Photography > Aerial Reconnaissance and Imagery Analysis > Photo Interpretation & Imagery Analysis

What is Photo Interpretation / Imagery Analysis?

Photo Interpretation – which we’ll call Imagery Analysis here – in the military context requires the analyst to be able to detect, recognize, and identify threat and friendly order of battle, as well as natural, manmade and cultural features, recorded on aerial sesnor imagery acquired from anywhere on the earth’s surface. The images of these objects, conditions, and activities all have certain specific characteristics, including the signatures we call the five S’s. The analyst subconsciously sees one or more of these characteristics when he views an image. The process involves evaluating the subject image, visualizing its true relationship(s) in context of surrounding and other factors, and, ultimately, deducing the nature of the object(s).

For the military analyst, process essentially consists of identification of physical objects, such as military equipment, facilities, and various activity, in the context of its surroundings. In essence this equates to a series of information filtering decisions, progressing from the initial detection (perception) of the object’s presence) to the more difficult decisions implicit to recognition, identification and, in some cases, technical analysis. This process may ultimately includes making associations between other items of equipment, order of battle data/holdings, or doing further research.

The amount and reliability of the intelligence information extracted from the imagery depends, in no small part, on the background and training of the IA. In fact, the success or failure of any aerial reconnaissance program depends heavily on these personnel. Thus, the more extensive the background of these personnel, including comprehensive training, the more probable that the information derived from the imagery will be complete and accurate.