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Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry

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 About this tutorial

About this tutorial

In this tutorial, you will work with two project files to learn how to use photogrammetry
to measure points:
 Project 1 - The first project is very small and it allows you to learn the basics of
setting up for and measuring a point using photogrammetry observations.
 Project 2 - The second project is a survey of several transmission towers in which
you make photogrammetry measurements to points that cannot be optically
measured in the field. This will allow you to apply the skills you learned in the first
project to a real-world situation.

Note: If you need additional help at any time you are using the software, press F1 to
display the online help.

Overview of photogrammetry measurements

If your project contains two or more photo stations, each with a referenced photo
image of the same object, you can make photogrammetry measurements of the object
to assign it a point with a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate. You do this by observing
the object in a photo from each of the stations and applying a measurement. Trimble
Business Center then calculates the point's real-world coordinate based on the
intersection of the resultant line-of-sight rays from each of the photo stations.
It is important that when you make a photogrammetry measurement you use
observations that provide good geometry as measured by strength-of-figure. For
example, if your measurement includes two observations, the two-line intersection
should typically be 30 degrees or greater. For more information, see "More about
ensuring good geometry" later in this tutorial.
Using Trimble Business Center, you can make photogrammetry measurements to create
points, modify photogrammetry measurements, and view photogrammetry point
properties and intersection observations in the Project Explorer, Properties pane, Photo
Point Spreadsheet, and various graphic views.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 2

 Step 1. Open Project 1

Step 1. Open Project 1

For this part of the tutorial, you will use the project file Photogrammetry Project 1.vce.
This project includes two photo station setups, which you will use to make your
photogrammetry measurements.

Note: The downloaded MeasuringPhotogrammetryPoints folder contains the following

items:
- Data folder (You will import data from the Data folder later in this tutorial.)
- Photogrammetry Project 1 project folder
- Photogrammetry Project 2 project folder
- Photogrammetry Project 1.vce project file
- Photogrammetry Project 2.vce project file

1. In TBC, select File > Open.

2. In the Open File dialog, browse to
..\MeasuringPhotogrammetryPoints\Photogrammetry Project 1.vce and click Open.
The project opens in the Trimble Business Center window. Use your mouse wheel
to zoom in on the Plan View tab as shown here.

The pink camera icons identify the two stations from which referenced photos have
been captured, and from which you will make photogrammetry measurements. The
orange "wireframes," which are turned off by default but have been turned on in this
project, represent the referenced photos.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 3

 Step 2. View options and project settings

The project file is read-only. You can perform the tutorial steps without saving the
project file. However, if you are interrupted while performing the tutorial, you can save
it with a new name by selecting File > Save Project As. Then, you can re-open the
project to continue the tutorial at a later time.

Step 2. View options and project settings

Step 2a. View photogrammetry options

You will use the Options dialog to view the various settings that control the behavior of
the interface when you are working with photogrammetry. Option settings are not
specific to a project; they are persistent and apply to any project you open.
1. In the Quick Access toolbar (located at the top of the Trimble Business Center
window), select Options to display the Options dialog.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Photogrammetry.

The following options settings are available. For this tutorial, you will not be making
any changes.
 Maximum number of station views - Specifies the maximum number of Station
Views, which are used to make photogrammetry measurements, that are
allowed to be open at the same time. Note that opening too many Station
Views at the same time may result in memory usage problems that require
automatic photo image down-sampling.
 Pixel Picker aperture - Specifies the size of the Pixel Picker, which is used to
select objects on photo images when using the Measure Photo Point command.
 Display Pixel Picker image in grayscale - Specifies whether the magnified image
in the Pixel Picker is displayed in grayscale only.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 4

 Step 2. View options and project settings

 Dynamic Pixel Picker - Specifies which Pixel Picker display option to use by
default: dynamic view or static view. Regardless of your selection here, when
you are using the Measure Photo Point pane you can toggle between the
dynamic and static Pixel Picker views by pressing the Ctrl + Shift keys. You will
get a chance to try each of these options later in this tutorial.

Note: To match the steps described later in this tutorial, ensure the Dynamic Pixel
Picker option is selected.

