BOT/GEOG 3150

Introduction and Overview

A Survey of Remote Sensing Applications

1. What IS remote sensing?2. Name some advantages and disadvantages of

viewing the earth from progressively higher altitude.

3. Why is the sky blue at noon and orange at sunset?4. If light travels in a straight line,why aren’t shadows

pitch black?5. How can you use remote sensing to map elevation?6. How do the police measure your speed with radar?7. Why is water black in satellite images (it really is!)?8. What is a pixel and how does a computer make an

image from a bunch of them?

Group Activity

Lots!

What will we cover this semester?

Fundamentals of Remote Sensing

Basic physics of light interacting with materials

Types of Remote Sensing

The History of Remote Sensing

Historical context is always important for understanding what we do now

Applications of Aerial Photography

Land use planning

AgricultureGeologyArchaeologyVegetationHabitat

Application of Multispectral and Hyperspectral Satellite Data

Land coverHabitatMarineCoastalAgricultureGeologyAtmospheri

c

Applications of Active Remote Sensing

Radar and LidarElevation

mappingHydrologyVegetationArchaeology

Applications of Thermal Remote Sensing

AgricultureWater UseEnergy

Balance

Remote Sensing for Global Change Research