Visual GIANT for Windows is a
software application which enables the user to form, solve and analyze the
entire spectrum of photogrammetric triangulation projects. GIANT, an
acronym derived from General Integrated Analytical Triangulation,
implements a rigorous, least-squares bundle adjustment of photo image
coordinates obtained from any of a variety of photogrammetric measuring
devices. It is the outgrowth of the author's nearly 40 years of research
and development in analytical photogrammetry and cartography and, in its
various versions, GIANT has been successfully applied to a wide variety of
photogrammetric projects in industrial, academic and government
environments.
GIANT offers a full suite of useful features, resulting in a flexible, powerful, intelligent, intuitive triangulation tool. Several of the major features that support these attributes are highlighted below.
Use GIANT to solve or analyze projects as simple as a two-photo intersection and resection or as complex as a thousand-photo block, supported by kinematic GPS, while performing self-calibrating interior orientation and lens distortion models, or anything in between.
GIANT can be used for aerial photogrammetry in support conventional topographic surveying and engineering, or for terrestrial photogrammetry, underwater photogrammetry or industrial (close-range) applications.
Choose the rectangular or geodetic coordinate system which best suits the unique requirements of the project. Choose from a set of predefined geodetic datums, or specify datum parameters manually. Work in either English or Metric units.
With GIANT, there is no restriction to the number of different cameras, or different calibrations of the same camera, which can be included in a single project. Unique calibration and statistical information are easily applied to each camera used.
Whether image information originates from different cameras, or was measured on different equipment, GIANT allows data to be grouped according to user specifications, with unique statistical information assignable to each group.
If triangulation results are for in-house use or outside delivery, GIANT allows a high degree of customization of softcopy (file) or hardcopy output. Select for presentation only the information germane for the project at hand. All input and output files are accessible from within the program’s environment for viewing and/or editing.
Special mathematical algorithms are used to eliminate the restrictions on photos and points that have historically limited photogrammetric triangulation packages. These algorithms are also able to minimize computational effort by optimizing the input stream.
can be conducted and output for all measured and computed quantities.
Can perform sophisticated error detection and editing.
Triangulation results and statistical data can be graphically displayed for easy analysis.
Use the file browser to find all the complete projects in a user specified paths. If the project is incomplete, GIANT will not offer it as a candidate for processing. No time is wasted when a large project runs for minutes and aborts with a missing file error.
When a complete project is offered for process, GIANT examines the data files for integrity. Errors in file structure are identified before processing begins.
Use GIANT's intersection option to run a coarse check for point labeling errors. Any misidentified points can be corrected before running the
Using a user-specified threshold, GIANT detects and identifies the points which exceed the threshold, and the photos on which the point was measured.
GIANT will only offer options which comprise a meaningful configuration. There is no possibility of mis-configuring program options.
Best of all, GIANT complies with the widely-accepted, well-known Windows style of graphical user interface. From installation to configuration to execution, any user versed with Windows applications is ready to run GIANT.