Basic Concepts of

Remote Sensing
REMOTE SENSING

 The study of something without making actual

contact with the
object

 Making measurements of the Physical properties of

an object from
a remote distance

 Satellite technology is an example of remote sensing

 Satellites measure properties of the Earth and

transmits the data
to receiving stations

 REMOTE SENSING includes all methods and

techniques used to
gain qualitative and quantitative information about
distant objects
without coming into direct contact with these
objects.
Remote Sensing (RS) methods try to answer four basic
questions:

 HOW MUCH of WHAT is WHERE?

 What is the SHAPE and EXTENT of ... ? (Area,

Boundaries,
Lineaments, ...)

 Has it CHANGED?

 What is the MIX of Objects

HOW MUCH of WHAT is WHERE?

WHAT: Type, Characteristic and Properties of

Object.

Eg. Water, Vegetation, Land; Temperature,

Concentration, State of Development; Subtype,
Species, Use of ... ; Includes determination of generic
object type, character and property as well as it’s
abstract meaning.

ÞDATA INTERPRETATION

HOW MUCH: determine by simple COUNTING,

measuring

AREA covered or percentage of total area coverage.

WHERE: Relate locations and area covered to either a
standard map or to the actual location on the ‘ground’
where the object occurs.
What is the SHAPE and EXTENT of ... ? (Area,
Boundaries, Lineaments, ...)

This extends the ‘WHERE’ to be a completely

GEOMETRIC problem. MAP PRODUCTION methods
are to be applied to the analysis of RS information.
These include:

Photogrammetric Methods:
Identification and Delineation of Boundaries and
Lineaments (Roads, Rivers, Fault Lines)
Has it CHANGED?

CHANGE may occur with progress of TIME.

Change may be detected through comparison of

observed states at different moments in time.

=> CHANGE DETECTION

What is the MIX of Objects?

The surface of the Earth is covered by objects like

Soil, Water, Grass, Trees, Houses, Roads and so
on. These are ‘GENERIC OBJECTS’.

We know these well, but we also know objects like

Open Forest, Residential and Industrial Estates,
etc.

Each of these ABSTRACT OBJECTS are made up

of a typical collection of Generic Objects
"Remote sensing is the science (and to some
extent, art) of acquiring information about the
Earth's surface without actually being in contact
with it. This is done by sensing and recording
reflected or emitted energy and processing,
analyzing, and applying that information."
Source of Force eg. Camera
Sensor System
Field

Resulting RS Data
DATA Set
ACQUISITION eg. Image
Reflection

Object (generic)
The Process of Remote Sensing
A. There are interactions with the
atmosphere
B. The energy reaches the target,
or object on Earth being studied
and interacts with the target
based on the target’s properties.
C. Energy scattered by or emitted
from the target is then collected
by the sensor
D. The sun, or the satellite itself, is
the energy source that provides
electromagnetic energy
E. The sensor transmits the
electronic information to a
receiving and processing station.
Here, it is processed into an
image
F. The processed image is then
interpreted to learn about the
target
G. The information is applied so
that we better understand the
target, learn something new
about the target, or solve a
 ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

Radiation energy that is emitted in wave form by all

substances is the basis for all remote sensing of the
earth

Electromagnetic Radiation

Electromagnetic radiation consists of an electrical field, E

and a magnetic field, M. Both of these fields travel at the
speed of light, c. Different kind of electromagnetic
radiation can be distinguished by wavelength and
frequency.
Wavelength (λ)
Wavelength is the length of one wave cycle, which is the
distance between two consecutive wave crests

Frequency (v)
Frequency is the number of waves that that pass a point in
a given amount of time

Wavelength and frequency are related by the

following formula:
c=λv
c- speed of light
λ- wavelength
v- frequency
The electromagnetic spectrum is an arrangement of all the
types ofelectromagnetic radiation ordered according to
wavelength
Microwaves

Microwaves have wavelengths that can be measured in

centimeters! The longer microwaves, those closer to a foot in
length, are the waves which heat our food in a microwave oven
Infrared (IR) Light

Infrared light lies between the

visible and microwave portions of
the electromagnetic spectrum.

