Plane table

The earliest mention of a plane table dates to 1551 in Abel Foullon's "Usage et description de l'holomètre", published in Paris.

The addition of a camera to the plane table, as was done from 1890 by Sebastian Finsterwalder in conjunction with a phototheodolite, established photogrammetry in spatial and temporal surveying.

In use, a plane table is set over a point and brought to precise horizontal level.

The alidade, in modern examples of the instrument a rule with a telescopic sight, can then be used to construct a line on the drawing that is in the direction of the object of interest.

By using the alidade as a surveying level, information on the topography of the site can be directly recorded on the drawing as elevations.

Using a plane table
A plane table with part of the surface cut away to show the mounting on the tripod. The mount allows the table to be levelled. On the table, the alidade with telescopic sight is seen.