Remote sensing is the science and technology of acquiring information about the earth’s surface (i.e., land and ocean) and atmosphere using sensors onboard airborne (e.g., aircraft or balloons) or spaceborne (e.g., satellites and space shuttles) platforms. It involves the acquisition and recording of information about an object without being in direct contact with that object. While humans accomplish this task with the use of eyes or by the sense of smell or hearing, most sensing devices record information about an object by measuring an object’s transmission of electromagnetic energy from reflecting and radiating surfaces.
Processes in remote sensing
Important to remote sensing are the energy source, the target object to be sensed, the sensor, the processing station, the analysis workplace and the eventual application of information gotten. The stages in remote sensing are:
- Emission of electromagnetic radiation, EMR (sun/self- emission)
- Transmission of energy from the source to the surface of the earth, as well as absorption and scattering
- Interaction of EMR with the earth’s surface: reflection and emission
- Transmission of energy from the surface to the remote sensor
- Sensor data output
- Data transmission, processing, and analysis
Application of remote sensing
Remote sensing has applications in fields like mapping and planning, environmental monitoring, weather monitoring, geology, forestry, and agriculture. In agriculture, the applications of agriculture include:
- crop type classification
- crop condition assessment
- crop yield estimation
- crop monitoring & damage assessment
- mapping of soil characteristics
- compliance monitoring (farming practices)
