The Earth from Space: An Introduction to Remote Sensing
Winter 2007-2008
This course is an introduction to remote sensing of the Earth as a system, with emphasis on global change. We will examine the Earth using data collected by orbiting satellites, and try to understand how well we can characterize the present state and any changes in the planet's environment. Coursework will be divided into three areas, i) the science behind global change and Earth system remote sensing, ii) spaceborne instrumentation for these measurements, and iii) remote sensing data and their analysis. We will introduce the physics behind several major elements of change in the Earth system, including greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and global warming, water and energy cycles, the role of the oceans in controlling climate, land surface ecosystems and the carbon cycle, glaciers and polar ice sheets, and the effect of volcanic activity on the global climate. We will identify the properties of these that can be measured using satellite sensors, and examine how these data might be acquired for global studies. Included will be a discussion of various sensor types and what environmental parameters each is sensitive to.
Integral to the course is an introduction to the handling of large imaging data sets using computers. Hands-on experimentation with remote sensing images of the Bay Area and beyond to identify surface terrain types and land cover will provide an appreciation of what characteristics of the surface can be studied using spaceborne data. The insights gained examining local terrains will then be applied to data acquired over remote parts of the developing world to produce a comparative assessment of the local conditions and land use. These will be combined in a comprehensive description of a satellite system including scientific issues, political motivations, and implementation challenges.
Textbook info
Recommended, but not required: Remote Sensing, by Floyd F. Sabins, 3nd edition, W.H. Freeman, 1997, and Computer Processing of Remotely-Sensed Images, by Paul M. Mather, Wiley, 2004, plus handouts and reading assignments of material available over the internet. Other useful texts on 2-hour reserve hold in Branner Library, Mitchell Building (see references).
Who should consider this course
Undergraduate students who are interested in the Earth's environmental change and spaceborne instrumentation, and graduate students who would like to be introduced the the subject of remote sensing. This course covers the study of the Earth from space, and we will examine the Earth as a system, spaceborne sensors that allow us to study that system globally, and the kinds of information that can be inferred from those sensors. It will be of particular interest to those whose ultimate career goals include assessments of policy towards environmental concerns, as well as those interested in applying and building these systems.
Prerequisites:
None. This is an introduction to the subject of satellite remote sensing, and should be approachable by non-science majors in addition to students in more technical disciplines. Some familiarity with computer systems, at least at the level of running commercial programs on a personal computer, is helpful.
Course structure:
The course will meet three times a week, generally twice in Mitchell 350/372 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and on Fridays in the PC computer cluster located in the basement of Mitchell, room A65. There will be reading assignments from the text plus handouts in class. Some reading will be of documents available primarily over the World Wide Web. There will be homework approximately weekly worth 35% of the grade, a midterm worth 30%, and a team project worth the remaining 35% of the grade. Extra credit worth up to 5% of the total grade may be possible for certain additional directed study.
Fieldwork
We may have a field exercise where we visit some of the local foothills to identify terrain and objects visible in the remote sensing images. This activity will help in future visualization of the regions mapped using imaging techniques, particularly for those collected using non-visible-radiation such as infrared or microwave sensors.