Satellite Imagery and
Remote Sensing
DeeDee Whitaker
SW Guilford High
EES & Chemistry
whitakd@gcsnc.com
Outline
 What is remote sensing?
 How does remote sensing
work?
 What role does the
electromagnetic spectrum play
in satellite imagery?
 How can satellite imagery be
applied in science classrooms?
Common Vocabulary
 Remote sensing- gathering data without direct
contact.
 Satellite- in this case, a man-made machine
orbiting the Earth that collects reflected
radiation from the Earth’s surface.
 Pixel-picture element or the size of the digital
block of information
 Resolution- the “clarity” or amount of data
stored in a pixel. Resolution relates to pixel size.
The smaller the pixel the greater the resolution.
What is remote sensing?
 Identifying, observing, and
measuring an object without
coming into direct contact with
it (NASA)
So many satellites and sensors
According
to NASAthere were
about 3000
satellites
operating
in Earth
orbit in
2012.
US Satellite Orbits
Constellation
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How does Remote Sensing work?
Satellite imagery is a special case of digital
photography.
Radiation bands in the electromagnetic
spectrum that are reflected from the
Earth’s surface back into space can be
collected by satellite sensors and stored
digitally as pixels.
The most common electromagnetic bands
for satellite imagery are visible light, near
infrared radiation (NIR), and infrared
radiation (IR).
http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/education/class/yuri/erb.html
 Some satellites collect only the radiation that
that is reflected from the surface of the earth.
(Passive)
 Other satellites like JASON, emit radiation at
13.6 GHz and 5.3GHz and measure the time it
takes for the “round trip”. (Active)
 Active satellites
measure elevation and
are used to generate
topography.
What role does the Electromagnetic
Spectrum play in RS?
R
e
f
l
e
c
t
a
n
c
e
http://accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=796762
EES Sensor Ranges
Visible Spectrum- full color digital
photography
Infrared- “heat”
Near-Infrared- vegetation
Mid-Infrared- soils
Ultraviolet- clouds and snow cover
All color images require “processing”.
Differences Among Infrared Regions
Near IR- (0.7 - 1)microns
740 K- (3000-5200 K)
Earth’s surface and above
Mid IR 5 to (25-40) microns
(92.5-140) K to 740 K
only above the atmosphere
Far IR (25-40) to (200-350) microns
(10.6-18.5) K to (92.5-140) K
only above the atmosphere
Reminder : C° + 273 = K
Visible and Near IR Comparisons
A
B
A
B
Examples of Satellite Imagery
NASA and Google Earth
How can scientists use IR data to
study the earth’s surface?
Kohrs, Infrared
Image
Landsat Program
 Land cover and
land cover change
 Temporal: 16 days
 Spectral: 4-8 bands
 Spatial resolution:
30 m

http://earthobservatory.nas
a.gov/Features/Landsat/
MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer)
 Temporal: Daily
 Global land cover
 Spectral: 36 bands and ocean RS
 Spatial: 250-1000 m  Fire monitoring

http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/about
IKONOS- commercial
 Temporal: On Demand
 Spectral: 4 bands,
panchromatic
 Spatial: 1-4 m
 Local land cover

http://www.satimagingcorp.com/galleryikonos.html
JASON (Active)
 Temporal: 10 days
 Sea level
 Spectral: NA (Active)
 Spatial: ~ 2 km

http://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite_missions/list_of_satellites/jas2
_general.html
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How can satellite imagery be
applied to EES classrooms?
Weather
forecasting
Storm tracking
Ocean temperature
monitoring
Sea level changes
Large scale land
mass & land use
changes
Resources
 NC OneMap-data and imagery
 http://www.nconemap.com/
 National Map-data and imagery
 http://nationalmap.gov/viewer.html
 Imagery Sources
 http://www.info.com/nasa%20satellite%20imagery?cb=27&
cmp=3913&gclid=CP20qKO6xrACFYlk7Aodw0_QoA
 http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/
 http://www.goes.noaa.gov/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EM_Spectrum_Properties
_edit.svg
 NASA and NOAA http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Summary
 Remote sensing allows us to observe
and monitor the earth surface.
 Features on the Earth’s surface can
be interpreted using
spectral/electromagnetic
information.
 Satellites have a wide range of
purposes.