Aerial photos available from U.S. Geological Survey
RESIGN, VA - People who
want to see what Pennsylvania
looks like from 40,000 feet in the air
can do so by using photographs
from the National High Altitude
Photography program coordinated
by the U.S. Geological Survey.
High-altitude photographs
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produced under the NHAP
program and available to the
public from the USGS clearly
depict, in either color-infrared or
black-and-white, 90 percent of the
state’s 45,333 square miles of land
and water areas. Each color
infrared photo shows an area of
An aerial photo of the area between Lititz and Lancaster.
about 68 square miles and each
black-and-white photo depicts
about 130 square miles.
Even from 40,000 feet, features
as small as houses and boats are
distinguished because of the
quality and high resolution of the
NHAP photographs, said John
Wood, chief of the National Car
tographic Information Center at
the USGS National Center in
Reston, Va.
Larger features such as air
fields, parks, large buildings,
highways, lakes and streams are
easily identifiable. For example,
the NHAP photo of the Pittsburgh
area clearly shows Point State
Park, the Civic Arena and Three
Rivers Stadium.
On the color-infrared photos,
areas of healthy vegetation such as
forests, swamps, irrigated
croplands and urban parks appear
in red, while areas of sparse or no
vegetation appear in shades of
blue, gray and brown. Bodies of
water, as in conventional color
photographs, range from light blue
to black.
Wood said that under the multi
agency cooperative NHAP
program, more than 87 percent of
the area in the 48 conterminous
states has been photographed, and
complete coverage of the 48 states
is expected by the end of 1986
Federal agencies that contribute to
the program include the depart
ments of Agriculture, Defense,
Commerce and Interior and the
Tennessee Valley Authority
The high quality of NHAP
photographs is the result of ex
posing film in precision aerial
cameras during near-optimum
weather and seasonal conditions,
plus the application of
stringent inspection and
processing procedures before the
USGS accepts the photographs
from aerial surveying and map
ping contractors
Photographs produced under the
program are intended primarily
for mapping, scientific research,
and resource and land-use plan
ning purposes, but Wood said they
can also appeal to people who want
high-altitude views of their homes,
farms, neighborhoods or other
favorite spots. The photographs
can be useful additions to map
collections and make attractive
wall hangings.
Prints of the high-altitude
photographs are available in
standard 9-by-9-inch size, with
enlargements available in sizes
ranging up to 36-by-36 inches. Costs
are $5 for a 9-by-9-inch black-and
white print, $l5 for a 9-by-9-inch
color-infrared print, and up to $7O
for a 36-by-36-inch color-infrared
enlargement. Also available are
photographic prints enlarged to
1:24,000 scale to match 1:24,000-
scale topographic maps for the
same areas. Costs are $25 for a
black-and-white print and $5O for a
color-infrared print.
The black-and-white and color
infrared photographs are taken at
an altitude of 40,000 feet above the
ground with two 9-by-9-inch-format
aerial cameras. A 6-inch focal
length camera loaded with black
and-white film produces
photographs at a scale of 1 80,000
(one inch on a photograph
represents about 1 25 miles on the
ground) Photographs from an
8 25-mch focal-length camera
loaded with color-infrared film are
at a scale of 1-58,000 (one inch
represents almost 1 mile).
A schedule of prices and
assistance in ordering NHAP
black-and-white and color-infrared
photographs for areas in Penn
sylvania are available from the
NCIC, U S. Geological Survey, 507-
A National Center, Reston, Va
22092, telephone 703-860-6336 Mail
orders must be accompanied by
checks or money orders payable to
the Department of the Intenor-
USGS.
The NCIC also has information
on other high-altitude photographs
and maps of Pennsylvania at
various scales, as well as other
cartographic data pertaining to the
state