The aim of this unit is to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of using remotely sensed data for environmental mapping, monitoring and management applications. The unit incorporates lecture (recorded for external students) and practical materials, both of which are integral to gaining a thorough understanding of the art and science of remote sensing. Both internal and external students will have access to state of the art image processing software, as well as a variety of satellite and airborne images. Students will learn about the interactions of light with different environmental features, electromagnetic radiation, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery, Synthetic Aperture RADAR, LiDAR, digital image processing, object oriented information extraction, operational remote sensing, and various applications of the technology. Internal student will also be given the opportunity to speak with industry representatives, who visit the class to give short presentations about their work.
Remote sensing is the ability to obtain information about something without being in physical contact with it. This is often in the form of a photo or digital image. In environmental and earth sciences, satellites and aircraft are used to take pictures of the earth (such as those used in Google Earth, for example) to map, monitor, and manage our resources. Remote sensing is a powerful tool for understanding environmental features and processes, and is used in a wide variety of applications such as infrastructure mapping, natural disaster assessment, weather forecasting, water quality monitoring, land cover change mapping, and national security.
PRESCRIBED TEXT - REMOTE SENSING AND GIS FOR ECOLOGISTS
