RELIEF DISPLACEMENT

Presented by
Deepak Kumar
Assistant Professor
GEC, Bhojpur
 distortion
On a map all features/ details are shown in their correct
position on certain scale.
This is not so in case of aerial photographs due to image
displacement or distortion. A disturbance of the principle of
geometry is called distortion.
There are three major sources of distortion which are:
(a) Optical or photographic deficiencies, i.e. lens distortion,
(b) Relief variation of the object photographed and
(c) the tilt of the camera axis at the moment of exposure.
 Relief displacement
Relief displacement is the shift in an object's image position caused by its
elevation above a particular datum.

For vertical or near vertical photography the shift occurs radially from the nadir point.

Relief Displacement exists because photos are a perspective projection.

Relief displacement
 Relief displacement
If a photograph is truly vertical, the displacement of images is in a
direction radial from the photograph center.

Radial displacement due to relief is also responsible for scale differences

within any one photograph, and for this reason a photograph is not an
accurate map.
 R ELIEF D ISPLACEMENT
•The scale of an aerial photograph is partly a function of flying
height. Thus, variations in elevation cause variations in scale on
aerial photographs.

•Specifically, the higher the elevation of an object, the farther the

object will be displaced from its actual position away from the
principal point of the photograph.

•The lower the elevation of an object, the more it will be displaced

toward the principal point. This effect, called relief displacement.

•Note that the effect increases with distance from the principal point.
 Image displacement due to relief
The image of B on the truly vertical
positive photographic plane is b. This is
the correct planimetric (orthogonal)
position of the image of the tower AB.
Top A is imaged at ‘a’. The image of A is
thus displaced from its correct planimetric
position b, as A is vertically above ‘B’.
This shift of ‘a’ from ‘b’ represented by
the distance ba is called Relief
Displacement.
Let h = height of the tower AB
H = Flying height above the datum
plane, h
N = Ground nadir point Image displacement (d) = r  r
H
n = Photo nadir point
If we denote ‘ab’ by ‘∆r’ and ‘na’ by ‘r’,
If we denote ‘ab’ by ‘∆r’ and ‘na’ by ‘r’, then we can rewrite equation
as
h
r  r
H

Where ∆r = relief displacement (denoted by d)

r = distance between nadir point and image of top of
object on photo plane
h = Height of the object.
H = Flying height from base of the object
From this relation we conclude
Relief displacement increases with increasing value of ‘r’ i.e.
it is zero at plumb point and maximum at the edges of the
photograph.
Smaller the height of the object, smaller is the displacement
and vice versa. If h=0 i.e. for the object at the datum plane
there is no displacement.
With increasing value of ‘H’ i.e. with high flying heights the
displacement decreases. The satellite pictures can thus be
considered as free from relief displacement.
This is also to be noted that the relief displacement is radial
from the plumb point.
 Relief displacement increases as the distance from the principal
point increases.

For point above datum, the relief displacement is positive being

radially outward.

For point below datum (having negative value), reIief

displacement is negative, being radially inward.

Relief displacement of the point vertically below the exposure

station is zero.
 Numerical
Q1. A square area (on earth) with side 100m & uniform height, appears as
1cm2 on a vertical aerial photograph. The topography map shows that a
contour of 650 m passes through the area. If the focal length of camera lens
is 150mm, the height from which the aerial photograph was taken is?
(GATE- 2018)
Ans. 2150m

Q2. A tall tower was photographed from an elevation of 700m above the
datum. The radial distances of the top and bottom of the tower from the
principal points are 112.5 mm and 82.4mm respectively. If the bottom of the
tower is at an elevation 250m above the datum, then the height of the tower
is? (GATE- 2016)
Ans. 120.4 m
 THANK YOU
VERY MUCH
&
ANY QUESTIONS ?