REMOTE SENSING
• “Remote Sensing is defined as the acquisition of
information about an object without being in physical
contact with it." [Floyd F. Sabins]
• "Remote Sensing is the science of acquiring, processing and
interpreting images that record the interaction between
electromagnetic energy and matter." [Lillesand and Kiefer]
• "Remote Sensing is the science and art of obtaining
information about an object, area, or phenomenon through
the analysis of data acquired by a device that is not in
contact with the object, area, or phenomenon under
investigation." [Charles Elachi]
TYPES OF REMOTE SENSING
• Active sensors emit energy in order to scan objects and areas whereupon
a sensor then detects and measures the radiation that is reflected or
backscattered from the target. RADAR and LiDAR are examples of active
remote sensing where the time delay between emission and return is
measured, establishing the location, speed and direction of an object.
(Sun is absent)
• Passive sensors gather radiation that is emitted or reflected by the object
or surrounding areas. Reflected sunlight is the most common source of
radiation measured by passive sensors. Examples of passive remote
sensors include film photography, infrared, charge-coupled devices,
and radiometers. (Sun is present)
TYPES OF PLATFORMS IN REMOTE SENSING
• Ground-based sensors are often used to record
detailed information about the surface which is
compared with information collected from aircraft
or satellite sensors. In some cases, this can be used
to better characterize the target which is being
imaged by these other sensors, making it possible
to better understand the information in the imagery
• Aerial platforms are primarily stable wing aircraft,
although helicopters are occasionally used. Aircraft
are often used to collect very detailed images and
facilitate the collection of data over virtually any
portion of the Earth's surface at any time.
• In space, remote sensing is sometimes conducted
from the space shuttle or, more commonly, from
satellites. Satellites are objects which revolve
around another object - in this case, the Earth.
HISTORY OF REMOTE SENSING
• The idea and practice of remote sensing first developed in the 1840s,
when it was realized that a different and perhaps more revealing view of a
particular landscape could be obtained by taking a photograph from a
vantage point, such as an incline or building, and efforts were made to
look down at the Earth’s surface by taking pictures with the aid of cameras
secured to tethered balloons, for purposes of topographic mapping
PRINCIPLES OF REMOTE SENSING
1. Energy Source or Illumination (A)
2. Radiation and the Atmosphere (B)
3. Interaction with the Target (C)
4. Recording of Energy by the Sensor (D)
5. Transmission, Reception, and Processing (E)
6. Interpretation and Analysis (F)
7. Application (G)
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION (EMR)
Electromagnetic energy or electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is the energy propagated
in the form of an advancing interaction between electric and magnetic fields [Floyd
F. Sabins]. It travels with the velocity of light. Visible light, ultraviolet rays, infrared
rays, heat, radio waves, X-rays all are different forms of electro-magnetic energy.
INTERACTION OF EMR WITH EARTH'S SURFACE
Electromagnetic radiation that passes through the earth's atmosphere without being
absorbed or scattered reaches the earth's surface to interact in different ways with
different materials constituting the surface. There are three ways in which the total
incident energy will interact with earth's surface materials.
•Absorption
•Transmission
•Reflection
Absorption (A) occurs when radiation (energy) is absorbed into the target while
transmission (T) occurs when radiation passes through a target. Reflection (R)
occurs when radiation "bounces" off the target and is redirected.
SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF VEGETATION, SOIL, AND WATER
• Spectral signature is the variation of reflectance or emittance of a material
with respect to wavelengths.
• Spectral reflectance curves for three basic types of earth features: Healthy
green vegetation, Dry bare soil (grey-brown loam), and Clear lake water.
The lines in this figure represent average reflectance curves compiled by
measuring a large sample of features
ELEMENT OF IMAGE INTERPRETATION IN
REMOTE SENSING
• Tone refers to the relative brightness or colour of objects in an image
• Shape refers to the general form, structure, or outline of individual
objects.
• Size of objects in an image is a function of scale.
• Pattern refers to the spatial arrangement of visibly discernible
objects.
• Texture refers to the arrangement and frequency of tonal variation in
particular areas of an image.
• Shadow is also helpful in interpretation as it may provide an idea of
the profile and relative height of a target or targets which may make
identification easier
• Association takes into account the relationship between other
recognizable objects or features in proximity to the target of interest.
Advantages of Remote Sensing
• Remotely sensed imaging systems have several advantages over
camera photography, from which it differs significantly in the
following two ways:
(i) It is not just restricted to the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum (from about 0.4 to 0.7 micrometers in wavelength), but
can also measure energy at wavelengths invisible to the eye, such as
near-infrared, thermal infrared and radio wavelengths.
(ii) Most remote sensing instruments can record different wavelengths
at the same time, yielding not one but numerous images of the
same location on the ground, each corresponding to a different
range of wavelengths called a band.
Limitations of Remote Sensing
• Although remote sensing has many advantages over
ground-based survey, yet remote sensing has not totally
replaced ground-based survey methods, largely because
of some limitations with this technology, which still exist.
(i) Cost of data collection and data purchase.
(ii) Problems with data analysis and interpretation.
(iii) Potential limitations with spatial, spectral and temporal
resolutions of the various sensors.
(iv) Problems with all weather capability as some sensors
cannot ‘see’ through cloud.
Applications of Remote Sensing
• Assessment and monitoring of vegetation types and their status.
• Agricultural property management planning and crop yield
assessment.
• Soil surveys including mineral and petroleum exploration.
• Monitoring and planning of water resources and groundwater
exploration.
• Urban planning.
• Forest Resource Management:
• Biodiversity Mapping
• Land use land cover
