Читать книгу The Face of the Earth as Seen from the Air. A Study in the Application of Airplane Photography to Geography онлайн

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So satisfactory were the results and so great are the possibilities of further adaptation that there is an unfortunate tendency on the part of certain enthusiasts to make exaggerated claims that may react to retard progress. This is particularly true in the use of the air photograph in mapping. There are limitations to this use of air photography. It cannot be reasonably expected to do away entirely with the ground work of the surveyor. Rather, the camera is to be regarded as one of the instruments of the surveyor. Observation from the air can never take the place of close examination of the ground, but it can be of great use in the location and study of land forms and geologic relations. Air photography is only an added means of obtaining information, although it promises to become a very important means.

Observations from the air described in numerous reports and articles in geographic magazines during the war and since its close indicate that air craft, especially in connection with air photography, can be of great use in studying the physical features of the face of the earth. In order to make a practical test of the use of the airplane in the study of geography the writer spent about nine months during the year 1920 making flights, taking pictures from air craft, and gathering information from various sources. This book embodies the chief results.