In general, digital photogrammetry is the art of using computers to obtain the measurements of objects in a photograph. It typically involves analyzing one or more existing photographs or videos with photogrammetric software to determine spatial relationships. Although commonly used to create topographical maps, it may also be useful in a variety of industries such as architecture, manufacturing, police investigation, and even plastic surgery.

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Close-range, or terrestrial, digital photogrammetry often uses photographs taken from close proximity by hand held cameras or those mounted to a tripod. Close-range photographs can be used to create 3D models, but they are not usually used in topographical mapping. This type of photogrammetry is useful for the 3D modeling of many objects or areas such as buildings, automobile accident scenes, or movie sets.