Fundamentals of Remote Sensing Tutorial, is available for free by The Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (formerly Canada Centre for Remote Sensing). The tutorial is structured as a course, with each section building on the concepts introduced in the previous sections and chapters.
The numerous images and graphics, as well as interesting facts, help explain and illustrate difficult concepts. Each chapter also includes several questions and quizzes to test the reader’s understanding of the subject matter.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Electromagnetic Radiation
1.2 Electromagnetic spectrum
1.3 Interactions with the Atmosphere
1.4 Radiation – Target Interactions
1.5 Passive vs. Active Sensing
1.6 Characteristics of Images
1.7 Endnotes
2. Satellites and Sensors
2.1 Satellites Characteristics: Orbits and Swaths
2.2 Spatial Resolution, Pixel Size, and Scale
2.3 Spectral Resolution
2.4 Radiometric Resolution
2.5 Temporal Resolution
2.6 Cameras and Aerial Photography
2.7 Multispectral Scanning
2.8 Thermal Imaging
2.9 Geometric Distortion in Imagery
2.10 Weather Satellites/Sensors
2.11 Land Observation, Satellites/Sensors
2.12 Marine Observation, Satellites/Sensors
2.13 Other Sensors
2.14 Data Reception, Transmission, and Processing
2.15 Endnotes
3. Microwave Remote Sensing
3.1 Radar Basics
3.2 Viewing Geometry and Spatial Resolution
3.3 Radar Image Distortions
3.4 Target Interaction and Image Appearance
3.5 Radar Image Properties
3.6 Advanced Radar Applications
3.7 Radar Polarimetry
3.8 Airborne versus Spaceborne Radars
3.9 Airborne and Spaceborne Radar Systems
3.10 Endnotes
4. Image Interpretation and Analysis
4.1 Elements of Visual Interpretation
4.2 Digital Image Processing
4.3 Pre-processing
4.4 Image Enhancement
4.5 Image Transformations
4.6 Image Classification and Analysis
4.7 Data Integration and Analysis
4.8 Endnotes
5. Applications
5.1 Agriculture
5.1.1 Crop Type Mapping
5.1.2 Crop Monitoring and Damage Assessment
5.2 Forestry
5.2.1 Clear Cut Mapping and Deforestation
5.2.2 Species Identification and Typing
5.2.3 Burn Mapping
5.3 Geology
5.3.1 Structural Mapping and Terrain Analysis
5.3.2 Geologic Unit Mapping
5.4 Hydrology
5.4.1 Flood delineation and Mapping
5.4.2 Soil Moisture
5.5 Sea Ice
5.5.1 Ice type and Concentration
5.5.2 Ice Motion
5.6 Land Cover – Biomass Mapping
5.6.1 Land Cover and Land Use
5.6.2 Land Use Change (Rural / Urban)
5.7 Mapping
5.7.1 Planimetry
5.7.2 Digital Elevation Model
5.7.3 Topographic and Baseline Thematic Mapping
5.8 Oceans and Coastal Monitoring
5.8.1 Ocean Features
5.8.2 Ocean Colour and Phytoplankton Concentration
5.8.3 Oil Spill Detection
5.9 Endnotes
6. Acknowledgements and Permission to Use
7. Download
8. Notes for teachers and students
Download Fundamentals of Remote Sensing Tutorial by Canada Centre for Remote Sensing