Microwave Remote Sensing

Prepared by:
Deep Singh - 19EC410
 Microwave Remote Sensing
●Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the
physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected
and emitted radiation at a distance from satellite.
●There are two types of remote sensing satellite having
active and passive sensors.
●Active sensor in remote sensing directs its signal to the
object and then checks the response – the received quantity.
●Passive remote sensing depends on natural energy
(sunrays) bounced by the target and then checks the
response - the received quantity.
Electromagnetic Radiation From Warm Objects
● Any object with temperature above absolute zero (i.e -273k) is termed as warm
object.
● Warm objects radiates/emits electromagnetic radiation and these radiations have
specific wavelengths.
● Spectrograph measures intensity of radiation for each wavelength and generates
plot that represent radiation from an entire object or just from a specific area.
● Wien's Law states that the wavelength of peak emission is inversely proportional
to the temperature of the emitting object. Put another way, the hotter the object, the
shorter the wavelength of maximum emission.
● λ max = b / T
Variation Of Intensity With Distance

● Major problem for remote sensing is reduction of intensity with distance.

● Intensity falls off in proportion to the square of the distance.
● Example = Instrument A is 10,000 km from a warm object;instrument B is
30,000 km away from the same object.Instrument A will receive 9 times greater
intensity of radiated energy than instrument B.
Scanning
● Satellites at higher altitudes (1000 to 30,000 miles) can observe large portions
of Earth's surface all at once -- useful for meteorological observations.
● As a satellite revolves around the Earth, the sensor sees a certain portion of
the Earth's surface.
● The area imaged on the surface, is referred to as the swath.
● Imaging swaths for spaceborne sensors generally vary between tens and
hundreds of kilometres wide.
● There are three type of scanning - Pushbroom Scanning,Side Scanning
and Ground Track Scanning.
Pushbroom Scanning
● Electromagnetic (e/m) radiation from a rectangular area on the ground is focused
onto an array of sensors (sometimes called a multi-cell sensor).
● All the cells are identical, and are designed to measure some part of the spectrum.
● Electromagnetic radiation from the section marked is focused onto the
corresponding cell (sensor) in the satellite, etc.
● The sensor then sends the spectral information to the onboard computer.
● This is commonly called pushbroom scanning

because the entire width of the swath is swept

by the sensors at the same time.

Side Scanning
● Electromagnetic radiation from the rectangular area on the ground is focused onto a
single sensor.
● The swath width must be scanned by a mirror in the satellite that pivots back and
forth.
● The pivoting is controlled by the computer so that at any instant, the computer can
associate information received by the sensor with the correct small section on the
ground.
Ground Track Scanning
● The path traced out by a point on the ground directly underneath the satellite.
● If the Earth did not rotate, the ground track would be a circle,but because of Earth's
rotation, the ground track crosses a different part of the Earth each time the satellite
goes around its orbit.
● For remote sensing,this allows the swath of the sensors to cover all of Earth's surface
eventually.
Thank You