Course Layout: Remote Sensing
Week 1
• Rudiments of remote sensing and advantages
• Historical perspective of development of remote sensing technology
• Electromagnetic spectrum, solar reflection and thermal emission
• Interaction of EM radiation with atmosphere: scattering, absorption and emission
• Interaction mechanisms of EM radiation with ground, spectral response curves
Week 2
• Laws of radiation and their relevance in remote sensing
• Basis of remote sensing image representation
• Remote sensing platforms
• Multi-spectral scanners and imaging devices
• Characteristics of LANDSAT, SPOT and Sentinel sensors
Week 3
• Characteristics of IRS, Cartosat and ResourceSat sensors
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone)
• Passive microwave remote sensing
• Image characteristics and resolutions
• Techniques of image acquisition
Week 4
• Importance of digital image processing
• Digital image processing software
• Basic image enhancement techniques
• Colour representations and transforms
• Image histograms and statistics
Week 5
• Atmospheric errors and corrections
• Georeferencing techniques
• Digital image processing software – Demonstration I
• Image enhancement techniques I
• Image enhancement techniques II
Week 6
• Digital image processing software – Demonstration II
• Spatial filtering, band rationing and PCA
• Frequency domain Fourier transformation
• Digital image processing software – Demonstration III
• Unsupervised classification and density slicing
Week 7
• Supervised classification techniques and limitations
• Digital image processing software – Demonstration IV
• LiDAR techniques and applications
• Mosaicking, sub-setting and sub-sampling
• False topographic phenomena – correction I
Week 8
• False topographic phenomena – correction II
• High spatial resolution satellite images and limitations
• Image compression techniques and file formats
• Hyperspectral remote sensing
• Digital image vs digital photograph
Week 9
• NDVI and other indices
• Active microwave remote sensing I
• Active microwave remote sensing II
• Radar image interpretation and applications
• SAR Interferometry (InSAR) – I
Week 10
• SAR Interferometry (InSAR) – II
• Principles of image interpretation
• Interpretation of geological landforms and structures
• Remote sensing of Moon and Mars
• Google Earth and applications
Week 11
• RS and GIS applications in groundwater studies I
• RS and GIS applications in groundwater studies II
• Remote sensing in earthquake studies I
• Remote sensing in earthquake studies II
Week 12
• Sources of free satellite images
• Limitations of remote sensing techniques
• Books and references
Books and References
1 Introduction to Remote Sensing, 5th Ed., The Guilford Press, New York, 2012.
2 Lillesand, T.M., Kiefer, R.W. and Chapman, J.W., Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation,
5th Ed., Wiley, 2007.
3 Gupta, R. P., Remote Sensing Geology, 2nd Ed., Springer, 2003.
4 Drury, S. A., Image Interpretation in Geology, 2nd Ed., Allen & Unwin, 1993.
5 Cracknell, A.P., Introduction to Remote Sensing, 2nd Ed., Taylor & Francis, 1991.
6 Gonzalez, R. C. and Woods, R. E., Digital Image Processing, 3rd Ed., Pearson Education.