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.
Remote sensing basic processes
• Data acquisition (energy propagation, platforms)
• Processing (conversion of energy pattern to images)
• Analysis (quantitative and qualitative analysis)
• Accuracy assessment (radiometric and geometric correction)
• Information distribution to users (hard copy, CCT, CD-ROM, X-
BYTE)

APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING

 Agriculture
 Forestry
 Geology
 Hydrology
 Sea Ice
 Land Cover & Land Use
 Mapping
 Oceans & Coastal Monitoring

1. Remote Sensing Applications In Agriculture

1. Crop production forecasting:
Remote sensing is used to forecast the expected crop production and
yield over a given area and determine how much of the crop will be
harvested under specific conditions. Researchers can be able to predict
the quantity of crop that will be produced in a given farmland over a
given period of time.
2. Assessment of crop damage and crop progress:
In the event of crop damage or crop progress, remote sensing
technology can be used to penetrate the farmland and determine exactly
how much of a given crop has been damaged and the progress of the
remaining crop in the farm.
3. Horticulture, Cropping Systems Analysis:
Remote sensing technology has also been instrumental in the analysis of
various crop planting systems. This technology has mainly been in use
in the horticulture industry where flower growth patterns can be
analyzed and a prediction made out of the analysis.
4. Crop Identification:
Remote sensing has also played an important role in crop identification
especially in cases where the crop under observation is mysterious or
shows some mysterious characteristics. The data from the crop is
collected and taken to the labs where various aspects of the crop
including the crop culture are studied.
5.Crop acreage estimation:
Remote sensing has also played a very important role in the estimation
of the farmland on which a crop has been planted. This is usually a
cumbersome procedure if it is carried out manually because of the vast
sizes of the lands being estimated.
6.Crop condition assessment and stress detection:
Remote sensing technology plays an important role in the assessment of
the health condition of each crop and the extent to which the crop has
withstood stress. This data is then used to determine the quality of the
crop.
2. Remote Sensing Application In Forestry
The satellite applications for effective forest management on a more
scientific basis commensurating with the priorities set at state, District
and Micro levels studies. The shift in priority of forest management
towards ecologically sustainable forest resources management call for
reliable spatial database with a provision to update and retrieve for
management decisions at various levels.

The forest cover at the national level is being biennially monitored using
remote sensing data and it is estimated that India has 19.47% of forest
cover (1989-91) out of the total expected 33% of forest cover as per
India’s forest policy. So far Forest Survey of India (FSI) has brought out
successfully four assessments on the status of forest cover in India

This information is more relevant in the context of assessing rate of

degradation grossly at the state/district level in terms of closed and open
forests. However, the extended use of this information for effective
utilization for the management purpose at the state level could be better
achieved by supplementing the data each reserve forest boundaries
thereby enlisting the districts having ore degraded areas. This approach
enables to prepare treatment area maps at the state level which would
serve as a strategic plan inputs for prioritization and categorization of
areas for better silvicultural practics.

3. Remote Sensing Applications In Geology

Remote sensing in geology is remote sensing used in the geological
sciences as a data acquisition method complementary to field
observation, because it allows mapping of geological characteristics of
regions without physical contact with the areas being explored. About
one-fourth of the Earth’s total surface area is exposed land where
information is ready to be extracted from detailed earth observation via
remote sensing.
Remote sensing is conducted via detection of electromagnetic
radiation by sensors. The radiation can be naturally sourced (passive
remote sensing), or produced by machines (active remote sensing) and
reflected off of the Earth surface. The electromagnetic radiation acts as
an information carrier for two main variables. First, the intensities
of reflectanceat different wavelengths are detected, and plotted on
a spectral reflectance curve. This spectral fingerprint is governed by the
physio-chemical properties of the surface of the target object and
therefore helps mineral identification and hence geological mapping.
For example by hyperspectral imaging. Second, the two-way travel time
of radiation from and back to the sensor can calculate the distance in
active remote sensing systems, for example, Interferometric synthetic-
aperture radar. This helps geomorphological studiesof ground motion,
and thus can illuminate deformations associated
with landslides, earthquakes, etc.
Geological Applications:
 Mapping of surficial deposit/bedrock.
 Lithological Mapping.
 Structural Mapping.
 Lineament extraction.
 Mineral exploration.
 Exploration of hydrocarbon.
 Geobotony.
 Mapping and monitoring.

4.Remote Sensing Applications In Hydrology

Satellite remote sensing is a viable source of observations of land
surface hydrologic fluxes and state variables, particularly in regions
where in situ networks are sparse. Over the last 10 years, the study of
land surface hydrology using remote sensing techniques has advanced
greatly with the launch of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) and
other research satellite platforms, and with the development of more
sophisticated retrieval algorithms. Most of the constituent variables in
the land surface water balance (eg, precipitation, evapotranspiration,
snow and ice, soil moisture, and terrestrial water storage variations) are
now observable at varying spatial and temporal resolutions and accuracy
via remote sensing.
The primary hydrological processes which are operationally measured
are precipitation, runoff (stage and discharge), water storage, soil
moisture, and evaporation. A total list of measurements would be very
large and is limited only by the need to know water information and the
imagination of users to develop new methods of measurement. Some
aspect of all of these data have been found inferable by remote sensing.
Hydrologic applications.
 Water resources development.
 Water quality.
 Hydrological extremes.
 Floods.
 Droughts.