Edouard Deville
Édouard-Gaston Deville was a prominent French-Canadian surveyor and innovator, born on February 21, 1849, in La Charité-sur-Loire, France. After serving in the French Navy and leading hydrographic surveying projects in the South Pacific and Peru, he relocated to Quebec, Canada, in 1874. Deville quickly became a significant figure in the Canadian surveying community, eventually rising to the position of surveyor general of Canada by 1885. His work included innovative topographical mapping of Canada's Rocky Mountains, where he developed photogrammetry, a technique that utilized elevated photography to create highly detailed maps. This method not only improved the accuracy and efficiency of surveying but also led to the development of specialized camera equipment designed for challenging terrains. His innovations were showcased at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and laid the groundwork for modern surveying techniques, including the use of aerial photography. Deville married Joséphine Ouimet in 1881 and had one son, Gaston. He passed away on September 22, 1924, in Ottawa, Ontario, leaving behind a legacy in the field of surveying and mapping.
Edouard Deville
Surveyor
- Born: February 21, 1849
- Birthplace: La Charité-sur-Loire, France
- Died: September 22, 1924
- Place of death: Ottawa, Ontario
Contribution: Édouard Deville was a French-born naval officer and surveyor who immigrated to Canada in 1874 after his retirement from the French Navy. Rising through the ranks to become surveyor general of Canada, Deville pioneered photogrammetric surveying techniques and helped develop innovative cameras, which were later used in aerial mapping. For his efforts, he was named a companion of the Imperial Service Order in 1916, and became an honorary member of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1922. Additionally, Mount Deville, near the Ottertail River in British Columbia, was named after him.
Early Life and Education
Édouard-Gaston Deville was born February 21, 1849, in La Charité-sur-Loire, France. After graduating from the Naval Academy in Brest, France, he joined the French Navy. During his years of service, he was in charge of ambitious hydrographic surveying projects being conducted by the French military in the South Pacific and along the Peruvian coast. In 1874, after rising to the rank of captain, Deville retired from the Navy, moved to Canada, and settled in the province of Quebec.
Surveying Career
After relocating to Canada, Deville quickly found work with the government of Quebec as a surveyor and an astronomer. Given his talents and experience, Deville rapidly ascended the surveying ranks and was promoted to inspector of surveys, the highest position in Quebec’s surveying department. By 1880, he was recruited to join the federal government’s Department of the Interior, which was conducting an ongoing surveying project in the Prairie provinces. By 1885, he was named the surveyor general of Canada and directed surveys of Canada’s international boundaries with the United States and ongoing topographical mapping projects. Under his direction, a new and more innovative system of surveying was implemented, which greatly improved project efficiencies.
Development of Photogrammetry
Part of Deville’s responsibilities as surveyor general included topographical mapping in the Rocky Mountains, which posed significant challenges given the technical limitations of existing equipment. He made innovative use of elevated photography techniques, which allowed him to create highly detailed and extremely accurate maps of the Rocky Mountains from photographs. The technique he developed is known as photogrammetry.
Deville then turned his attention to developing specialized camera equipment, which would simplify the task of creating topographical maps of difficult terrain. Lightweight and easy to transport, Deville’s photogrammetric cameras had the unique capability of capturing panoramic vistas of mountainous areas by orienting the camera toward the horizon atop a lofty peak. His innovation had three primary benefits: reducing surveying costs, improving accuracy, and reducing the amount of time required to create detailed topographical maps. Deville introduced his invention at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and its use eventually became a surveying standard. Later, his photogrammetric cameras were attached to fixed-wing airplanes and were used to quickly and accurately capture images of both mountainous and geographically flat regions. These aerial cameras were instrumental in the topographic mapping of Canada’s most isolated areas.
Personal Life and Death
Deville married Joséphine Ouimet in 1881, and the couple had a son, Gaston. In the spring of 1924, Deville began experiencing health problems, which were not initially considered serious but became an increasing threat by the end of the summer of 1924. Deville died September 22, 1924, at his home in Ottawa, Ontario, at the age of seventy-five.
Bibliography
“Édouard Deville.” Alberta’s Land Surveying History. Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, n.d. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
“Édouard-Gaston Deville.” Natural Resources Canada. National Resources Canada, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.
Holmgren, Eric J. “Deville, Édouard-Gaston.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Canadian Encyclopedia, 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Jarrell, Richard A. “Deville, Édouard.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Murray, Jeffrey S. “Deville, Édouard (1838–1924).” Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Ed. John Hannavy. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.