One of the problems in archaeology is getting "aerial" coverage of the
area(s) of impact especially in a construction impediment situation,
to provide adequate documentation of efforts and descriptive
explanation for evaluation and review. Sometimes that has meant
putting someone in a backhoe bucket and trying to photomosaic the
series of photos one hoped overlap enough, without depth of field,
etc., interfering with the effort.

Rollei had a pneumatic monopod that used compressed air to raise the
height of the camera for that kind of description and their
photogrammetric system was also tested by underwater archaeologist of
the NOAA, Irv Garrison,  and reported as one of the techniques
available in an article he wrote.

Another interesting demonstration I saw was by the photographer Ken
Hansen whose constructed a monopod made of nested square tubing within
which were pulleys and steel cable, enough to lift a then standard
television broadcast camera up to a height of 30' with video feed to
pan, tilt and point it. Apparently some of the "only" video from the
first siege of Baghdad, Iraq came only through this method from behind
and over the top of the US Embassy wall which I think was why it was
designed, to be sent there.

Prometric had a similar setup, in that a small video camera and feed
from a 12V battery showed what was seen through the medium format
camera lens, pointed by a fairly weak however electrical pan-and-tilt
attachment. Reseau plate and photo integration (film is held against
the glass plate during exposure) however, in software "works"
mathematically better in a series of additionally oblique to the
subject to create the "3D "virtual reality (See "Reseau Plate" used on
the Moon in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reseau_plate).

George Myers