ULTRACAM-D: Understanding some Noteworthy Capabilities 1

Digital aerial photogrammetric cameras are taking over with a vengeance. While by the end of 2002, there were only 6 such cameras in use globally, this increased to 16 in 2003, to 50 in 2004 and may exceed 100 in 2005. By the end of 2006, more photogrammetric coverage might be produced digitally than via film. Given this rapid change in aerial imaging, what are the benefits that drive these changes? We describe in this contribution a series of noteworthy benefits that partly are applicable to all digital camera systems, and partly are specific to the Vexcel UltraCam system. They range from superior image detail via superior geometric accuracy and robustness of the image-based information, to workflow and efficiency advantages over the traditional film-based softcopy approach to photogrammetry.