Article

New Large-Format Airborne Digital Frame Cameras

The Intergraph DMC II Camera Range

At the recent ASPRS Annual Conference held in San Diego at the end of April, Intergraph announced a major new development with the introduction of three new large-format airborne digital cameras under its Z/I Imaging brand. The incorporation of a single large-format monolithic pan imaging sensor in each of these new cameras represents a major advance in digital airborne imaging technology By Gordon Petrie

Background

tions (DPWs) and software packages such as Intergraphs own ImageStation The [Fig. 1(a)] was the products that are designed for use with first large-format airborne digital frame any type of aerial frame photography. camera to appear on the market, having been introduced in its original prototype In 2008, Intergraph introduced a new form at the ISPRS Congress held in airborne multi-spectral digital camera, Amsterdam in 2000. The first produccalled the tion versions of the DMC were delivered , which started to be in 2003. Since then, it has proven to be delivered to customers during the seca very successful product, with over 100 ond half of 2009. This unit [Fig. 2(a)] units having been sold world-wide since comprises four individual medium-forits introduction. The basic design commat nadir-pointing cameras that genprised four oblique-pointing mediumerate simultaneous images in the blue, format cameras [Fig. 1(b)] arranged in a green, red and near infra-red (NIR) block configuration that produced parts of the spectrum respectively. Figure 1 (a) This DMC large-format digital camera is being operated slightly overlapping Each camera produces an image that on a T-AS gyro-controlled mount in conjunction with a Z/I InFlight FMS is 6k x 6.8k = 42 Megapixels in size . The resulting photos were then (flight management system), which is located to the left of the camera rectified and stitched together to pro- and its mount. A Solid State Disk (SSD) is shown being inserted into the using a DALSA CCD array having a pixel size of 7.2 m [Fig. 2(b)]. The RMK D duce a single near-vertical composite front of the camera to record and store the exposed images. camera also features electronic FMC image in a rectangular format that (forward motion compensation) and TDI (time could be delivered to users [Fig. 1(c)]. This final delay & integration) technologies. The resultcomposite black-and-white pan image gave ing framing rate is one image per second. The the required coverage of the ground from a acquired images can either be utilized sepasingle exposure station in a large format size rately as individual multi-spectral images or 13.5k x 8k = 108 Megapixels - as required they can be used in combination (merged) to for photogrammetric mapping purposes. form full-resolution colour or false-colour images. A further feature of the RMK D camera The final DMC composite panchromatic images is its use of an f = 45 mm lens for each of the could also be colourized to form four channels. This provides the large using the base:height ratio of 0.42 for good stereo-viewimage data from four additional small-format ing and accurate measurement. The medium(2k x 3k = 6 Megapixels) multi-spectral camformat RMK D camera costs approximately 50% eras that formed part of the overall DMC camof the price of the larger-format DMC camera. era system [Fig. 1(d)]. These four additional Thus it is intended for use by those mapping cameras were all pointing in parallel in the Figure 1 (b) Showing the four oblique pointing camcompanies and government agencies that have near-vertical (nadir) direction and did not need eras built by Carl Zeiss that are used to acquire the not yet adopted airborne digital imaging techto be rectified in the manner of the larger forfour overlapping medium-format pan images of the nology because of the very high level of investmat pan images. With their large format and DMC camera simultaneously in a single synchronized ment that is required to purchase a large-forperspective geometry, the final composite pan exposure. Each set of four images is rectified and mat airborne digital imager. The RMK D or colour photos could readily be utilized in stitched together post-flight to form the final DMC large-format panchromatic image. cameras multi-spectral capabilities are also the existing digital photogrammetric workstaJuly/August 2010

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Figure 1 (c) Showing the coverage and overlaps of the four mediumformat pan images that are acquired by the DMC camera (in red and yellow) and the ground coverage of the rectified and stitched final large-format near-vertical image (in blue). Figure 1 (d) The original DMC camera as seen from below, showing its eight lenses four used for its large-format pan imaging channel and four for its small-format multispectral imaging channels.

attractive to those agencies that are concerned with the imaging and mapping of limited areas for forestry and agricultural applications or for environmental monitoring and disaster response. The new range of DMC II cameras that have just been introduced by Intergraph combine many of the features of the previous DMC and RMK D series, but they now offer much larger formats which eliminate the need for the rectification and stitching of the panchromatic images during their initial post-flight processing.

