Quick History of Remote Sensing - Remote Sensing and GIS ...

9/10/2007Quick History of Remote SensingGaspard Felix Tournachon, 1859The First Aerial Photographer, Taurnachon, also known asNadar, was a famous French photographer and balloonistwhose goal was to make land surveys from aerialphotographs. Although not particularly successful, he didcatch the eye of the military.Galileo: 1609His most stunning (and controversial!)discovery was of satellites orbitingJupiter, dashing the concept of anEarth-centered universe with allobjects revolving around the Earth.http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.htmlhttp://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.htmlProfessor Thaddeus Lowe, 1861In 1861, Lowe went up in a balloon near Cincinnati Ohio, to make weatherobservations. Unfortunately, strong winds carried him to South Carolina, where hewas arrested by the Confederacy as a Union spy.Eventually released, he believed that tethered balloons could be used forreconnaissance. After viewing a demonstration, President Lincoln agreed andauthorized the US Army Balloon Corps in 1862. Despite its advantages, the unit wasdeactivated in 1863. Balloons had a not-surprising tendency to draw enemy fire.Balloons are still used today for lowlevel remote sensing.In this example, a Canon Rebel, 8mbcamera is suspended from a weatherballoon and pulled by a vehicle.The Bavarian Pigeon Corps: 1903Realizing that balloons weredangerous as observation posts, andthe use of kites were uncertain, Aninnovative attempt was to attach alight camera to a carrier pigeon.These cameras took a picture everythirty seconds as the pigeon wingedits way along a straight course to itshome shelter. Releasing the birdsbehind enemy lines presented aproblem, as the pigeons were rathertasty to hungry troops who shotthem down.The problem of random flight pathsand tasty pigeons was solved by twobicycle repairmen in Ohio.Photos from an Aeroplane: 1909The first photographs from an aircraft were taken byL. P. Bonvillain, a passenger of Wilbur Wright,during a demonstration flight in France.The first motion picture was taken by an Italianphotographer accompanying Wilbur on a later flight.Value during war timeBy the end of World War I, the value of aerialreconnaissance was obvious to both sides ofthe conflict. By the last offensive, theGermans were collecting over 4,000 picturesper day and during the last four months, theUS Army collected over 1 million.http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.htmlhttp://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.html1

9/10/2007The Buzz Bomb: 1944Constance Baddington Smith, a Royal Air Forcephoto interpreter was one of the first to prove thevalue of aerial photos to identify top-secret activitiesof the other side using stereo photography. At firstshe did not know what she was looking at.She was the first to identify a launching site of theV-1 1B Buzz Bombs at the German experimental stationat Peenemunde on the Baltic Coast.The photo at the right is of a V-2 launching ramp.The V-2 Rocket is the predecessor of the launchvehicles we use today to launch remote sensingplatforms – among other things.The Cuban Missile Crisis and OthersU-2 Spy PlaneSR-71 BLACKBIRDhttp://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.htmlhttp://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/history/history_0.htmlhttp://www.fas.org/irp/imint/sr-71.htmhttp://www.fas.org/irp/imint/Global HawkPathfinderThe Global Hawk UAV belongs to a new series ofadvanced and autonomous remote sensing platformsable to fly across the globe with little or no supervision.Able to fly at 80,000 feet ASL, these new UAV’s arelightweight, autonomous, and can carry significant payloadsfor it’s size and weight.HeliosApollo ProgramApollo 8 returned the first pictures of the Earthfrom deep space (1968). Images from the Apollo 9multispectral four-lens camera were digitized andused to develop techniques for processing Landsatdata, which, in 1969, was still four years away.With a 247 foot wingspan, Helios can fly above 93,000 feet ASL. Future modelswill be designed to stay aloft for more than 6 months. The Helios weighsapproximately 1,600lbs which translates to about .81lbs/sq. ft. of wing. The topspeed is 27mph with a take-off speed of ~15 mph. The aircraft is solar poweredwith a polymer-electrolyte (oxygen/hydrogen) fuel cell for night time activity.2

