science

Pictometry

Pictometry is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pictometry rather than just read about it. In short: Pictometry is a patented aerial survey technique for producing oblique georeferenced imagery showing the fronts and sides of buildings and locations on the ground. Photos are captured by low-flying airplanes, depicting up to 12 perspectives (shot from a 40-degree angle) as well as an orthogonal (overhead) view of every location flown.

Key takeaways

Pictometry belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pictometry to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pictometry from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pictometry is a patented aerial survey technique for producing oblique georeferenced imagery showing the fronts and sides of buildings and locations on the ground. Photos are captured by low-flying airplanes, depicting up to 12 perspectives (shot from a 40-degree angle) as well as an orthogonal (overhead) view of every location flown. These perspectives are then stitched together to create composite aerial maps that may span many miles of terrain. Because they are captured at an angle, the pixels in the resulting images are trapezoidal, rather than rectangular. This necessitates special software and algorithms to accurately determine objects’ size and position on the maps.

Uses Pictometry imagery can be overlaid with various shapefiles and GIS information because every pixel is georeferenced to its exact location on the earth. This allows pictometry imagery to be integrated into many existing GIS software applications for use in many businesses, while creating a much richer database of the real world. Measurements that can be made directly on pictometry imagery include area, distance, height, elevation, pitch, and bearing, among others. Pictometry imagery is used by federal, state and local governments for emergency response/9-1-1, GIS, planning and development, and assessment. Commercial industries including insurance, construction, utilities, and real estate utilize such imagery to streamline business activities.

Legal protection Pictometry was invented by the Pictometry International Corporation, now EagleView Technologies. It is protected under US law, including Patent Ser. No. 60,425,275, filed Nov. 8, 2002, and licensed to companies across the globe

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pictometry

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pictometry claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pictometry before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pictometry ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pictometry

In research: Pictometry appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pictometry in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pictometry is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerial photography, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pictometry outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Pictometry in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pictometry means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pictometry out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pictometry in simple terms?

Why does Pictometry matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pictometry?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pictometry.