Aerial photography of the earth's surface; its procurement and use

Some of the most important applications of the optical sciences are in the taking of aerial photographs of the earth's surface and in the extraction of data from them. This article is intended to serve both as an introduction for the articles following it in this issue and as a summary of the factors that must be considered in the taking and interpretation of aerial photographs. Special emphasis is placed on the means by which photographic images of high quality can be obtained and viewed in order to facilitate the data extraction process A summary of the more important current applications of aerial photography in the earth sciences and life sciences also is provided.