REMOTE SENSING
&
APPLICATIONS
Rony Basak
Dept of GEE,
SUST, Sylhet-3114
Outline
Remote Sensing
Electromagnetic Radiations (Energy) (EMR)
Resolution
Types
Applications
Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing:
The art and science of obtaining information
about an object without physically contact
between the object and sensor.
The processes of collecting information about
Earth surfaces and phenomena using sensors
not in physical contact with the surfaces and
phenomena of interest.
There is a medium of transmission involved i.e.
Earth’s Atmosphere.
Some Remote Sensors
History of Remote Sensing
1609 - Invention of the telescope
Galileo
History of Remote
Sensing
Balloon photography
(1858)
Pigeon cameras (1903)
Kite photography
(1890)
Aircraft (WWI and
WWII)
Space (1947) Images: Jensen (2000)
History of Remote Sensing
1859 - First aerial photographer
Gaspard Felix Tournachon, also known as Nadar
1862 - US Army balloon corp
History of Remote Sensing
1908 - First photos from an airplane
1914-1918 - World War I
First flight, Wright Bros., Dec. 1903
Radiation
Electromagnetic energy is emitted in waves
Amount of radiation emitted from
an object depends on its temperature
Planck Curve
Remote Sensing Systems
Human eye
•Passive
{ Camera
Radiometer
Radar
• Active
{ Sonar
Laser
Remote Sensing Platforms
- Ground based
- Aircraft
- Space shuttle
- Satellite
Remote sensing cycle
Remote Sensing Includes:
A) The mission plan and choice of sensors
B) The reception, recording, and processing of
the signal data
C) The analysis of the resultant data.
Remote Sensing Process Components
Energy Source or Illumination (A)
Radiation and the Atmosphere (B)
Interaction with the Target (C)
Recording of Energy by the Sensor (D)
Transmission, Reception, and
Processing (E)
Interpretation and Analysis (F)
Application (G)
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic Radiation
Signature Spectra
Remote Sensing
Four Fundamental Properties For Design
• Image depends on the wavelength response of the sensing
instrument (radiometric and spectral resolution) and the emission or
reflection spectra of the target (the signal).
- Radiometric resolution
- Spectral resolution
• Image depends on the size of objects (spatial resolution) that
can be discerned
- Spatial resolution
• Knowledge of the changes in the target depends on how often
(temporal resolution) the target is observed
- Temporal resolution
Radiation - Target Interactions
• Spectral response depends on target
• Leaves reflect green and near IR
• Water reflects at lower end of visible
range
Fundamental term
Resolution
All remote sensing systems have four types of
resolution:
Spatial
Spectral
Temporal
Radiometric
Spatial Resolution
The earth surface area covered by a pixel of
an image is known as spatial resolution
Large area covered by a pixel means low
spatial resolution and vice versa
Pixels
Spatial Resolution
80x x4080
40 40
80 xx80
40
320 x 320
Spatial Resolution
High vs. Low
Source: Jensen (2000)
Spectral Resolution
Is the ability to resolve spectral features and bands into
their separate components
The wavelength of the different frequency bands
recorded – usually, this is related to the number of
frequency bands recorded by the platform. Current
Landsat collection is that of seven bands, including
several in the infra-red spectrum, ranging from a spectral
resolution of 0.07 to 2.1 μm. The Hyperion sensor on
Earth Observing-1 resolves 220 bands from 0.4 to 2.5 μm,
with a spectral resolution of 0.10 to 0.11 μm per band
More number of bands in a specified bandwidth means
higher spectral resolution and vice versa
Spectral Resolution
Spectral Resolution (Con’t)
Example of sampling wavelengths
Temporal Resolution
Frequency at which images are recorded/ captured
in a specific place on the earth.
The more frequently it is captured, the better or
finer the temporal resolution is said to be
For example, a sensor that captures an image of an
agriculture land twice a day has better temporal
resolution than a sensor that only captures that
same image once a week.
Temporal Resolution
July 2 July 18 August 3
16 days
Time
11 days
July 1 July 12 July 23 August 3
Radiometric Resolution
Sensitivity of the sensor to the magnitude of the
received electromagnetic energy determines the
radiometric resolution
Finer the radiometric resolution of a sensor, if it is
more sensitive in detecting small differences in
reflected or emitted energy
The number of different intensities of radiation the
sensor is able to distinguish. Typically, this ranges
from 8 to 14 bits, corresponding to 256 levels of the
gray scale and up to 16,384 intensities or "shades" of
colour, in each band. It also depends on the
instrument noise.
Radiometric Resolution
• Number of
Shades or
brightness
levels at a given
wavelength
• Smallest
change in
intensity level
that can
be detected by
the
sensing system
Types of Remote Sensing
Aerial Photography
Multispectral
Active and Passive Microwave and LIDAR
RADAR
(Radio Detection and Ranging)
Image: NASA 2005
LIDAR
(Light Detection and Ranging)
Image: Bainbridge Island,
WA courtesy Pudget Sound
LIDAR Consortium, 2005
Data Acquisition - Satellite
Orbits
Satellites:
•Sun-synchronous (Landsat, SPOT)
•Geostationary (TIROS)
Satellite Orbit Determines...
• …what part of the globe can be viewed.
• …the size of the field of view.
• …how often the satellite can revisit the
same place.