a format size of 10.5k x 10.5k pixels = 111 Megapixels, with each pixel being 9 m in size over an active area of 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm). The new family of CCD imaging sensors that have been developed by DALSA on an exclusive basis for Intergraph have still larger formats and smaller pixel sizes. They also exhibit a number of quite different characteristics such as fast framing rates and forward motion compensation (FMC) that are designed to meet the specific requirements of airborne imaging rather than astronomical applications. The new DALSA CCD imaging sensors are still larger in size in terms of the number of pixels that they feature. In the case of the pan sensors that are being fitted to the new cameras, their format size is 11.2k x 12k = 140 Megapixels, with each pixel being 7.2 m in size. The physical size of the new sensors is 3.5 x 3.2 inches (8.8 x 8.2 cm). Their customized packaging [Fig. 4] is designed specifically for use in the aerial imaging role in that they are hermetically sealed with a special cover glass to ensure that their geometric accuracy is maintained irrespective of the environmental conditions under which they are being used. Special holders mounted within the housing ensure the long-term thermal and mechanical stability of the sensor. The DALSA CCD imaging sensors that will be used in the new and cameras will feature a still smaller pixel size (of 5.6 m) and a still greater number of pixels in the area array. In the case of the DMC II230 model, the arrays will have 15k x 14.4k pixels = 230 Megapixels; while, in

Imaging Sensors
The CCD imaging sensors that have been utilized in both the older and the new series of Intergraph DMC and RMK cameras have all been supplied by the Canadian company which has its headquarters in Bromont, Quebec. Its subsidiary, DALSA Semiconductor, is located in Waterloo, Ontario, while its main Image Sensor Solutions facility and offices are located within the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The DALSA company has been a pioneer in the development of large-format imaging sensors. In 2006, it produced the first imaging sensor with a format of over 100 Megapixels. This CCD array [Fig. 3] was developed for an [a] astronomical application on behalf of the Astrometry Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) and had
Figure 2 - (a) The Intergraph RMK D medium-format airborne digital camera showing the handles of two of the solid-state disk (SSD) units on its left side and one of its carrying handles on its right side. (b) The DALSA FT53 CCD frame-type image sensor that is used to record the 6k x 6.8k (= 42 Megapixels) images on each of the cameras four multi-spectral channels.

[b]

Figure 3 The first 100+ Megapixel CCD imaging sensor that was built by DALSA SemiConductor in 2006 for use in an astronomical application by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO).
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Figure 5 (a) The four lens cones of the Intergraph RMK D medium-format camera surround the lens of a small-format video camera at the centre of the supporting face plate. These four lens cones with their respective Red, Green, Blue (RGB) & NIR filters generate the individual images that provide the multi-spectral capability of the RMK D camera. The vacant space at the foot of the face plate will be occupied by the additional lens cone of the large-format panchromatic channel if the camera is to be upgraded to the DMC II140 standard.

Figure 4 The new DALSA 140 Megapixel CCD imaging sensor as packaged for use in the Intergraph DMC II140 large-format airborne digital camera.

the case of the DMC II250 model, the number of pixels will be 17.2k x 14.7k = 250 Megapixels. DALSA claims that the imaging arrays exhibit a high sensitivity and a high dynamic range (of around 70 dB), that allows them to capture detail in shadow areas - while, at the same time, they possess anti-blooming characteristics that enable them to deal with bright highlight objects and areas.

DMC II140 Camera

The camera is derived directly from the previous RMK D model, the main change being the addition of the new large-format pan camera to the existing four channel medium-format multi-spectral arrangement of the RMK D [Fig. 5(a)]. Indeed it is possible for existing examples of the RMK-D camera to be upgraded to the DMC II140 specification [Fig. 5(b)]. For this upgrade, the DMC II140 model utilizes a new single lens for the additional panchromatic channel that has been designed and built by specifically for photogrammetric applications and is exclusive to Intergraph for use in the DMC II cameras. The lens has been designed by Zeiss to produce a very high level of image quality and temperature stability. The focal length (f ) of the new lens is 92mm which, in combination with the larger size of the CCD area array, gives an angular coverage of the terrain that approaches 50 degrees and provides a base:height ratio of 0.35. The new panchromatic camera lens has an infra-red cut-off filter that is designed to block radiation beyond 710 nm wavelength. Each camera head uses a piezo-electric driven shutter that ensures the maximum degree of synchronization of the five camera heads during the simultaneous exposure of their images over the terrain. The DMC II140 camera also features the image storage technology that has been used in the existing DMC and RMK D cameras [Fig. 6]. This provides an on-board storage capacity of 1.5 Terabytes, allowing 2,000 separate images to be stored in-flight. The post-flight image processing is carried out using the basic software that has already been developed for the processing of the existing DMC and RMK D digital image data and has been upgraded to accommodate the new camera models. The new DMC II models have also been designed to be compatible with all the from Intergraph that are being utilized with the existing RMK TOP (film), DMC and RMK D (digital) airborne cameras. These include the Z/I Mission planning software; the Z/I InFlight flight management system; the Readout Station; and the T-AS and Z/I gyro-stabilized camera mounts. The wide range of GNSS/IMU systems from third-party suppliers such as Applanix and IGI - which are used for the measurement of the camera position and orientation during flight operations - can all be employed with the DMC II cameras.

