Abstract
This paper introduces a method for colourizing the black and white (B/W) air photos by transferring colour information from another colour air photos that capture the same vegetations at the same season. Air photos taken by U.S. Air Force just after WWII were the first ones that cover whole Japan. As they are available only in B/W, the imagery has not been fully utilized.
In our method, land cover was roughly categorized on a B/W image, whereas colour information for each category was taken from colour source images. Then colour information and original intensity information of the B/W image were combined in the HSI colour space.
A questionnaire on photo interpretation experts revealed that the proposed method worked well for the photos. Additionally, rough categorization was enough for the method and the colourized photos might improve interpretation efficiency. The colourized images should be used for various purposes such as 3D landscape visualisation.
