Remote Sensing and GIS

LECTURE 1:
REMOTE SENSING

Binyam Tesfaw Hailu, PhD

October, 2023
 Geoinformatics

IT IS THE SCIENCE AND THE TECHNOLOGY

WHICH DEVELOPS AND USES INFORMATION
SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS THE
PROBLEMS OF GEOGRAPHY, CARTOGRAPHY,
GEOSCIENCES AND RELATED BRANCHES OF
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoinformatics
• Cartography is the study and practice of making maps.
• Geodesy also known as geodetics or geodetics engineering
— a branch of applied mathematics and earth sciences, is the
[2]
scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and
representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a
three-dimensional time-varying space.
• A geographic information system or geographical
information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture,
store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of
spatial or geographical data.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoinformatics
• A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system of satellites
that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage.
A satellite navigation system with global coverage may be termed a
global navigation satellite system (GNSS).
• Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements
from photographs, especially for recovering the exact
positions of surface points.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoinformatics
• Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an
object or phenomenon without making physical contact with
the object and thus in contrast to on site observation.
• Spatial analysis or spatial statistics includes any of the formal
techniques which study entities using their topological,
geometric, or geographic properties.
• Web mapping is the process of using maps delivered by
geographical information systems (GIS).
Geoinformatics/Geomatics
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) de ned geomatics (also used as
geoinformatics) as a eld of activity which, using a systematic approach, integrates all the means
used to acquire and manage spatial data
• These data required as part of scienti c, administrative, legal, and technical operations
involved in the process of production and management of spatial information.
These activities include, but are not limited to,
• cartography,
• control surveying,
• digital mapping,
• geodesy,
• geographic information systems,
• hydrography,
• land information management,
• land surveying,
• mining surveying,
• photogrammetry, and
• remote sensing.
fi
fi
fi
 DEFINITION
• Remote sensing can be broadly defined as the collection
and interpretation of information about an object, area, or
event without being in physical contact with the object.

www.ars.usda.gov
CONT…

Remote Sensing allows us to make

observations, to take measurements,
and to produce images of phenomena
that are beyond the limits of our own
senses and capabilities.
The science of remote sensing in its
broadest sense includes
● Ground Based
● aerial observations,
● satellite / spacecraft observations of
the surfaces and atmospheres of the
planet earth and other planets in our
solar system,
Components of remote sensing
● The target is the object or material that is being studied.

● an energy source which illuminates or provides

electromagnetic energy to the target.

● a transmission path : the interaction between the energy

and the target depending on the properties of the target
and the radiation.

● The sensor is a remote device that will collect and record

the electromagnetic radiation.
HOW DOES REMOTE SENSING WORK?

(A) Source of energy (Sun)

(B) Radiation and the atmosphere
(C) Interaction with the Target
(D) Device to sample and measure radiation (Sensor)
(E) Data Transmission and Reception
(F) Interpretation and Analysis
(G) Applications
 ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY
• The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is the continuous range of
electromagnetic radiation, extending from gamma rays (highest
frequency & shortest wavelength) to radio waves (lowest frequency & longest
wavelength) and including visible light.
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/backgrounders/remote-sensing
 Interaction of EMR with the
earth’s surface
• When radiation from the Sun reaches the surface of the Earth, some
of the energy at speci c wavelengths is absorbed and the rest of the
energy is re ected by the surface material.

• In remote sensing, a detector measures the electromagnetic

(EM) radiation that is reflected back from the Earth’s surface
materials.

E(I)=E(A)+E(R)+E(T)
fl
fi
 • Reflection

• Re ection occurs when a ray of light is redirected as it strikes a non-transparent

surface.
• surface re ections are the most useful and revealing in remote sensing applications.
• Spectral re ectance→Spectral signature

Spectral signature
• Spectral re ectance, [ρ(λ)], is the ratio of re ected energy to incident energy as a
function of wavelength.
• Spectral re ectance is responsible for the color or tone in a photographic image of
an object.
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
CONT…
• Various materials of the earth’s surface have different spectral re ectance
characteristics.
• The spectral re ectance is dependent on wavelength,

• The re ectance characteristics of the earth’s surface features are

expressed by spectral re ectance, which is given by:

ρ(λ) = [ER(λ) / EI(λ)] x 100

Where,
• ρ(λ) = Spectral re ectance (re ectivity) at a particular wavelength.
• ER(λ) = Energy of wavelength re ected from object
• EI(λ) = Energy of wavelength incident upon the object
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
The plot between ρ(λ) and λ is called a spectral re ectance curve.

