Think in Motion about Remote Sensing

What is Remote Sensing?

Remote sensing is a method of obtaining information about the properties of an object without coming into physical contact with it.

Remote Sensing is a technology for sampling electromagnetic radiation to acquire and interpret non-immediate geospatial data from which to extract information about features and objects on the Earth's land surface, oceans, and atmosphere.

Remote Sensing

Ø  RS System capture radiation in different wavelength reflected/ emitted by the earth’s surface features and recorded it either directly on the film as in case of aerial photography or in digital medium used for generating the images .

Ø  RS provides valuable data over vast area in a short time about resources, meteorology and environment leading to better resource management and accelerating national development.

Remote Sensing Sensors

Advantages of remote sensing

·        Provides a regional view (large areas).

·        Provides repetitive looks at the same area.

·        Remote sensors "see" over a broader portion of the spectrum than the human eye .

·        Sensors can focus in on a very specific bandwidth in an image or a number of bandwidths simultaneously.

·        Provides geo-referenced, digital, data .

·        Some remote sensors operate in all seasons, at night, and in bad weather.

Elements involved in Remote sensing

1. Energy Source or Illumination (A)

2. Radiation and the Atmosphere (B)

3. Interaction with the Object (C)

 4. Recording of Energy by the Sensor (D)

 5. Transmission, Reception and Processing (E)

 6. Interpretation and Analysis (F)

 7. Application (G)

Why use Satellites to Study the Earth?

·        Consistent, routine, global measurements.

·        Overview of information on the hemispheric, regional, national, and local scales – the “big picture”

·        Provide information in areas where there are no ground-based measurements.

·        Advance warning of impending environmental events and disasters.

·        Visual appeal: a picture is worth a thousand words

 Application of remote sensing

Urbanization & Transportation

Ø  Updating road maps

Ø  Asphalt conditions

Ø  Wetland delineation

Ø  Urban Planning

Agriculture

Ø  Crop health analysis

Ø  Precision agriculture

Ø  Compliance mapping

Ø  Yield estimation

Ø  Forest application

Natural Resource Management

Ø  Habitat analysis

Ø  Environmental assessment

Ø  Pest/disease outbreaks

Ø  Impervious surface mapping

Ø  Lake monitoring

Ø  Hydrology

Ø  Landuse-Landcover monitoring

Ø  Mineral province

Ø  Geomorphology

Ø  Geology

 National Security

·        -Targeting

·        -Disaster mapping and monitoring

·        -Damage assessment

·        -Weapons monitoring

·        -Homeland security

·        –Navigation

·        -Policy

·        -Telecommunication planning

·        -Coastal mapping