 Show field of vision indicator in Plan View - Specifies whether to display on the
Plan View tab a graphical indicator of the field of vision for each station view
displayed on an open Station View tab. As you change the field of vision on the
Station View tab (for example, zoom in or out, pan left or right, or tilt up or
down), the corresponding indicator on the Plan View tab reflects your changes.
The Station View Field of Vision Indicator options specify how the indicator is
displayed.
 Indicator color - Specifies the color to use for the field of vision indicator.
 Indicator length - Specifies the percentage of the projection distance you want
the field of vision indicator to extend in the Plan View. The projection distance
is displayed in the bottom of the Station View tab.
 Indicator transparency - Specifies the percentage of transparency of the field of
vision indicator.
3. Click Cancel to close the Options dialog without saving any changes.

Step 2b. View photogrammetry project settings

You will use the Project Settings dialog to view photogrammetry settings that are
specific to this project.
1. In the Quick Access Toolbar, select Project Settings.
2. In the left navigation pane in the Project Settings dialog, select View > Referenced
Image.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 5

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

The primary setting here that affects photogrammetry measurements is Maximum

length for line-of-sight rays. This setting specifies the maximum length for station
line-of-sight rays that display when performing photogrammetry measurements. For
best results, line-of-sight rays should be slightly longer than the distances to the
objects being measured with photogrammetry. This ensures that the Distance from
slider bar used in the Measure Photo Point pane to scan along newly created line-
of-sight rays works as smoothly as possible. However, regardless of the value you
enter, the length displayed will not exceed the diagonal distance across the project.
Click any setting to see a brief description in the lower portion of the dialog. For this
project, you will not make any changes to the default settings.
3. In the left navigation pane in the Project Settings dialog, select Computations >
Photogrammetry.

Each of these fields specifies a value that, if exceeded, will cause an out-of-tolerance
flag to display with a photogrammetry point.
Of particular importance is the Maximum strength of figure value, which is used to
ensure good geometry in your photogrammetry intersections. You will learn more
about this feature later in this tutorial.
Click any setting to see a brief description of its purpose. For this project, you will
not make any changes to the default settings.
4. Click Cancel to close the Project Settings dialog without saving any changes.

Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

To measure a new point, you will make an observation from each of the two photo
stations in this project to the object of interest: a target posted on an exterior door.
These stations are represented by pink camera icons in the Plan View and Photo Station
nodes in the Project Explorer.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 6

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

1. In the TBC ribbon, select Photogrammetry > Data > Measure Photo Point.
The Measure Photo Point command pane displays.
2. In the Point ID field, enter 100.
This is the ID for the new point you are about to measure. You are going to use the
default Points layer. You are not going to assign a feature code to the new point.

Note the following check boxes in the command pane:

 Automatically search for observations - When this check box is selected, the
software automatically makes subsequent observations from other photo
stations to the point after you make the first observation.
 Prompt for feature attributes - When this check box is selected, you are
automatically prompted to enter feature attributes when you select to add a
feature code to the new point that supports feature attributes.
 Automatically advance on pick- When this check box is selected, the next photo
station in the Photo Stations list is opened automatically after you make a
manual observation from the previous station. This option is disabled when the
Automatically search for observations check box is selected.

Note: Although these are powerful options that can greatly streamline the point
measurement process, you will de-select them for this tutorial so that you can see
the immediate results of each measurement.

3. Ensure all three check boxes are unchecked.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 7

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

Next you will open the Photo Point Spreadsheet so that you can see information
about the new photogrammetry point as you measure it.
4. In the TBC ribbon, select Photogrammetry > Data > Photo Point.
The Photo Point Spreadsheet opens on a new tab. To more easily view the
spreadsheet while you are using other graphic view tabs, you will move the Photo
Point Spreadsheet tab to a new location.
5. Click on the Photo Point Spreadsheet tab header, drag the tab to the lower portion
of the window until a tab outline appears, and release the mouse button.

6. To ensure the Station View tab you are about to open in the next step displays in
the correct location above the spreadsheet, click the header for the Plan View tab
to give it focus.
7. In the Measure Photo Point command pane, select photo station 1 in the Photo
stations list.
The Station View: 1 tab displays showing the photo taken from photo station 1.
8. Using your mouse wheel, zoom in on the Station View: 1 tab until you can clearly
see the target posted on the door of the building.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 8

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

9. Click in the Pixel Picker field. Then move the cursor to the Station View: 1 tab. The
cursor changes to the Pixel Picker. Press Ctrl + Shift to toggle between the two Pixel
Picker display options to use the cursor shown here.

