What is Remote Sensing (RS)?
You are probably most familiar with remotely sensed data from Google Earth or Google Maps. All of the aerial imagery you view in these applications was captured using remote sensing technology (probably from an aircraft or satellite), processed by imagery technicians, then disseminated in products for you to explore. Technically, RS is the detection and measurement of wavelengths reflected or emitted by objects. So, in a broader sense RS is the acquisition and interpretation of data from a device (camera, radar, or other sensors) housed on an aircraft, ship, or satellite. Sensors capture data by: • Recording the amount of light reflected from objects (photography) > Compare aerial images over time • Recording the amount of energy emitted by objects (thermal) > Calculate water or terrestrial temperatures • Recording the distance to objects (sonar or LIDAR) > Derive elevation for terrain analysis Collected data is then processed and turned into an image for analysis and/or map generation
