CE 6513: GIS and Remote

Sensing in
Transportation
Teacher:
Dr. Sayeed Ahmed
Consulting Engineer and GIS Specialist

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 1

 To be Covered
 Remote sensing basics
 Why remote sensing (RS) is essential for GIS
 Basic concepts of RS and its data structure

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 2

Remote Sensing – Basic Principles
• What is Remote Sensing?
• Science of obtaining the physical properties of an area without being
there
• Technology for obtaining information about a target through the analysis
of data acquired from a distance
• It allows users to capture, visualize, and analyze objects and
features on the Earth’s surface
• We can classify it into land cover and other types of analyses
• Remote sensing uses a sensor to capture an image
• Airplanes, satellites, and UAVs have specialized platforms that carry
sensors
• Reference
• https://gisgeography.com/remote-sensing-earth-observation-guide/
Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 3
Remote Sensing – Basic Principles
• How remote sensing works
• A sensor takes photographs from a distance
• Electromagnetic signals from objects hits the sensor
• These signals create electronic signals
• Electronic signals are translated into image files
Berkeley University reading materials:
• https://nature.berkeley.edu/~penggong/textbook/chapter1/html/chapter%201.h
tm#:~:text=Remote%20sensing%20data%20acquisition%20can,use%20sens
ors%20to%20collect%20data

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 4

 RS – Basic Principles
• RS composed of three parts
• targets - objects or phenomena
in an area;
• data acquisition - through
specific instruments (sensors);
and
• data analysis and presentation in
the form of an image – with
software.

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 5

RS – Data Acquisition
• Remote sensing can be divided into two types:
• Passive remote sensing and
• Active remote sensing
• Passive sensors gather radiation emitted or reflected by objects or surrounding areas.
• Reflected sunlight is the most common source of radiation measured by passive sensors.
• Examples: film photography, infrared
• Active sensors emit energy to scan objects and areas, whereupon a sensor detects and
measures the radiation reflected or backscattered from the target.
• Examples of active remote sensing
• RADAR – Radio Detection and Ranging
• LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging
• Time delay between emission and return is measured, establishing an object's location,
speed, and direction.

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 6

 RS – Data Acquisition
• Remote sensing data is acquired from:
• aircrafts,
• satellites,
• balloons,
• rockets,
• space shuttles
• Sensors are mounted on them to collect data.
• Sensors include aerial photographic cameras and non-photographic
instruments, such as radiometers, electro-optical scanners, radar
systems, etc.
• Electro-magnetic energy is reflected, transmitted, or emitted by the
target and recorded by the sensor.
Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 7
RS – Data Acquisition

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 8

RS – Data Acquisition

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 9

RS – Data Storage
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
• A rectangle is divided into rows and columns 0 R T
forming cells or grid points
1 R T
• One number for each cell (or grid point) 2 H R
3 R
4 R R
5 R
6 R T T H
7 R T T
8 R
9 R

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 10

RS – Identifying Land Cover Types
• When the sun ray passes through a
prism, it is dispersed into seven
different colours.
• It shows that the while light of the
sun has many colours.
• When it hits a coloured object, say
red, the reflects only the red colour,
and absorbs the others.
• Then we know that the object’s
colour is red.

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 11

RS – Electromagnetic Waves
• Light is a small part of the
electromagnetic spectrum
• Electronic sensors can detect signals
over a wide range of wavelength
• The unique way a given land cover
reflects and absorbs light is known as
its spectral signature.

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 12

RS – Data Resolution
• Spatial
• The size of a pixel that is recorded in a raster image
• Square areas ranging from 1 to 1,000 metres (3.3 to 3,280.8 ft)
• Spectral
• Number of frequency bands
• Example: NASA Landsat images have 7 bands
• Includes several in the infrared spectrum, ranging from a spectral resolution
of 0.7 to 2.1 μm.

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 13

 RS – Data Resolution
• Radiometric
• Number of different intensities of radiation
• Typically, from 8 to 14 bits (256 levels of the grayscale and up to 16,384 intensities or
“shades” of colour)
• Temporal resolutions – how often the image of one area is taken?
• Frequency of flyovers by the satellite or plane
• Relevant in time-series studies or those requiring an averaged or mosaic image, as
in deforesting monitoring
• First used by the intelligence community where repeated coverage revealed
infrastructure changes, the deployment of units, or the modification/introduction of
equipment.
• Cloud cover over a given area or object makes it necessary to repeat the collection of
said location
Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 14
RS – Landcover Classification
• Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the
U.S. Geological Survey
• Landsat 1 – launched on July 23, 1972
• That program of earth observation system is continuing till today
• Currently orbiting and active satellites are Landsat 8 and Landsat 9.
• Scientists monitor landcover changes
• Drought, flood, change in cropping pattern, crop damage or disease etc.
• Satellites such as Landsat 7, 8, 9
• Images are taken every few days, i.e. 16 days
• They process the data to find out
• Current land type and if there is any change
• Latest Landsat satellite is Landsat 9, Ref: https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-9
• Landsat history: https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/history/
Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 15
 RS – Landsat Bands

More about band combinations in all Landsat

satellites: https://gisgeography.com/landsat-8-
bands-combinations/
Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 16
RS – Landsat Bands
Landsat 9 Band Designations

More on Landsat 9 program:

https://gisgeography.com/landsat-9/

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 17

Do At Home
• Find out the difference between RADAR and LiDAR remote sensing
• Find out what will come after Landsat 9
• Find out the formula for Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI)
and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index NDVI

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 18

End of Lecture 6

Lecture 6 – Remote Sensing Basics 19