Applanix has released version 3.0 of POSTrack, its direct geo-referencing and flight management system.

This version incorporates a worldwide ASTER digital elevation model product for flight planning. The DEM automatically determines an aircraft’s optimal flight path to best meet image acquisition requirements – such as photo scale, ground sample distance and image overlap.

The DEM works with real time position and orientation information to enable the manual tasks of an aerial survey mission be automated. These include maintaining forward overlap and ensuring that stereoscopic coverage is sufficient. Gaps due to terrain or pilot errors can be minimised, and there is a camera forward motion compensation system.

Visit the Applanix website for more information.