Patent ID: 7508980

Claim:
A method for preparing stereo images by using a surveying instrument, which comprises an image pickup means for acquiring an image in a collimating direction, and a distance measuring and angle measuring means for measuring a distance and an angle of a collimating point, comprising a step of measuring distances and angles on at least three collimating points by installing said surveying instrument at a known point, a step of measuring angles on the three collimating points by installing said surveying instrument at an unknown point, a step of calculating coordinates of the unknown point based on surveying data of the three collimating points, a step of acquiring images from each of the known point and the unknown point for at least one of the three collimating points, and a step of preparing stereo images from the images from the known point and the unknown point based on coordinate data of the known point, distance measurement data, and angle measurement data from the known point, and based on coordinate data and angle measurement data calculated with respect to the unknown point.