GEOG 406 3 Credit Hours Introduction to Remote Sensing

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GEOG 406 (3 Credit Hours) Introduction to Remote
Sensing

• Instructor Samuel Adu-Prah
• Teaching Assistant Mike Weiand
• Office (room number/building) Faner Hall 4440
• Office Phone [phone]
• Office Hours M 800-900, W 100-200 Th
  100300
• Email saduprah_at_siu.edu
• Course (PrerequisitesNone)

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Course Desrciption

• This course will explore fundamental concepts of
  remote sensing as they relate to applications in
  the
• sciences and engineering (biology, geology,
  forestry, ecology, agriculture,
  meteorology/weather, oceanography, hydrology,
  transportation, urban planning, resource and
  environmental management.
• Other topics covered include energy interactions,
  reflectance, scanning systems, satellite systems,
  digital image processing, and image
  classification.
• Training in Remote Sensing software, including
  LEICA Geosystems GIS and mapping tools - ERDAS
  Imagine will form part of the Lab work.

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COURSE OBJECTIVE/FOCUS

• The objective of this course is to give the
  students an understanding of remote sensing as an
  efficient mapping and analysis tool. 
• At the end of this course, the student will be
  able to
• process remotely sensed imagery,
• identify the interactions that the
  electromagnetic energy makes with the atmosphere
  and features on the ground,
• understand some of the different remote sensing
  platforms and products available to users,
• describe the characteristics of active and
  passive sensing,
• know the different types of resolution, and
  perform basic classification of an image on the
  appropriate software

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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

• Required Textbook
• Introduction to Remote Sensing, 3rd edition, by
  James Campbell, Taylor Francis, 2002
• Reference
• Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, 3rd
  edition, by T. Lillesand R. Kiefer
• Remote Sensing of the Environment An Earth
  Resource Perspective, by J. Jensen, 2000
• International Journal of Remote Sensing and other
  Journals of Remote Sensing

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COURSE SCHEDULE

• Lecture
• M 1000-1150, FANR 2533
• Laboratory
• T [phone], FANR 2534
• W [phone], FANR 2534.

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Course Time Table
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Course Time Table
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Course Time Table
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LAB AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

• All work will be due on the date specified. Late
  assignments will not be tolerated and will
  attract a penalty. All work must be completed to
  receive a passing grade for this course.
• No assignments will be accepted after the unit
  exam in which the assignment was given.  Each
  assignment will be submitted in a report folder.
  A cover sheet will be included with each
  assignment identifying the assignment, student
  name, and class. Unless otherwise stated, only
  one assignment per folder will be accepted. 
  Assignments will be typed.
• When graphical output is required from an
  assignment, the output should be properly
  identified and located in the appropriate part of
  the lab report. Periodically through the
  semester there may be outside reading assignments
  that require an overview report.
• Lab reports will consist of a least 3 main parts
• Purpose of the lab written in your own words.
• Procedure. In this section succinctly identify
  the procedures employed in the lab and your
  results.
• Conclusion. This section will consist of a
  discussion of the lab in general and upon your
  results in particular. Such items of importance
  might be the validity of the lab, limitations of
  the results, possible sources of errors that
  might affect the results, items you might have
  done differently, special problems encountered,
  etc

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ATTENDANCE POLICY

• I understand that each student may upon occasion
  need to be away from class due to illness or
  other important matters.
• Please note, being absent is not an acceptable
  excuse for not being prepared when you return to
  class.  All laboratory absences must be made up
  during the semester. 
• It is your responsibility to check with you
  classmates to obtain the information that was
  covered during lecture and lab periods.

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CLASS CONDUCT

• It is essential that everyone in this class
  establish a mutual respect amongst each other in
  this class.
• During the lecture, feel free to ask questions,
  but refrain from conducting personal
  conversations. 

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PERFORMANCE/EVALUATION CRITERIA

• There will be 2 exams, 4 test, and 9 to 10 lab
  exercises. All lab reports and assignments must
  be received on time.
• Attendance and participation in class activities
  are very important and will account for part of
  the total grades.

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Grades will be based on the following
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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

• This class represents a commitment of time and
  energy for both the faculty and student.  It is
  expected that the student put in an additional
  2-3 hours of work for every credit hour of this
  course. 
• This number represents an average and not an
  absolute maximum threshold.  This means that some
  students will have to put in even more time to
  learn the material presented in this course. 
  Work schedules or other responsibilities do not
  represent acceptable exceptions to this
  obligation.
• Office hours have been listed above. Other hours
  can be arranged if necessary. If you have
  problems, please see me as soon as possible.
  Waiting until the end of the semester may be too
  late.