Infrared light has a range of

wavelengths, just like visible light,
that range from red light to violet.

"Near infrared" light is closest in

wavelength to visible light

“Far infrared" is closer to the

microwave region of the
electromagnetic spectrum.

The longer, far infrared

wavelengths are about the size of a
pin head and the shorter, near
infrared ones are the size of cells,
or are microscopic
Far Infrared: Thermal

Far infrared waves are thermal.

We experience this type of
infrared radiation every day in the
form of heat! The heat that we feel
from sunlight, a fire, a radiator or
a warm sidewalk is infrared. The
temperature-sensitive nerve
endings in our skin can detect the
difference between inside body
temperature and outside skin
temperature.

Infrared light is sometimes used to

heat food - special lamps that emit
thermal infrared waves are often
used in fast food restaurants!
Short Infrared

Shorter, near infrared waves

are not hot at all - in fact you
cannot even feel them. These
shorter wavelengths are the
ones used by your TV's
remote control
Visible
Light  Visible light is light that our
eyes can see
 Visible light makes up an
extremely small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum
 Range from about 0.4 to
0.7µm
 Blue, red and green are the
primary colors of light. All
other colors can be made by
combining them in various
proportions. here for an
interesting activity.
 Each color has a different
wavelength. Red has the
longest wavelength and violet
has the shortest wavelength.
When all the waves are seen
together, they make white
light.
Ultraviolet (UV) Light
 Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter
wavelengths than visible light.
 Though these waves are invisible
to the human eye, some insects,
like bumblebees, can see them!
 Though some ultraviolet waves
from the Sun penetrate Earth's
atmosphere, most of them are
blocked from entering by various
gases like Ozone.
 Some days, more ultraviolet
waves get through our
atmosphere. Scientists have
developed a UV index to help
people protect themselves from
these harmful ultraviolet waves.
To make infrared pictures like the
one above, we can use special
cameras and film that detect
differences in temperature, and then
assign a different brightness or false
colors to them.

This provides a picture that our

eyes can interpret.

There is more detail in the clouds in

the infrared. This is great for
studying cloud structure. Since the
primary source of infrared radiation
is heat or thermal radiation, any
object which has a temperature
radiates in the infrared.

Even objects that we think of as

being very cold, such as an ice cube,
emit infrared. When an object is not
quite hot enough to radiate visible
Visible Light and Remote Sensing
 Infrared and Remote Sensing

 Measures radiation emitted from the Earth at a wavelength

that can penetrate the atmosphere.
 Allows surface temperatures to be measured from space.
 Can be used with out light
What Are Satellites?

 Satellites are smaller objects traveling around larger

objects

 Satellites may be man-made or natural, like the moon

 The two main types of satellites are polar-orbiting and

geostationary

 Satellites are designed for three general purposes:

science, applications, or communications
Artificial Satellites

Artificial Satellites are human-made space craft that are built

and sent into space by people. These spacecraft can be
crewed, such as the Space Shuttle, or uncrewed, such as
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope

Communicatio
Hubble Space ns Satellite
Telescope
NPOESS Satellite
Polar-Orbiting Satellites
Polar orbiting satellites travel in a circular pattern over the
North and the South Poles, so they can look at large portions
of the Earth as it turns below them. Polar-orbiting satellites
are placed into a low-Earth orbit.

They orbit at about 800 kilometers (500 miles) above the

Earth.
METOP

They travel at about 17,000 miles per hour

NPOESS
NPOESS

0530
1330
0930

Local Equatorial
Crossing Time

NPOESS
Geostationary Satellites
Geostationary satellites orbit the Earth at about 22,300 miles
above the equator.

Seen from Earth, the satellite appears to be floating over a

certain spot on the equator.

