Platforms and Sensors

Section 4: Sensors

Saeid Gholinejad
Department of Surveying Engineering
Graduate University of Advanced Technology
[email protected]
 Sensors
▪ Sensors:
▪ Devices that detect and capture electromagnetic energy, recording the
data for analysis or further processing.
▪ They consist of some energy detecting part called detectors.
▪ Sensors are parts of satellite system.
▪ Most important properties of a sensor:
▪ Spatial resolution
▪ Spectral resolution
▪ Radiometric resolution
▪ Temporal resolution

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 Sensors properties

▪ Field of View (FoV):

▪ The angle over which the sensor can detect or capture data.
𝑑 2
FoV = 2 arctan( )
2𝑓
▪ The terrestrial equivalent of FoV is swath width.
FoV
SW = 2𝐻 tan( )
2
where H is the satellite height.
▪ Airborne sensors typically have a wide FoV. (70°-90°)
▪ FoV of Landsat 8 is 15°.
▪ The wider the FoV, the more geometric distortion is likely to occur.
▪ Footprint:
FP = FOVradians × 𝐻

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 Sensors properties

▪ Spatial resolution:
▪ The smallest size of the object that can be measured on the ground.
▪ Spatial resolution is more comprehensive than pixel size (or GSD),
although pixel size is often mistakenly referred to as spatial resolution.
▪ Spatial resolution is very dependent on the received energy.
▪ IFOV: describes the angular cone of visibility of a sensor at a given
instant in time.
▪ The IFOV is closely related to the GSD, but the GSD also depends on the
altitude and the optical design of the system.
▪ Sensors categories based on Spatial resolution:
▪ Low resolution (LR)
▪ Medium resolution (MR)
▪ High resolution (HR)
▪ Very High resolution (VHR)
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Sensors properties

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 Sensors properties

▪ Spectral resolution:
▪ There is no certain definition for spectral resolution but it can be
considered as:
▪ Spectral bandwidth (most famous)
▪ Spectral range
▪ Spectral sampling rate (number of bands & their spacing)
▪ More Spectral bandwidth is, lower spectral resolution will be.
▪ Low spectral bandwidth commonly decrease spatial resolution.
▪ Low spectral bandwidth results in low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).
▪ Sensors categories based on spectral resolution (number of bands):
▪ Multi spectral (<15 bands)
▪ Hyper spectral (more than 100 bands)
▪ Ultra spectral (more than Hyper spectral)

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Sensors properties

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 Sensors properties

▪ Ideal case for spectral resolution:

The number of bands, their spacing, and bandwidth be configured in a way that the spectral
signature of the materials to be accurately captured.

▪ Spectral signature:
A spectral signature is the unique pattern of electromagnetic radiation that a material
reflects, absorbs, or emits across different wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.

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 Sensors properties

▪ Radiometric resolution:
▪ Refers to the ability of a sensor or imaging system to detect and
distinguish different levels of intensity or brightness in the
electromagnetic spectrum.

▪ It typically expressed in terms of bits.

Num of Levels = 2bits
Level range: [0,2bits − 1]

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 Sensors properties

▪ An increase in radiometric resolution improves the accuracy of satellite

image processing tasks, such as classification.

▪ Radiometric resolution cannot be increased indefinitely because it

leads to a decrease in the SNR

Satellite Radiometric resolution

Landsat 7 8-bit
Landsat 8 12-bit
Sentinel 2 12-bit
SPOT 1-5 8-bit
SPOT 6-7 12-bit
WorldView Series 11-bit
AVIRIS 16-bit
PRISMA 12-bit 10
 Sensors properties

▪ Temporal resolution:
▪ The time interval between two consecutive images of a specific area.
▪ Revisit time
▪ Temporal resolution is inversely related to spatial resolution.
▪ Satellite constellations: a strategy for improving temporal resolution.

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 Different Types of Sensors
▪ Sensors based on the source of electromagnetic energy
▪ Passive: detect natural energy from the Sun (in the visible, infrared, and
near-infrared spectrums) or thermal energy emitted by objects (in the
thermal infrared spectrum).

▪ They commonly operate in the visible, infrared, and thermal infrared

regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

▪ Passive sensors are dependent on sunlight, meaning they cannot

capture images at night

▪ Cloud cover can obstruct observations in the visible and infrared

bands.

▪ They tend to require less power compared to active sensors. 12

 Different Types of Sensors

1. Based on the source of electromagnetic energy

A. Passive: detect natural energy from the Sun (in the visible, infrared,
and near-infrared spectrums) or thermal energy emitted by objects
(in the thermal infrared spectrum).

▪ They commonly operate in the visible, infrared, and thermal infrared

regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

▪ Passive sensors are dependent on sunlight, meaning they cannot

capture images at night

▪ Cloud cover can obstruct observations in the visible and infrared

bands.

▪ They tend to require less power compared to active sensors. 13

 Different Types of Sensors

B. Active: Sensors that generate and emit their own energy (typically in
the form of electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, microwaves,
or lasers) to illuminate a target. Then, they detect and measure the
energy that is reflected or scattered back from the target surface

▪ They can operate both day and night since they do not depend on
sunlight.

▪ They are also less affected by weather conditions such as cloud cover.

▪ They typically operate in the microwave and radio wavelengths,

though some (like lidar) use light in the visible and near-infrared
spectrums.

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 Different Types of Sensors

▪ Advantages:
▪ All-weather operation:
▪ High accuracy: They provide precise measurements of distance,
height, and other object properties, enabling detailed mapping and
analysis.
▪ Penetration abilities: Some active sensors, like radar, can penetrate
vegetation, soil, or even ice to reveal features beneath the surface.

▪ Limitations:
▪ Higher power consumption
▪ Complex data processing
▪ Cost

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 Different Types of Sensors
▪ Sensors based on the imaging geometry
▪ Whisk-broom
▪ Push-broom
▪ Frame-type

Wisk-broom sensor Push-broom sensor

scanning model scanning model