Remote Sensing

Definition
• Remote Sensing is defined as the science and
technology by which the characteristics of
objects of interest can be identified,
measured or analyzed the characteristics
without direct contact.
How Process is Done
 Energy Source or Illumination -A

• The first requirement for remote sensing is to have an

energy source, which illuminates or provides
electromagnetic energy to the target of interest.
Sensors
1)passive
2) active based Sensors,
Sensors which sense natural radiations, either emitted or
reflected from the Earth, are called passive sensors.
sensors which produce their own electromagnetic
radiation, are called active sensors (e.g. LIDAR, RADAR).
 Radiation and the atmosphere-B
• As the energy travels from its source to the
target, it will come in contact with and interact
with the atmosphere it passes through.
• This interaction may take place a second time
as the energy travels from the target to the
sensor. Once the energy makes its way to the
target through the atmosphere, it interacts
with the target depending on the properties of
both the target and the radiation.
 Interaction with the Target-C

• Radiation may be transmitted, that is, passed through

the substance.
• Radiation may be absorbed by a substance and give up
its energy largely to heating the substance. 
• Radiation may be emitted by a substance as a function
of its structure and temperature. All matter at
temperatures above absolute zero, 0°K, emits energy.
• Radiation may be scattered, that is, deflected in all
directions and lost ultimately to absorption or further
scattering (as light is scattered in the atmosphere).
• Radiation may be reflected.
Recording of Energy by the Sensor-D
 Data Resolution
• Resolution is a major sensor parameter, which has bearing on optimum
utilization of data.
There are four types of resolution.
•  Spatial Resolution: Sensor’s Ability to image (record) closely spaced
objects so that they are distinguishable as separate objects
• Spectral Resolution: The spectral bandwidth in which the data is
collected. (Full Width at Half Maximum)
• Radiometric Resolution: The capability of the sensor to differentiate the
smallest change in the spectral reflectance/emittance between various
targets.

It is time interval between imaging collections over the same geographic

location
 Transmission, Reception, and Processing -E

• The energy recorded by the sensor has to be

transmitted, often in electronic form, to a
receiving and processing station at earth
where the data are processed and stored in
digital form.
 Interpretation and Analysis -F

• The processed data is interpreted, visually

and/or digitally to extract information about
the target which was illuminated. Specialized
instruments/hardware and software are used
for this purpose that are commonly known as
image processing tools.
• Image processing, also called digital image processing as it handles digital data,
involves four basic steps.
• Image correction/ restoration - Image data recorded by sensors on a satellite or
aircraft contain errors related to geometry and brightness values of the pixels.
These errors are corrected using suitable mathematical models, which are either
definite or statistical models.
 
• Image enhancement - Image enhancement is the modification of image, by
changing the pixel brightness values, to improve its visual impact. Image
enhancement techniques are performed by deriving the new brightness value
for a pixel either from its existing value or from the brightness values of a set of
surrounding pixels.
 
• Image transformation- The multi-spectral character of image data allows it to be
spectrally transformed to a new set of image components or bands with a
purpose to get some information more evident or to preserve the essential
information content of the image (for a given application) with a reduced
number of transformed dimensions. The pixel values of the new components are
related to the original set of spectral bands via a linear operation.
 Cont…
• Image classification - The overall objective of image
classification procedures is to automatically categorize all
pixels in an image into land cover classes or themes. A
pixel is characterized by its spectral signature, which is
determined by the relative reflectance in the different
wavelength bands. Multi-spectral classification is an
information extraction process that analyses these
spectral signatures and assigns the pixels to classes
based on similar signatures.
Ideal atmospheric conditions for remote
sensing
 REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS
• i) Mapping/Monitoring of earth resources
• ii) Retrieval of bio-geo-physical parameters, which are
used in models to predict the changes in geosphere and
biosphere
• iii) Management/Decision Support, where remote
sensing derived information is used to arrive at decision
for sustainable management of earth resources.
• There are various fields in which remote sensing
applications have been shown to be highly useful, which
include agriculture, water resources, forest and
ecosystem, disaster management, infrastructure
development, atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
 Electro Magnetic Energy
• Electro-magnetic energy (E) can be expressed either in
terms of frequency (f) or wave length (λ) of radiation as
• E=hcf or h c / λ
• h = Planck's constant (6.626 x 10-34 Joules-sec)
• c is a constant ( celerity or speed of light (3 x 108
m/sec),
• f is frequency expressed in Hertz
• λ is the wavelength expressed in micro meters (1µm =
10-6 m).
Electromagnetic radiation spectrum(EMR)
 Cont…
• The electromagnetic spectrum is the term used by scientists
to describe the entire range of light that exists.
•  light has a few fundamental properties that describe it.
1) Frequency, measured in hertz (Hz),
It counts the number of waves that pass by a point
in one second.
2) wavelength
It is the distance from the peak of one wave to the
peak of the next.
These two attributes are inversely related.
The larger the frequency, the smaller the wavelength – and
vice versa.
 Terminology
• AIRBORNE SENSING: Remote sensing from an
airplane. 
• BACKSCATTERING: Energy, when hitting a target, can
be scattered in many directions. The part of the
energy that is scattered back in the exact direction
where it came from, is "backscattered". 
• DETECTION: If you are detecting something, you are
trying to determine if it is there. This could be done
using your senses or by using instruments. Once it is
found, it has been detected.
 Cont….
• EARTH OBSERVATION: Looking down at the Earth from
aircraft and satellites using various sensors which make
images that are afterwards used to study what is
happening on or near the Earth's surface.
• ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM:The range of energy
which contains parts or "bands" such as the visible,
infrared, ultraviolet, microwave (radar), gamma ray, x-ray,
radio, and which travels at the speed of light.
• EMIT: This word means the same as "sent out" or "given
off". The sun emits radiation, some of which we can feel
as heat and some of which we can see as light. The radar
sensor in RADARSAT emits a radar beam.
 Cont..
• ENHANCEMENT: Analyze and interpret by eye is a form of
"enhancement". Special enhancement techniques can
improve colour, brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc.
• GROUND TRUTHING:Remote sensing analysts must be
sure that their image analysis is accurate. This is done by
field where they go out to the actual places shown in the
images and confirm that what they think they see on the
image is actually true.
• LANDSAT: Owned and launched by the United States, this
is a series of remote sensing satellites that use the visible
and infrared parts of the spectrum to record images of the
Earth's surface. ( IRS, RADARSAT, NOAA, satellite)
 Cont…
• LINE-OF-SIGHT:When two objects (such as a satellite
and a receiving station) have nothing in between them,
then they are in "line-of-sight" of each other. When a
satellite is on the other side of the Earth from a
receiving station, the Earth is in between them, so the
satellite and the receiving station are not in "line-of
sight" of each other.
• ORBIT: The path traced by a satellite as it passes
around a planet.
• PIXEL: The smallest unit in a digital image. A satellite
image is made up of a matrix of many pixels, each
having its own digital value.
 Cont..