They are primarily used for weather and communication

Scientific
Satellites
 Most well-known type of
satellite

 Information from these

satellites clarify the Earth’s
history, present condition,
and what the future may hold

 Other scientific satellites look

away from the Earth,
studying the sun, stars,
planets and other aspects of
the universe
Application/Weather Satellites

 Application satellites are

used to test and develop
ways to improve global
weather forecasting

 These satellites are vital in

predicting where and when
tropical storms, hurricanes,
floods, cyclones, tidal
waves and forest fires may
strike

 The Television Infrared

Observation Satellite
(TIROS), launched in 1960,
was the first of a series of
meteorological satellites to
carry television cameras to
photograph the Earth’s
cloud cover for research
and forecasting

 Later satellites, like the

series of Nimbus satellites
Communications Satellites

 First commercial satellites

 Aluminum-coated balloons
were the first
communications satellites

 The first commercially-

launched satellite was
Telestar 1, launched by AT&T
in 1962. It transmitted
photos and phone calls
between America and
Europe. This satellite was
capable of 600 phone
Communications satellites
were the channels or one
television channel

 Today, satellites like Intelsat

provide up to 120,000
simultaneous two-way
telephone circuits
Early Remote Sensing Platforms
 Types of remote sensing

Passive: source of energy is either the Sun or

Earth/atmosphere
◦ Sun
- wavelengths: 0.4-5 µm

◦ Earth or its atmosphere

- wavelengths: 3 µm -30 cm
Active: source of energy is part of the remote sensor
system
◦ Radar
- wavelengths: mm-m

◦ Lidar
- wavelengths: UV, Visible, and near infrared
 Four types of resolution

 Spatial resolution

 Spectral resolution

 Radiometric resolution

Temporal resolution

Spatial resolution and coverage

 Instantaneous field-of-view (IFOV)
 Pixel: smallest unit of an image
 Pixel size

Spatial coverage
 Field of view (FOV), or
 Area of coverage, such as MODIS: 2300km or
global coverage, weather radar (NEXRAD): a
circle with 230 km as radius
 1 meter, spatial resolution
30 meter, spatial resolution
 Spectral resolution (Dl ) and coverage
(lmin to lmax)
 Spectral resolution describes the ability of a sensor to
define fine wavelength intervals

 The finer the spectral resolution, the narrower the

wavelength range for a particular channel or band
 Radiometric resolution and coverage

◦ Sensor’s sensitivity to the magnitude of the

electromagnetic energy,

◦ Sensor’s ability to discriminate very slight

differences in (reflected or emitted) energy,

◦ The finer the radiometric resolution of a sensor, the

more sensitive it is to detecting small differences in
energy
Comparing a 2-bit image with an 8-bit image
Temporal resolution and coverage

 Temporal resolution is the revisit period, and is the length

of time for a satellite to complete one entire orbit cycle, i.e.
start and back to the exact same area at the same viewing
angle. For example, Landsat needs 16 days, MODIS needs
one day, NEXRAD needs 6 minutes for rain mode and 10
minutes for clear sky mode.

 Temporal coverage is the time period of sensor from

starting to ending. For example,
◦ MODIS/Terra: 2/24/2000 through present
◦ Landsat 5: 1/3/1984 through present
◦ ICESat: 2/20/2003 to 10/11/2009
 Coarser Resolution Satellite Sensors Used

LANDSAT Thematic Mapper MODIS

Good for regional coverage 36 spectral bands

30m MS resolution 250,500,1000m

15 m panchromatic resolution Most Common Uses:

Cloud/Aerosol Properties

Most Common Use: Ocean Color

Land Cover/Land Use Mapping Atmospheric Water Vapor

Sea/Atmospheric
Temperatures
 Higher Resolution Satellite Sensors Used

Quick bird
IKONOS 2.5 m multispectral resolution
4 m visible/infrared resolution 61 cm (~2 ft.) panchromatic
1 m panchromatic resolution resolution

