Imagery Data Processing System Using Aerial Photography for Sensitive Site Investigations in the Route Selection Process

A route selection consists of engineering, biophysical and socio-economic components. A road will generate constraints in one or more of these components. The road proponent then must present the advantages and disadvantages of alternative proposals, the rationale of choosing a particular route and the trade-off made (unavoidable impacts requiring protection planning) on the basis of the best balance and/or the equitable compromise between the engineering, biophysical and socio-economic components. Aerial photography has developed into a standardized, technically mature tool for aerial photo interpretation, reconnaissance and inventory. Traditional procedures of photogrammetric data gathering characterized by interdisciplinary methods, however, may be insufficient to address all of today’s environmental protection issues regarding the road planning phase. New scanning sensors and automated imagery data processing software to identify site investigation data in a detailed spatial context have recently become affordable. In this paper, the present phase of a PC-based imagery data processing system using aerial photography through the application to preliminary road network plans in Mie University forests has been summarized, and some prospective role discussed.