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2 - Introduction to Remote Sensing for Conservation Practitioners

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2018

By
Andreas B. Brink ,
Cindy Schmidt  and
Zoltan Szantoi
Edited by
Allison K. Leidner  and
Graeme M. Buchanan
Allison K. Leidner
Affiliation:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington DC
Graeme M. Buchanan
Affiliation:
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Edinburgh
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Summary

This introductory chapter guides the reader through the concept of remote sensing with a specific focus on the interests and needs of the conservation community. It begins with a brief history and key milestones in remote sensing, and then provides a technical overview. The reader is introduced to the basic physics of electromagnetic radiation and how it interacts with the Earth surface and atmosphere. This is followed by a description of satellite and sensor characteristics and the various processing steps required to obtain geometrically and radiometrically corrected images. The key to making satellite images useful is the process of turning raw pixel data into information; thus common data processing methods as well as some of the derived products used by authors in the following chapters of this book are presented. The ultimate aim of this chapter is to stimulate the interest of the non-remote sensing specialist by explaining key remote sensing concepts in a clear and simple manner, with the goal of serving as a foundation for the case study chapters. 
Type
Chapter
Information
Satellite Remote Sensing for Conservation Action
Case Studies from Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
 , pp. 26 - 53
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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References

References

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Web Resources

AniMove – Animal Movement and Remote Sensing courses. See http://animove.org/. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
Ecosens – Remote Sensing and GIS in Ecology training. See http://ecosens.org/. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
ARSET – Applied Remote Sensing Training. See https://arset.gsfc.nasa.gov/. Accessed 16 March 2017Google Scholar
eoPortal Directory. See https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions;jsessionid=8A5599899960900DB14F206C03786020.jvm1. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
ESA, eduspace. See www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Eduspace_EN/index.html. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
FIRMS – Fire Information for Resource Management System. See https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/near-real-time/firms. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
eStation – Processing server for the environmental monitoring of land condition in Africa. See http://estation.jrc.ec.europa.eu/. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
DOPA – Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. See http://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
Global Surface Water Explorer. See https://global-surface-water.appspot.com/. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar
Global Forest Watch (GFW) – www.globalforestwatch.org/about. Accessed 16 March 2017.Google Scholar

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