Modern technology has changed the way we
view and map Earth.
Technology is used to map Earth.
Remote sensing provides detailed
images of Earth.
Remote sensing
 the use of scientific equipment to gather information

about something from a distance.

can be as simple as a camera mounted on an airplane

can be as complex as a satellite orbiting Earth.
Early mapmakers


had to climb to high points to draw the landforms

took a great amount of time
Remote sensing provides detailed images of Earth.
Modern mapmakers use remote-sensing images to develop accurate
maps of Earth’s surface.
Airplane cameras use film to record data.
Satellites use sensors to build images of Earth.
A sensor is a mechanical or electrical device that receives and
responds to a signal, such as light.
Detect more than your eyes can see.
Collect information about different types of energy coming from
Earth’s surface.
Send information to computers on Earth.
The computers turn the information into images.
Can be used to build an image of the entire planet, a single
continent, or a detail of your area.
A. Energy source (usually the sun) or illumination (can be provided by the
satellite also).
B. Energy travels from its source, interacting and passing through the
atmosphere.
C. Energy interacts with its target. How it interacts depends on the properties of
the target.
D. Remote sensor collects and records the data.
E. Data is transmitted to a processing station where it is processed into an
image.
F. Data is interpreted.
G. Data is applied.
Remote sensing provides detailed
images of Earth.
Picture
Sentence
using scientific equipment
to gather information about something from a
distance
Remote sensing provides detailed
images of Earth.
Q. Describe how the technology of remote sensing
has changed how mapmakers construct maps.
A. Instead of climbing to high points and drawing Earth's
surface by hand, modern mapmakers use remote-sensing
images from airplanes and satellites to develop highly
detailed and accurate maps of Earth’s surface.
Satellites use sensors to build
images of Earth
Satellite sensors detect more
than the eyes can see
Sensors collect information
about different types of energy.
Remote sensing provides detailed images of Earth.
Scientists study changes by using false-color images. In one type of
false color image Earth’s natural colors are replaced with artificial
ones to highlight special features.
Q. What kinds of images can be built from satellite data?
A. images of the entire planet, a single continent, or detailed
closeups of a single location, such as a town
Q Why are false-color images sometimes used instead of
natural color images?
A. False-color images allow scientists to observe changes in objects
or processes more easily and clearly by highlighting them.
Q. How are false-color images helpful to scientists and fire
officials?
A. False-color images can be used to track the outbreak and spread
of dangerous wildfires.
Hemispheric color differences on Saturn’s moon Rhea
are apparent in this false-color view from NASA’s
Cassini spacecraft.
This composite false-color image shows the
Cassiopeia A supernova remnant as seen by
NASA's great observatories
Visualization showing the relative size of Mars compared to
that of Earth. This version uses false color textures (there
are corresponding true color versions as well). The colors
correspond to the heights above/below 'sea level.' This
version also includes pole axes and an orbit plane.
False color image of the topography of the floodplain
(green) of the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
(clockwise from the left).
Geographic information systems display
data in layers.
Geographic information systems (GIS)
Computer systems that store and arrange geographic data
Display the data in many different types of maps.
Used by scientists, city planners, and engineers
Any geographic information can be entered into GIS and converted
into a map.
Useful in displaying information about changes in the environment.
Geographic information systems display
data in layers.
Picture
Sentence
a computer system that can store, arrange, and display
geographic data in many different types of maps
Geographic information systems display
data in layers.
Give one example of how and why GIS maps might
be used by city planners or scientists.
City planners: In planning an airport, city officials might need to
know data about the population of an area, the landscape of an
area, and the highways near an area.
Scientists: GIS maps could be useful in helping scientists track
changes in the environment, for example, tracking vegetation and
animal populations in a certain area before and after a fire.