• RADARSAT: This is the first Canadian remote sensing

satellite. It uses radar technology to capture images of
the earth's surface.
• RESOLUTION: Spatial resolution describes how clearly
you can see detail in a picture. Consider the focussing
done by a camera. If the picture is blurry and you can't
see small objects, the resolution is poor (low
resolution). If the picture is sharp and you can see
small objects, the resolution is good (high resolution).
Resolution is also used in describing colour detail (how
similar colours are) and even time detail (how close in
time things happen).
 Cont…
• SATELLITE:A satellite is a natural or man made object
continuously orbiting above the Earth or another planet or
star. A remote sensing satellite carries one or more
instruments for recording images of the Earth, which are
transmitted to a receiving station using radio waves.
• SCANNER: While a camera would take a picture of an area
all at once, a scanner is a device that examines an area
point by point until the entire area has been imaged. These
points become the pixels in a digital remote sensing image.
• SENSOR:A sensor is the device that records a remote
sensing image, much like a camera. (Related words:
scanner, platform)
Energy Interaction with atmosphere
 Sensors and Platforms

• A device to detect this reflected or emitted

electro-magnetic radiation from an object is
called a “sensor” (e.g., cameras and scanners).
A vehicle used to carry the sensor is called a
“platform” (e.g., aircrafts and satellites).
 Platforms
• Remote Sensing Platforms
based on the elevation from the Earth’s surface at which these
platforms are placed.
1) Ground level remote sensing
1) Ground level remote sensors are very close to the ground They
are basically used to develop and calibrate sensors for different features
on the Earth’s surface.
2) Aerial remote sensing
1) Low altitude aerial remote sensing
2) High altitude aerial remote sensing
3) Space borne remote sensing
1) Space shuttles
2) Polar orbiting satellites
3) Geo-stationary
Remote sensing Platforms
Satellites
Components of Satellite
 Command antena
• An antenna is a metallic structure that captures and/or transmits
radio electromagnetic waves.
• Antennas come in all shapes and sizes from little ones that can be
found on your roof to watch TV to really big ones that capture
signals from satellites millions of miles away.
• The antennas that Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN)
uses are a special bowl shaped antenna that focuses signals at a
single point called a parabolic antenna.
• The bowl shape is what allows the antennas to both capture and
transmit electromagnetic waves. These antennas move horizontally
(measured in hour angle/declination) and vertically (measured in
azimuth/elevation) in order to capture and transmit the signal.
 Transponders
• It is the component of subsystem that receives
the signal and shifts its frequency for
transmission.
• It performs the functions of both transmitter
and receiver .
• Transmittter(Trans)+ repsonder (ponder)
 Thruster
• Thruster is a propulsive device used by spacecraft
for station keeping, attitude control, in the reaction
control system, or long-duration, low-thrust
acceleration.
• A vernier engine or gimbal engine is a particular
case used on launch vehicles where a secondary
rocket or other high thrust device is used to control
the attitude of the rocket while the primary thrust
engine (generally also a rocket engine) is fixed to the
rocket and supplies the principal amount of thrust.
IRS(Indian Remote
Sensing)
Visual Interpretation