- Table View
- List View
Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis
by John A. RichardsRemote Sensing Digital Image Analysis provides a comprehensive treatment of the methods used for the processing and interpretation of remotely sensed image data. Over the past decade there have been continuing and significant developments in the algorithms used for the analysis of remote sensing imagery, even though many of the fundamentals have substantially remained the same. As with its predecessors this new edition again presents material that has retained value but also includes newer techniques, covered from the perspective of operational remote sensing. The book is designed as a teaching text for the senior undergraduate and postgraduate student, and as a fundamental treatment for those engaged in research using digital image analysis in remote sensing. The presentation level is for the mathematical non-specialist. Since the very great number of operational users of remote sensing come from the earth sciences communities, the text is pitched at a level commensurate with their background. The chapters progress logically through means for the acquisition of remote sensing images, techniques by which they can be corrected, and methods for their interpretation. The prime focus is on applications of the methods, so that worked examples are included and a set of problems conclude each chapter.
Remote Sensing for Archaeology and Cultural Landscapes: Best Practices and Perspectives Across Europe and the Middle East (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Nicola Masini Rosa Lasaponara Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis Kyriacos Themistocleous Branka Cuca Athos Agapiou Vasiliki Lysandrou Gunter SchreierThis book investigates the added value that satellite technologies and remote sensing could provide for a more sustainable mapping, monitoring and management of heritage sites, be it for purposes of regular maintenance or for risk mitigation in case of natural or man-caused hazards. One of the major goals of this book is to provide a clear overview on policy perspectives, regarding both space policy as well as heritage policy, and to provide possible suggestions for common ground of these two fields, in Europe and around the world. Readers will develop a good understanding of cutting-edge applications of remote sensing and geographic information science, and the challenges that affect heritage maintenance and protection. Particular attention is given to Earth observation and remote sensing techniques applied in different locations. This book brings together innovative technologies, concrete applications and policy perspectives that can lead to a more complete vision of cultural heritage as a resource for future development of our society as a whole.
Remote Sensing for Food Security (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Felix KoganThis volume gathers a variety of applications for remote sensing of vegetation health (VH) and concretely shows how this information can be used in service of ending hunger and of ensuring future food security. In this book’s ten chapters, Dr. Felix Kogan, one of the most prolific scientists in this sphere, shows how a new VH method, designed from operational environmental satellite data, can be used to provide advanced predictions of agricultural losses, helping to enhance food security and reducing the number of hungry people. Topics covered include the scientific basis of the VH method, drought monitoring, prediction of short-term agricultural yield and crop insurance, and impacts of long term climate variability and change on food security. A short discussion on VH for human health-related topics such as detection and prediction of malaria and fire risk is included as well.
Remote Sensing for Hydrocarbon Exploration (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Andreas LaakeThis book provides insights into the benefits of using remote sensing data from a geoscientist's perspective, by integrating the data with the understanding of Earth's surface and subsurface. In 3 sections, the book takes a detailed look at what data explorationists use when they explore for hydrocarbon resources, assess different terrain types for planning and hazards and extract present-day geologic analogs for subsurface geologic settings. The book presents the usage of remote sensing data in exploration in a structured way by detecting individual geologic features as building blocks for complex geologic systems. This concept enables readers to build their own workflows for the assessment of complex geologic systems using various combinations of remote sensing data. Section 1 introduces readers to the foundations of remote sensing for exploration, covers various methods of image processing and studies different digital elevation and bathymetry models. Section 2 presents the concept of geomorphology as a means to integrate surface and subsurface data. Different aspects of rendering in 2D and 3D are explained and used for the interpretation and extraction of geologic features that are used in exploration.Section 3 addresses remote sensing for hydrocarbon exploration in detail, from geophysical data acquisition to development and infrastructure planning. The organization of this chapter follows an exploration workflow from regional to local modeling studying basin and petroleum system modeling as well as logistics planning of seismic surveys and near-surface modeling. Aspects of field development and infrastructure planning comprise multi-temporal and dynamic modeling. The section closes with a structured approach to extracting geologic analogs from interpreted remote sensing data.The book will be of interest to professionals and students working in exploration for hydrocarbons and water resources, as well as geoscientists and engineers using remote sensing for infrastructure planning, hazard assessment and dynamic environmental studies.
