FUNDAMANTALS OF REMOTE SENSING

PART-I

R.S.DWIVEDI

WHAT IS REMOTE SENSING?

Remote sensing is the measurement or acquisition of some property of an object or phenomenon, by recording device that is not in

physical or intimate contact with the object or

phenomenon under study (Colwell, 1983).

SCOPE

COMPONENTS OF A SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM

-Launch Vehicle -Platform (Satellite) -Sensor - Data Reception -Data Processing -Interpretation/Analysis -Generation of thematic maps / area statistics/ reports -Development of Decision Support System (DSS) -Creation of digital database

Concept of Remote Sensing

From Space Data to information

DATA Archive

TYPES OF SENSORS

SENSORS
PASSIVE SENSORS
Energy from Sun Reflected, Absorbed & Re Emitted as Thermal IR During day for reflected wavelengths Emitted Energy (such as thermal infrared) can be detected day or night Optical

ACTIVE SENSORS
Own energy source for illumination Emits radiation which is directed toward the target to be investigated
Microwave Passive

Active

Passive

Active Multi Freq Microwave Radiometers. Imaging possible with scan option Atmospheric Sounders

LIDAR (ALTM)

Visible, Near & Thermal Infrared Imagers Imaging Spectrometer

IMAGING RADARS

NON-IMAGING Scatterometer Altimeter Rain Mapping Radar

SIDE LOOKING RADAR SYSTEMS

Active

IMAGING

NON IMAGING

SLR

SPACE BORNE SAR SAR RAR AIR BORNE SAR GROUND BASED SAR

REMOTE SENSING : HISTORICAL

LAUNCH VEHICLE

Launch Vehicle Family

Electromagnetic Radiation
WAVE MODEL
EMR has been thought of as electromagnetic wave that travels through space at a speed of light (Maxwell 1831). It consists of two fluctuating fields one electric and the other magnetic. The two vectors are at right angles (orthogonal) to one another, and both are perpendicular to direction of travel. EMR is generated whenever an electrical charge is accelerated. The wavelength () of the EMR depends upon the length of time that the charged particle is accelerated. Its frequency (v) depends on the number of

accelerations per second.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Violet: 0.4 - 0.446 mm

Blue: 0.446 - 0.500 mm

Green: 0.500 - 0.578 mm Yellow: 0.578 - 0.592 mm Orange: 0.592 - 0.620 mm Red: 0.620 - 0.7 mm

Optical Infrared (OIR) Region

Visible Near infrared (NIR) Shortwave infrared (SWIR) Mid-wave infrared (MWIR) Thermal infrared (TIR) Far infrared (FIR)
Microwave Region

0.4-0.7mm 0.7-1.5 mm 1.5-3.0 mm 3.0-8.0 mm 8.0-15 mm Beyond15 mm

P Band L Band S Band C Band X Band Ku Band K Band Ka Band 1 GHz = 109 Hz

0.3 - 1GHz (30 -100 cm) 1 -2 GHz (15 - 30 cm) 2 - 4 GHz (7.5 - 15 cm) 4 - 8 GHz (3.8 - 7.5 cm) 8 - 12.5 GHz (2.4 - 3.8 cm) 12.5 - 18 GHz (1.7 - 2.4 cm) 18 - 26.5 GHz (1.1 - 1.7 cm) 26.5 - 40 GHz (0.75 - 1.1 cm)

Electromagnetic Radiation

Wavelength and frequency

c = where c = 3 x 108 ms-1

in vacuum

Electromagnetic Radiation
Particle Theory

The particle theory suggests that electromagnetic radiation is composed of many discrete packets of energy called Photons or Quanta. The energy of each quantum is given by Q = h where Q is energy of quantum (J), h is Plancks constant (6.626 x 10-34 J-s) and is frequency Also, Q = hc/, implies the longer the wavelength involved, the lower its energy content.

RADIATION LAWS
Black Body

An

ideal

thermal Also

emitter known

is as

called

Blackbody. radiator.

Planckian

That is, its emissivity is equal to 1. In other

words it radiates the entire energy whatever

it absorbed.

RADIATION LAWS
Gray Body

A gray body is one for which emissivity value is constant but less than unity. A selective radiator is one for which emissivity value varies with wavelength..

Radiant exitances for a blackbody, gray body and a selective radiator

PLANCKS LAW
Plancks Law: The most general law
Planck's Law allows us to calculate total energy radiated in

all directions from a blackbody (radiator) for a particular

temperature and wavelength. M()= C1-5/[exp(C2/T) - 1] where C1(2phc2) = 3.74 x 10-16 W m-2, C2 (hc/k)= 1.44 x 10-2 m K, = wavelength (mm),

T = temperature (K),
M() = spectral exitance (W m-2 mm-1), k = 1.38 x 10-23 W s K-1, h = 6.625 x 10-34 J s

BLACK BODY RADIATION

Weins Displacement Law
The dominant wavelength, or wavelength at which a blackbody radiation curve reaches a maximum, is related to its temperature m = (k/T)

where m is wavelength of maximum spectral radiant exitance (mm), k = 2898 mm K, T is absolute temperature in K
Rayleigh-Jeans law

This law explains blackbody emission at higher wavelengths: M()=C1-4T/C2

RADIATION LAWS

9.6 mm

Spectral distribution of energy radiated by blackbodies at various temperatures