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Aerial Photos In Modern Cartography

The skill behind cartography is many thousands of years old. The origins of the first ever map are unclear, but there are many examples of mapping painted and etched on to walls and in sacred documents. Developments in cartography have hinged on the progress of technology. Observation based cartography gave way to land survey based information in the advent of magnetic mapping tools. This allowed the science behind the skill to become ever more accurate. In today's high tech age, maps feature highly in our everyday lives, from GPS navigation to playing on Google Earth, so where does that leave aerial photography in map making?

The pinnacle of map making is achieving an accurate representation of an area, no matter how large. Being able to produce an accurate map has been the goal of cartographers since the 7th century BC. Maps are useful for locating physical features such as specific places and geological features as well as giving the opportunity to archive more abstract features such as political or economic boundaries. The traditional methods of creating maps through engraving and printing produced a practical solution to navigation and identification of boundaries.

In recent years the use of aerial photography featured heavily in map making. By using helicopters, hot air balloons and aeroplanes, accurate images could be obtained of the earth below. Originally aerial photos were used by the military to archive the terrain behind enemy lines or to survey the land for munitions stores or factories. Satellite technology was employed as a way to obtain aerial photos of politically sensitive areas as it was much harder for the opposition to know that photographs were being taken.

This same technology is used today to create maps for less serious applications. The advent of Google Earth has seen aerial photos from all over the world stitched together to produce a global map that is more accurate than any other map that has been created before. Unlike a traditional map, specialist software applications allow the viewer to zoom in to the point where it is possible to identify items in a garden or on a driveway. The use of these images has bought both amazement and speculation within the global community.

For some people, the use of such detailed aerial photos has led to a belief that we are constantly under surveillance and that our rights to privacy are being taken away from under our feet. Other people however think that such applications serve to unite people rather than divide. Although aerial photos have been used successfully for mapping many different areas, it is also a popular way to photograph interesting architecture and historical sites. The use of aerial photography in surveying is essential to fully understand the site, especially for archaeological investigations.

From the ground, historic sites are often unremarkable places, displaying subtle features only professional archaeologists can appreciate. From the air however such sites give up their secrets. The earth displays scars of the past, both from human activity and architectural features. Through aerial photos research teams can save a lot of time on effort when it comes to deciding where to excavate.

It seems that the future of aerial photography might lie in the need to update information. There are still a lot of holes in the maps published due to political sensitivity, and the ever changing infrastructure of countries around the world need to be archived for efficient use of mapping systems. In the meantime, embracing the new photographic methods available will ensure that ever more high definition images can be used to continue building a virtual version of the world we live in.

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