PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
April 2016
249
BOOK
REVIEW
Manual of Photogrammetry, 6th Edition
J. Chris McGlone, PhD, CP
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing:
Bethesda, Maryland, 2013. li and 1,318 pp., author biographies,
tables, figures, equations, images, references, index, color
plates
ISBN 1-57083-099-1. Hardcover. $125 member, $175 non-
member, $98 student
Reviewed by
Harold W. Rempel, CP, GISP,
Geospatial Manager, ESP Associates, P.A.
Since the publication of the first edition of the
Manual of
Photogrammetry
in the 1940’s, the book has been the steadfast
companion of photogrammetrists around the world and has
served as a comprehensive reference for the field. The
Manual
of Photogrammetry, Sixth Edition
is the latest update that
continues to cover the full range of topics that make up the
field of photogrammetry while bringing some of the material
into a more relevant state. The tome is designed as a reference
publication and is organized accordingly. The targeted
audiences are practitioners, students, and researchers.
The book follows an outline that one would expect from a
manual; a brief history of the subject followed by chapters
covering the basic building blocks of the field and then
increasingly complex topics relevant to the execution and
application of the technology. The book starts with a brief
history of photogrammetry (chapter 1) and then moves on to set
the conceptual and material foundations of photogrammetry
including mathematics (chapters 2-3) and photogrammetric
optics (chapter 4). The book builds upon these foundations by
covering digital image processing and basic computer vision
knowledge (chapters 5-6). The detectors, sensors, camera and
sensing systems, and photogrammetric platforms that make
use of the conceptual and material substance of chapters
2-6 are then covered in detail (chapters 7-9). The book takes
the next logical step of covering analytical photogrammetric
operations and measurement and automation practices
(chapters 10-11) followed by photogrammetric products and
applications (chapters 12-13). The book concludes with a
chapter on photogrammetric project and mission planning
which outlines standard industry practices used to ensure
that photogrammetric projects adhere to the principles and
limitations of the technology.
Each chapter is well organized with an introduction, sections,
and subsections that clearly outline each topic and make the
content easier to read and understand. The length and scope
of each chapter depends upon the topic covered. When reading
the book from the perspective of a student or practitioner, the
placement of chapter 14,
Photogrammetric Project and Mission
Planning
at the end of the book may seem odd. Moving this
chapter to a point just after the foundation chapters covering
mathematics and photogrammetric optics (chapters 2-4) might
improve a student’s understanding of the technology and basic
photogrammetric project design before delving into subsequent
chapters.
There are numerous figures, graphics, tables, and images
throughout the book which assist the reader. The quality of
non-textual information is impressive; visual representations
of graphs, tables, formulas, figures, and pictures are all very
concise and follow a standardized format. It is clear that great
care was taken to ensure that non-textual materials were
recreated where necessary to ensure a clean presentation to
the reader. Various authors contributed to the manual and
they are credited at the beginning of each chapter. Author
biographies are included at the beginning of the book (pg.
xxxvii – li). A color plate section is provided in the back of the
book (pg. 1283 – 1318) which helps reduce printing costs. For
such a large amount of content the book is surprisingly easy to
navigate, allowing the practitioner to readily find information
and providing the student with an excellent study guide.
The editor does an excellent job of setting expectations and
outlining the slight modifications from the Fifth Edition of the
book. Under the editor’s guidance the manual has been updated
to capture rapid changes in the field of photogrammetry and
the current state of technology. The book manages to archive
technology and processes that are becoming irrelevant (such
as film processing), while retaining the history of the field
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Vol. 82, No. 4, April 2016, pp. 249–250.
0099-1112/16/249–250
© 2016 American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing
doi: 10.14358/PERS.82.4.249
