The "perspective" survey of the historic center of Ostuni (BR), carried out in 1973, is one of the first symptoms of awareness of the inadequacy of the simple planimetric representation for the purpose of representing an urban center. The photogrammetry, by now, with the continuous restitution, allowed the transition from the central projection (provided by the photograph) to the orthogonal one very well. The first enthusiasms made the elevation profile of an urban center for the purpose of its representation, but the ease with which it was possible to draw in scale all that appeared appeared indispensable in photography, it also raised new problems. First of all, it appeared essential to highlight, in the survey graph, the areas obtained with the photogrammetric technique (considered more reliable): analyzing, in fact, the facade of the Cathedral of Altamura it is difficult to understand what the information obtained by photogrammetric means is, nor is it conceivable that, for example, the wall facing corresponds to reality. Secondly, the attempt to transfer all the existing information on the photograph to the graphic format risked providing an illegible drawing. There was immediate talk of finalization of the survey , but this solution highlighted another reality: almost always, the person making the return was unable to read architecture. Each photogrammetric restitution presented drawbacks not very different from those of a letter written in English, but transcribed by those who do not know that language! An example of this type of restitution is given by the restitution of the portals of the Basilica of San Nicola di Bari, performed by the writer in 1974 and highly appreciated, but it remains beyond doubt that if the same restitution had been made after a careful historical study, that drawing would have communicated something more than the original photographic one.
  I reliefs , illustrated so far, were performed with a phototeodolite Wild P30 and a universal restitutor WILD A2 . In 1978, with the arrival of new equipment, in particular a stereometric chamber Wild C120 for shooting and an analog restitutor Wild A40 for the return, the problem of finalization was added to the gap between recovery and return times. This new situation was denounced in the introductory report of the first conference of architectural photogrammetry, held in Bari in 1978. Parallel to the conference an exhibition was organized, introduced by a series of photographs with didactic captions.
We are in the era when photogrammetry seemed to offer the magical solution for the relief of architecture. After the first two international courses in architectural photogrammetry, organized in Zurich (1972) and Heergrugg (Switzerland -1975), refresher courses for teachers took place in Italy too middle schools, with the attempt to interest photogrammetry in drawing teachers.
  La "bicamera", come veniva denominata la camera stereometrica, divenne uno strumento popolare e sottoposto a numerose prove di verifica, basti qui citare il progetto trulli, la campagna di rilievo degli insediamenti Benedettini in Puglia, i rilievi da piattaforma galleggiante a Venezia e da piattaforma aerea, per il rilievo di "Torre Brencola" a Bari Palese e, per concludere, l'intervento in Basilicata, dell'Unità fotogrammetrica dei Vigili Urbani di Bari, a seguito del terremoto del 1980, che impose la scelta di un metodo ripetitivo di rilievo (di notevole interesse, per la sua semplicità, è la metodologia adottata dai Vigili nelle riprese effettuate all'interno delle chiese).
  In tutti questi anni l'attività di ricerca è sempre stata affiancata da seminari e convegni di verifica, fino al convegno del 1991, che dette una svolta decisiva alla ricerca. Nella presentazione degli atti di questo convegno, Mons. Pietro Amato afferma:
"La tutela non è per pochi. Appartiene alla dignità dell'uomo e nessuno la può delegare. E' importante che la si insegni e si diano gli strumenti. Il resto è la storia che racconterà della nostra cultura e della nostra spiritualità"
  Nel 1992 sono arrivati i primi computer in laboratorio ed il rilievo è diventato multimediale, anche grazie al programma Hypercard, che veniva offerto gratis insieme ad ogni computer Macintosh. Il passaggio alla fotogrammetria digitale è stato un fatto scontato ed ha cominciato a prendere forma il programma Stereofot, presentato ufficialmente nel convegno internazionale del 1993.
  L'ultimo convegno è stato organizzato nel 1996, ma ormai Internet consentiva la verifica in tempo reale e gli stessi studenti cominciavano ad esporre in rete i propri lavori .

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