Note the following when using the Pixel Picker:

 Toggle between the two Pixel Picker display options – dynamic view and static
view – by pressing Ctrl + Shift.
The dynamic view option causes the Pixel Picker to display as a magnifier with a
reticle, enabling you to dynamically select the precise location for a
photogrammetry observation on the photo image. To change the reticle for the
Pixel Picker, press Ctrl + Alt.
The static view option causes the Pixel Picker to display as a small selection
cursor that, when clicked, opens a window with a magnified view of the photo
image showing the selected area. You can then select the precise location for a
photogrammetry observation on the photo image in the magnified view.
To change the size of the Pixel Picker, change the default Pixel Picker view
(dynamic or static), or specify to display only grayscale images in the selector,
select File > Options > Photogrammetry.
 Use your mouse wheel to zoom in or out. Press the mouse wheel (if it is
configured as a third button) and move your mouse to pan the image.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 9

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

 Once the Pixel Picker is close to the object you want to select, you can press the
arrow keys on your keyboard to move it in small increments. When you are
ready to make your selection, press your left mouse button or press the Enter
key.
10. Using the Pixel Picker control, click at the intersection of the two dark rectangles on
the target to make your observation.

After you click the target:

 A dot displays on the image where you clicked, along with the new point ID.

 The photo pixel coordinates are displayed in the Pixel Picker field.
 Photo station 1 now includes a Delete icon in the Photo stations list, indicating
an observation has been made from the station to point 100. (If you click the
Delete icon, the observation is removed.)

 The new point 100 is displayed in the Photo Point spreadsheet along with the
new observation. The status of the new point is Unresolved since it includes
only one observation (at least two are required to compute the point).

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 10

 Step 3. Measure a new point on a target

You are now ready to make a second observation to the target.

11. Select station 3 in the Photo stations list.
The Station View: 3 tab displays showing the photo taken from photo station 3.
12. Using your mouse wheel, zoom in on the photo on the Station View: 3 tab until you
can clearly see the target posted on the door of the building.
Note that you can use the Distance from slider bar (1 in the figure below) to scan
along the newly created epipolar line (2 in the figure below) from station 1 until it
intersects (or nearly intersects) the target on the Station View: 3 tab. Although it is
not necessary in this tutorial, the slider bar can be very helpful if you are observing
objects that are hard to find in the images.

13. Click in the Pixel Picker field. Then click on the target on the Station View: 3 tab to
make your observation.
After you click the target:
 A dot displays on the image where you clicked, along with the new point ID.
 The photo pixel coordinates are displayed in the Pixel Picker field.
 Each station in the Photo stations list now includes a Delete icon, indicating an
observation to the new point 100 has been made from each of the stations.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 11

 Step 4. View measurement results

14. Click the red Compute button located at the bottom of the command pane, or
press F4, to compute the project.
In the Photo Point spreadsheet, the status for point 100 is now Resolved (the point
can be computed) and the second observation is displayed.

Step 4. View measurement results

1. Click the Plan View tab to view the new point 100 and the intersecting observations
from photo stations 1 and 3 that were used to compute its position.

2. In the Project Explorer, do the following:

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 12

 Step 4. View measurement results

 In the Points list, expand the new point node 100. The two new observations
are displayed. You can right-click on the point or observations and select
Properties to display the Properties pane for the selected object.
 In the Photo Stations list, expand photo station nodes 1 and 3. The two new
observations are displayed.

3. In the Points list, right-click point node 100 and select Point Derivation Report to
view angle intersection information for the new photogrammetry point (azimuth,
horizontal/vertical distances and residuals, and strength-of-figure).

