Remote sensing involves acquiring information about the Earth's surface without direct contact using sensors to detect electromagnetic radiation. There are 7 steps in the remote sensing process: illumination, interaction with the atmosphere, interaction with the target, recording by sensors, transmission and processing, interpretation and analysis, and application. Remote sensing uses different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum and has many applications including mapping agriculture, forests, geology, hydrology, and land cover. It is used to monitor crops, estimate yields, assess forest health, explore for minerals and hydrocarbons, map wetlands and floodplains, and create land use maps.

1. REMOTE SENSING

2. Contents
• What is Remote Sensing?
• Process of Remote Sensing
• Electromagnetic Radiations
• Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Interaction with Atmosphere
• Radiations-Target Interactions
• Passive Vs Active Sensing

3. What is Remote Sensing?
"Remote sensing is the science (and to
some extent, art) of acquiring information
about the Earth's surface without actually
being in contact with it.
This is done by sensing and recording
reflected or emitted energy and processing,
analyzing, and applying that information."

4. Process of Remote Sensing
• 1. Energy Source or
Illumination (A)
• 2. Radiation and the
Atmosphere (B)
• 3. Interaction with the Target
(C)
• 4. Recording of Energy by
the Sensor (D)
• 5. Transmission, Reception,
and Processing (E)
• 6. Interpretation and
Analysis (F)
• 7. Application (G)

5. 1. Energy Source or Illumination (A) – the first requirement for
remote sensing is to have an energy source which illuminates or
provides electromagnetic energy to the targetof interest.
2. Radiation and the Atmosphere (B) – as the energy travels from
its source to the target, it will come in contact with and interact
with the atmosphere it passes through. This
interaction may take place .
3. Interaction with the Target (C) - once the energy makes its
way to the target through the atmosphere, it interacts with the target
depending on the properties of both the target and the radiation.
4. Recording of Energy by the Sensor (D) - after the energy has
been scattered by, or emitted from the target, we require a sensor
(remote - not in contact with the target) to collect and record the
electromagnetic radiation.

6. 5. Transmission, Reception, and Processing (E) - the energy
recorded by the sensor has to be transmitted, often in electronic form,
to a receiving and processing station where the data are processed into
an image (hardcopy and/or digital).
6. Interpretation and Analysis (F) - the processed image is
interpreted, visually and/or digitally or electronically, to extract
information about the target which was illuminated.
7. Application (G) - the final element of the remote sensing process
is achieved when we apply the information we have been able to
extract from the imagery about the target in order to better understand
it, reveal some new information, or assist in solving a particular
problem.

7. Electromagnetic Radiation
• All electromagnetic radiation has
fundamental properties and
behaves in predictable ways
according to the basics of wave
theory.
• Electromagnetic radiation
consists of an electrical field(E)
which varies in magnitude in a
direction perpendicular to the
direction in which the radiation is
traveling, and a magnetic field
(M) oriented at right angles to the
electrical field. Both these fields
travel at the speed of light (c).

8. Applications of Remote Sensing

9. Agriculture
• The production of food is important to
everyone and producing food in a
cost-effective manner is the goal of
every farmer, large-scale farm
manager and regional agricultural
agency.
• These tools will help to understand
the health of crop, extent of infestation
or stress damage, or potential yield
and soil conditions.
• Commodity brokers are also very
interested in how well farms are
producing, as yield (both quantity and
quality) estimates for all products
control price and worldwide trading.

10. • Satellite images are used as
mapping tools to classify crops,
examine their health and viability,
and monitor farming practices.
• Agricultural applications of remote
sensing include the following
1. crop type classification
2. crop condition assessment
3. crop yield estimation
4. mapping of soil management
practices
3. compliance monitoring (farming
practices)

11. Forestry
• Forests are a valuable resource providing
food, shelter, wildlife habitat, fuel, and daily
supplies such as medicinal ingredients and
paper.
• Forests play an important role in balancing
the Earth's CO2 supply and exchange, acting
as a key link between the atmosphere,
geosphere, and hydrosphere.
• This diversity also provides habitat for
numerous animal species and is an important
source of medicinal ingredients.
• The main issues concerning forest
management are depletion due to natural
causes (fires and infestations) or human
activity (clear-cutting, burning, land
conversion), and monitoring of health and
growth for effective commercial exploitation
and conservation.

12. Forestry applications of remote sensing include the following:
1) Reconnaissance mapping
2) Commercial forestry
3) Clear cut mapping / regeneration assessment
4) Infrastructure mapping / operations support
5) Forest inventory
6) Biomass estimation
7) Species inventory
8) Environmental monitoring

13. Geology
• Geology involves the study of landforms,
structures, and the subsurface, to understand
physical processes creating and modifying the
earth's crust.
• It is most commonly understood as the
exploration and exploitation of mineral and
hydrocarbon resources, generally to improve the
conditions and standard of living in society.
• Petroleum provides gas and oil for vehicle
transportation, aggregate and limestone quarrying
(sand and gravel) provides ingredients for
concrete for paving and construction, potash
mines contribute to fertilizer, coal to energy
production, precious metals and gems for jewelry,
diamonds for drill bits, and copper, zinc and
assorted minerals for a variety of uses.
• Geology also includes the study of potential
hazards such as volcanoes, landslides, and earth
quakes, and is thus a critical factor for
geotechnical studies relating to construction and
engineering.

14. Geological applications of remote sensing include the
following:
Surficial deposit / bedrock mapping
Lithological mapping
Structural mapping
Sand and gravel (aggregate) exploration/ exploitation
Mineral exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration
Environmental geology
Baseline infrastructure
Sedimentation mapping and monitoring
Event mapping and monitoring
Geo-hazard mapping
Planetary mapping

15. Hydrology
• Hydrology is the study of
water on the Earth's surface,
whether flowing above
ground, frozen in ice or snow,
or retained by soil.
• Hydrology is inherently
related to many other
applications of remote
sensing, particularly forestry,
agriculture and land cover,
since water is a vital
component in each of these
disciplines.

16. Examples of hydrological applications include:
Wetlands mapping and monitoring
Soil moisture estimation
Snow pack monitoring / delineation of extent
Measuring snow thickness
Determining snow-water equivalent
River and lake ice monitoring
Flood mapping and monitoring
River /delta change detection
Drainage basin mapping and watershed modelling
Irigation canal leakage detection
Irrigation scheduling

17. Land Cover & Land Use
• Land use applications of remote sensing include the following:
• Natural resource management
• Wildlife habitat protection
• Baseline mapping for GIS input
• Urban expansion / encroachment
• Routing and logistics planning for seismic / exploration /
resource extraction activities
• Damage delineation (tornadoes, flooding, volcanic, seismic,
fire)
• Legal boundaries for tax and property evaluation
• Target detection - identification of landing strips, roads,
clearings, bridges, land/water interface

18. THANKS