Remote Sensing for Landscape Ecology: Monitoring, Modeling, And Assessment Of Ecosystems
by Ricardo D Lopez Robert C FrohnThis book provides the practical basis for the use of remote sensing to accomplish landscape ecological projects, through the merging of theory and practice, with examples. This is a specialized application and both these topics have evolved rapidly in the past decade. This evolution is not in the previous edition, and indeed this update provides much new information and valuable ideas for the professional and assist in directing the training of new personnel. The new edition will feature a combination of landscape ecology metrics, quantitative field measurements, and geospatial analyses.
Remote Sensing for Malaria: Monitoring and Predicting Malaria from Operational Satellites (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Felix KoganThis book presents research using high-resolution operational satellite data for monitoring and assessing numerically how to reduce the area and intensity of malaria outbreaks. Satellite data and imageries a powerful and effective tool for malaria monitoring and reduction of the number of affected people as it bypasses the limitations imposed by the dearth of near-the-ground weather data in many malaria-prone areas. With this in mind, this volume provides readers with:In-depth information in monitoring signs of malaria from operational polar-orbiting satellitesExamples of country-specific models for predicting malaria area (1 and 4 km2 resolution) and intensityInformation on the how the effects of climate change on malaria outbreak area and intensity can be monitoredA new Vegetation Health (VH) methodology to estimate vegetation moisture, temperature and moisture/temperature conditions as indicators of malaria vector activityAdvice to users on the application of VH technology for early assessments of malaria area, intensity and risk levelRemote Sensing for Malaria is intended for an audience of public health practitioners, environmentalists, and students and researchers working in spatial epidemiology and disease prevention.
Remote Sensing for Sustainability (Remote Sensing Applications Series)
by Qihao WengDriven by the societal needs and improvement in sensor technology and image processing techniques, remote sensing has become an essential geospatial tool for understanding the Earth and managing Human-Earth interactions. Remote Sensing for Sustainability introduces the current state of the art remote sensing knowledge integral for monitoring the world’s natural resources and environments, managing exposure to natural disasters and man-made risks, and helping understand the sustainability and productivity of natural ecosystems. Bridging the gap between remote sensing and sustainability science this book examines theories and methods as well as practical applications of sustainable development for cities using remote sensing; focuses on remote sensing methods and techniques for sustainable natural resources with emphasize on forests; answers questions on how and what the remote sensing methods and techniques can do for the sustainability of environmental systems; and examines the issues of energy use and sustainable energy sources using remote sensing technology in countries such as Germany, China, the U.S, drawing on case studies to demonstrate the applicability of remote sensing techniques. This comprehensive guide, which can serve to professors, researchers, and students alike, takes in consideration the United Nations set of sustainable development goals and intends to contribute to the GEO’s Strategic Plan by addressing and exemplifying a number of societal benefit areas of remote sensing data sets, methods, and techniques for sustainable development.
Remote Sensing from Space
by Gunter Zeug Martino Pesaresi Stefan Schneiderbauer Bhupendra JasaniThis volume provides the reader with an overview of the state-of-the-art Earth Observation (EO) related research that deals with national and international security. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted in this book in order to provide the reader with a broad understanding on the uses of remote sensing technologies. The book therefore comprises management aspects (issues and priorities of security research, crisis response), applied methodologies and process chains (treaty monitoring, estimation of population densities and characteristics, border permeability models, damage assessment) and the latest developments in generic tools (feature recognition, change detection and visualization). Moreover, issues of data sharing and standards, as well as new approaches to training security relevant techniques, are addressed. The contributing authors are leading researchers and experts from private companies, national research institutions and international organizations, all of whom were brought together under the aegis of the European research project GMOSS (Global Monitoring for Security and Stability). This book is tailored for the scientific community that deals with the application of EO data, as well as project managers and decision makers working in the field of security having an interest in technical solutions. The integrative use of many figures and sample images are ideal in enabling the non-technical reader to grasp quickly the modern technologies that are being researched in the area of civil security.
Remote Sensing Image Classification in R (Springer Geography)
by Courage KamusokoThis book offers an introduction to remotely sensed image processing and classification in R using machine learning algorithms. It also provides a concise and practical reference tutorial, which equips readers to immediately start using the software platform and R packages for image processing and classification. This book is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces remote sensing digital image processing in R, while chapter 2 covers pre-processing. Chapter 3 focuses on image transformation, and chapter 4 addresses image classification. Lastly, chapter 5 deals with improving image classification. R is advantageous in that it is open source software, available free of charge and includes several useful features that are not available in commercial software packages. This book benefits all undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, university teachers and other remote- sensing practitioners interested in the practical implementation of remote sensing in R.
