Introduction to Remote Sensing

Introduction to Remote Sensing   A Matter of Perspective Look at the Image of my boathouse in East China, Michigan. What can you tell me about the place where I live just from looking at this picture? If you said I live near the water, and it was taken in the winter, you did well. But what does this picture tell me about relationships between my home and other physical and human features that may affect the quality of life for my family and I as well as everyone in the community. Now look at the Google Earth Image of where I live shown below. You won’t see the color of drapes I have or the name of my boat in the boathouse (the Fishing Machine). But you will see lots of things that influence the quality of life where I live such as the township park where I enjoy walks or unfortunately, the piles of coal near the Detroit Edison plant that blow dust all over my house. This Google Earth and other remotely sensed images provide us with a spatial perspective of the world we live in.    consequences of events in a given situation. These are just some of the reasons geography is such an awesome subject to learn. What is Remote Sensing? Our usual view of the world is a horizontal one. Most of the time, we’re content to have light reflect off of whatever it is we are looking at, traveling over a distance until it is ‘captured’ by our eyes. Each of your eyes then sends a signal to your brain where it is recorded and interpreted. A horizontal perspective is limited however to a localized area with all kinds of obstructions in the way such as trees, buildings, and many other physical and human features. Looking at objects such as planets, stars, and galaxies present other, more difficult challenges because of their vast distances from earth. such as cameras, telescopes, radar and satellite imagery to capture the spectral and spatial properties of objects and materials observable from a distance. Remote sensing technology expands the capabilities of human sight by allowing us to see a multitude of physical and human features over vast areas of hundreds or even thousands of square miles or kilometers. The view from above that remote sensing technology gives us a vertical perspective of the world we live in, allowing us to see and analyze things that would not be possible from a horizontal perspective. Remote sensing is the use of instruments A spatial perspective is concerned with the ‘where’ and the ‘why’ of physical and human features. Thinking spatially means having the ability to describe and analyze the organization of people, places, and environments anywhere on the surface of the earth. A spatial perspective also helps students to understand and formulate answers to critical questions about past, present, and future patterns of organization and to anticipate the Mark A. Van Hecke  mvanhecke@comcast.net  You Are Here  How much farther Honey? Are we home yet?   Introduction to Remote Sensing   Uses of Remote Sensing Just what kinds of things can we use remote sensing for? As you can see in the table below, remote sensing is used by geographers, scientists, urban planners, engineers, the military and lots of others to do their work: Uses of Remote Sensing Imagery Agriculture/Forestry Land Use Mapping Geology Hydrology Coastal Resources Environmental Monitoring Discrimination of vegetation, crop and timber types Classification of land-use patterns Mapping of geologic features Measurement of crop and timber acreage Cartographic mapping and updating Categorizing land capabilities Revision of geologic maps Farm land management Monitoring crop and timber harvests Monitoring urban growth Recognizing and classifying certain rock types Delineation of unconsolidated rocks and soils Mapping of volcanic surface deposits Mapping of geologic landforms Determination of regional geologic structures Producing geomorphic maps Determining water boundaries and surface water area Mapping of floods and flood plain characteristics Determining the extent of snow and ice coverage Measuring changes in and the extent of glacial features Measurement of turbidity and sedimentation patterns Delineation of irrigated fields Estimation of snow melt runoff Determining turbidity patterns Monitoring of deforestation Mapping of shoreline changes Mapping of shoals, reefs, and shallow areas Mapping and monitoring of ice in shipping lanes Tracking beach erosion and flooding Monitoring of coral reef health Measurement of sea surface temperature Monitoring of volcanic flow activity Mapping and monitoring of water pollution Determining the effects of natural disasters Assessment of drought impact Determining range readiness Regional planning Determining of soil conditions and associations Assessment of wildlife habitats Characterizing forest range vegetation Monitoring and mapping insect infestations Monitoring irrigation patterns Mapping of transportation networks Locating transportation and power transmission routes Planning solid waste disposal sites, power plants, and other industries Mapping and management of flood plains Tracking socioeconomic impacts on land use Tracking oil spills Mapping and monitoring of lake eutrophication Monitoring mine waste pollution Characterizing tropical rainfall patterns Monitoring and tracking ‘red’ tides Mapping impact craters Mapping watersheds Monitoring volcanic ash plumes Assessing impact of military activities Source: NASA 2001 Mark A. Van Hecke  mvanhecke@comcast.net    Introduction to Remote Sensing   How to Use My Website This website was created just for you. Whether you are a Teacher who wants new ideas for teaching K-12 students about geography, earth science or other subjects, or if you are a student who wants to learn about remote sensing, how it works and how it is used, If you are participating in Science Olympiad, these resources will help prepare you for Regional, State and National competitions. Whatever the reason, I’m sure that you’ll find this to be a very valuable learning experience. Here’s just a few of the features you’ll find: Tip Sheets Tip Sheets such as this one will highlight important concepts that you will need to learn about remote sensing. The ‘Hot Links’ section of each Tip Sheet (including this one) will include URLs that will reinforce or complement subject material. Image Study Sheets These are patterned after the covers of the National Council for Geographic Education’s Geography magazine. On a single page, you will find a selected image for study, reference article, and explanation of the Image, study questions and excursion activities. Hyperlinked text and images will take you to URLs that will reinforce or complement content material. Power Points Like my old Emerson, Lake and Palmer CDs, Power Point can be overindulged in. But when done right, it can be a very valuable teaching tool for student activities as well as for presentations. You’re welcome to use or adapt whatever I provide here. Publications As you can probably tell, I enjoy writing and once in great while I will focus on a single subject and spend countless days (nights during the school year) cranking out a quality publication about it. In the summer of 2002, I wrote Mapmatics: Using Topographic Maps to Teach Earth Science, Geography and Mathematics. It became somewhat of an underground best-seller in Science Olympiad for about a year. It’s back now as Teaching with Topographic Maps and it’s still the most practical manual for learning to read topo maps that you can find. Look for more publications to fill your library enrich your classrooms, and perhaps your life in the months to come. Mark A. Van Hecke  mvanhecke@comcast.net    Introduction to Remote Sensing   The Least You Need to Know From This Tip Sheet: • A spatial perspective is concerned with the ‘where’ and the ‘why’ of physical and human features. Thinking spatially means having the ability to describe and analyze the organization of people, places, and environments anywhere on the surface of the earth. • Remote sensing is the use of instruments such as cameras, telescopes, radar and satellite imagery to capture the spectral and spatial properties of objects and materials observable You Are Here  from a distance. Remote sensing technology expands the capabilities of human sight by allowing us to see a multitude of physical and human features over vast areas of hundreds or even thousands of square miles or kilometers. Remote sensing is used for tons of activities including discrimination of land and vegetative types, monitoring urban growth, monitoring shoreline changes and the impact of human activities among other things. This website will be an excellent resource for you to learn more about remote sensing, how it works and how it is used. • • Hot Links Tutorials http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/ NASA Remote Sensing Tutorial http://ceos.cnes.fr:8100/cdrom-00/ceos1/lessons/uri/uricon.htm Teaching High School Physics and Earth Science Using Satellite Imagery. Excellent website for basic remote sensing concepts and their application General Remote Sensing Resources http://ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/indexe.php   Canada Centre for Remote Sensing Website. Excellent for introductory concepts  http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/rsd/RemoteSensing.html   http://noaasis.noaa.gov/NOAASIS/ml/education.html   NOAA General Remote Sensing Resources  http://www.eoearth.org/article/Remotesensing   Encyclopedia of the Earth  Mark A. Van Hecke  mvanhecke@comcast.net