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FINAL NOTE

• By registering in this course, each one of you is
  explicitly making the following pledge of
  honesty "I understand that any serious violation
  of ethical standards could jeopardize my future
  in this class.
• All submitted academic work must reflect my or
  the group's efforts and initiatives as described
  in this course syllabus.
• Additional information on this issue is available
  in the Student Conduct Code handbook.

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GEOG 406

• Introduction
• to
• Remote Sensing

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So what is remote sensing then?

• The expression remote sensing was coined by
  geographers at the US Office of Naval Research in
  the 1960s at about the time that the use of spy
  satellites was beginning to move out of the
  military sphere and in to the civilian sphere.
• One definition of remote sensing is that it is
  The science of observation from a distance
• As remote sensing has developed over the last few
  decades, this has been refined to involve The
  observation and measurement using devices that
  involve the use of electromagnetic energy,
  acoustic waves, and force fields

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Why is remote sensing important?

• Normally, we experience our world from a more or
  less horizontal viewpoint
• From a vertical or high oblique perspective, our
  impression of the surface below is notably
  different than when we scan our surroundings from
  a point on that surface.
• We are then able to see the multitude of surface
  features as they would appear on a thematic map
  in their appropriate spatial and contextual
  relationships.
• This, in a nutshell, is why remote sensing is
  most often practiced from platforms such as
  airplanes and spacecraft.
• Making it the most practical, orderly, and
  cost-effective way of maintaining and updating
  information about the world around us.

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Growth in Awareness of Environmental Problems

• As people look beyond their immediate locals they
  are becoming increasingly aware of larger scale
  problems facing particular regions of the global
  environment.
• Many environmental problems result from
  unsustainable population pressure on resources
  within a range of natural environments
• Hydrosphere
• Atmosphere
• Geosphere
• Biosphere
• Cryosphere

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Monitoring Environmental Problems

• Thanks to remote sensing observations, we do
  understand some facets of our environment fairly
  well e.g.
• short-term weather forecasts,
• basic hurricane tracking, and
• detecting changes on the Earth's surface.
• However, much critical information is missing
  e.g.
• we cannot tell exactly how the climate will shift
  a year from now, and
• what the effects will be on people whose
  livelihoods depend on that climate, from farmers
  to urban planners.

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The Challenge

• Earth Observation provides the only viable means
  of acquiring many of the necessary data to study
  the patterns in climate which will allow us to
  predict and respond to environmental events -
  such as floods and severe winters - well in
  advance of their occurrence.
• Nations, regions, and individuals can then use
  this knowledge to prepare for these events,
  likely saving countless lives and resources.
• These data also provide the scientific basis for
  informed policymaking, and the research to
  support the operational missions of a range of
  governmental organizations.

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Current NASA Goals in Earth Observation

• Dramatically improve weather forecasts, thus
  improving agricultural and natural resources
  productivity.
• Improve efficiency in the use of agricultural
  chemicals, reducing pollution and increasing crop
  productivity.

• Understand the causes and patterns of natural
  disasters (floods, hurricanes, etc,) and how to
  respond to them
• Provide the facts needed to make objective
  decisions about the environment.

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History of Remote Sensing
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A Brief Chronology of Remote Sensing

• 1826 The invention of photography
• 1960s The satellite era, and the space race
  between the USA and USSR
• 1960s The setting up of NASA.
• 1960s First operational meteorological
  satellites
• 1960s The setting up of National Space
  Agencies

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A Brief Chronology of Remote Sensing

• 1970s Launch of the first generation of earth
  resource satellites
• 1970s Setting up of International Remote
  Sensing Bodies
• 1980s Setting up of Specific Remote Sensing
  Journals
• Continued deployment of Earth Resource
  satellites by NASA
• 1990s Launch of earth resource satellites by
  national space agencies and commercial
  companies

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Past Barriers to the Use of Remotely Sensed data

• High cost of data - now being addressed.
• Relatively High computer processing equipment and
  software for computer interpretation now
  v.cheap
• Difficulties and high costs of maintaining
  hardware/software systems increasingly cheap
• Relative lack of personnel experienced in digital
  remote sensing more people being trained

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Current Barriers Use of Remotely Sensed data

• General lack of knowledge and/or interest amongst
  decision makers in developing countries so far as
  remote sensing is concerned situation may
  change if cost-effectiveness increased
• Possible uncertainties concerning the future of
  Earth observing satellites provided by the major
  remote sensing nations this will also change if
  the cost of launching lowers, and the market for
  imagery increases (again all down to cost).