Remote Sensing Image Fusion: A Practical Guide
by Christine Pohl John van GenderenRemote Sensing Image Fusion: A Practical Guide gives an introduction to remote sensing image fusion providing an overview on the sensors and applications. It describes data selection, application requirements and the choice of a suitable image fusion technique. It comprises a diverse selection of successful image fusion cases that are relevant to other users and other areas of interest around the world. The book helps newcomers to obtain a quick start into the practical value and benefits of multi-sensor image fusion. Experts will find this book useful to obtain an overview on the state of the art and understand current constraints that need to be solved in future research efforts. For industry professionals the book can be a great introduction and basis to understand multisensor remote sensing image exploitation and the development of commercialized image fusion software from a practical perspective. The book concludes with a chapter on current trends and future developments in remote sensing image fusion. Along with the book, RSIF website provides additional up-to-date information in the field.
Remote Sensing Imagery
by Florence Tupin Jordi Inglada Jean-Marie NicolasDedicated to remote sensing images, from their acquisition to their use in various applications, this book covers the global lifecycle of images, including sensors and acquisition systems, applications such as movement monitoring or data assimilation, and image and data processing. It is organized in three main parts. The first part presents technological information about remote sensing (choice of satellite orbit and sensors) and elements of physics related to sensing (optics and microwave propagation). The second part presents image processing algorithms and their specificities for radar or optical, multi and hyper-spectral images. The final part is devoted to applications: change detection and analysis of time series, elevation measurement, displacement measurement and data assimilation. Offering a comprehensive survey of the domain of remote sensing imagery with a multi-disciplinary approach, this book is suitable for graduate students and engineers, with backgrounds either in computer science and applied math (signal and image processing) or geo-physics. About the Authors Florence Tupin is Professor at Telecom ParisTech, France. Her research interests include remote sensing imagery, image analysis and interpretation, three-dimensional reconstruction, and synthetic aperture radar, especially for urban remote sensing applications. Jordi Inglada works at the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (French Space Agency), Toulouse, France, in the field of remote sensing image processing at the CESBIO laboratory. He is in charge of the development of image processing algorithms for the operational exploitation of Earth observation images, mainly in the field of multi-temporal image analysis for land use and cover change. Jean-Marie Nicolas is Professor at Telecom ParisTech in the Signal and Imaging department. His research interests include the modeling and processing of synthetic aperture radar images.
Remote Sensing in ArcGIS® Pro
by Tammy E. Parece John A. McGee James B. CampbellRemotely sensed images are widely available and have countless potential applications. In the past, analyzing these images required specialized software. Esri’s ArcGIS Pro software includes tools that can be used by novice and experienced analysts. In this manual, we provide a series of easy-to-understand, step-by-step tutorials to guide you through image analysis processes. By completing this series of tutorials, you will be able to: •Manipulate data in ArcGIS Pro •Obtain and display Landsat data •Display image data from Landsat or other remote sensing platforms (including Sentinel and sUAS) •Enhance and analyze remotely sensed imagery.Videos available through the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program’s YouTube Channel can be used as additional resources to accompany this manual.
Remote Sensing Intelligent Interpretation for Mine Geological Environment: From Land Use and Land Cover Perspective
by Weitao Chen Xianju Li Lizhe WangThis book examines the theory and methods of remote sensing intelligent interpretation based on deep learning. Based on geological and environmental effects on mines, this book constructs a set of systematic mine remote sensing datasets focusing on the multi-level task with the system of “target detection→scene classification→semantic segmentation." Taking China’s Hubei Province as an example, this book focuses on the following four aspects: 1. Development of a multiscale remote sensing dataset of the mining area, including mine target remote sensing dataset, mine (including non-mine areas) remote sensing scene dataset, and semantic segmentation remote sensing dataset of mining land cover. The three datasets are the basis of intelligent interpretation based on deep learning. 2. Research on mine target remote sensing detection method based on deep learning. 3. Research on remote sensing scene classification method of mine and non-mine areas based on deep learning. 4. Research on the fine-scale classification method of mining land cover based on semantic segmentation.The book is a valuable reference both for scholars, practitioners and as well as graduate students who are interested in mining environment research.
