision which allows us to see in 3-
dimensions (3-D)
Continue….
 Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy: Based on stereoscopic or binocular vision

• Creating of 3-D "model“:

– viewing 2 photographs of the same object simultaneously,
• one photograph with each eye
– stereomodel is formed by the brain using the process of binocular
vision
• Depth indication is given by:
– object sizes,
– perspective,
– occlusion,
– movement parallax, and
– change in eye focus
Continue…

• Stereomodel, allow measurements in 3-D.

– the range of depths perceived by normal eyes is
limited by:
• focusing range and
• sensitivity of the convergence
– approximately 0.2m to 1000m, and
– the precision of depth perception deteriorates with increasing distance
(the useful range is 0.2m to <100m)

• The upper limit of the range of the eye may be

increased;
– by viewing photographs taken with a base wider than
the normal eye separation
 Parallax
• Relative movement of objects due to movement
of the observer
• in stereo photographs:
– Parallax is demonstrated by the shift in position of
conjugate images;
• i.e., the same object point imaged on different photographs
• for a constant flying height and tilt-free aerial
photos:
– the parallax will be parallel to the base
– parallax will be smaller for more distant objects, or
smaller for points at lower heights (see diagram)
Continue….

• The depth perception in stereo photographs is dependent

on parallax
– neighbouring points at different heights will exhibit different
parallaxes

• To obtain stereoscopic coverage of an entire area, the

minimum overlap is 50%
 Mathematical definition of parallax

• coordinates should be measured

parallel to the line connecting the
principal points on the two
overlapping photographs;
– i.e., the line parallel to the base
• if any other coordinate system is
used the parallax will have two
components (x and y parallax)

p = x – x’

Where:
x = left conjugate image coordinate
x' = right conjugate image coordinate
 Stereoscopic Viewing
• The simplest method that allow overlapping photographs
to be viewed in stereo:
– Stereoscopes,
– Stereoplotters &
– Stereocomparators
• these devices use mirrors or optical trains (a sequence
of lenses) to provide the left and right views of the
images
– have small field of views, so that conjugate images must be
matched carefully before a 3D stereomodel can be seen
Continue…..

• another common method of stereoscopic

viewing;
– Anaglyph method:
• red and blue tinted spectacles separate blue and
red tinted photographs
• used in direct optical stereoplotters and in some
digital photogrammetric systems
Effect of Red and Blue Light Source
Continue…Stereoscopic Viewing

• In “Digital Photogrammetric System”:

– DVP
• use a mirror stereoscope combined with left and
right images displayed directly on the PC screen
– Matra and Leica
• use polarised spectacles with polarised image
displays to separate the left and right images
Polarized stereoscopic Movie
Continue….

– Intergraph and Zeiss

• use LCD shuttered spectacles which swap

between the left and right eyes in combination with
a left and right image swap on the display screen
• the frequency of swapping is the refresh rate of the
graphics display and image persistence allows the
3D image to be seen

Wireless Shutter Glass

 Line Alternate methods for Shutter Glasses
and Head Mounted Displays

• Line alternate stereoscopic images reformat the right and left images so that
they are interleaved on a line-by-line basis.
• Each line alternates between the right and left image
Stereoscopic Monitors from Dual
LCD solid construction
 Continue…Stereo Viewing

Stereo conversion kits

Stereoscopic monitors

LC Shutters Glasses with Infra red Emitters

 Stereoscopes
• There are three basic types of stereoscopes:
– pocket, mirror and scanning

• Pocket stereoscope:
– a simple lens system with lenses at roughly the same separation as a
normal eye base
– small and portable
– small coverage, (only a portion of a pair of overlapping photographs
can be used at one time)

• Mirror stereoscope:
– Provide a wider eye separation
• the full overlap area of a pair of aerial photographs may be viewed conveniently

• Scanning stereoscope:
– allows the full overlap area of an aerial pair to be viewed,
– but has a mechanical rail or optical lens system which allows scanning
across the overlap area
Continue… Stereoscope
 The Floating Mark
• Measurement tools in stereo
photogrammetry:
– To make measurements on
stereo overlapping photographs
– composed of two half marks or
dots which are placed over
conjugate images on the stereo
photographs
– the dots may be black circular
spots or crosses, e.g.,
• parallax bars used with
stereoscopes or
• stereoplotters
Continue….Floating Marks

• Floating Marks consist of:

– luminous circular spots, crosses or annuli:
i. the floating mark will appear to lie on the surface of the terrain
• when the dots are placed exactly on conjugate images in a
stereomodel
ii. if the dots are moved slightly closer together,
• the floating mark will appear to rise or float off the surface
iii. if the mark floats too far above the surface
• the stereofusion will be broken because the eyes can not
accommodate the range in convergence, and a double image of the
terrain will result
iv. if the dots are moved slightly apart the floating mark
• will split into two separate dots as the brain of the observer can not
imagine seeing the floating mark beneath the surface
v. again if the dots are moved too far apart
• a double image of the terrain will result
 Plotting
Instruments

Analogue
Stereo Plotter
Analytical
Plotters
 Softcopy System

VIRTUOZO System

PHOTOMOD System