In previous installments of our Understanding Aerial Photography blog series, we covered the History of Aerial Photography and Scaling and Formatting of Aerial Imagery. In this post, we will explore the different types of formats in which aerial imagery can be viewed. Aerial photography can be displayed in several different formats. The most basic format of aerial photography is hard-copy prints derived from the original negative. In today’s industry, these prints are scanned and converted into digital image files (jpg, tif, etc.). Imagery in digital formats can be viewed using any type of image viewer, manipulated using various photo editing tools, and easily loaded into GIS software to create custom maps, overlay boundaries, or to examine specific areas of interest. PDFs are also a very common digital format of aerial photos because they do not require special software to view and can be easily inserted into reports.
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Understanding the basics of aerial photography: Formats
Oil sheen spotted near BP Deepwater Horizon drill rig
Using satellite images to monitor the Deepwater Horizon drill rig that exploded over two years ago, BP spotted a previously undetected oil sheen on September 16. When the sheen was first discovered, the source was unknown. Monitoring the sheen from aircraft and ships, the Coast Guard, BP, and NOAA have observed the sheen vary in size over time. According to restorethegulf.gov, early assessments conducted by the Marine Safety Laboratory “indicate the sheen correlates to oil that originated from BP’s Macondo Well.”
ASTM and the development of environmental standards
ASTM International, previously known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an organization charged with facilitating the development of voluntary consensus standards. Although “American” is at the root 
of the organization’s name, over 12,000 standards have been created and implemented around the world. The organization consists of over 30,000 members in more than 150 countries. ASTM is regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities for developing testing methods, guides, and good practices that governments and industries use around the globe.
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Researching environmental activity/use limitations (AULs)
Environmental activity/use limitations (AULs) are legal restrictions filed for two main reasons: The prevention of exposure to environmental contamination and the management of public health and environmental risks associated with a property that has been contaminated. It is important to note the priority of jurisdiction between federal, state, county and city governments when discussing AULs. Federal law is the law of the land. No governmental entity can enact rules that do not meet the minimum criteria of federal regulation. State, and local governments can however implement stricter regulations than the federal government as needed.
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The basics of aerial photography: scaling & resolution
In my previous blog post, we explored the history of aerial photography. In this post, we will discuss the two main factors that determine the quality of aerial photography: scaling and resolution.
Scaling
Scaling is one of the more difficult aspects of aerial photography to explain. The original scale of the photo depends on the type of camera used, the altitude of the flight, and the purpose of the flight. The various types of cameras used to capture images from above include aerial mapping cameras, reconnaissance cameras, strip cameras, panoramic cameras, multi-lens cameras, and digital cameras.
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Part 2: Department of Energy releases 2012 Unconventional Resources R&D Plan
This week I’ll dig a little deeper into the recent Department of Energy report to Congress: 2012 Annual Plan Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research Program.
The Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 set in motion a 10-year program that allocates $50 million annually toward research and development of safe domestic resource extraction. The EPAct sunsets in September 2014, so this year’s plan outlines the final years of the program. The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) oversees implementation of EPAct. Research activities are coordinated by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), which is made up of research institutions, universities, and industry groups. NETL and RPSEA have administered and implemented all of the research activities to date.
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