Remote Sensing Land Surface Changes: The 1981-2020 Intensive Global Warming
by Felix KoganThis book discusses the detrimental consequences of climate-related land changes over a 40-year period between 1981 and 2020, and focuses on how climate warming is deteriorating the agricultural system due to excessive heat, lack of moisture and more intensive and widespread droughts leading to a reduction of agricultural production. Most of the existing literature on the unfavourable consequences of global warming for land are based on a relatively short period of weather station data, covering local land areas with limited networks and monitoring parameters. These concerns have led to the use of satellite data, whose measurements are controlled by such vegetation characteristics as chlorophyll, carotenoids, moisture contents in the plants and temperature inside the vegetation community. Therefore, the discussion of this book is completely based on high-resolution global land surface measurements by the sensors on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) operational afternoon polar-orbiting satellites. The book also focuses on understanding climate change impacts on land changes where humans are living, and combines biophysically-grounded methods and the 40-year data to develop models for monitoring large-scale Earth warming impacts on land and for timely prediction of climate consequences for humans. These 40-year trends in land characteristics will help to better inform the assessment of potential changes in the future and how to reach human sustainability. The book will of interest to scientists using satellite remote sensing to track climate change impacts on land over time, as well as students and researchers in climatology and environmental sustainability.
Remote Sensing Monitoring and Evaluation of Degraded Grassland in China: Accounting of Grassland Carbon Source and Carbon Sink (Springer Geography)
by Wei Zhou Jianlong Li Tianxiang YueThis book focuses on grassland ecosystem evaluation including vegetation coverage, net primary productivity, carbon sink accounting, and grassland degradation evaluation based on mutual data resource, ecosystem model simulation, remote sensing monitoring and driving mechanism exploration. It aims to provide a guide seeking to understand the overall situation of grassland in China in the context of global climate change and build a scenario for the driving force quantitative evaluation. It will be an essential reference to the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle and degraded grassland ecological restoration engineer implementation. Chapters are carefully developed to cover (1) situation of grassland in China; (2) spatial-temporal of grassland coverage in China;(3) net primary productivity evaluation; (4) carbon sink/source accounting and its carbon-hydrology effect;(5) grassland landscape pattern; (6) grassland degradation evaluation based on remote sensing;(7) Grassland degradation restoration and constructing green ecological protective screen. The new scenario and driving mechanism evaluation model make this book a valuable read for researcher of land ecosystem carbon cycle, ecosytem degradation remote sensing evaluation as well as organizations engaged in eco-restoration practices.
Remote Sensing of Agriculture and Land Cover/Land Use Changes in South and Southeast Asian Countries
by Krishna Prasad Vadrevu Thuy Le Toan Shibendu Shankar Ray Chris JusticeThis book sheds new light on the remote sensing of agriculture in South/Southeast Asian (S/SEA) countries. S/SEA countries are growing rapidly in terms of population, industrialization, and urbanization. One of the critical challenges in the region is food security. In S/SEA, although total food production and productivity have increased in previous decades, in recent years, the growth rate of food production has slowed down, mostly due to land use change, market forces and policy interventions. Further, the weather and climate systems in the region driven primarily by monsoon variability are resulting in droughts or flooding, impacting agricultural production. Therefore, monitoring crops, including agricultural land cover changes at regular intervals, is essential to predict and prepare for disruptions in the food supply in the S/SEA countries. The current book captures the latest research on the remote sensing of agricultural land cover/ land use changes, including mapping and monitoring crops, crop yields, biophysical parameter retrievals, multi-source data fusion for agricultural applications, and chapters on decision making and early warning systems for food security. The authors of this book are international experts in the field, and their contributions highlight the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies for agricultural research and applications in South/Southeast Asia.
Remote Sensing of Clouds and Precipitation (Springer Remote Sensing/photogrammetry Ser.)
by Constantin AndronacheThis book presents current applications of remote sensing techniques for clouds and precipitation for the benefit of students, educators, and scientists. It covers ground-based systems such as weather radars and spaceborne instruments on satellites. Measurements and modeling of precipitation are at the core of weather forecasting, and long-term observations of the cloud system are vital to improving atmospheric models and climate projections. The first section of the book focuses on the use of ground-based weather radars to observe and measure precipitation and to detect and forecast storms, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. It also discusses the observation of clouds using ground-based millimeter radar. The second part of the book concentrates on spaceborne remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. It includes cases from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, using satellite radars to observe precipitation systems. Then, the focus is on global cloud observations from the ClaudSat, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), including a perspective on the Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite. It also addresses global atmospheric water vapor profiling for clear and cloudy conditions using microwave observations. The final part of this volume provides a perspective into advances in cloud modeling using remote sensing observations.