9/10/2007Current Sensors and StrategiesEarth System ScienceAn overriding strategy of remotesensing organizations is to integratevarious sensors trained at differentsurface and atmospheric features tounderstand the parts that make up thewhole of the Earth System.Image taken from NASApromotional materialCommercial vs. Public Remote Sensing StrategiesCommercial industry moving toward spatialresolution and competition with aerial photographyPublic sensors moving towards increased spectral andradiometric resolution and focusing applications onearth based researchApplications• Riparian• Wetlands• Agriculture• Forestry• UrbanSystem• 3-Cameras• SpectralRadiometer• Thermal CameraAirborne Digital CameraDigital Aerial Orthophotography (B/W)Digital OrthophotoquadsComplete, State-WideCoverage of Utah andMost other StatesFrom Virtual Utahhttp://earth.gis.usu.edu/utah4

9/10/2007Digital Color OrthophotographyNAIP (Nat. Color and NIR)NAIP Color 1 meter imageryfor UtahComplete, State-WideCoverage of Utah andMost other StatesFrom Virtual Utahhttp://earth.gis.usu.edu/utahBenefits of Temporal 1 MeterImagery• On Landsat 4,5, & 7• Spatial Resolution: 30/120 and15/30/90 (L7)• Radiometric Resolution: 256• Spectral Resolution: 7 spectralbands Blue/Green, Green, Red,NIR, MIR, MIR, Thermal• 423 mile orbit• Oscillating mirror design acquiresdata with each sweep in bothdirections• One swath = 185 km x 474 meters• Each spectral band has 16 detectorsexcept for the thermal band whichhas 4 detectors.• 474 Meters / 16 Dectors = 29.625Meter Ground Resolution Reflected• 474 Meters/ 4 Detectors = 118.5Meter Ground Resolution Thermal• 16 day repeat cycleLandsat TMSPOT - 4• HRV -High resolution visible• March 24, 1998 launch date• Spatial Resolution: 20m color/ 10m b/w• Spectral Resolution: 4 spectral bands green, red,nir, mir• Radiometric Resolution: 256• 832 km orbit• Repeat Interval: 36 days vertical/ 2.5 daysoblique• Sensor Type: Linear array (push-broom)• Panchromatic - 6,000 pixels/line• .51 - .73 µm• Multispectral - 3,000 pixels/line• .50 - .59 µm Green• .61 - .68 µm Red• .79 - .89 µm NIR•1.58-1.75 µm Short Wave Infraredwww.spot.com• One swath = 60 km• 2 HRV's that can be positioned two ways:• Large swath (both HRV's combined)• Off nadir up to 27 DegreesSatellite Probatoire d' Observation de la Terre(SPOT)http://www.eoc.nasda.go.jp/guide/satellite/satdata/spot_e.html5

9/10/2007SPOTMarco Island, South CarolinaSPIN 2Southeastern border of Camp W.G. Williams, UT at16m resolutionSPOT Multispectral false colorcomposite - 20m resolutionSPOT Panchromatic (B/W) image10m resolutionImages courtesy of the University of South CarolinaImage taken from Microsoft Terraserver (www.terraserver.com)SPIN 2Northern most extent of Utah Lake, at 1.5 m resolutionSPIN-2 is panchromatic, 2 meter resolution Russian satellite image dataSPIN 2Data Available from Aerial Images, Inc. - www.spin-2.comImage taken from Microsoft Terraserver (www.terraserver.com)Land Satellite (LANDSAT) 7Katrina Damage toNew Orleans09/01/05http://www.eoc.nasda.go.jp/guide/satellite/sen_menu_e.html6

