7.9. Factors affected by scale

One of the most factors affected by scale is the ground surface coverage. The area covered by a photograph is a function of the scale of the photograph. Large scale photographs cover small areas on the ground and vice versa. The amount of ground surface covered by an aerial photograph dictates the amount of detail depicted on the photograph. Usually, more detail can be depicted on large scale than small scale photographs. With larger scales, objects appear bigger and easier to identify and interpret, but the area covered is smaller.

It follows that it would take more photographs to cover the same area with large scale than with small scale photographs. This also implies that the cost involved with large scale photographs would be higher. Therefore, there is always a trade-off between the amount of detail desired and the cost involved, which must not be ignored when planning for a photo mission.

7.8 Factors Affecting Scale | 7.9 Factors Affected by Scale | 7.10 Determining Areas from Aerial Photographs