2. 2
Outline
Syllabus
Instructor information, course description, prerequisites
Textbook, reference books, grading, course outline
Preliminary schedule
Introductions
What to expect
First assignment
Microwave remote sensing background
Microwave remote sensing compared to optical remote sensing
Overview of radar
Microwave scattering properties
Radiometry principles and example
3. 3
Syllabus
Prof. Chris Allen
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from KU 1984
10 years industry experience
Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque, NM
AlliedSignal, Kansas City Plant, Kansas City, MO
Phone: 785-864-8801
Email: callen@eecs.ku.edu
Office: 3024 Eaton Hall
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays
10:00 to 10:45 am
Course description
Description and analysis of basic microwave remote sensing systems
including radars and radiometers as well as the scattering and emission
properties of natural targets. Topics covered include plane wave
propagation, antennas, radiometers, atmospheric effects, radars,
calibrated systems, and remote sensing applications.
4. 4
Syllabus
Prerequisites
Introductory course on electromagnetics (e.g., EECS 420 or 720)
Introductory course on RF transmission systems (e.g., EECS 622)
Textbook
Microwave Radar and Radiometric Remote Sensing
by F.T. Ulaby, D.G. Long
University of Michigan Press, 2013,
ISBN 0472119354
1116 pages
This is a new textbook that contains
what was previously available
in the Volume I of the
Microwave Remote Sensing series.
5. 5
Syllabus
Reference books
Microwave Remote Sensing: Active and
Passive, Volume I: Microwave remote
sensing fundamentals and radiometry
by F. Ulaby, R. Moore, A. Fung
Addison-Wesley, 1981, ISBN 0201107597
Unfortunately this textbook is out of print and is only available
in the used book market.
Unfortunately this textbook is out of print
and is only available in the used book
market.
Nice-quality, affordable copies were available through the
KU bookstore but no longer.
6. 6
Syllabus
Reference books
Microwave Remote Sensing, Vol. II
by F. Ulaby, R. Moore, A. Fung
Addison-Wesley, 1982, ISBN 0201107600
Microwave Remote Sensing, Vol. III
by F. Ulaby, R. Moore, A. Fung
Artech House, 1986, ISBN 0890061920
7. 7
Grades and course policies
The following factors will be used to arrive at the final
course grade:
Homework, quizzes, and class participation 40 %
Research project 20 %
Final exam 40 %
Grades will be assigned to the following scale:
A 90 - 100 %
B 80 - 89 %
C 70 - 79 %
D 60 - 69 %
F < 60 %
These are guaranteed maximum scales and may be revised downward at the
instructor's discretion.
Read the policies regarding homework, exams, ethics, and
plagiarism.
8. 8
Preliminary schedule
Course Outline (subject to change)
Introductory material 1 week
(overview, expectations, review of complex math)
Plane wave propagation, reflection, refraction, and attenuation 1 week
(conductive media, layered media, Riccati equation)
Antenna systems in microwave remote sensing 2 weeks
(antenna concepts, arrays)
Passive microwave remote sensing and radiometry 2 weeks
(brightness temperature and emissivity)
Microwave interaction with the atmosphere 2 weeks
(physical properties, precipitation effects)
Radiometer systems 1 week
(system noise, Dicke radiometer)
Radar systems 2 weeks
(range equation, Doppler effects, fading)
Calibrated systems and scattering measurements 1 week
(internal/external calibration, measurement precision)
Scattering and emission from natural targets 2 weeks
(surface scatter, volume scatter, the sea, ice, snow, vegetation)
Microwave remote sensing applications (guest lecturers) 1 week
(sea ice, oceans, vegetation, etc.)
9. 9
Preliminary schedule
Fall 2020 Class Meeting Schedule
August: 25, 27
September: 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29
October: 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
November: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 24
Final exam scheduled for
Wednesday, December 9
10:30 to 1:00 p.m.
11. 11
What to expect
Course is being webcast, therefore …
Most presentation material will be in PowerPoint format
Presentations will be recorded and archived (for duration of semester)
Student interaction is encouraged
Remote students must activate microphone before speaking
Please disable microphone when finished
Homework assignments will be posted on website
Electronic homework submission logistics to be worked out
We may have guest lecturers later in the semester
To break the monotony, we’ll try to take a couple of
2-minute breaks during each session (roughly every 15 to 20 min)
13. 13
Course coverage areas
Course will focus on
• electromagnetic propagation & scattering
• antennas
• atmospheric effects
• radiometry and radiometers
14. 14
Your first assignment
Send me an email (from the account you check most often)
To: callen@eecs.ku.edu
Subject line: Your name – 823
Tell me a little about yourself
Attach your ARTS form (or equivalent)
ARTS: Academic Requirements Tracking System
Its basically an unofficial academic record
I use this to get a sense of what academic experiences you’ve had
15. 15
Microwave remote sensing background
Optical remote sensing has been around a long time
• Uses the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• Instrumentation includes the human eye, cameras, telescopes
• Has problems with clouds, rain, fog, snow, smoke, smog, etc.