9/10/2007IKONOSIKONOS is the world’s first commercialone-meter resolution B/W and 4 metercolor Earth imaging satellite. IKONOSwill be able to produce imagery that canbe used for a variety of marketapplications including urban planning,environmental monitoring, mapping,natural disaster assessment,http://www.spaceimage.com/newsroom/releases/1999/launch924.htmIndian Remote Sensing (IRS)PanchromaticPan 0.5-0.75 µm5.8 m spatial resolution70 km swathStereoRepeat coverage: 24 days at equatorRevisit: 5 days with ± 26° off-nadir viewingLISS-IIIIRS-1C 1995WiFSBlue ----Red 0.62-0.68 068µmGreen 0.52-0.59 µmNIR 0.77-0.86 µmRed 0.62-0.68 µm188 m spatial resolutionNear Infrared 0.77-0.86 µm774 km swathSW Infrared 1.55-1.70 µmRepeat coverage: 5 days at equator23 m spatial resolution for all bands,except 70 m for SW InfraredContact Information:142 km swath Bands 2,3,4www.spaceimaging.com148 km swath Band 5Repeat coverage: 24 days at equatorTape RecorderTERRA(EOS-AM1)Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System ExperimentThe Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometerCERESMISRCERES products include both solar-reflected andEarth-emitted radiation from the top of theatmosphere to the Earth's surface.Analyses of the CERES data, which build upon thefoundation laid by previous missions …. will lead toa better understanding of the role of clouds and theenergy cycle in global climate change.http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ASDceres.htmlIn this image, heat energy radiated from the earth is shown invarying shades of yellow, red, blue and whitehttp://visibleearth.nasa.gov/Sensors/Terra/CERES.htmlThe change in reflection at different view anglesaffords the means to distinguish different types ofatmospheric particles (aerosols), cloud forms, andland surface covers. Combined with stereoscopictechniques, this enables construction of 3-dimensional models and more accurate estimatesof the total amount of sunlight reflected by Earth'sdiverse environments.http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/In the left image, color variations indicate how different parts ofthe scene reflect light differently at blue, green, and redwavelengths; in the right image color variations show how thesesame scene elements reflect light differently at different angles ofviewhttp://visibleearth.nasa.gov/Sensors/Terra/MISR.html7

9/10/2007Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT)Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroradiometerMOPITTDuring the five-year mission, MOPITT willcontinuously scan the atmosphere below it toprovide the world with the first long-term,global measurements of carbon monoxide andmethane gas levels in the lower atmospherehttp://www.science.sp-agency.ca/J1-MOPITT(Eng).htmThis MOPITT image shows the relative amount of CO over NorthAmerica from March 5-7, 2000http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/Sensors/Terra/MOPITT.htmlMODISThe MODIS Instrument will view the entire Earth's surface every1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands. These data willimprove our understanding of global dynamics and processesoccurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the loweratmosphere. MODIS will play a vital role in the development ofvalidated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predictglobal change accurately enough to assist policy makers inmaking sound decisions concerning the protection of ourenvironment.http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/The Nile river and delta winds through Egypt in this imagefrom MODIS. The Sinai peninsula and Red Sea are on theright.http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/Sensors/Terra/MODIS.htmlApril 28 th , 2004Fires in China and Russia causedmostly by agricultural burning.captured by the ModerateResolution Imaging Spectrometer(MODIS).April 28th, 2004Dust storm in Nevada capturedby the Moderate ResolutionImaging Spectrometer (MODIS)Flooding along the MississippiRiver, ArkansasTemporal Frequency of MODISSeptember 1, 2007September 2, 2007September 3, 2007September 4, 2007September 5, 2007September 6, 2007April 17 th , 2004 April 27 th , 20048

9/10/2007Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometerJapanese Earth Resources Satellite -1 (JERS-1)ASTERThe primary objective for the ASTER mission is toobtain high spatial resolution global, regional and localimages of the Earth in 14 spectral bands.ASTER is a cooperative effort between NASA and Japan'sMinistry of International Trade and Industry, with thecollaboration of scientific and industry organizations in bothcountries. The ASTER instrument consists of three separateinstrument subsystems. Each subsystem operates in adifferent spectral region and has its own telescope(s).http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/San Francisco Bay Areahttp://visibleearth.nasa.gov/Sensors/Terra/ASTER.htmlJERS-1 is a joint project between theNational Space Development Agency ofJapan (NASDA) and the Ministry ofInternational Trade and Industry(MITI).The JERS-1 mission is focused on Earthresources, geology, agriculture, forestry,land use, sea ice monitoring and coastalmonitoring. It is a box type satellite in asun synchronous sub-recurrent orbit.Grand Canyon, AZhttp://www.asf.alaska.edu/source_documents/jers1_source.htmlRadarsatThe RADARSAT system was developedunder the management of the CanadianSpace Agency (CSA) in cooperation withprovincial governments and the privatesectorAIRPORTMAUIAt the heart of RADARSAT is anadvanced radar sensor called SyntheticAperture Radar (SAR). SAR is amicrowave instrument that sends pulsedsignals to Earth and processes thereceived reflected pulses.http://www.space.gc.ca/csa_sectors/earth_environment/radarsat/default.asp9