You have successfully measured a new photogrammetry point and you are done
working with Project 1. You can now close the project.
4. Select File > Close.
The Save Changes dialog displays. If you saved the project to a new location or with
a new name, you can click Yes. Otherwise, click No.
You are now ready to measure points in Project 2.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 13

 Step 5. Open Project 2

Step 5. Open Project 2

For this part of the tutorial, you will use the project file Photogrammetry Project 2.vce.
This project includes four photo station setups, which you will use to make
photogrammetry measurements of a transmission tower.
1. Select File > Open.
2. In the Open File dialog, browse to
..\MeasuringPhotogrammetryPoints\Photogrammetry Project 2.vce and click Open.
The project opens in the Trimble Business Center window. Use your mouse wheel
to zoom in on the Plan View tab as shown here.

Note that for this project:

 A network adjustment has already been performed.
 The View Filter Manager has been configured to hide reference frames and error
ellipses to make the views less cluttered.
The project file is read-only. You can perform the tutorial steps without saving the
project file. However, if you are interrupted while performing the tutorial, you can save
it with a new name by selecting File > Save Project As. Then, you can re-open the
project to continue the tutorial at a later time.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 14

 Step 6. Measure a new point on a tower

Note: Project 2 includes numerous photos, which may cause your computer to run low
on memory. If you are experiencing display problems in general, try selecting Options in
the Quick Access Toolbar and, in the Options dialog, selecting Images > Down-sampled
resolutions (512 x 512 pixels). This reduces the size of the images to help conserve
memory. In addition, if Trimble Business Center detects a memory problem while you
are performing this tutorial, it will notify you and automatically switch to using the
down-sampled option. It will then continue to use the down-sampled option until you
reset it in Options > Images. For more information, see the "Advanced Graphic Options"
topic in the online Help.

Step 6. Measure a new point on a tower

For this project, you will measure a new point at the top of a transmission tower.
1. Select Photogrammetry > Data > Measure Photo Point.
2. In the Measure Photo Point pane, ensure the Automatically search for
observations check box and the Automatically advance on pick check box are
unchecked.
3. In the Point ID field, enter the new point name 200.
4. In the Photo stations list, select the photo station misery.

The Station View: misery tab displays.

5. On the Station View: misery tab, zoom and pan until you see both towers, as shown
here.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 15

 Step 6. Measure a new point on a tower

Key:
1. South tower
2. Traffic intersection
3. North tower
6. Click in the Pixel Picker field. Then, on the Station View: misery tab, zoom-in on the
top of the south tower and click to make an observation.

7. When prompted to clear the network adjustment, select the check box that states
"Do not show until another network adjustment is performed." and click the Keep
Adjustment button.
The dot representing the line-of-sight ray displays along with new point ID 200.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 16

 Step 6. Measure a new point on a tower

You are now ready to make a second observation to the top of the south tower.
8. In the Photo stations list, select station windy.
The Station View: windy tab displays.
9. On the Station View: windy tab, pan and zoom-in on the south tower as shown
here.

Next, you will use a static view pixel picker to make your selection (just to try it
out!).
10. Do the following:

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 17

 Step 6. Measure a new point on a tower

a. Click in the Pixel Picker field.

b. Press Ctrl+Shift to change the pixel picker from dynamic view to static view.
c. On the Station View: windy tab, zoom-in on the top of the south tower and click
to make a second observation.

11. Press F4 to compute the project.

Note that the new point 200 includes an out-of-tolerance flag on each of the Station
View tabs and the Plan View tab.

12. Expand the new point 200 node in the Project Explorer.
The point ID is displayed in red, again indicating an out-of-tolerance flag.

13. Right-click point 200 in the Project Explorer and select Point Derivation Report.
In the report, note that the strength-of-figure value exceeds the default maximum of
2.630 specified in Project Settings > Computations > Photogrammetry (your value may
be slightly different).

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 18

 Step 7. Measure a second point on a tower

The reason for this is that the geometry provided by the two observations to the
measured point is weak, as you can see in the Plan View. The angle for the two
observations to point 200 is approximately 14º (see the figure below). A good
strength-of-figure requires an intersection angle of approximately 30º.

Next, you will measure a new point at the same location at the top of the south
tower using two photo stations that should provide better geometry: cold and
misery.

