ADAM Technology

ADAM Technology has long provided a range of hardware and software photogrammetric products for the mapping industry. Although now obsolete thanks to newer technology like 3DM Analyst, many of them are documented here purely for historical interest.

High Precision Analytical Stereoplotters

ADAM PROMAP System and optional ORTHO System 2

ADAM Technology's PROMAP System was our large format (230 mm × 230 mm photography) precision analytical stereoplotter. High accuracy analytical stereoplotters like the PROMAP are still the most accurate devices for precision vector mapping applications.

Uniquely, the PROMAP featured a scanning and orthorectification component called ADAM ORTHO System 2 as an option. This combination of an analytical stereoplotter with a photogrammetric scanner was a breakthrough for the creation of digital orthophotos. It enabled the PROMAP to create the vector maps and generate the fully rectified digital orthophoto, all on the one machine — no pre-scanning, no resampling, no duplication of data, and it was easy to use — the image was loaded into the PROMAP, then scanned and fully orthorectified at the same time. The scanning resolution was set by the operator to any pixel size from 8 microns to 30 microns, and the software could resample to any output resultion required. On screen Vector/Raster superimposition was available for job revision and updating applications. See our product brochures page for more information.

ADAM MPS-2 (Microphotogrammetric System)

The ADAM MPS-2 was a full featured analytical stereoplotter designed to use small format photography — either 35 mm or 70 mm. This revolutionary equipment gave the Surveyor, Engineer or Geologist the photogrammetric tools to analyse photography and produce 3D output easily and cost effectively. Hundreds were sold into a wide range of markets, many of which had never used photogrammetry before. The spiritual predecessor of 3DM Analyst, the MPS-2 was portable and very easy to use.

Analogue-to-Analytical Conversions

Anologue stereoplotters were marvels of engineering that cost a fortune and weighed a tonne. When analytical stereoplotters appeared, however, the limitations of their purely mechanical operation became clear.

ADAM Technology was able to convert the following analogue instruments into high-precision analytical stereoplotters, allowing them to continue to be used while preserving some of the original investment:

• Wild A8, A10
• Wild B8 and B8S
• Wild BC1-2-3 series instruments
• Kern PG-2
• Zeiss Topocart B, C, and Technocart

All conversions utilised ADAM Technology's proven linear motion technology along with a stand-alone Electronics Control Unit (ECU) similar to the PROMAP's. The ECU handled the machine calibration and the required orientation transformations: earth curvature corrections, lens corrections, and atmospheric refractions, greatly reducing the computational load on the PC running the mapping software. As well as the conversion, ADAM also had available Desk Mount kits, Illumination Upgrades and Optics Upgrade Kits for these machines, allowing these machines to remain productive well past their original life span.

Upgrade Kits

Various Upgrade Kits were available to suit many of the popular analogue instruments:

• Wild B8 Illumination Upgrade Kit — This kit replaced the standard incandescent lamp with a fluorescent ring assembly. This kit was completely compatible with all standard B8 Illumination assemblies. The Illumination Upgrade assembly simply plugged into the existing globe holder — no machining, no extra electrics or electronics required. The replacement assembly dimmed using the original dimming controls. Additional diffusers, supplied with the kit, ensured that the light was distributed evenly over the whole photo area (which was desired when fitting the Analytical Conversion, which could reach the full photo area).

• Wild B8 Optics Upgrade — This kit replaced the original 6× eyepieces with new Wild 10× eyepieces, enabling greater accuracy of observation.

• Wild B8 Bench Stand Kit — The B8 was a big machine but this kit converted it to a portable bench mount machine. It came complete with the necessary illumination controls and all the hardware required to make this a stand alone, lightweight, desk-top machine.

• Kern PG-2 Optics Upgrade Kit — This kit included components to double the magnification of the optics system from 2×-4×-8× up to 4×-8×-16×, along with a replacement smaller 40 micron floating mark. This increase of magnification and smaller floating mark increased the usable range of the PG-2 to become more suitable to lower level, smaller scale aerial photography.

• Kern PG-2 Bench Stand Kit — When fitted to the converted PG-2, this kit transformed it into a portable bench mount machine for use on the desk-top.

Operator Controls

Various control options were available for use with all of our mapping products. You could use handwheels, a footdisk, and footswitches along with the standard Joystick Control Panniers. The Control Panniers allowed for fast movement across a model, then the detailed digitising could be done with the conventional handwheels. For those without the traditional skills, the speed adjustable Joysticks could be a better option. All controls were compatible with each other and could be combined to suit the user's needs.

Handwheel	Footdisk	2 way Footswitch (medium duty)
3 way Footswitch (light duty)	X-Y Joystick Pannier	Z Joystick Pannier

Software

ADAM Technology has long been a leader in mapping software development, including:

• ADAM System Software — job management and model orientation software that came standard with all ADAM analytical stereoplotters and conversions.

• 3DD — ADAM's own full featured mapping software, compatible with not only ADAM's full range of analytical stereoplotters and conversions but also a wide range of analogue machines.

• ADAM ORTHO System software — digital orthophoto system software (24 bit colour and 8 bit monochrome), supplied with the ORTHO System 2 upgrade kit for the ADAM PROMAP, generated fully rectified orthophotos down to the 8 micron pixel size.