Applications of kite aerial photography: golf course management.

INTRODUCTION

The techniques of taking aerial photographs from kites were introduced by the authors in the Transactions (Aber, Sobieski et al. 1999) and in other journals during the past few years (Aber and Aber 2001). The basic method involves large kites for lifting camera rigs 50-150 m above the surface (Fig. 1). Various film and digital cameras may be utilized to capture images in visible and near-infrared portions of the spectrum and in all directions relative to the ground target and sun position. The resulting airphotos are large-scale, high-resolution images that depict ground features in surprising detail.

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Kite aerial photography (KAP) is an example of small-format aerial photography (SFAP), which has become increasingly popular during the past few decades (Warner, Graham and Read 1996; Bauer, Befort et al. 1997). SFAP has been utilized around the world for various scientific applications (Bigras 1997; Quilter and Anderson 2000; Ries and Marzolff 2003).

This is the second in a series of short notes to demonstrate diverse applications of kite aerial photography in Kansas and elsewhere. The first short note in this series dealt with property survey …