MOST COMMON USES FOR HIGH RESOLUTION:

Accurate Base Maps
Infrastructure Mapping
Disaster Assessment (Smaller Scale)
 Indian Remote Sensing
Satellites
Satellite Launch Date Launch Vehicle Type of Satellite
SARAL 25.02.2013 PSLV-C20 Earth Observation Satellite
RISAT-1 26.04.2012 PSLV-C19 Earth Observation Satellite
Jugnu 12.10.2011 PSLV-C18 Experimental / Small Satellite
SRMSat 12.10.2011 PSLV-C18 Experimental / Small Satellite
Megha-Tropiques 12.10.2011 PSLV-C18 Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-12 15.07.2011 PSLV-C17 Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-8 21.05.2011 Ariane-5
VA-202 Geo-Stationary Satellite
RESOURCESAT-2 20.04.2011 PSLV-C16 Earth Observation Satellite
YOUTHSAT 20.04.2011 PSLV-C16 Experimental / Small Satellite
GSAT-5P 25.12.2010 GSLV-F06 Geo-Stationary Satellite
STUDSAT 12.07.2010 PSLV-C15 Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-2B 12.07.2010 PSLV-C15 Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-4 15.04.2010 GSLV-D3 Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat-2 23.09.2009 PSLV-C14 Earth Observation Satellite
ANUSAT 20.04.2009 PSLV-C12 Experimental / Small Satellite
RISAT-2 20.04.2009 PSLV-C12 Earth Observation Satellite
Chandrayaan-1 22.10.2008 PSLV-C11 Space Mission
CARTOSAT - 2A 28.04.2008 PSLV-C9 Earth Observation Satellite
IMS-1 28.04.2008 PSLV-C9 Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-4B 12.03.2007 Ariane-5ECA Geo-Stationary Satellite
CARTOSAT - 2 10.01.2007 PSLV-C7 Earth Observation Satellite
SRE - 1 10.01.2007 PSLV-C7 Experimental / Small Satellite
INSAT-4CR 02.09.2007 GSLV-F04 Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4CR 02.09.2007 GSLV-F04 Geo-Stationary Satellite

INSAT-4C 10.07.2006 GSLV-F02 Geo-Stationary Satellite

INSAT-4A 22.12.2005 Ariane-5GS Geo-Stationary Satellite

HAMSAT 05.05.2005 PSLV-C6 Experimental / Small Satellite

CARTOSAT-1 05.05.2005 PSLV-C6 Earth Observation Satellite

EDUSAT (GSAT-3) 20.09.2004 GSLV-F01 Geo-Stationary Satellite

Resourcesat-1(IRS-P6) 17.10.2003 PSLV-C5 Earth Observation Satellite

INSAT-3A 10.04.2003 Ariane-5G Geo-Stationary Satellite

INSAT-3E 28.09.2003 Ariane-5G Geo-Stationary Satellite

INSAT-1B 30.08.1983 Shuttle [PAM-D] Geo-Stationary Satellite

Rohini (RS-D2) 17.04.1983 SLV-3 Earth Observation Satellite

INSAT-1A 10.04.1982 Delta 3910 PAM-D Geo-Stationary Satellite

Bhaskara-II 20.11.1981 C-1 Intercosmos Earth Observation Satellite

Ariane Passenger Payload

Experiment (APPLE) 19.06.1981 Ariane-1(V-3) Geo-Stationary Satellite

Rohini (RS-D1) 31.05.1981 SLV-3 Earth Observation Satellite

Rohini (RS-1) 18.07.1980 SLV-3 Experimental / Small Satellite

Rohini Technology
Payload (RTP) 10.08.1979 SLV-3 Experimental / Small Satellite

Bhaskara-I 07.06.1979 C-1 Intercosmos Earth Observation Satellite

Aryabhata 19.04.1975 C-1 Intercosmos Experimental / Small Satellite