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U.S. Department of Labor identified geotechnology (including remote sensing, GIS and GPS) as one of the most important emerging and evolving fields, along with nanotechnology and biotechnology1.

“… who can combine geographic informationsystems with satellite data are in demand in a varietyof disciplines.”

Education in remote sensing and GIS is becoming as important as fieldwork for new generation of workforce in p gnatural resources management and environmental sciences.

1. Careers and Recruitment: Mapping Opportunities. NATURE|VOL 427 | 22 JANUARY 2004 |

Gaspard Felix Tournachon (1820-1910), a Parisian portrait photographer, was kneeling in a fragile balloon gondola.

He obtained the first aerial photograph from a tethered balloon in 1858 near Paris, France.

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After suffering several failures, Tournachon finally exposed a photographic plate at about 80-m (264 ft.), and was rapidly hauled back down to Earth, where he dashed into an inn and developed the picture.

“I develop my picture… Good luck! There is something!... It cannot be denied: here right under me are all of the three houses in the little village: the farm, the inn and the police station… You can distinguish perfectly a delivery van on the road whose driver has stopped h t b f th b llshort before the balloon,

and on the roof tiles two white pigeons who have just landed there. Thus I was right!”

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Tournachon patented the aerial survey as we known it today.

Unfortunately, the first aerial photograph did not survive.

A portion of an aerial photograph of Downtown Boston, obtained by James W. Black and Samuel A. King from a tethered balloon 1,200 ft. above in October 13, 1860.

It is believed to be the first aerial photograph taken from a captive balloon in the U.S. and the earliest aerial photograph still exist.

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King commented in 1860 that:

“This is only the precursor, no doubt, of numerous othernumerous other experiments; for no one can look upon these pictures, obtained by aid of the balloon, without be convinced that the time has come when what has been used for public amusement can be made to serve practical end.”

In July 1863, Sir Oliver Wendell Holmes, a student of King, interpreted the photo and commented that :

“Boston, as the eagle and the wild goose see it, is a very different object from the same place as the solid i i l k icitizen looks up at its

eaves and chimneys.”

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“As the first attempt it is on the whole ais on the whole a remarkable success; but its greatest interest is in showing what we may hope to see accomplished in the same direction.”

In 1903, Julius Aeubronner patented a breast-mounted aerial camera for carrier pigeons.

The lightweight (approximately 2.5 oz) 70-mm camera for acquiring oblique photos.

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One of the Wright Brothers in an unpowered heavier-than-air glider at Kitt H k NC iKitty Hawk, NC, in 1902.

Orville Wright(1871-1948)

Wilbur Wright(1867-1912)

Orville Wright took the first successful heavier-than-air engine-powered flight on December 17, 1903, while Wilbur Wright running at wingtip. It lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 ft.

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During the WWI aerial photography was employed.

Aerial photo-reconnaissance played a significant role in WWII.

A 1943 photo shows the main classroom of the U S Navy’s PhotographicU.S. Navy s Photographic Interpretation School in Washington D.C.

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Throughout WWII military photo interpreters provided critical photo-derived information for use in bombing industrial gtargets and for post-bombing appraisals of the damages.

Aerial photograph of a German railroad yard and photo-derived map.

An example of WWII use of aerialWWII use of aerial photographs for bomb damage assessment.

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Geologists learned much about how to interpret vertical aerial photographs as an aid to mineral prospecting.

Vegetation types were delineated for wise forest management pre-WWII.

Use of aerial photographs for inventorying wildlife.

Oblique aerial photograph for counting of an antelope bandcounting of an antelope band, just prior to the start of its fall migration.

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Oblique aerial photograph forOblique aerial photograph for counting of snow geese during a “fly-by” over marshes in Delaware. About 13,500 snow geese could be counted from the whole picture.

Near-IR

Multispectral techniques developed in 1950s.• Penetration of camouflage materials

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• Early detection of diseases and damages on vegetationg

Black-White Photo Near-IR Photo

American Civilian Space Program

As the National Aeronautic and Space Act of 1958 ppassed, National Aeronautic and Space Agency (NASA) officially started business on October 1, 1958.

