The web-app Photosynth, by Microsoft Live Labs, represents an innovative application of bundle adjustment methods taken from photogrammetry. See Erle's blog on Photosynth for more info. We are interested in exploring the potential application of this technology for 3D reconstruction of human landscapes. Here are links to a few of our synths from around campus and Baltimore.
Photosynth requires an installation for viewing or you can view through their web-based Silverlight viewer, but this also requires an installation. Use (p) to switch between photo view and point cloud view. You can also use (~) to enter Grid View to navigate among the photos.
UPDATE: 07.01.2009
We have been making use of the source code for Photosynth development, titled Bundler and distributed under GNU GPL by its creator Dr. Noah Snavely. Learn more at his website for Bundler here. We direct you to check out some new 'synths' from around our favorite subject sites. All of the synths below were generated with photos from my Canon Powershot SX100 IS either in Auto, Manual, or Video modes, except for Campus Walk 1 as indicated.
UPDATE: 07.03.2009
We have also been working on implementing inexpensive aerial remote sensing platforms for data collection. We have a hobbyist standard KAP (kite aerial photography) rig that has been collecting some great photos and an RCAP (remote controlled aerial photography) rig that we are still field testing. Here are some additional synths from the KAP platform and photos of our aerial platforms.
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Campus KAP - Video Capture This collection of photos was taken from our new KAP rig with a Canon A570 IS in video mode. For having worked with remote sensing and aerial photography for several years, it is amazing to think that it is this easy to get an aerial perspective on the landscape. And it is incredibly fun!
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Foggy Day on the Tower This is one of my favorites so far. I took hundreds of photos from several levels of the tower and it is amazing how well the software was able to stich together the different perspectives. It almost seems as if the points recreate some of the oak leaves, but we are still exploring that! The software was also able to resolve the tower that was inadvertently photographed. This synth provides some very exciting evidence that it may be possible to interpret ecological information from this new and inexpensive form of remote sensing. Added here 07.01.2009.
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Tree from Garage - Video Capture Also a pretty extraordinary synth taken from multiple levels of a parking garage. This was generated from photos captured from a video recorded at 640x480 with images extracted once every second. For this synth I was only interested in determing the ability to link scenes from multiple vertical vantages, as such there is no 'back' to the tree and shrub. The shooting points and subject are between 10-20m apart. It appears that the software was still able to resolve some geometry from the smaller trees in the background, too! Added here 07.01.2009.
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Campus Walk 1 This synth was generated from several hundred photos taken on a short trip with Dr. Ellis' Landscape Ecology class. We took photos from the ground and gained access to the nearby rooftops to get a few different perspectives on the scene. Navigation can be tricky, but it looks like the program was able to recreate some of the scenes fairly well.
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From the Crow's Nest This is one of my first synths, taken from atop an old fire tower. It is remarkable how some of the trees have been resolved, especially the unique shape of the boughs of the white pines, bright green points in the cloud. It is also interesting that some of the buildings and rooftops in the 'background' of the photos seem to have been resolved fairly well.
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A Sunny Day with the Trees This synth was taken at the base of the fire tower with the intention of capturing the tree trunks and understory. Some of the trunks came out very well and it appears that the program was even able to capture some of the understory branches. However, the blue sky seems to be throwing off some of the bundling, as some of the trees are represented as blue instead of green
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Setting up the KAP rig.
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Bringing in the camera on the KAP rig.
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The prototype RCAP rig.
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Our first camera mount on the plane.
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