DLN:CC scope - not just RTI/photogrammetry?

[Dave Martin]

Carla, Erich et al:

 

I have used DLN:CC a number of times to record both RTI and photogrammetry sessions, and can see it does accumulate useful information. However, whilst the RTI/photogrammetry sessions have significant numbers of frames exposed, the biggest number of subjects are documents (and to a lesser degree artefacts) which are ‘just’ photographed. Whilst doing so, I keep thinking that DLN:CC would be a great way to record such imaging. Unfortunately DLN:CC only allows “RTI” and “Photogrammetry” projects, so I have tried fudging it by having collections of images in a (not really) photogrammetry project.

 

My first suggestion is that DLN’s scope is extended to allow for Photography (or some other similar description) as well as RTI & Photogrammetry?

 

Taking this a step further, whilst not wishing to dilute the project, I wonder if there's an opportunity to get even more value from DLN:CC. In particular, I've been thinking about geophysical and other similar surveys (where there are equipment categories, models, s/n, operators, etc. - just like RTI or photogrammetry). So, I wonder if it might be possible to have the list of 'Imaging techniques' (or just 'Techniques') able to be expanded - probably in the first case by just allowing a couple of other capture techniques to be named?

 

This could mean that in the one DLN project for an archaeological investigation one could have metadata for, say: site photogrammetry (from UAS), magnetometer survey, GPR, resistance survey, topo survey, trench photography, trench photogrammetry, artefact photographs, artefact RTI, artefact photogrammetry.... merely by allowing the user to add extra techniques called 'Photography', 'Topographical survey', 'Magnetometer survey', 'Resistance survey' and 'GPR survey'.
 

Dave
 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Dave Martin
added/expanded example

[cdschroer]

Hi Dave -

Thanks for the notes and for using the tool!  We are adding an additional technique type for "documentary photos."  That will be in the next version (we are working on it now). We are also discussing adding support for multi-spectral image sets.  I think with a documentary photos technology type - you could support additional kinds of image sets, because the Inspector would do a very minimal check on the images, and you could add a description or note for which kind of thing it was.  Maybe we should think about subtypes within documentary photos?  We don't want to add the ability to make top level new techniques, because there are significant smarts built in about what these techniques mean for Inspector, as well as how the data is grouped and saved.  Further there are customizations for the image sets around the technologies, such as string length and sphere size for RTI - and differences between image sets for photogrammetry.  There would be no way to have these kinds of technology specific customization for user defined technology types.

I'll note that we realize that the use of image sets and groups of image sets is confusing.  We are adding a notion of an Image Bundle - which is the images of a subject or scene that will be processed together.  For RTI that's a single image set.  For photogrammetry that's a group of image sets.  For the new documentary photos that would also be an image set. This way you can see all the image bundles within a project, etc.  We are working on some additional reporting functionality.

We'd love to get your thoughts about this kind of approach and whether it would meet the needs you see.

Carla

[Dave Martin]

Hi Carla,

Thanks all the above, and its great to hear that DLN is still alive. As I've used it quite a bit over the summer I have accumulated some specific comments on the beta (mostly minor UI points but also a couple of structural points) which I'll post here over the weekend.

 

Glad to hear that acquisition type of 'Documentary Photography' will be added, that's very welcome.

 

However, I don't believe it wouldn't be apposite to try and store say a magnetometer survey metadata under the description of "documentary photograph".

Fully appreciate that allowing additional techniques names to be added in DLN:CC wouldn't cascade down to dedicated versions of DLN:Inspector.

I had noted that certain auxiliary fields were turned on in DLN:CC for lenses and filters; if DLN:CC allowed a couple of other top-level technique names then as the kit would be of other equipment types, then those other fields wouldn't be activated.

 

Allowing just a couple of alternative technique names could take it from a Digital Photography Notebook to more of a Digital Lab Notebook!

Dave