Space Age – 1957 …

Earth Observation Era – 2000 …

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Historical Aerial Photograph in Rhode Island

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1939

5/15/1931

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1939

1939

10/26/1951

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1962

1939

10/26/1976

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Remote Sensing

The ASPRS definition: “Remote sensing is the art, science, and t h l f bt i i li bl i f titechnology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment, through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting imagery and digital representations of energy patterns derived from non-contact sensor systems (Colwellfrom non contact sensor systems (Colwell, 1997)”

Colwell, R.N., 1997. History and place of photographic interpretation, Manual of Photographic interpretation, W.R. Philipson (Ed.) 2nd Ed., Bethesda: American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing, 33-48.

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Remote Sensing

In general, the simple definition is that remote sensing is the acquiring of data about an object

ith t t hi itwithout touching it.

Robert Green at NASA's JPL suggested to use "remote measurement" because data obtained using new technologies, such as hyperspectral remote sensing systems are so accurateremote sensing systems, are so accurate (Robbins, 1999).

Robbins, J., 1999. High-Tech Camera Sees What Eye Cannot," New York Times, Science Section, September 14, D5.

Remote Sensing is the observation of the Earth from satellites or aircrafts.

Sensors mounted on these platforms capture images of the Earth that reveal features may or may not y yapparent to the naked eye.

The end users or image analysts interpret the data, extract information, and use it to answer real world questions.

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Remote Sensing Platforms and Sensors

How Far Is Remote?

There is no clear distinction about how great the distance should be. It could be 1 meter 100 metersIt could be 1 meter, 100 meters, or > 1 million meters.

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IFOV

QuickBird Satellite Panchromatic Images (0.6-m Spatial Resolution)

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Remote Sensing vs. in situ Data Collection

In remote sensing sensor systems record energy levels, by electromagnetic radiation (EMR) , directly and indirectly reflected or emitted from the ground targets.

Most of the in situ data collection involves going g gout in fields and questioning the phenomena of interests.

Remote Sensing: Advantages

1. Remote sensing is unobtrusive, i.e., a passive remote sensing does not disturb the object or area of interest.

2 R t i d i ft d t2. Remote sensing devices are often programmed to collect data systematically (size, time…). This systematic data collection can remove sampling bias introduced in some in situ investigations.

3. Remote sensing can provide fundamental biophysical data, including: x,y location, z elevation or depth, biomass temperature moisture content etcbiomass, temperature, moisture content, etc.

4. Remote sensing can cover large areas and some of the areas are very difficult or impossible in in situdata collection (wetland, forest, desert, …).

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Remote Sensing: Limitations

1. Remote sensing provides some spatial, spectral, and temporal information of value. Data analysis is

iti lcritical.2. Human beings designed the sensors to collect data,

specify resolutions, calibrate sensors, select platforms that carry sensors, determine when data will be collected, and specify how data are processed. Human-induced error will likely be involvedinvolved.

3. Remote sensing data could be expensive to collect and interpret or analyze.

Typical Remote Sensing Process

1.Statement of the problem2.Data collection3 I i d i f ti3. Image processing and information

extraction4. Information presentation

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A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, modeling, displaying, and mapping geographically p y g, pp g g g p yreferenced information.

GIS can be considered as an integrating technology.

Fundamental Image Analysis Tasks

• Analog (visual) image processing• Digital image processing• Digital image processing• Remote Sensing/GIS and Other Related

Scientific Fields

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Aerial Photography - Vantage Point, Cameras, Filters, and Film

1. Vantage point: (e.g., vertical, low-oblique, high oblique)2. Camera: (e.g., metric, panoramic, digital)3. Filtration (e.g., haze, minus-blue, band-pass-filters)4. Film emulsion (black-and-white, black-and-white

infrared, color, and color infrared).

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Vertical Aerial Photography

A vertical photography is obtained when the camera's optical axis is within 3o of being vertical (perpendicular) to the Earth's level surface.

