Principles of remote sensing system

 Definition of Remote Sensing.

 The art and science of obtaining information about an object without
physically contact between the object and sensor
 Basic Components of Remote Sensing.
 Source (Electromagnetic energy EM).
 EM Interaction with the Atmosphere.
 EM Interaction with the Surface Objects.
 Detection and Recorded by the Sensor.
 Displaying the Data Digitally for Visual and
Numerical interpretation.
Basic Components of Remote Sensing
Path Length
Energy
 Spectrum
Similar in wavelength and
frequency
Visible Spectrum
 Infrared Spectrum (IR)
 Reflected IR
From 0.7 to 3.0 m

 Thermal IR
From 3.0 to 100 m
Microwave Spectrum
 Dwell Time
The critical time for the collection of an adequate
amounts of radiation

 Short wavelength = High Frequency (energy)

Need Short Dwell Time

 Long wavelength = Low Frequency (energy)

Need long Dwell Time
 Types of Remote Sensing
Type  Based on source of the energy recorded by the
sensor

1. Passive Remote Sensing: Energy collected by sensors is

either reflected or emitted solar radiation.
• Reflected – must be collected during daylight hours
• Emitted – day or night as long as emissions large
enough to record

2. Active Remote Sensing: Energy collected by sensors is

actively generated by a man-made device.
Examples: Radar, LIDAR (Light Detection and
Ranging)
 Active and Passive Remote
Sensing

AVHRR Thermal Image QuikSCAT radar image

http://www.coml.org/edu/tech/count/ http://nsidc.org/seaice/study/active_remote_sensing.html
srs1.htm
 Interaction of Electromagnetic
waves with the particles of the
Atmosphere
 Scattering
 Rayleigh Scattering
 Mie Scattering
 Nonselective Scattering

 Absorption
 Ozone (O3)
 Carbon dioxide (CO2)
 Water vapor (H2O)
Solar Electromagnetic Radiation
and Atmospheric Windows
 Atmospheric Correction

 Empirical Modeling Correction

 Mathematical Modeling Correction

EM Interaction with the
Surface Objects
 Blackbody Radiation
• All matter at temperatures above absolute zero (0 K or
-273. 1°C) emits EM radiation continuously.

• The intensity and spectral composition of the emitted

radiation depend upon the composition and temperature of
the body.

• A blackbody is an ideal body and is defined as one that

absorbs all radiation incident on it, without any reflection.

• It has a continuous spectral emission curve, in contrast to

natural bodies that emit only at discrete spectral bands,
depending upon the composition of the body.
ER = EI - (EA+ET)
 The Diffuse Reflection
gives the most information about an abject
 nce
i a
Rad
l
t ra
pec
S
 Spectral Libraries

 Two major spectral libraries

 US Geological Survey (USGS) Spectral

Library (clark et al 1993).

 ASTER Spectral Library (Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, 1999)
 Sensor
Energy is detected and recorded
by the sensor
 Satellite Orbits
 Geostationary orbits

 Sun-synchronous polar orbits

 Non-Sun-synchronous orbits
Geostationary orbits

Communication satellite
Near Polar Orbit

Inclined 8 degrees from the poles

Remote Sensing Scanning System
Remote Sabin, 1997
Sensing
Scanning
System

Wiskbroom Pushbroom

Field of View (FOV), Instantaneous Field of View (IFOV)

Dwell time is the time required for the detector IFOV to sweep across a ground cell. The longer
dwell time allows more energy to impinge on the detector, which creates a stronger signal.
 Detector
configurations:
breaking up the
spectrum
 Discrete Detectors and scanning
mirrors
- MSS, TM, ETM+, GOES,
AVHRR, SeaWiFS, AMS, ATLAS
 Linear Arrays
- SPOT, IRS, IKONOS,
ORBIMAGE, Quickbird, ASTER,
MISR
 Liner and area arrays
- AVIRIS, CASI, MODIS, ALI,
Hyperion, LAC
 Landsat Swath Width & Field of View
Landsat

Field of View
r ack
705km n dt
ou
gr
el lite
t
Sa

scene Spatial Resolution

m
75k
1 85 k m 1
Pixel size=
(30x30m)
 RESOLUTION

 All remote sensing systems have four types of

resolution:

