'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'

A new tool that digitises print aerial photos can improve slope safety management and help prepare for extreme weather events, the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) said on Tuesday. The office's Digital Aerial Photographs Interpretation System was paid for by the government’s Innovation and Technology Fund and cost HK$6.5 million to develop. The GEO’s library has 370,000 paper-based aerial photos and an average of 17,000 are loaned to other government departments and the engineering sector every month. Over time, pairs of aerial photos have been used together to draw geology maps, and form 3D models for slope management as well as landslide risk assessments. Practitioners in the past had to rely on their eyes to carry out the analysis, which could be tough for those who are inexperienced, GEO deputy head Jenny Yeung said. She said the new computing system can enhance the speed and accuracy of an analysis. “The system will enhance the accuracy and provide more information to technical practitioners because from the digitised aerial photographs, you can see more information such as height and the coordinates,” she said. Yeung added that in future, people who want to access the data will be able to do so from their office, avoiding a trip to the library. 70,000 aerial photos dating from 1963 to the present have been uploaded in the system so far, and they will be available for use by the end of this month.

'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'

'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'

'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'

'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'

'Digitised aerial photos to better manage slopes'