Figure 5 - (b) The five lens cones of an upgraded Intergraph RMK D camera (to the DMC II specification) surround that of the video camera at the central position. At the left side is the lens of the additional large-format imaging panchromatic channel; the remaining four lenses are those required to generate the four multi-spectral images as before.

Figure 5 - (c) A CAD drawing showing the relationship of the single largeformat panchromatic lens cone (at top); the four medium-format multi-spectral lens cones; and the video camera (at the centre) that are utilized in the DMC II cameras.

Figure 6 A DMC II140 camera with its two solid state disk (SSD) storage devices placed in front of it.

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DMC II230 and DMC II250 Cameras

As noted above, the new and cameras [Fig. 7] feature the still smaller pixel size of 5.6 m and a substantially larger number of pixels in their CCD frame imaging arrays to generate pan images of 230 and 250 Megapixels respectively. In the case of the DMC II250 model, it also features a new longer focal length lens with f =112 mm instead of the f = 92 mm lens that is used in the other two models. This produces images having an improved ground resolution (GSD value) from a given flying height, while the base: height ratio with the images acquired by the DMC II250 model (with this longer focal length lens) is reduced slightly to 0.29.
[a]

[b]

Figure 8 A multi-spectral image of the Mercedes Benz Arena football stadium in Stuttgart, Germany that has been acquired by a DMC II camera being operated by the Geoplana company.

Figure 7 (a) An Intergraph DMC II camera placed on a gyro-stabilized Z/I Mount that can be operated either in stand-alone mode or controlled using signals from an external IMU. (b) A complete DMC camera with its five imaging lenses in the foreground and the two handles of its SSD storage units protruding from the upper (top) part of the camera.

The detailed performance characteristics and parameters of each of the three new camera models are summarized in Table I given below.

of the new cameras for use in its aerial mapping operations. Another order for a DMC II camera from the Far East has been placed by the www.kyo-soku.co.jp/ index.php, which is based in Nagano, Japan. A third order has come from , which is based in Galloway, Ohio in the United States, located just to the west of the city of Columbus. The company, whose Web site is www.midwestaerialphoto.com, is already an operator of Z/I RMK TOP film cameras and plans to utilize its new DMC II camera to acquire data for use in the USDAs National Resources Inventory (NRI) programme and other government and commercial imaging and mapping projects. Finally a German company which is based in Marbach, near Stuttgart has also acquired a DMC II camera [Fig. 8]. The companys Web site - www.geoplana.de - gives details of its photogrammetric, GIS and cartographic activities.

Summary & Conclusion

Undoubtedly the introduction of the new single-chip large-format imaging sensor to generate panchromatic images in the new Intergraph DMC II cameras represents a major advance in the design of airborne digital frame cameras. At a stroke, the new sensor allows a much simplified system design and it removes the previous requirement with the original DMC camera to provide multiple lenses, synchronized shutters and CCD arrays in order to generate the large-format panchromatic images. Besides which, the introduction of the new imaging sensor removes the necessity to calibrate each panchromatic channel individually and collectively in favour of a much simplified single calibration procedure. Furthermore it also removes the need to carry out a preliminary rectification and stitching of multiple medium-format pan images that was a feature of the original DMC design. Finally with its modular design and construction, the new DMC II camera offers a fairly simple path for users to upgrade their system through the purchase of an alternative lens or a denser CCD array to generate pan images.
Gordon Petrie is Emeritus Professor of Topographic Science in the Dept. of Geographical & Earth Sciences of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. Email - [email protected]; Web Site - web2.ges.gla.ac.uk/~gpetrie

Tabel 1.

Initial Customers
In parallel with its announcement of the new camera models, Intergraph also released details of four companies that have already ordered DMC II cameras for their airborne imaging operations. In the case of the www.bjgdjw.com/EngLish/News/gsjj.asp the company has purchased two
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