Computers and related technologies provided the foundation for a digital form of observation that eliminated the need for photographic film. Satellites provided a relatively inexpensive platform from which cameras could survey the earth on a regular basis. Just as the coincidental development of human flight and photography provided an impetus for change, the concurrent development of earth-orbiting satellites and computers marks another great milestone in cartographic history. Aerial photography was also used in virtually all of America's space programs to capture photographs of the Earth during Apollo, Gemini, Skylab, and Space Shuttle missions. In particular, the use of infrared film had a profound impact on the mapping of forests and crops.

The development of color photography and other specialized films expanded the range of applications to which aerial photography could be applied. Many World War II era maps filed in the general collections are in the form of photomaps because they could be produced rapidly by tactical mapping units in the field to support military actions on the ground and for the identification of bombing targets. With the advent of human flight and the invention of photography, aerial images of the Earth's surface became an important tool in scientific, technical, and cartographic disciplines.Īerial photographs, or printed versions known as photomaps, are found in many portions of the collections such as the Edgar Tobin Aerial Surveys Collection and the Nirenstein National Reality Company Collection. The urge to view the earth from above has deep historic roots. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. Aerial survey, Manhattan Island, New York City.

Aerial pictures