Remote Sensing of Hydrological Extremes
by Venkat LakshmiThis volume provides in-depth coverage of the latest in remote sensing of hydrological extremes: both floods and droughts. The book is divided into two distinct sections - floods and droughts - and offers a variety of techniques for monitoring each. With rapid advances in computer modelling and observing systems, floods and droughts are studied with greater precision today than ever before. Land surface models, especially over the entire Continental United States, can map the hydrological cycle at kilometre and sub-kilometre scales. In the case of smaller areas there is even higher spatial resolution and the only limiting factor is the resolution of input data. In-situ sensors are automated and the data is directly relayed to the world wide web for many hydrological variables such as precipitation, soil moisture, surface temperature and heat fluxes. In addition, satellite remote sensing has advanced to providing twice a day repeat observations at kilometre to ten-kilometre spatial scales. We are at a critical juncture in the study of hydrological extremes, and the GPM and SMAP missions as well as the MODIS and GRACE sensors give us more tools and data than were ever available before. A global variety of chapter authors provides wide-ranging perspectives and case studies that will make this book an indispensable resource for researchers, engineers, and even emergency management and insurance professionals who study and/or manage hydrological extremes.
Remote Sensing of Hydrometeorological Hazards
by George P. Petropoulos Tanvir IslamExtreme weather and climate change aggravate the frequency and magnitude of disasters. Facing atypical and more severe events, existing early warning and response systems become inadequate both in scale and scope. Earth Observation (EO) provides today information at global, regional and even basin scales related to agrometeorological hazards. This book focuses on drought, flood, frost, landslides, and storms/cyclones and covers different applications of EO data used from prediction to mapping damages as well as recovery for each category. It explains the added value of EO technology in comparison with conventional techniques applied today through many case studies.
Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover in Mountain Region: A Comprehensive Study at the Central Tibetan Plateau
by Duo ChuThis book presents the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover in the central Tibetan Plateau during the last two decades, based on various types of satellite data, long-term field investigation and GIS techniques. Further, it demonstrates how remote sensing can be used to map and characterize land use, land cover and their dynamic processes in mountainous regions, and to monitor and model relevant biophysical parameters.The Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest plateau on the Earth and well known as “the roof of the world,” is a huge mountainous area on the Eurasian continent and covers millions of square kilometers, with an average elevation of over 4000 m. After providing an overview of the background and an introduction to land use and land cover change, the book analyzes the current land use status, dynamic changes and spatial distribution patterns of different land-use types in the study area, using various types of remotely sensed data, digital elevation models and GIS spatial analysis methods to do so. In turn, it discusses the main driving forces, based on the main physical environment variables and socioeconomic data, and provides a future scenario analysis of land use change using a Markov chain model. Given its scope, it provides a valuable reference guide for researchers, scientists and graduate students working on environmental change in mountainous regions around the globe, and for practitioners working at government and non-government agencies.
Remote Sensing of Natural Hazards
by Jay GaoThis book presents a comprehensive coverage of remote sensing technology used to gather information on 12 types of natural hazards in the terrestrial sphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. It clarifies in detail how to yield spatial and quantitative data on a natural hazard, including its spatial distribution, severity, causes, and the likelihood of occurrence. The author explains multiple methods of attaining data, describes the pros and cons of each method, and encourages readers to choose the best method applicable to their case. The author offers a practical approach to data analysis using the most appropriate methods and software. 1. Covers all major natural hazards including hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and avalanches. 2. Studies each natural hazard holistically, ranging from spatial extent, severity, impact assessment, causes, and prediction of occurrence. 3. Explains different remotely sensed data and the most appropriate method used. 4. Compares different ways of sensing and clarifies the pros and cons of any selected data or their analysis. 5. Provides ample examples of each aspect of a natural hazard studied augmented with graphic illustrations and quality assurance information. All professionals working in the field of natural hazards, senior undergraduate, and graduate students, will find in-depth approaches and sufficient information to become knowledgeable in the methods of yielding and analyzing data provided with remote sensing technology, ultimately providing a deeper understanding of natural hazards.