• …the length of time the satellite is on the
sunny side of the planet.
Satellite Observations
Types of Orbits
• Lower Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Orbit at 500 - 3,000 km above the Earth (definition varies)
- Used for reconnaissance, localized weather and imaging
of natural resources.
- Space shuttle can launch and retrieve satellites in this orbit
- Now coming into use for personal voice and data
communications
- Weather satellites
> Polar orbit - Note, as the satellite orbits, the Earth is turning
underneath. Current NOAA satellites orbit about 700 – 850
km above Earth’s surface
> Orbital period about every 98 - 102 min
Satellite Observations
Types of Orbits (Con’t)
• Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
- Orbit at 3,000 - 30,000 km (definition varies)
- Typically in polar or inclined orbit
- Used for navigation, remote sensing,
weather monitoring, and sometimes
communications
> GPS (Global Position System) satellites
‡ 24-27 GPS satellites (21+ active, 3+
spare) are in orbit at 20,000 km
(about 10,600 miles) above the Earth;
placed into six different orbital planes,
with four satellites in each plane
‡ One pass about every 12 h
Satellite Observations
Types of Orbits (Con’t)
• Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO)
- Typically pass low (1,000
km) over the southern regions,
then loop high
over the northern regions
- One pass every 4 to 12 h
- Used in communications to
provide coverage of the
higher latitudes and
the polar regions
Satellite Observations
Types of Orbits (Con’t)
• Geosynchronous
- Orbital period of 1 day, i.e., satellite stays over the same spot on the
Earth
- Orbital radius is 42,164 km or 35,786 km above the Earth’s surface
at the Equator where the Earth’s radius is 6.378 * 106 m
- Used for many communication satellites;
> Cover a country like Australia
> Don’t require complex tracking dishes to receive the signals;
Note: satellite stay stationary relative to Earth
Satellite Observations
Types of Orbits (Con’t)
• Geosynchronous (Con’t)
- Weather satellites
> GOES (Geosynchronous Operational
Environmental Satellites)
Some known satellites
NOAA-AVHRR (1100 m)
GOES (700 m)
MODIS (250, 500, 1000 m)
Landsat TM and ETM (30 – 60 m)
SPOT (10 – 20 m)
IKONOS (4, 1 m)
Quickbird (0.6 m)
AVHRR (Advanced Very High
Resolution Radiometer) NASA
GOES (Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites)
1, 4, 8 Km
MODIS (Moderate Resolution
Imaging Spectroradiometer)
(250 m)
Landsat TM
(False Color Composite)
SPOT (2.5 m)
QUICKBIRD (0.6 m)
IKONOS (4 m Multispectral)
IKONOS (1 m Panchromatic)
Remote Sensing & GIS Applications Directorate
Application Domain
Source: Jensen (2000)
Applications of Remote Sensing
Urban & Regional Planning
Scope
• Mapping & updation of city/town Lyari Express Way – Section (Essa Nagri)
maps
• Urban sprawl monitoring
• Town planning
• Facility management
• GIS database development
Benefits
• Better decision support,
planning & management
• Rapid information updation
• Infrastructure development
monitoring
• Spatial information analysis
Agriculture
Scope
• Crop acreage estimation
• Crop modeling for yield & production
forecast / estimation
• Crop & Orchard monitoring
Benefits
• Timely availability of crop statistics
FFC Goth Macchi
for decision making & planning Dec 16, 2005, Pre-Frost Jan 12, 2006, Damage Mar 05, 2006, Recovery
• Crop growth monitoring
• Soil status monitoring
• Regular reports regarding total
area under cultivation
Banana Plantation – Muhammad Pur (Ghotki)
Flood Damage to Standing Crops
Pre Flood – 17 July 2006 Post Flood – 09 Aug 2006
● Muhro Mari ● Muhro Mari
● Darapur ● Darapur
● Kot Shahgarch ● Kot Shahgarch
10098 acr
● Godhpur
● Godhpur
● Phulani
● Phulani
● Than Lake
● Than Lake
● Goth Lataran
● Goth Lataran
● Shahpur
● Shahpur ● Ural
● Ural
● Junno Dhand
● Junno Dhand
● Goth Raza Mahar
● Goth Raza Mahar
● Goth Azizpur
● Goth Azizpur
3516 acr
Forestry
Scope
• Satellite image based forest
resource mapping and updation
• Forest change detection
• Forest resource inventory
• GIS database development
Sarhad Reserve Forest (Ghotki)
Benefits
• Availability of baseline information
• Planning for aforestation strategies
• Futuristic resource planning
• Sustainability of environment
• Wild life conservation & development for
recreation purpose
Sindh Coast Resource Mapping
Scope
• Mangrove forest monitoring
• Change detection
• Hazard impacts
• Aqua-culture zones
Benefits
• Availability of updated
information on mangroves
forest
• Planning strategies for
aforestation and deforestation
trend
• Timely Intervention in specific
areas as and when needed Satellite image Mangroves forest map
Landuse / Landcover Mapping
Scope
• Monitoring dynamic changes
• Urban/Rural infrastructure
• Waterlogging & salinity
Benefits
• Assessment of spatial distribution
of land resources
• Infrastructure monitoring
• Availability of usable land
• Future planning for better land
management for socio-economic
development
Infrastructure Development
Larkana-Khairpur Bridge
