Terrestrial photogrammetric systems allow orthoimagery and DEM’s to be generated from images captured with non-metric cameras and taken with less rigorous geometry. These systems apply less rigorous processing algorithms than high end photogrammetry.

The software uses precise coordinates from a total station or a scale placed in the photographs and produces three-dimensional coordinate points and surfaces by measurements made in two or more overlapping digital photographic images taken from different positions.

The Discovery Programme investigated the potential of such a system primarily to augment the recording process of our excavations, where the terrestrial laser scanning record was failing to adequately represent subtle textures and colours of features.

For this a helium filled kite/balloon was used as an elevated platform for the camera, operating at 10 - 30m above the excavation