662
October 2017
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
BOOK
REVIEW
are blended together in a seamless explanation. Never has a
reader come to bundle adjustment so well prepared! Many of
us have read papers in these areas to help our understanding,
so this book can save much time and effort. The authors are
very much leaders rather than followers, yet they masterfully
weave hundreds of important sources into the narrative.
Textbooks often include appendices on topics such as matrix
algebra. In this case there are 17 pages of “Basics and useful
relations from linear algebra”. This is no “dime tour” for the
novice, as the appearance of “Laplacian development of a de-
terminant” on the first page and the 177 equations indicate
the advanced treatment provided. The 15 pages of referenc-
es include almost 400 items, each with the page numbers on
which it is cited. The book ends with a 16-page index, in three
columns, in a 7-point font. Beyond that, there is a substantive,
useful website, still under construction and containing slides,
code, examples and other materials, at
Indeed, the thinness of the errata at
echoes your reviewers’ pleasure in reporting that there
are few typos or small mistakes; the care of the authors and
their team of assistants has been complemented by that of the
publisher. Thus, readers are given every resource possible to
engage with the book’s challenging content.
The coverage and depth of the material are clear from the
above description, but the thoroughness and attention to
detail deserve great emphasis. The authors do not shy from
presenting difficult material, often with explanations from
mathematics and statistics that may be inaccessible to some
of the readership. We recommend that the use of the book be
accompanied by other courses, for example engineering math-
ematics and probability and statistics. Similarly, readers will
enjoy it more if they have first studied photogrammetry at a
lower level and understand concepts such as cameras, stereos-
copy, stereo models, triangulation, elevation extraction, orth-
orectification and the practical applications of these concepts.
Fine textbooks such as
Elements of Photogrammetry
(Wolf), or
Introduction to Modern Photogrammetry
(Mikhail, Bethel, and
McGlone) have their role here. The excellence of the material
in this book is undergirded by careful cross-referencing and
the occasional use of a didactic manner whereby important
concepts, when they are first introduced, are written in ital-
ics in the outer margins. At the beginning of the book, there
are five pages tabulating symbols and abbreviations. These
authors do not cut corners! Equally importantly, there are
exercises, including basics, computer exercises and proofs, at
the end of each chapter for the reader to try and the website
provides much-related material.
Most of us will be reluctant to leave
Observations and Least
Squares
, the 1976 classic by Mikhail and Ackermann, behind.
Many of us have become struggled to become comfortable with
Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision
by Hartley and
Zisserman. These invaluable references should certainly stay
on the shelf, yet, armed with 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) of
Photogrammetric
Computer Vision
and 2.9 (6.4) of the
Manual of Photogramme-
try
, students have the firepower to address almost any photo-
grammetric challenge they meet. There is much in these pages
to fascinate or test every photogrammetrist, from undergradu-
ate to postdoc or seasoned professional. The book provides the
most mathematical and statistical treatment of photogram-
metry available. This is as it should be, because those who
will move our science forward in the years to come must have
training at the highest level. Moreover, the book will attract
readers not only from the traditional, geomatics home of pho-
togrammetry, but also from computer vision. The quality of
research in the latter has richly enhanced the former over the
past 30 years or so, as Professor Förstner himself has com-
mented; thus a perspective that encourages the communities
to cooperate through shared notation and nomenclature is a
boon. We must repeat that this book is an advanced and de-
manding one, which raises the teaching of photogrammetry
to a higher level; but those who use it as the basis for careful,
conscientious study and master its content will be amply re-
warded. It is astonishing that such a comprehensive, epochal
resource should be so inexpensive – on 14 August 2017, the
hardcover was available for $69.97 on Amazon Prime, i.e. with
free shipping, and the e-book for $55.99. Whether this is a
quirk or a sign of the times, enjoy the opportunity: purchase
Photogrammetric Computer Vision
immediately! On page 1,
the authors give a hint that a second volume, on image pro-
cessing, analysis and interpretation is in preparation – we can
hardly wait.
ASPRS Contacts
425 Barlow Place, Suite 210, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-493-0290, 301-493-0208 (fax),
Membership/
PE&RS
Subscription/Conferences
Priscilla Weeks —
pweeks@asprs.org,
x 109
Advertising/Exhibit Sales
Bill Spilman
bill@innovativemediasolutions.com
Peer-Review Article Submission
Alper Yilmaz —
PERSeditor@asprs.org
Highlight Article Submission
Jie Shan —
jshan@ecn.purdue.edu
Industry News
rkelle
y@asprs.org
Calendar
calendar@asprs.org
