Photogrammetric Application of Spherical Imaging

Spherical imaging is a technical approach of collecting scenery by viewing it through a single perspective. A typical realization of spherical imaging is a panoramic mosaic covering a part of the hemisphere. According to a photogrammetric definition, we introduce here, spherical imaging is an exact central projection explicitly determined by its projection center. They are linear images without any geometric distortions within their spherical coverage. Their orientation, or georeferencing, is defined by three coordinates of the projection centre and by two directions of the attitude, namely the horizon and the azimuth, or, the Zenith and North. Spherical images are suitable for photogrammetric applications both in interior and exterior surroundings. The ease of use is a major advantage of spherical imaging. The procedure of utilizing them for surveying and mapping processes will be discussed. This includes methods for generating spherical images with rotating camera, methods for measuring 3-D objects from spherical images, methods for building stereo pairs and visualizing the views, and methods for combining laser measurements with spherical images. * Corresponding author.