Chapter Three Remote Sensing Systems

CHAPTER THREE
REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS
Contents
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Types of remote sensing systems

3.1 Introduction
Several types of remote sensing types are exist. Starting by the most simple
one which is human eye to the most sophisticated one super spectral
satellite images and Lidar technology.

The application of RS determines which type of RS systems can be chosen.

- Human eye

Passive Remote Sensing - Camera

- Radiometer

= Radar
Active Remote Sensing
= Sonar

= Laser

3.2 Types of Remote Sensing Systems

1) Visual Remote Sensing System

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2) Optical Remote Sensing

- Optical sensors detect solar radiation reflected or scattered from the earth,
forming images taken by camera high up in space.

- The wavelength region extends from the visible and near infrared
(VNIR) to the shortwave infrared (SWIR).

- Different materials such as water, soil, roads, vegetation, and buildings

reflect visible and infrared light in different ways.

- They have different colours and brightness when seen under the sun.

- The interpretation of optical images needs the knowledge of the spectral

reflectance signatures of the various materials covering the surface of the
earth.

3) Infrared Remote Sensing

- It makes use of infrared sensors to detect infrared radiation emitted from

the Earth’s surface.

- The middle-wave infrared and long-wave infrared are within the thermal
infrared region.

- These radiations are emitted from warm objects.

- They are used in satellite remote sensing for measurements of earth’s land
and sea surface temperature. It is also used for detecting of forest fires,
volcanos, and oil fires.

Other Example Applications:

– heat loss (urban)

– thermal plumes (pollution)

– mapping temperature

– geology

– meteorology (cloud temp, height)

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4) Microwave Remote Sensing

- There are some RS satellites which carry passive or active microwave

sensors.

- The microwaves have an additional advantages as they penetrate clouds.

- Electromagnetic radiation in microwave length region is used in remote

sensing to provide useful information about the Earth’s atmosphere, land,
and ocean.

Example Applications:

• Active microwave - little affected by atmospheric conditions, day /

night

– surface roughness (erosion)

– water content (hydrology) - top few cms

– vegetation - structure (leaf, branch, trunk properties)

– Digital Elevation Models, deformation, volcanoes,

earthquakes etc.

5) Radar Remote Sensing

- Radar works by sending out radio signals, and then waiting for them to
bounce off the ground and return.

- By measuring the amount of time for signals to return, it is possible to

create a very accurate topographic map.

- An important advantage in using Radar is that it penetrates thick clouds

and moisture. So areas such as rain forests can be studied.

- Radar images are used to map landforms, and geologic structure, soil
types, vegetation and crops, and ice and oil slicks on the ocean surface.

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6) Satellite Remote Sensing

- Many images are taken by Earth observation satellites.

- Orbital platforms collect and transmit data from different parts of

electromagnetic spectrum.

- The uses include monitoring trends, natural resource management,

agricultural fields such as land usage and conservation, national security
and overhead, study of border areas.

- Source of spatial and temporal information on land surface, oceans,

atmosphere, ice monitor and develop understanding of environment.

- Information can be accurate, timely, consistent and large (spatial) scale.

Satellite Remote Sensing has:

[1] Resolutions

- Spatial: Area visible to the sensor

- Spectral: Ability of a sensor to define fine wavelength intervals

- Temporal: Amount of time before site revisited

- Radiometric: Ability to discriminate very slight differences in energy

2] Scanner types

- Along-track

- Across-track

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Remote Sensing Examples

• Global maps of vegetation from MODIS instrument

• modis.gasfc.nasa.gov

Remote Sensing Examples

• Global maps of sea surface temperature and land surface reflectance

from MODIS instrument

Remote sensing has various issues:

[1] Can be expensive

[2] Can be technically difficult

[3] NOT direct

[4] measure surrogate variables, e.g. reflectance (%).

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© Digital globe 12/1/10 0.5m resolution

7) Airborne Remote Sensing

- Downward or sideward looking sensors are mounted on an aircraft to

obtain images of the Earth’s surface.

- An advantage of Airborne RS compared to satellite RS is the capability of

offering very high spatial resolution images (20 cm or less).

- The disadvantages are low coverage area and high cost per unit area.

- One time opertions.

8) Acoustic and Near-Acoustic Remote Sensing

- Sonar, passive sonar listening for the sound made by another object
(Whale).

- It is used for detecting, ranging and measurements of underwater

objects and terrain.

- Seismographs taken at different locations can locate and measure

Earthquakes by comparing the relative intensity and precise timing.

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