Data Acquisition in Remote

Sensing
UNIT II
 Remote sensing systems
• Two types
– Framing system
• Acquires an image of a large area or frame on the terrain.
• Camera are common example.
– Scanning system
• Employs a single detector with a narrow field of view that is swept
across the terrain in a series of parallel scan lines to produce an
image.
• Different spectral measurement devices
– Spectrometer to record spectral reflectance
– Spectroscope for human eye observation of spectrum
– Camera
– Scanner
– Atmospheric sensors
– Sonar
– Laser Radar
 Camera for Remote Sensing

• Aerial Survey cameras – used on board aircrafts or

space craft for photographic surveying.
• Multispectral cameras with several films in visible and
reflective IR – used for photo-interpretation of land
surface covers.
• Panoramic cameras – for reconnaissance surveys,
supplementary photography.
 Scanners
• Many remote sensors acquire data using scanning
system.
• By employing a sensor with a narrow IFOV that sweeps
over the terrain with the motion of the platform and
produce a 2-D image of the surface.
• Can be used in both aircraft and satellite platforms.
• A scanning system to collect data over a variety of
different wavelength range – Multispectral scanner.
– Two modes: (i) Across – Track (Whiskbroom) scanner
(ii) Along – Track (Push-broom) scanner
 Across-Track scanner
• Uses a rotating mirror
and scans the terrain
along scan lines that
are perpendicular to
the direction of motion
of platform.
• Measures energy pixel
by pixel.
 Along-Track Scanner
• No rotating scanning
mirror.
• Linear array of detectors
located at the focal
plane of the image that
scans the terrain long
the direction of flight
movement.
• Records one of an
image simultaneously.
 Atmospheric sensors
• Are designed to provide measures of air temperature,
vapor, atmospheric constituents, aerosols etc.
 Sonar
• Sound waves or ultrasonic waves are used underwater
to obtain imagery of geological features at the bottom of
the sea or lakes because radio waves are not usable in
water.
• More useful that radio waves as sound waves have more
higher resolution and attenuation.
• The incident sound wave on the sea bottom will produce
sound pressure on the bottom materials causing back
scattering to return to the receiver, after attenuation,
according to the shape and density of the bottom.
• The sonar acquires the backscattering in the time
sequence to a form of image.
 LIDAR
• Devices which measures the physical characteristics such
as distance, density, velocity, shape etc., using scattering,
returned time, intensity, frequency and/or polarization of
light are called optical sensors.
• If laser used - called laser radar or lidar (light detection
and ranging).
• LIDAR
– is an active sensor which is used to measure air pollution, physical
characteristics of atmospheric constituents in the stratosphere and
its spatial distribution.
– The main measurement object is the atmosphere although laser
radar is also used to measure water depth, thickness of oil film or
vividness of chlorophyll in vegetation.