Low Cost Photogrammetry Equipment
The Discovery Programme has a Sky Hook 1.6 cu. m helikite to capture low level aerial photographs. This helium filled kite/balloon can operate in winds up to 50km/h and to an altitude of 750m (although in practice it is rarely used above 30m for safety and practical reasons).
A Ricoh GR digital camera (8.1 megapixel) is used for the aerial photography, the camera is calibrated, focus fixed at infinity, and the shutter timer set – normally to 10 seconds.
For terrestrial applications of the low cost photogrammetry any of the Discovery Programme digital SLR cameras can be used to give increased image quality, provided camera calibration is done in advance.
Topcon Imagemaster (previously PI 3000) software
This Topcon photogrammetric software provides the functionality to calibrate the cameras and process the imagery. 3D measurements from digital photographs are used to generate ortho-images and create 3D models.