Applications of tree search methods in digital photogrammetry

Digital photogrammetry has emerged from the combination of analytical photogrammetry and digital image processing and interpretation techniques. Methods like resampling, contrast enhancement and image matching already found their way to many applications in photogrammetry. Other methods, like tree search, are less well known. This paper explores the possibilities for using tree search methods to solve photogrammetric problems. It is shown that tree search methods can be useful for line following and knowledge-based image analysis. Application of tree search methods to matching problems is also possible. This application, however, requires fairly good image segmentations, which usually cannot be obtained for aerial imagery.