Geography 551:

Principles of Remote Sensing

Dr. John R. Jensen

Department of Geography
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

Jensen, 2009
SECOND EDITION
 Remote Sensing Data Collection

The amount of electromagnetic radiance, L

(watts m-2 sr-1; watts per meter squared per
steradian) recorded within the IFOV of an
optical remote sensing system (e.g., a picture
element in a digital image) is a function of:

L  f , sx, y , z , t , , P, 
where,
 = wavelength (spectral response measured
in various bands or at specific frequencies).
sx,y,z = x, y, z location of the picture element
and its size (x, y)
 Remote Sensing Data Collection

t = temporal information, i.e., how often data are collected

 = set of angles that describe the geometric relationships

among the radiation source (e.g., the Sun), the terrain target of
interest (e.g., a corn field), and the sensor

P = polarization of back-scattered energy

Ω = radiometric resolution (precision) at which the data (e.g.,

reflected, emitted, or back-scattered radiation) are recorded
 Remote Sensor Resolution Considerations
10 m
• Spatial - the size of the field-of-view, e.g. 10 
10 m
10 m.
B G R NIR
• Spectral - the number and size of spectral
regions (or frequencies) the sensor records data in,
e.g. blue, green, red, near-infrared, thermal
Jan Feb
16 16 infrared.

ruler • Temporal - how often the sensor acquires data,

e.g., every 30 days.
8-bit
(0 - 255)
10-bit • Radiometric - sensitivity of detectors to small
(0 - 1023)
difference in electromagnetic energy.
 Spectral
Resolution

Jensen, 2009
 Airborne Visible
Infrared Imaging
Spectrometer
(AVIRIS) Datacube
of Sullivan’s Island
Obtained on
October 26, 1998

Color-infrared color
composite on top
of the datacube was
created using three
of the 224 bands
at 10 nm
nominal bandwidth.

Jensen, 2009
 Spectral
Resolution

Deciduous versus coniferous forest at 1 x 1 m

recorded by Spatial Emerge digital camera
in green, red, and near-infrared bands

Jensen, 2009
 Spatial
Resolution

Jensen, 2009
 Spatial
Resolution
Imagery of residential
housing in Mechanicsville,
New York, obtained on June
1, 1998, at a nominal spatial
resolution of 0.3 x 0.3 m
(approximately 1 x 1 ft.)
using a digital camera.

Jensen, 2009
 Spatial
Resolution

1 x 1 m of Ronald Reagan International Airport

in Washington, DC by Digital Globe, Inc.
Jensen, 2009
 Temporal Resolution

Remote Sensor Data Acquisition

June 1, 2008 June 17, 2008 July 3, 2008

16 days

Jensen, 2009
 Radiometric Resolution

7-bit
0 (0 - 127)

8-bit
0 (0 - 255)

0 9-bit
(0 - 511)

10-bit
0 (0 - 1023)

Jensen, 2009
Jensen, 2009