• Cannot penetrate soil, vegetation, snowpack, ice
• Relies on ambient light sources (e.g., sunlight)
Microwave remote sensing is less than 100 years old
• Uses the microwave and RF parts of the spectrum
• Instrumentation includes radars and radiometers
• Is largely immune to clouds, precipitation, smoke, etc.
• Penetrates sand, soil, rock, vegetation, dry snow, ice, etc.
• Does not rely on sunlight – radar provides its own illumination,
radiometers use the target’s thermal emission
Data from microwave sensors complement data from
optical sensors
16. 16
Microwave remote sensing background
Whereas shorter wavelengths (e.g., optical and infrared)
provide information on the upper layers of vegetation, the
longer wavelengths of microwave and RF signals penetrate
deeper into the canopy and substructure providing
additional information.
Visible wavelengths
400 to 700 nm
Infrared wavelengths
700 nm to 1 mm
Microwave wavelengths
1 mm to 30 cm
Radio wavelengths
> 30 cm
17. 17
Microwave remote sensing background
A brief overview of radar
Radar – radio detection and ranging
Developed in the early 1900s (pre-World War II)
• 1904 Europeans demonstrated use for detecting ships in fog
• 1922 U.S. Navy Research Laboratory (NRL) detected wooden ship on Potomac
River
• 1930 NRL engineers detected an aircraft with simple radar system
World War II accelerated radar’s development
• Radar had a significant impact militarily
• Called “The Invention That Changed The World” in two books by Robert
Buderi
Radar’s has deep military roots
• It continues to be important militarily
• Growing number of civil applications
• Objects often called ‘targets’ even civil applications
18. 18
Microwave remote sensing background
A brief overview of radar
Uses electromagnetic (EM) waves
Frequencies in the MHz, GHz, THz
Shares spectrum with FM, TV, GPS, cell phones, wireless technologies,
satellite communications
Governed by Maxwell’s equations
Signals propagate at the speed of light
Antennas or optics used to launch/receive waves
Related technologies use acoustic waves
Ultrasound, seismics, sonar
Microphones, accelerometers, hydrophones used as transducers
19. 19
Microwave remote sensing background
A brief overview of radar
Active sensor
Provides its own illumination
Operates in day and night
Largely immune to smoke, haze, fog, rain, snow, …
Involves both a transmitter and a receiver
Related technologies are purely passive
Radio astronomy, radiometers
Configurations
Monostatic
transmitter and receiver co-located
Bistatic
transmitter and receiver separated
Multistatic
multiple transmitters and/or receivers
Passive
exploits non-cooperative illuminator
Radar image of Venus
20. 20
Microwave remote sensing background
A brief overview of radar
Various classes of operation
Pulsed vs. continuous wave (CW)
Coherent vs. incoherent
Measurement capabilities
Detection, Ranging
Position (range and direction), Radial velocity (Doppler)
Target characteristics (radar cross section – RCS)
Mapping, Change detection
21. 21
Microwave remote sensing background
Microwave scattering properties reveal target characteristics
Backscattering from precipitation depends strongly on particle diameter
enabling a mapping of precipitation rates using radar data.
22. 22
Microwave remote sensing background
Radiometry principles
Materials above 0 K emit
electromagnetic radiation that
follows a well-defined pattern. This
radiation can be measured at a
variety of frequencies and
polarizations. Analysis of the
measured emission characteristics
reveal properties about the scene.
23. 23
Microwave remote sensing background
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer -
Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) instrument was
launched aboard NASA's Earth Observing System
(EOS) Aqua Satellite on 4 May 2002. The AMSR-E
is a twelve-channel, six-frequency, conically-
scanning, passive-microwave radiometer system. It
measures horizontally and vertically polarized
microwave radiation (brightness temperatures)
ranging from 6.9 GHz to 89.0 GHz. Spatial
resolution of the individual measurements varies
from 5.4 km at 89 GHz to 56 km at 6.9 GHz.