Remote Sensing of Northwest Himalayan Ecosystems
by R. R. Navalgund A. Senthil Kumar Subrata NandyHimalaya, one of the global biodiversity hotspots, is the abode of a variety of flora and fauna. The Himalayan ecosystems have immense ecological, socioeconomic, and aesthetic significance as they provide a wide range of ecosystem services. The northwest Himalaya (NWH), covering three states of India viz., Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, starts from the foothills of Shivaliks in the south and extends to the greater Himalaya in the north. This region is also the source of some of the major rivers of India. With the increase in population, the NWH ecosystems have been under threat due to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, expansion of agriculture and settlement, overexploitation of natural resources, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, mining, construction of roads and large dams, and unplanned tourism. The Himalaya being young and geotectonically active, remains inherently unstable, fragile, and prone to natural disasters. Climate change is also likely to impact the Himalayan cryosphere drastically. Recognizing the importance of the Himalaya, a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) of Govt. of India, to conserve biodiversity, forest cover and other ecological values in the Himalayan region has been taken up.Spaceborne remote sensing with its ability to provide synoptic and repetitive coverage has emerged as a powerful tool for assessment and monitoring of the Himalayan resources and phenomena. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun has taken up a number of studies in the fields of geology, water resources, forestry, agriculture, urban settlement, etc., over the last decade. The book summarises the work carried out in different disciplines, illustrated with tables and figures and a host of relevant references. It is hoped that the book serves as an excellent reference of immense value to the students, researchers, professors, scientists, professionals, and decision makers working in the NWH region.
Remote Sensing of Plant Biodiversity
by Jeannine Cavender-Bares John A. Gamon Philip A. TownsendThis Open Access volume aims to methodologically improve our understanding of biodiversity by linking disciplines that incorporate remote sensing, and uniting data and perspectives in the fields of biology, landscape ecology, and geography. The book provides a framework for how biodiversity can be detected and evaluated—focusing particularly on plants—using proximal and remotely sensed hyperspectral data and other tools such as LiDAR. The volume, whose chapters bring together a large cross-section of the biodiversity community engaged in these methods, attempts to establish a common language across disciplines for understanding and implementing remote sensing of biodiversity across scales. The first part of the book offers a potential basis for remote detection of biodiversity. An overview of the nature of biodiversity is described, along with ways for determining traits of plant biodiversity through spectral analyses across spatial scales and linking spectral data to the tree of life. The second part details what can be detected spectrally and remotely. Specific instrumentation and technologies are described, as well as the technical challenges of detection and data synthesis, collection and processing. The third part discusses spatial resolution and integration across scales and ends with a vision for developing a global biodiversity monitoring system. Topics include spectral and functional variation across habitats and biomes, biodiversity variables for global scale assessment, and the prospects and pitfalls in remote sensing of biodiversity at the global scale.
Remote Sensing of Soils
by Dwivedi Ravi ShankarThis book is about applications of remote sensing techniques in the studies on soils. In pursuance of the objective, the book initially provides an introduction to various elements and concepts of remote sensing, and associated technologies , namely Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) in chapter-1. An overview of the sensors used to collect remote sensing data and important Earth observation missions is provided in chapter-2. The processing of satellite digital data (geometric and radiometric corrections, feature reduction, digital data fusion, image enhancements and analysis) is dealt with in Chapter-3. In the chapter to follow the interpretation of remote sensing data , very important and crucial step in deriving information on natural resources including soils resources, is discussed. An introduction to soils as a natural body with respect to their formation, physical and chemical properties used during inventory of soils, and soil classification is given in Chapter-5. The spectral response patterns of soils including hyperspectral characteristics -fundamental to deriving information on soils from spectral measurements, and the techniques of soil resources mapping are discussed in chapter-6 and -7,respectively. Furthermore, the creation of digital soil resources database and the development of soil information systems, a very important aspect of storage and dissemination of digital soil data to the end users are discussed in ch. apter-8. Lastly, the applications of remote sensing techniques in soil moisture estimation and soil fertility evaluation are covered in chapter-9 and -10, respectively.
Remote Sensing of the African Seas
by Vittorio Barale Martin GadeThe African Seas include marginal basins of two major oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian, a miniature ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and an infant ocean, the Red Sea. Understanding the wide spectrum of environmental features and processes of such a varied collection of marine and coastal regions requires that in situ observation systems be integrated and actually guided, by the application of orbital remote sensing techniques. This volume reviews the current potential of Earth Observations to help in the exploration of the marginal seas around Africa, by virtue of both passive and active techniques, working in several spectral ranges - i. e. measuring either reflected visible and near-infrared sunlight, as well as surface emissions in the thermal infrared and microwave spectral regions, or again the surface reflection of transmitted lidar or radar impulses of visible or microwave radiation. The in-depth evaluation of the advantages offered by each technique and spectral region and in particular by the development of advanced multi-technique systems, contributes to the assessment of the abundant natural resources that the Seas of Africa have to offer, of those in dear need of being - sustainably - exploited and of others that should be protected and maintained in their still pristine conditions.