Earth Observation Using Python

Learn basic Python programming to create functional and effective visualizations from earth observation satellite data sets Thousands of satellite datasets are freely available online, but scientists need the right tools to efficiently analyze data and share results. Python has easy-to-learn syntax and thousands of libraries to perform common Earth science programming tasks. Earth Observation Using Python: A Practical Programming Guide presents an example-driven collection of basic methods, applications, and visualizations to process satellite data sets for Earth science research. Gain Python fluency using real data and case studies Read and write common scientific data formats, like netCDF, HDF, and GRIB2 Create 3-dimensional maps of dust, fire, vegetation indices and more Learn to adjust satellite imagery resolution, apply quality control, and handle big files Develop useful workflows and learn to share code using version control Acquire skills using online interactive code available for all examples in the book The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the Author

This book focuses on the use of open source software for geospatial analysis. It demonstrates the effectiveness of the command line interface for handling both vector, raster and 3D geospatial data. Appropriate open-source tools for data processing are clearly explained and discusses how they can be used to solve everyday tasks. A series of fully worked case studies are presented including vector spatial analysis, remote sensing data analysis, landcover classification and LiDAR processing. A hands-on introduction to the application programming interface (API) of GDAL/OGR in Python/C++ is provided for readers who want to extend existing tools and/or develop their own software.

Satellite Earth observation (EO) data have already exceeded the petabyte scale and are increasingly freely and openly available from different data providers. This poses a number of issues in terms of volume (e.g., data volumes have increased 10.

This is a book about how ecologists can integrate remote sensing and GIS in their daily work. It will allow ecologists to get started with the application of remote sensing and to understand its potential and limitations. Using practical examples, the book covers all necessary steps from planning field campaigns to deriving ecologically relevant information through remote sensing and modelling of species distributions. All practical examples in this book rely on OpenSource software and freely available data sets. Quantum GIS (QGIS) is introduced for basic GIS data handling, and in-depth spatial analytics and statistics are conducted with the software packages R and GRASS. Readers will learn how to apply remote sensing within ecological research projects, how to approach spatial data sampling and how to interpret remote sensing derived products. The authors discuss a wide range of statistical analyses with regard to satellite data as well as specialised topics such as time-series analysis. Extended scripts on how to create professional looking maps and graphics are also provided. This book is a valuable resource for students and scientists in the fields of conservation and ecology interested in learning how to get started in applying remote sensing in ecological research and conservation planning.

Over the past decades, rapid developments in digital and sensing technologies, such as the Cloud, Web and Internet of Things, have dramatically changed the way we live and work. The digital transformation is revolutionizing our ability to monitor our planet and transforming the way we access, process and exploit Earth Observation data from satellites.This book reviews these megatrends and their implications for the Earth Observation community as well as the wider data economy. It provides insight into new paradigms of Open Science and Innovation applied to space data, which are characterized by openness, access to large volume of complex data, wide availability of new community tools, new techniques for big data analytics such as Artificial Intelligence, unprecedented level of computing power, and new types of collaboration among researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and citizen scientists. In addition, this book aims to provide readers with some reflections on the future of Earth Observation, highlighting through a series of use cases not just the new opportunities created by the New Space revolution, but also the new challenges that must be addressed in order to make the most of the large volume of complex and diverse data delivered by the new generation of satellites. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

This textbook introduces the use of Python programming for exploring and modelling data in the field of Earth Sciences. It drives the reader from his very first steps with Python, like setting up the environment and starting writing the first lines of codes, to proficient use in visualizing, analyzing, and modelling data in the field of Earth Science. Each chapter contains explicative examples of code, and each script is commented in detail. The book is minded for very beginners in Python programming, and it can be used in teaching courses at master or PhD levels. Also, Early careers and experienced researchers who would like to start learning Python programming for the solution of geological problems will benefit the reading of the book.

In a rapidly changing world, there is an ever-increasing need to monitor the Earth’s resources and manage it sustainably for future generations. Earth observation from satellites is critical to provide information required for informed and timely decision making in this regard. Satellite-based earth observation has advanced rapidly over the last 50 years, and there is a plethora of satellite sensors imaging the Earth at finer spatial and spectral resolutions as well as high temporal resolutions. The amount of data available for any single location on the Earth is now at the petabyte-scale. An ever-increasing capacity and computing power is needed to handle such large datasets. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a cloud-based computing platform that was established by Google to support such data processing. This facility allows for the storage, processing and analysis of spatial data using centralized high-power computing resources, allowing scientists, researchers, hobbyists and anyone else interested in such fields to mine this data and understand the changes occurring on the Earth’s surface. This book presents research that applies the Google Earth Engine in mining, storing, retrieving and processing spatial data for a variety of applications that include vegetation monitoring, cropland mapping, ecosystem assessment, and gross primary productivity, among others. Datasets used range from coarse spatial resolution data, such as MODIS, to medium resolution datasets (Worldview -2), and the studies cover the entire globe at varying spatial and temporal scales.

Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing: With Algorithms for ENVI/IDL and Python, Third Edition introduces techniques used in the processing of remote sensing digital imagery. It emphasizes the development and implementation of statistically motivated, data-driven techniques. The author achieves this by tightly interweaving theory, algorithms, and computer codes. See What’s New in the Third Edition: Inclusion of extensive code in Python, with a cloud computing example New material on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data analysis New illustrations in all chapters Extended theoretical development The material is self-contained and illustrated with many programming examples in IDL. The illustrations and applications in the text can be plugged in to the ENVI system in a completely transparent fashion and used immediately both for study and for processing of real imagery. The inclusion of Python-coded versions of the main image analysis algorithms discussed make it accessible to students and teachers without expensive ENVI/IDL licenses. Furthermore, Python platforms can take advantage of new cloud services that essentially provide unlimited computational power. The book covers both multispectral and polarimetric radar image analysis techniques in a way that makes both the differences and parallels clear and emphasizes the importance of choosing appropriate statistical methods. Each chapter concludes with exercises, some of which are small programming projects, intended to illustrate or justify the foregoing development, making this self-contained text ideal for self-study or classroom use.