Remote Sensing

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Lesson Objectives
By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:
• Define Remote Sensing
• Discuss the components of Remote Sensing:
– The Electromagnetic Spectrum (“Lights”)
– Sensors and Platforms (“Cameras”)
– Image Interpretation (“Action”)
• Explain important concepts of Remote sensing such as:
– What is the Electromagnetic spectrum
– How sensors use the Electromagnetic spectrum to capture data about objects
– Image Interpretation
• Differentiate between passive and active Remote Sensing
• Explain how Remote Sensing works
• Know the difference between a photo and an image
• Understand the building blocks of Imagery
Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing
 Definition of remote sensing

Remote sensing is the science of acquiring information

about the Earth's surface without actually being in
physical contact with it.

Video:
What is
Remote
Sensing?

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Components of remote sensing

“Lights” “Cameras” “Action”

Electromagnetic Energy Sensors and Platforms Transmission, Reception and
Processing

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 The electromagnetic spectrum

Visible Light

Ultraviolet Near Infrared

Gamma Waves Radiation Radiation Radio Waves
Size: Atomic Nuclei Size: Microbes Size: Human Hair Size: Buildings and Larger

High Frequency Low Frequency

Radiation Radiation

Gamma Rays X-Ray Ultraviolet Visible Infrared Microwave Radio

10-12 m 10-10 m 10-8 m 0.5-6 m 10-5 m 10-2 m 103 m
Wavelengths of Electromagnetic Radiation in Meters

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

Electromagnetic spectrum and usage

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

Wave length and wave frequency

Figure 3a: High Frequency Radiation (Lots of waves in a small period will hit you).
Short wave length. e.g. X-rays

Figure 3b: Low Frequency Radiation (A low amount of waves in a small period will
hit you). Long wave length. e.g. microwave and radio waves

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Bands
• Human eyes can only “measure” visible light
• Sensors can measure other portions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Each portion of the Electromagnetic spectrum measured by a sensor becomes a
band
• Bands can be combined to give better analytical capabilities
Band No Wavelengths Principle application

Band 1 (0.45-0.52 μm) Designed for water body penetration, making it useful for coastal
water mapping. Also useful for differentiation of soil from vegetation.
Band 2 (0.52-0.60 μm) Designed to measure visible green reflectance peak of vegetation for
vigour assessment
Band 3 (0.63-0.69 μm) A chlorophyll absorption band important for vegetation
discrimination
Band 4 (0.76-0.90 μm) Useful for delineation of water bodies
Band 5 (1.55-1.75 μm) Indicative of vegetation moisture content and soil moisture. Also
useful for differentiation of snow from clouds
Band 6 (10.40-12.50 A thermal infrared band of use in vegetation stress analysis, soil
μm) moisture discrimination and thermal mapping
Band 7 (2.08-2.35 μm) A band selected for its potential for discriminating rock types and for
hydrothermal mapping

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Band applications: Visible bands
• Blue
– Mapping coastal water areas
– Differentiating between soil and vegetation
– Forest type mapping
– Cultural features

• Green
– Healthy vegetation
– Cultural features

• Red
– Discriminating between different plant species
– Soil Boundaries
– Geological boundaries
– Cultural features

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Band applications: Reflective Infrared Bands
• Near Infrared
– Vegetation biomass
– Crop identification
– Soil/crop and land/water contrasts

• Mid-infrared
– Moisture content of plants
– Crop drought studies
– Plant health analysis
– Discriminating between clouds, snow and ice
– Geological rock type and soil boundaries
– Soil and vegetation moisture content

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Band applications: Thermal bands
– Vegetation/crop stress detection
– Heat Intensity
– Insecticide applications
– Thermal pollution
– Geothermal activity (underground fires in mines)

Sensors are way better than our eyes in dissecting the Electro Magnetic
spectrum into various bands for different applications!!!

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

Class discussion – Colour of objects

Class
Discussion

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Remote sensing equipment and their sensors

• Photographic Cameras – Orthophoto Maps, Aerial Photos

– Panchromatic
– Visible lights
• Multispectral Scanners and Earth Satellites – Satellite images
with:
– Multispectral images (2 to +/- 15 bands) or
– Hyperspectral images (16 or more bands)

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Band combinations
• Different band combinations is used to highlight different
targets

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Sensor platforms

Ground
based
equipment

Airplanes Air Balloon

Equipment
fixed on a
truck

Satellites orbiting the earth

Rockets

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

Passive vs. active remote sensing systems

Activity 1:
Discussing
concepts of
Remote
Sensing

True Color Imagery Radar

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Image interpretation (“Action”)

From data to Information through Manual or Computer assisted

methods:
• Detection
• Recognition and identification
• Classification
• More in Lesson 4….

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 How remote sensing works
A: Energy source

G: Processing –
E: Data transfer Pre-processing,
/Transmission Interpretation &
D: Recording Analysis
B: Radiation and the of energy by F: Image
Atmosphere the sensor receiving station
receives the data

C: Target

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

The routes that light energy travels

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 Difference between a photograph and an image
• Photograph = Picture printed on Film (hard copy)
• Image = Digital version made out of pixels
• A photograph is called an Image if in digital format

Images are always raster data made up out of image elements called
pixels:
• Each pixel stores a digital number measured by a sensor
• The smaller the pixel (the more pixels per square inch) the easier it is to
see detail

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

The building blocks of Imagery: Pixels

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing

 A pixels’ value as an expression of RGB

• Three colour channels (red, green and blue)

Activity 2:
Sensors
operating in
different parts
of the
Electromagnetic
Spectrum

Lesson 1: Concepts of Remote Sensing