What is PhotoIndex and what does it for and how do I use it ?

[PROBERT68]

This is all new to me about learning how to use Aerial Photos. I have a very old ones that that are dated back to 1938 and I am having a really hard time to identify features there. I have them that are scanned at scale of 20,000. They are most on the mountainous areas and it lacks the features that I could find them.

My question to you what is Photo Index shapefile I have here? They are point shapefile that shows the flight that took them.  How can I use it ?

I plan on to using to orthorectify them through ERDAS 2016 Imagine AutoSync.. I believe I have them about at least 3,000 all over my forest here.

I am not really  familiar about them very much but I have google it around online and found some good information.

https://www.asprs.org/a/publications/proceedings/Sacramento2012/files/Ma.pdf

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/reports/J8W07110015_Final_Report.pdf

Do you have a website that discuss about them or some examples that may be helpful to me or can I look at them?

[CodyBenkelman]

Robert

If you start at http://esriurl.com/imageryworkflows and then look for this link

"Check out our ArcGIS Online Group for more tools"

in that Group you will find a workflow for Historical aerial photos (direct link http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d1b4e3afeda7405fb34578207f0ad256 ).  The photo index is a valuable input, to provide ArcGIS with an approximate position for the camera location to capture each image.  

By following that workflow and inputting the metadata from the photo index into the "Frames Table" you should be able to position each image on the ground, but note the accuracy will depend on whether you have other metadata e.g. for the camera model.  Quoting from the documentation of the Historical Imagery workflow:  

This workflow uses the Mosaic Dataset within ArcGIS (and the Frame Camera Raster Type) to manage and rectify scanned images (on-the-fly) to approximately georeference them. The Mosaic Dataset will reference the scanned image files in their original format and apply approximate orientation parameters to perform the image georeferencing. If desired, the user has the option to refine the orientation parameters as required to achieve better accuracy, but be aware the resulting product should not be considered an orthorectified image unless full aerotriangulation is applied, and an accurate DEM is used.

Cody B  

[PROBERT68]

Thank you but it does not answer to my question about Photo Index. I could not find it... 

[PeterBecker]

A photo index is a map that was typically created by the organization that originally flew the imagery that provided an overview of where the images were taken. You have to think back to what was available in the 1940's to create such an overview map. There were two main ways to create this. A) The navigator that flew the mission or someone else with knowledge of the area would mark on a map the approx location of each image or the first an last image of a run onto an existing map. B) A print laydown would be produced, which is really an analog mosaic of contact prints that was then photographed and some coordinates etc added. These Photo Indexes are typically kept with the films and the provider of the scanned images may be able to provide the photo index. The photo index is then typically scanned, georeferenced and digitized. The result of this process is a point feature class (or SHP file) that provide the approximate location of each photo center. These PhotoIndex files are used to initialize the creation of mosaic datasets which are the first stage in the process of georeferencing large collections of such imagery.

Note that if you want to manually georeference the images this capability is also available in ArcGIS. For some image one you have an approx location you can use the autogreoreferencing feature to automatically control points between the image to be georeferenced and an image base (such as world Imagery of other georeferenced image). Especially with old imagery finding such control can be difficult an it it advised to use the OrthoMapping capabilities available with ArcGIS desktop advanced.

[PROBERT68]

Thank you. Is there an example that can I read more about this out there on the internet like an example of what a photo index looks like etc ?

I do believe they were taught in Remote Sensing course or Image Processing course , correct ?

[PeterBecker]

See Aerial Photo Mosaics | The Long Term Archive 

[PROBERT68]

Thank you and it is good information but still not provide me much deeper information on how one can retrieve the point shapefrile from each aerial photography ? Doesn't make any sense to me...

[DanPatterson_Retired]

You said you have the shapefiles... what is in the attribute table of them? is there some field that references a photo ID number or something?  The aerial photographs wouldn't contain the shapefile information, it would be the other way around.

[PROBERT68]

Give me a minute and I am going to post this point shapefile...

BTW, how do I add the zip file for this point shapefile so you all can see what it is..

It shows you the point in a UTM NAD 1983 in ArcMap but it lacks the attribute table..

[DanPatterson_Retired]

why don't you just open the table and report or screen-grab what is contained inside