Step 7. Measure a second point on a tower

1. In the Measure Photo Point pane, enter the new point name 300 in the Point ID
field.
2. In the Photo stations list, select station cold.
The Station View: cold tab displays.
3. On the Station View: cold tab, pan until you see the south tower with point 200
located at its top.
4. Click in the Pixel Picker field and then click to make an observation to the top of the
tower at the same location as point 200.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 19

 Step 7. Measure a second point on a tower

5. Make a second observation for the new point 300 from the misery photo station.

6. Press F4 to compute the project.

Note that in the Project Explorer, point 300 is not red, which indicates there are no
out-of-tolerance flags associated with it.
7. View the Point Derivation Report for point 300.
The strength-of-figure for the point is well within the default maximum of 2.630
specified in the Project Settings dialog. The angle for the observations to point 300
is approximately 60º (see figure below).

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 20

 More about ensuring "good geometry"

When you compare point 200 (bad geometry) and point 300 (good geometry), you
can see that there is a delta of approximately 3 cm. This may be an insignificant
difference, depending on the purpose of your survey. When planning your survey in
the field you should consider the layout of your station sites and the geometry they
provide to the subject of the survey. See the next section, "More about ensuring
good geometry" for more information.
This concludes the tutorial steps for Project 2. However, if you would like to experiment
further with making photogrammetry measurements using the tutorial data, see
"Additional exercises" later in this tutorial.

More about ensuring "good geometry"

As shown in Project 2, it is important that when making photogrammetry observations
you select station setups that will provide the best geometry as indicated by the
strength-of-figure value. This value is calculated based on the angle at the point of
intersection. The following chart shows the point-of-intersection angle that corresponds
to each strength-of-figure value. The red lines indicate the default strength-of-figure
(2.63), and corresponding angle (30°), specified in Project Settings. If this value is
exceeded, an out-of-tolerance flag is displayed with the resulting photogrammetry
point.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 21

 More about ensuring "good geometry"

The following two figures show the project as viewed in Google Earth and a diagram
showing the areas in which objects could be measured using photogrammetry with
good geometry (low strength-of-figure) using photo stations windy and misery. These
are the photo stations you used to measure point 200. As you can see, the south tower
lies outside the areas of good geometry.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 22

 More about ensuring "good geometry"

Note that as the distance to the measured point increases, the effects of poor geometry
(high strength-of-figure) greatly increase. You should evaluate the accuracy requirement
for the measured point when the default strength-of-figure value of 2.63 is exceeded.
The next figure shows the project as viewed in Google Earth when photo stations cold
and misery were used to measure point 300. In this case, the south tower lies within the
zone of good geometry.

The following figure shows the zones of good geometry for all four of the photo
stations.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 23

 Additional exercises

To view the KMZ Google Earth file from which these images were captured, browse to
..\MeasuringPhotogrammetryPoints\Data and open Photogrammetry Project.kmz. Use
the Places list to hide or show the different combinations of photo stations.

Additional exercises
Following are some additional exercises you might perform to broaden your experience
with photogrammetry using Trimble Business Center.
 Measure the distance a power line extending from the south tower to the north
tower sags in the middle.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 24

 Additional exercises

 Determine the dimensions of the generator building located at the base of the north
tower.

 Determine the above-ground height of the following object. (Hint: This object is
located near the traffic intersection between the south and north towers.)

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 25

 Additional exercises

 Determine which stations would be best to use (that is, provide the best geometry)
to measure objects in the intersection indicated in the following figure. (Hint: View
the supplied Photogrammetry Project.kmz file in Google Earth.)

 For line-of-sight calculations, determine the elevation of the antenna shown in the
following figures.

 To see the negative effects of poor geometry, measure the south tower with three
different point ID’s from stations cold and misery, cold and windy, and windy and
misery. Then compare the solutions and the strength-of-figure values for each.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 26

 Additional exercises

This tower is approximately 500 m (1,640 ft) away. The approximate spread
between the three measurements is 0.5 m (1.64 ft).
Now do the same for the northernmost wind generator. Measure the center mass at
the top of the tower.

This tower is approximately 4,500 m (14,800 ft) away. The approximate spread
between the four measurements is 94 m (308 ft).
In the transmission tower exercise, the spread between the measurements might be
acceptable for an object like this at this distance. But, in the wind generator exercise
the spread between the measurement would probably not be acceptable for any
survey.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 27

 Additional exercises

The general rule is that with good surveying practices you should get acceptable
results when your measurements are made within 1.5 to 2 times the length of the
baseline.

Measuring Points Using Photogrammetry 28