Precision electronically controlled optical printer for 3-d stereoorthophoto mapping

A precision optical printer is described for producing stereoorthophoto maps from aerial stereo photos, complete with the rectified image of the terrain, contours, symbols, and annotation. The printer forms part of the stereoorthophoto system that was conceived and is currently under development at the National Research Council of Canada. Stereoorthophotos bring to potential users for the first time a complete, precise, accurately scaled, stable stereo terrain image that can be viewed with simple equipment. The digital electronic techniques used to realize the precision control and versatility required in such an optical device are described generally.