remote comms types

1. Remote sensing of the environment
EE568 / PHY523 / CS6317
Dr. Jawairia Ahmad
Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT), LUMS
Lecture- 1: Remote sensing in the 21st century
Course content inspired by Dr. Bart Forman’s ENCE 689G lecture notes

2. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Topics covered
1
Assignment
Supplementary video
 Syllabus
 Introduction to remote sensing
 Motivating questions
 Implications for society
 Earth observing satellite constellations
 Questionnaire

3. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Syllabus
2
Course outline
Course website: https://wit.lums.edu.pk/EE568
Classroom Dos and Don'ts
- No cheating or plagiarism
- Be respectful towards the instructor and your fellow students
- No eating
- Please keep your cellphone on silent
- Please submit your assignment on time; late submissions will not be accepted
- For any queries, please avail the office hours

4. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Introduction to remote sensing
3
Remote sensing:
Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an
area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance (typically from satellite or
aircraft). Special cameras collect remotely sensed images, which help researchers "sense"
things about the Earth. (USGS)
Remote sensing is the acquiring of information from a distance..... using sensors aboard
satellites and aircraft that detect and record reflected or emitted energy. (NASA)
Image credit: NASA Earthdata

5. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Motivating questions
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Why remote sensing?
 Access to inaccessible regions
 Real-time or near real-time global information
 Global analysis
 Proxy for missing ground information
Historical perspective
 Driven by military application during WWI- airplane photography
 WWII- research and development
 Space race- USA vs. Soviet union
 First land surface satellite- LANDSAT-1 launched in July 1972

6. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Implications for society
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Clouds
Fires
Land use/ change
Photo credit: NASA
Topography
Ocean floor Agriculture

7. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Earth observing satellites
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Photo credit: NASA

8. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Earth observing satellites- Pakistan
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Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organization (SUPARCO)
established 1961
Testing indigenous capabilities- Badr-1 and Badr-B
Commercial use (broadcasting, broadband, Mobile Back-hauling, etc.)
PakSAT-1R
PakSAT-MM1
PakSAT-MM1R
Commercial/ Federal use
PRSS-1
PakTES-1A
Future
PRSC-EOS

9. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Key concepts of remote sensing
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Physical objects
Sensor data
Information extraction from
remotely sensed data
Applications (e.g.,
hydrology, atmospheric
analysis, vegetation,
topography
Flowchart adapted from Campbell and Wynne (2011)

10. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Questionnaire
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Please fill out the questionnaire

11. Remote sensing of the environment- Spring 2022
Point to ponder on ….
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What happens to satellites after they stop working?