This varies with the variation in the chemical composition and physical
conditions of the feature, which results in a range of values.

Spectral signature is a term used for unique spectral

response pattern, which is characteristic of a terrain
feature.

fl
CONT…

• These measurements can help to distinguish the type of land covering. Soil,
water and vegetation have clearly different patterns of re ectance and
absorption over different wavelengths.

• The re ectance of radiation from one type of surface material, such as soil,
varies over the range of wavelengths in the EM spectrum. This is known as the
spectral signature of the material.
fl
fl
SPECTRAL SIGNATURE CURVE
Reflectance of water, soil and vegetation in different wavelengths and Landsat TM
channels 1 (0.45-0.52 µm), 2 (0.52-0.60 µm), 3 (0.63-0.69 µm), 4 (0.76-0.90 µm), 5 (1.55-1.75 µm) and 7 (2.08-2.35 µm).

https://seos-project.eu/classi cation/ The spectral response patterns of brownish-gray soil (mollisol), grass, and water.

classi cation-c01-p05.html

The spectral response patterns of conifer trees and deciduous trees

fi
fi
Contrasting re ectance spectra for dry and green grass, wet and dry soil, wetland with 20% and
60% vegetation, and sea water.
• The spectral data for wet and dry soils are from ASTER spectral library (https://
speclib.jpl.nasa.gov/).
• Other spectral data are from USGS Spectral Library Version 7 (https://crustal.usgs.gov/speclab/
QueryAll07a.php?quick_ lter)]
fl
fi
 WHERE CAN WE GET THE IMAGES?
EXAMPLE: FROM SPACE
(LANDSAT SERIES -1 TO 9)
SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS LANDSAT

Binyam T. Hailu 2/2/2021

FREE AVAILABLE SATELLITE IMAGE :
LANDSAT

• The history of Earth observation from space is well re ected through the Landsat program.
• With data collection beginning with Landsat-1 in 1972, the program has evolved technical
capabilities while maintaining continuity of land observations.
• In so doing, Landsat has provided a critical reference for assessing long-term changes to Earth's
land environment due to both natural and human forcing.

fl
OBTAINING FREE MULTI-TEMPORAL LANDSAT DATA

• There are various sources for obtaining Landsat satellite imagery, but one of the most useful is the WWW data
portal provided by the USGS (United States geological Survey).
• Earth Resources Observation & Science Center (EROS)
• http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
• http://landsathandbook.gsfc.nasa.gov/handbook.html.
• http://glovis.usgs.gov.

Binyam T. Hailu 2/2/2021

ZOOM IN TO SEE SPECIFIED AREA OF INTEREST, THEN CLICK ON RESULTS

Binyam T. Hailu 2/2/2021

 Before you download, you must register as a user and login
Download the metadata and images

Becomes Active After

logging in

Binyam T. Hailu 2/2/2021

History of Landsat Satellite Image

Binyam T. Hailu 2/2/2021

LANDSAT (7 AND 8) AND SENTINEL 2
HTTPS://WWW.YORK.AC.UK/ENVIRONMENT/
RESEARCH/KITE/RESOURCES/#TAB-5
HTTPS://WWW.YORK.AC.UK/ENVIRONMENT/
RESEARCH/KITE/RESOURCES/#TAB-5
https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/eng/catalog.search#/search?facet.q=type%2Fdataset
HTTP://WWW.RCMRD.ORG/
HTTP://GEOPORTAL.RCMRD.ORG/
ETHIOPIA
Some Application areas of Remote Sensing
LAND COVER MAP USING LANDSAT TM
30M SPATIAL RESOLUTION
CHANGE DETECTION
USING LANDSAT IMAGE
GEOLOGIC MAPPING
USAGE OF GOOGLE EARTH
IMAGE
 • Identi cation of hot surfaces from Landsat 8
thermal bands using digital image processing
fi