The earliest mention of a plane table dates to 1551 in
Abel Foullon's ''"Usage et description de l'holomètre"'', published in
Paris. However, since Foullon's description was of a complete, fully developed instrument, it must have been invented earlier. The Swiss
instrument maker Leonhard Zubler published an account of the plane table in
Novum instrumentum geometricum, 1607. He used the term
Instrumentum Chorographicum crediting its invention to
Philipp Eberhard, a fellow Swiss instrument maker based in
Zurich. Some have credited Johann Richter, also known as
Johannes Praetorius, a
Nuremberg mathematician, in 1610 with the first plane table, but this appears to be incorrect. The plane table became a popular instrument for
surveying. Its use was widely taught. Some considered it a
substandard instrument compared to other devices such as the
theodolite, since it was relatively easy to use. By allowing the use of graphical methods rather than mathematical calculations, it could be used by those with less education than other instruments. 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. ==Construction==