An Overview of Remote Sensing

& Satellite Image Analysis

Triloki Pant
 Image: Digital Images
• An image is a matrix (n-Dimensional) of
numbers: A 2D function z=f(x,y)
• The numbers represent:
– Intensity values (numeric)
– Pixels (spatial)
• Examples:
– Grayscale image (black & white)
– Color image (RGB)
 Image: Digital Image
• Image pixel orientation
 Image Generation
• Images can be generated by the any of the
electromagnetic waves
 Image Generation
• Image generation at human eye
 Image Generation
• Image generation by remote sensors
 Image Generation
• Imaging Sensors
 Image Generation
• Image Digitization
 Image Generation
• Pixel Representation

Image Pixel
(Intensity value)
Digital Image: Pixels (DN)
 Image Types
• Gamma ray images
 Image Types
• X-ray Images

• CT Scanned Image
 Image Types
• MRI Images
 Image Types
• Ultrasound Images
 Image Types
• Model Images

– Computer generated image models can also be

used for various applications
 Processing: Intensity Levels
• The intensity values (numbers) may be
represented by bits

• The number of bits is called pixel depth

• Pixel depth is responsible for intensity levels

Processing: Intensity Levels

8 bits-1 bit intensity level images

 Processing: Preprocessing
• Image plane and moving window

• Masking (Filtering):
– Smoothing
– Sharpening
 Processing: Preprocessing

**

Moving Window Approach

 Processing: Preprocessing
• Smoothing:
Mask size: 3, 5, 9,
15 & 35
 Processing: Preprocessing
• Sharpening:
(Edge
enhancement)
 Color Imaging
• Visible Spectrum gives color images

• Components of color images:

– Red, Green and Blue
 Color Imaging
• RGB Color Cube
 Image Color Generation
• True Color Composite (TCC)

R G B TCC
• False Color Composite (FCC)
– Any combination of bands and filters
 Color Image Processing
• RGB
Components

• Color Image:
– TCC (True
color composite)
– FCC (False
color composite)
 Color Image Processing
• Color image
processing can
also be done on
individual
components
(Ex. Effect of
Noise)
Image Components/Bands

B R
G I
 Color: True and False
• TCC
– BGR bands to BGR filters

• FCC
– GRI bands to BGR filters
 Optical vs Infrared Images
• Band variation
– Optical band is limited
– Infrared is lagrer
– NIR, SWIR, FIR
• Sensitivity towards
vegetation
– IR can detect artificial
turf
 Color Image Processing
• Color images are
composed of 24 bits
• They occupy more
memory space
• Image compression
techniques are needed
Ex. JPEG compression
 Multiband Images
• As an extension of color images, the images of
multiple bands can also be generated

• Multiband images are categorized as

multispectral images (few bands) and
hyperspectral images (many bands)

• Most of the multiband images are viewed: FCC

 Multiband Images
• Multiband image with 6 bands:
 Multiband Images
• The best combination of multiband images for
discriminating a given scene varies with the
spectral response patterns for the objects of
interest within the scene
• Multiband images are viewed by selecting 3 of
the available bands and displaying one band
as blue, other as green and the third as red
• Most of the time FCC are viewed
 Multispectral Images
• TCC
(blue,
green,
red)

• FCC
(green,
red, NIR)
 Hyperspectral Images
• Hyperspectral Imaging
involves collecting data
in numerous, narrow
and contiguous spectral
bands
• There are hundreds of
bands in an image
 Multiband Images: Processing
• Multiband image processing requires analysis
techniques to find useful bands (Ex. PCA)

• Individual band contains different kind of

information

• Few bands may possess redundancy

 Image Analysis
• Image analysis includes interpretation of
various image components (image features)

– Image Segmentation
– Image Classification
– Image Texture Analysis
 Visual Interpretation
• Basic Elements
• Tone
• Texture
 Ground Data
• Ground data for the reference (Ancillary
data/ground truth)

• Ground data collection

• Ground mapping tools: Maps, GPS

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) Mapping
• Land use relates to the human activities or
economic functions associated with a specific
piece of land
• Land cover relates to the type of features
present on the surface of the earth
• The USGS devised a LULC classification system
for use with remote sensing data
 LULC Applications
• Geological and soil mapping

• Agricultural applications

• Forestry applications

• Rangeland applications
 LULC Applications (contd.)
• Water resource applications

• Wetland applications

• Urban and regional planning applications

• Natural disaster assessment

 References
1. T. Lillesand, R. W. Kiefer, and Jonathan Chipman. Remote
sensing and image interpretation. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

2. J. R. Anderson, A land use and land cover classification system

for use with remote sensor data, US Government Printing
Office, 1976.

3. R. C. Gonzalez, and R. E. Woods. Digital image processing.

Pearson Education India, 2008.
Thank You