Remote Sensing Platforms and Sensors: Lecture - 3

GIS Application in Civil Engineering
Remote Sensing Platforms and Sensors
Lecture 3
Chander Prakash, CED, NIT Hamirpur
Platforms
Sensors used in earth observation can be operated at altitudes ranging from just a few centimetres above ground to far beyond the atmosphere.
Very often the sensor is mounted on a moving vehicle which we call the platform - such as an aircraft or a satellite. Static platforms are used occasionally.
Aircraft
The classic sensor platform is the aircraft.
The aerial flights are arranged in parallel strips allowing a sufficient overlap of imaged areas by about 20 per cent to 30 per cent. Along the flight axis, an overlap of 60 per cent is generally chosen Two photos are required from different exposure stations to determine an object point in three dimensions
Advantages of aircraft as platform

A key advantage of aerial surveys is that they can be targeted.
The survey can be undertaken at exactly the wanted time. Survey can be done with exactly the wanted spatial resolution by letting the aircraft fly at the needed altitude. We can acquire images of much higher spatial resolution We can achieve a pixel size on the ground as small as 5 cm with current aerial cameras.
Satellites
Satellites provide a great deal of the remote sensing imagery commonly used nowadays. Satellites have several unique characteristics that make them particularly useful for Remote Sensing of Earths surface
At what location is the satellite looking? When is the satellite looking at a given location? How often is the satellite looking at a given location? At what angle is the satellite viewing a given location?
Satellite Orbit
An orbit is a circular or elliptical path described by the satellite in its movement round the Earth.
Orbital altitude is the distance (in km) from the satellite to the surface of the Earth. Orbital inclination angle is the angle (in degrees) between the orbital plane and the equatorial plane.
Johannes Kepler (1571 1630) German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer
1. Planets move in elliptical orbits with the sun as one focus 2. the radius vector from the sun to the planet sweeps out equals areas in equal times
3. T2 : R3 ratio is constant for all planets, where T is orbital period and R is semi-major axis of the orbit
Isaac Newton (1643 - 1727) English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, theologian)
1. Newton discovered the laws of gravitation and explained planetary and satellite orbits in terms of the balance of forces:
ma
dv m dt
2. Centripetal acceleration
Fgravity
3. Gravity
GMm 2 r
Satellite Orbits
Orbital period is the time (in minutes) required to complete one full orbit.
Repeat cycle is the time (in days) between two successive identical orbits.
The revisit time (i.e., the time between two subsequent images of the same area) is determined by the repeat cycle together with the pointing capability of the sensor. Pointing capability refers to the possibility of the sensor platform combination to look to the side, or forward, or backward.
Satellite Orbit Type

Inclined Polar orbit.
Inclined Polar orbit is an orbit with an inclination angle between 80 and 100. Polar Orbit if angle is 90.
Sun-synchronous orbit.
This is a near-polar orbit chosen in such a way that the satellite always passes overhead at the same time.
Geosynchronous orbit.
This refers to orbits which is synchronised with the rotational period of the earth placed at about 36000 km. Geostationary orbit is a special kind of geosynchronous orbit where the satellite is placed above the equator (inclination angle: 0)
Orbit Types
GEO Geosynchronous Orbit LEO Low Earth Orbit
Around Equator
HEO Highly Elliptical Orbit
S
Inclined orbits
Geostationary Orbit
N
Geosynchronous Orbit
N
Zero Inclination GEO Orbits Satellite appears stationery to earth observer

Inclination GEO Orbits Satellite appears go N-S & EW in a figure 8 to earth observer
Orbit can effect any of the following in the mission design.

Revisit time of satellite to a point on earth? Amount of data that can be transferred between the satellite and ground
Space radiation environment

Power generation for the satellite Thermal control on the satellite Launch costs
Orbit With Respect to Sun

Earth's Axis Equinox
Winter
Summer
Sun
Equinox
Now you have an orbit for your satellite.

1. 2.
Will it stay where you put it? Is there anything that will change the orbit once you have it there?
What happens to the orbit plane as the earth rotates around the sun?
Equinox
Winter Sun Equinox
Summer
Earth non-spherical effect

N
Inclination
What is the effect of this?

GIS Application in Civil Engineering More Orbits
Inclination
> 900 Orbit N < 900 Orbit N
> 90o < 90o
S 20
University ofPrakash, Idaho Chander
CED, NIT Hamirpur

Oblatness causes rotation counter clockwise Oblatness causes rotation clockwise
I > 90o
Prograde Orbit I < 90o

Sun Synchronous Orbit
a Equinox Orbit rotates to maintain same angle with sun
Winter
Summer a
Sun
Equinox a
22
Sun Synchronous orbits
Remote Sensing Raster (Matrix) Data Format

Brightne ss v alue range (typically 8 bit)
Lines or rows (i) 3 4

18
1
1 2
17 20 15 18 22 10 16 20 15
Columns ( j) 2 3 4 5
17
21 22 24 25 22
As s ociate d gray-s cale
20
23
21
1 2 3 4
255
white
18
Bands (k ) 127 gray
black
X axis
Picture element (pixel) at location Line 4, Column 4, in Band 1 has a Brightness Value of 24, i.e., BV 4,4,1 = 24 .
Jensen, 2000
Remote Sensing Scanning System
Wiskbroom
Pushbroom
Field of View (FOV), Instantaneous Field of View (IFOV) Dwell time is the time required for the detector IFOV to sweep across a ground cell. The longer dwell time allows more energy to impinge on the detector, which creates a stronger signal.
Operation of an opto-mechanical scanner
Operation of an Multi Spectral scanner
Ustin, 2003
Ustin, 2003
Ustin, 2003
Ustin, 2003
Detector configurations: breaking up the spectrum
Ustin, 2003
Thank You

Remote Sensing Platforms and Sensors: Lecture - 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Remote Sensing Platforms and Sensors: Lecture - 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GIS Application in Civil Engineering