REMOTE SENSING (I)

Lecture 08
Remote Sensing Image Data: Representation of Digital Images

T.A. Mohamed Abdinur Bare

Department of Economic Geology
Faculty of Minerals and Petroleum
International University of Africa
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1. REMOTE SENSING IMAGE DATA
Remote sensing image data is a means of a two-dimensional representation of
part of the Earth’s surface (real scene) as seen from space. An image is the most
convenient means of storing, conveying, and transmitting information about
positions, sizes, and interrelationships between objects in space. The
information in an image is presented in the form of tones and colours.

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Images, Photographs and Pictures
An image is any pictorial representation of information. Photographs are images
recorded on photographic films and have been converted into paper form by some
chemical processing of the film. All photographs are images but not all images are
photographs.
When talking about the visual representation of an object on a computer:
Image: Any visual object that has been modified or altered at pixel level by a sensor.
Photograph: Anything takes by a camera, digital camera or photocopier.
Picture: A drawing, painting, or artwork created on a computer.

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Analog images vs Digital images
Analog images are produced by photographic sensors on paper-based or
transparent media. Variations in scene characteristics are represented as
variations in brightness (shades of gray). Aerial photographs are obtained as
analog images.
Digital images are produced by electro-optical sensors and consist of pixels and
associated Digital numbers (DN). DNs are a record of variations in radiant
energy in discrete form. High DN values are recorded for objects
reflecting/emitting more energy and vice versa. Satellite images are examples of
digital images

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Digital photographs versus digital images

Digital images Digital photographs

A digital image is built line-by-line through an A digital photograph is taken with a camera in
array of CCD sensor onboard a satellite. which a fixed sized CCD 2D matrix is inbuilt.

The pixel of an image represents an aerial A cell of a photograph represents only

average value of reflection/emission. instant/point value only.

A digital image is constructed line-by-line and A digital image is taken within seconds by a
may take several minutes. snapshot.
Examples: INSAT and METEORITE satellite Examples: Landsat image data, ASTER image
series. data etc…

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Representation of Multispectral Images
A multispectral image may be represented as a three-dimensional array of
grayscale values or pixel intensities. In a digital image, photographic information
is stored as an array of discrete numbers. Each number corresponds to a
discrete dot or a picture element (pixel). In other words, the digital numbers are
related to some parameter such as reflectance, emittance, temperature,
elevation, etc. DNs vary from one place to another within the image depending
on the tonal variation. In a satellite (digital) image, bright areas are represented
by high DN values whereas dark areas by low values.

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A digital image is:
a. A raster data
b. A two dimensional matrix where each unit/picture element (pixel) has an
overall square or rectangular shape.
Characteristics of digital images:
a. Pixel dimensions (x, y)
b. Intensity value (Digital number /brightness value (BVxyz = value)
c. Location address within the area of the image (referenced by its row and
column coordinates).

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 Pixel (Digital Number: 19709)

Pixel Column/samples
12111

Pixel Rows / Scan lines

12757

12464

12697

12335

12493

13173

15745 17087 18656 18899 19257 19495 18945 18814 18915 19144 19424

A digital image and its elements

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Satellite image can be:
 Multilayer Image (a stack of images)
 Multispectral Image (a few image
layers where each layer acquired at a
particular wavelength band)
 Superspectral Image (e.g. the 36
image layers of the MODIS sensor on
board TERRA satellite)
 Hyperspectral Image (About a
hundred or more contiguous/attached
spectral bands.)
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Format of Remote Sensing Image Data
Multi-band image data are represented by a combination of spatial position
(pixel number and line number) and band. The data format for multi-band
images is classified into the following three type:
a) BSQ format (band sequential) image data (pixel number and line number) of
each band are separately arranged.
b) BIL format (band interleaved by line) line data are arranged in the order of
band number and repeated with respect to line number.
c) BIP format (band interleaved by pixel) A set of multi-band data with respect
to each pixel arranged spatially by pixel number and line number.
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For color image output, BSQ format would be convenient because three bands
will be assigned to R(red), G(green) and B(blue). However BIP format would be
better for classification by a maximum likelihood classifier because multi-band
data are required pixel by pixel for the multi-variable processing. BIL would be a
compromise between BSQ and BIP.

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