Photogrammetric image acquisition and image analysis of oblique imagery

Because of the intuitive human perception of the oblique view, photogrammetrists' attention has recently returned to oblique images. The demand for oblique imagery has been notably pushed by digital representations of the globe such as Microsoft's Virtual Earth and by the development of special GIS viewers including those by Pictometry and MultiVision. In this contribution the broad spectrum of applications of oblique images is presented. Most commonly oblique images are acquired with flexible digital airborne camera systems, which allow for easy collection of such imagery with photogrammetric quality. The digital airborne remote sensing system PFIFF developed at Rostock University will be introduced briefly. However, flight planning for oblique imagery differs from that for vertical aerial surveys. Two test flights with mono and stereo oblique images are presented. The data processing, display and measurement within oblique images from different perspectives requires new software such as MultiVision. Oblique images may also be used to texture 3D city models.