Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
Steve Oden, Educator
MathScience Innovation Center
Developed with funding from the MathScience Innovation Center
Major
Understanding
Remote sensing continues to provide the most wide-range data available to
monitor global dynamics. Active and passive remote acquisition of data is
accomplished by satellites (polar-orbiting and geostationary), aircraft, and
hand-held instrumentation. Students will use Alta II reflectance spectrometers
and infrared sensors to model passive and active remote acquisition of data.
They will use the data to analyze the organic content of soil and to create falsecolor maps.
Grade/Subject
Earth Science, Oceanography, AP Environmental Science
Describe what is meant by “remote sensing”.
Objectives
Distinguish between active and passive remote sensing.
Distinguish between a true-color and a false-color map.
Contrast POES vs. GOES satellites in terms of orbit and scope of data
acquired.
Create a false-color temperature map using data collected with IR
thermometers.
Identify examples of optimum use of true-color vs. false-color maps.
Explain how remote sensing facilitates global data acquisition and
interpretation.
Describe how remote sensing may be used to monitor crop health.
Evaluate the limitations on using different types of electromagnetic in
remote sensing.
Time
Anticipatory Set: Can You Sense Remotely?
PowerPoint: Overview of Remote Sensing
Activity: Organic Content of Soil
Problem: Why Can’t We Just Use Our Eyes? Oil vs. Algae
PowerPoint: Overview of Satellites
Activity: False-Color vs. True Color
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
http://MathInScience.info
5 min
10 min
25 min
5 min
10 min
25 min
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2010
Closure
Materials
5 min
For the class and demonstrations:
 Computer
 LCD Projector
 PowerPoint: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
 2 Bolts of Dark Fabric – 6’ X 6’
 Reusable Hand Warmers
For each student:
 Student Data Sheet
For each group of 2 or 3 students:
 IR Thermometer
 ALTA II Reflectance Spectrometer
 Soil Samples: low organic and high organic
 Paper plate for soil lab
State and National
Correlations
Virginia Standards of Learning: 2010 Earth Science (ES.1, ES.2, ES.3)
National Science Education Standards: Unifying concepts and processes in
science; Science as inquiry; Science and technology; Science in personal and
social perspectives.
21st Century
Curriculum
Modeling and Inquiry
Instructional
Strategies
1. Anticipatory Set. (Slides 1–2)
Define remote sensing. Ask: Can we sense things remotely?
2. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slide 3)
Overview of remote sensing: different distances and different techniques.
3. Activity. (Slides 4–7)
Reflectance spectrometer activity to demonstrate that organic content of
soil can be determined by spectrometry.
4. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 8–10)
Check to see if students can distinguish between an algal bloom and an oil
slick. Make the point that our eyes can’t give us all the information we
need. Use plant spectral signature as an example.
5. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 11–23)
Overview of satellites and instrumentation: different orbits, different
instrumentation, different data.
6. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 24–26)
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
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©MathScience Innovation Center, 2010
Introduce concept of true-color vs. false-color images.
7. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 27–28)
Interpreting false-color images: what the different colors represent.
8. Activity and PowerPoint: (Slides 29–32)
Create your own false-color map. Review procedures to use IR
thermometers to create a false-color map creation.
9. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 33–35)
Applications of remote sensing: agriculture, ocean monitoring, satellite
altimetry.
10. PowerPoint Presentation. (Slides 36–37)
Passive vs. active remote sensing compared.
11. Closure. (Slide 38)
Practice
Explore activities in remote sensing at “Event-Based Science”.
Closure
Summarize techniques and applications of remote sensing.
Assessment
Sample items are provided for use in checking students’ understanding.




Paper Pencil Test: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
Answer Key to Paper Pencil Test
Product: Make a False-Color Map of Your Classroom
Rubric: Make a False-Color Map of Your Classroom
The following table shows how the assessment items are related to specific
objectives.
Objective
PaperPencil
Test
Describe what is meant by “remote sensing”.
8
Distinguish between active and passive remote sensing.
6
Distinguish between a true-color and a false-color map.
Contrast POES vs. GOES satellites in terms of orbit and scope of data
acquired.
Create a false-color temperature map using data collected with IR
thermometers.
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
http://MathInScience.info
Product/
Performance
Product
2
Product
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2010
Identify examples of optimum use of true-color vs. false-color maps.
5
Explain how remote sensing facilitates global data acquisition and
interpretation.
1, 4
Describe how remote sensing may be used to monitor crop health.
7
Evaluate the limitations on using different types of electromagnetic in
remote sensing.
3
Teaching Tips
Extensions
Materials

Cen-Tech Infrared Thermometer, Model 96451, purchased from Harbor
Freight Tools.

Reusable hand warmers purchased from HotSnapZ™.

ALTA II Reflectance Spectrometers purchased from Vernier.

Expanded Teaching Notes: Click here for a detailed script on
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing.
MathScience Innovation Center
Information on innovative educational programs available to students, teachers
and school divisions, and procedures for registering for programs.
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SeaWiFS Project Homepage
Overview of the SeaWiFS project and access to remote sensing data.
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/
Remote Sensing Tutorial from NASA
http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Exploring the Global Garden: Soil Types and Testing
http://www.rain.org/global-garden/soil-types-and-testing.htm
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
http://MathInScience.info
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2010