Aim
The course aims at conveying basic knowledge about theories and methods in digital satellite remote sensing.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

• describe the fundamental physical principles of remote sensing,

• account for the basic technical principles of satellites, sensors, and ground segments for data collection, and for properties of available data from these systems, and

• account for principles of digital image management and processing in remote sensing.

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

• analyse digital remote sensing data with existing image processing software independently,

• integrate remote sensing data with other data in a geographical information system,

• actively contribute to discussions, and present the result of remote sensing in writing, orally, and in maps for specialists and lay persons, and

• gather knowledge within the field in a predominantly independent and individual way.

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

• compile, appraise and discuss choice of data and analysis method to solve a given remote sensing problem, and

• critically review, appraise and discuss the reliability of analyses based on remote sensing data.

Contents

• fundamental physical principles and terminology for electromagnetic radiation, and its interaction with different media (air, water, land, vegetation etc.)

• overview of remote sensing satellites and their orbits, common remote sensing systems and their technical principles, properties, and data formats.

• data management from raw data to geometrically and radiometrically corrected imagery.

• image processing methods within remote sensing, including e.g. image enhancement, data compression, image transformation, and basic classification methods.

• integration of field data with remotely sensed data for classification and accuracy evaluation.

• thematic mapping with remote sensing data.

Literature
Articles, etc.