Remote Sensing

Remote Sensing is concerned with acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, by the use of either recording or real-time sensing device(s) that is not in physical contact with the object (such as by way of aircraft, satellite, or ship). It deals with acquiring data commonly in the form of images, which are subsequently digitally processed to extract desired information about the environment. In practice, remote sensing is the stand-off collection through the use of a variety of devices for gathering information on a given object or area. The use and application of remote sensing techniques has become pervasive in disciplines such as cartography, urban and regional planning, forestry, aquatic sciences, geology, meteorology and many others). It deals with the basic need of acquiring information about objects, phenomena and processes on and in the earth, such as the physical environment, natural and man-made resources in order to understand their uses and critical changes. It draws from many disciplines, including computer science, engineering, environmental sciences, mathematics, and statistics in order to understand how data are remotely captured, represented and later processed to obtain information. Information derived through remote sensing techniques are critical inputs to further spatial analysis and modeling.