3 hours. 2 hours lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Aerial Photographs and Image Interpretation
Analytical Thinking
Course Description
Principles and techniques of interpreting and mapping biological, physical, and cultural features of the Earth, as well as making accurate measurements (i.e., photogrammetry), from aerial images acquired from cameras and sensors mounted on unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones), airplanes, and satellite platforms.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: additional readings, assignments, and questions on tests
Athena Title
Aerial Photos Image Interpret
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students will have the ability to critically evaluate the scale of aerial imagery related to area covered, level of detail and measurement accuracy.
By the end of the course students will have the ability to explain how radiation from the sun interacts with features on the Earth’s surface and is recorded by sensors mounted on satellites, airplanes and drones.
By the end of the course students will have the ability to measure and quantitatively analyze error in aerial images.
By the end of the course students will have the ability to quantitatively analyze a time series of aerial images to map physical changes in landscapes related to human activities or extreme weather events.
By the end of the course students will have the ability to organize, synthesize and communicate team project findings on changing natural and urban landscape.
Topical Outline
Maps and Air Photos
Environmental Metrics
Fundamentals of Air Photo Interpretation
Scale and Measurement
Object Displacement and Parallax
Circular and Chromatic Aberrations
Black and white Air Photos
Natural Color Air Photos
Color Infrared Air Photos
Analog vs. Digital Technologies
Photogrammetric Mapping
Interpreting Terrain Features
Interpreting Cultural Features
Digital Orthophotoquads (DOQQs)
The Latest Technologies
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
