aerial photography

aerial photography

[′e·rē·əl fə′täg·rə·fē] (engineering) The making of photographs of the ground surface from an aircraft, spacecraft, or rocket. Also known as aerophotography.

aerial photography

Various types of aerial photographs.A photographic print or picture of an object, or of a source of radiation, on the earth's surface, developed from a film previously exposed in an airborne vehicle. In narrower terms, it is the act of taking photographs of objects on the ground from the air by aerial cameras. In this category, there are four types of aerial photographs: vertical, oblique, fan, and panoramic. Vertical photography is used for mapping, locating objects that are camouflaged, and getting the exact scale of objects. It is the main source of reconnaissance. Oblique photography is used for tactical purposes and involves taking photographs by cameras looking sideways or through nose camera(s). Fan photography uses a combination of vertical and oblique camera installation. A panoramic photograph covers a strip of land from one horizon to the other. The other types of aerial photographs are infrared photographs, radarscope photographs, video photographs, and thermal photographs.