– Spatial

– Spectral

– Temporal

– Radiometric
Spatial resolution and coverage
 Spatial resolution
 Instantaneous field-of-view (IFOV)
 Pixel: smallest unit of an image
 Pixel size
 Spatial coverage
 Field of view (FOV), or Area of
coverage, such as MODIS: 2300km or
global coverage, weather radar
(NEXRAD): a circle with 230 km as
radius
30 meter, spatial resolution 1 meter, spatial resolution
Northwest San Antonio UTSA campus,
red polygon is the Science Building
 Spatial
Resolution
 Spectral resolution ( ) and
coverage (min to max)
 Spectral resolution
describes the ability of a
sensor to define fine
wavelength intervals
 The finer the spectral
resolution, the narrower
the wavelength range for a
particular channel or band
 Spectral Resolution

 Is the ability to resolve spectral features and

bands into their separate components

 More number of bands in a specified

bandwidth means higher spectral resolution
and vice versa

Remote Sensing & GIS Applications

Directorate
Spectral Resolution
 Radiometric Resolution

 Sensitivity of the sensor to the magnitude of

the received electromagnetic energy
determines the radiometric resolution

 Finer the radiometric resolution of a sensor,

if it is more sensitive in detecting small
differences in reflected or emitted energy
Comparing a 2-bit image with an 8-bit image
 Radiometric Resolution
2-bit range
0 4

6-bit range
0 63

8-bit range
0 255

10-bit range
0 1023
 bits Max.
Basics of Bit num

 Computer store 1 2
(2bits)
everything in 0 or 1 2 4
3 8
6 64
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 8 256
Bit no.
11 2048
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
12 4096
256
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

8 bits as an example

Resolution: 12 bits Coverage: 0 - 4095

Temporal resolution and coverage
 Temporal resolution is the revisit period,
and is the length of time for a satellite to
complete one entire orbit cycle, i.e. start and
back to the exact same area at the same
viewing angle. For example, Landsat needs
16 days, MODIS needs one day, NEXRAD
needs 6 minutes for rain mode and 10
minutes for clear sky mode.
 Temporal coverage is the time period of
sensor from starting to ending. For example,
– MODIS/Terra: 2/24/2000 through present
– Landsat 5: 1/3/1984 through present
– ICESat: 2/20/2003 to 10/11/2009
 Temporal Resolution
 Frequency at which images are recorded/
captured in a specific place on the earth.
 The more frequently it is captured, the better
or finer the temporal resolution is said to be
 For example, a sensor that captures an
image of an agriculture land twice a day has
better temporal resolution than a sensor that
only captures that same image once a week.
Pre Flood – 17 July 2006 Post Flood – 09 Aug 2006
1973
1983
1988
1996
Radiometric Resolution
Radiometric Resolution
 Remote Sensing Raster (Matrix) Data Format

Brightness value
range Associated
Columns ( j) (typically 8 bit) gray-scale
Lines or 1 2 3 4 5 255 white
1 1
rows (i) 10 15 17 20 21
2
15 16 18 21 23 2
3 Bands (k )
17 18 20 22 22
4 3 127 gray
18 20 22 24 25

is 4

0
ax

black
Y

X axis Picture element (pixel) at location

Line 4, Column 4, in Band 1 has a
Brightness Value of 24, i.e., BV 4,4,1 = 24 .

Jensen, 2000
Color Composite Image
Color Composite Image
Some known satellites
NOAA-AVHRR (1100 m)
GOES (700 m)
MODIS (250, 500, 1000 m)
Landsat TM and ETM (30 – 60 m)
SPOT (10 – 20 m)
IKONOS (4, 1 m)
Quickbird (0.6 m)
GOES (Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites) IR 4
MODIS (250 m)
 Landsat TM
(False Color Composite)
SPOT (2.5 m)
QUICKBIRD (0.6 m)
IKONOS (4 m Multispectral)
IKONOS (1 m Panchromatic)
 RADAR
(Radio Detection and Ranging)

Image: NASA 2005

 LIDAR
(Light Detection and Ranging)

Image: Bainbridge
Island, WA courtesy
Pudget Sound LIDAR
Consortium, 2005