Vertical Aerial Photography

A vertical photograph in conjunction with another overlapping vertical aerial photograph obtained from slightly different viewing position may be analyzed g y g p y yusing quantitative principles to derive the following type of information:

• Accurate planimetric (x, y location) base maps of natural and man-made features.

• Topographic (z-elevation above sea level) base map• Raster digital elevation models (DEM)• Accurate orthophotographs (aerial photographs that

are geometrically accurate in x, y)

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Oblique Aerial Photography

An oblique aerial photograph is obtained if the camera's optical axis deviates more than 3 degree from vertical.

Low oblique aerial photograph: the horizon is not visible. Visual interpretation of the photograph yields detailed information about the object.

High oblique aerial photograph: horizon is visible.

Object with height appear to lean away from the person viewing the image. It may never be able to extract quantitative information from oblique aerial photograph.

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Types of Aerial Cameras

Single-lens mapping cameras: obtain most of the aerial photography used to map the planimetric (x, y) location of features and to derive topographic (contour) maps.1 Narrow angle camera lens: < 60o1. Narrow angle camera lens: < 602. Normal angle camera lens: 60o - 75o

3. Wide-angle camera lens: 75o - 100o

4. Super-wide-angle: > 100o

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Types of Aerial Cameras

Digital CamerasDigital cameras use area array of solid-stateDigital cameras use area array of solid-state charge-coupled-device (CCD) detectors. The detectors are arranged in a matrix format with, for example, 1524 columns and 1024 rows.

Digital cameras also utilize a lens and shutter gto control the length of exposure and focusing. The major difference is that instead of using film, a CCD area array is located at the film plane.

Four Types of Films in Aerial Photography

Black-and-White FilmPanchromatic - sensitive to blue, green, and red lights. It produces gray tones that are expected and recognized b h b iby human beings.

Black-and-White Infrared FilmSensitive to near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. Records energy that is beyond our human perception. Certain tones might not represent what we would anticipate in the image. For example, health green vegetation is dark on panchromatic photography because it absorbs almoston panchromatic photography because it absorbs almost 80-90% of the incident blue, green, and red radiant energy for photosynthetic purpose. Conversely, healthy vegetation is bright on the black-and-white near-IR photography because it reflects 40-70% of the incident near-infrared energy.

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Black-and-white panchromatic

Black-and-white near-infrared (IR)

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In a black-and-white panchromatic photograph vegetation is recorded in relatively dark tones because it absorbs much of the incident green and red energy.

A black-white near-infrared (IR) photograph depicts land-water interface well. Deciduous trees and tidal wetland vegetation are bright because healthy vegetation reflects much of incident near-IR energy.

Panchromatic - blue Black-white Near IR

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Four Types of Films in Aerial Photography

Normal Color FilmRecords energy in the region from 0.47-0.7 μm (blue, green, and red light) and depicts the terrain in the same colors as our eyes perceive the landscapesame colors as our eyes perceive the landscape.

A haze filter is normally used to prevent UV light from exposing the film.

Color-Infrared FilmOriginally developed during World War II, when there g y p g ,was great interest in increasing the sensitivity of films in infrared region of the spectrum to detect camouflage.

Color IR film records reflected energy from 0.3-0.9μm and portrays the energy on the film in false colors.

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True Color Orthophoto

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QuickBird Satellite True-color and

Pseudo-color Images2.5-m Spatial Resolution

Concept of Multispectral

This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the Golden Gate Bridge and Toll Plaza.

Image collected March 7 2010Image collected March 7, 2010

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This is an enhanced satellite image of the oil spill and clean up effort in the Gulf of Mexico. This image leverages the different sensor bands of WorldView-2 satellite to highlight the oil and dispersant. (Image collected June 15 2010)(Image collected June 15, 2010)

Remote Sensing Core CurriculumRemote Sensing Core Curriculumhttp://www.research.umbc.edu/~tbenja1/umbc7/santabar/rscc.html