Trends for Digital Aerial Mapping Cameras

More and more analogue cameras are replaced by digital aerial cameras, which is a major change for the industry in various aspects. Organizations tendering out aerial photo flight projects will need information about new sensors on the market and their characteristics. There are big differences in accuracy, image quality and data format. Camera buyers have the challenge to select the right sensor which will address their business model the best. Independent and objective sensor comparisons are rare. Features are not easy to compare, some are hidden and last but not least in most cases the acquisition of a digital aerial camera is a major investment with no comparison to the old analogue world. It is also a big opportunity for new companies to step into the photo flight business. The vendors have also the challenge to address the demands of a market which changes rapidly every year. There are new dynamics which are difficult to predict. Development of a good digital sensor is expensive and requires long development cycles. This paper deals with each of these aspects and will provide some guidelines for future decisions for mapping organizations and buyers. It will also explain Intergraph’s view on the future of the digital sensors and will give an outlook into its plans for new developments. This paper will also explain more critical aspects for tender documents and will include a generic example for digital photo flight specification.