Remote Sensing For Environmental Monitoring And Change Detection

This publication is a compilation of papers that were presented at the IAHS Symposium on Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring and Change Detectionorganised by the IAHS International Commission on Remote Sensing, in Perugia, 2007. The 30 contributions cover approaches using the thermal infrared, microwave and radar; studies monitoring vegetation, snow and ice, and evapotranspiration; and the combination of remote sensing techniques and GISfor hydrological applications.

This book provides a step-by-step guide on how to use various publicly available remotely sensed time series data sources for environmental monitoring and assessment. Readers will learn how to extract valuable information on global changes from a 20-year collection of ready-to-use remotely sensed data through the free open statistical software R and its geographic data analysis and modeling tools. The case studies are from the Mediterranean region—a designated hot spot regarding climate change effects. Each chapter is dedicated to specific remote sensing products chosen for their spatial resolution. The methods used are adapted from large-scale to smaller-scale problems for different land cover areas. Features Includes real-world applications of environmental remotely sensed data Analyzes the advantages and restrictions of each data source Focuses on a wide spectrum of applications, such as hydrology, vegetation changes, land surface temperature, fire detection, and impacts Includes R computer codes with explanatory comments and all applications use only freely available remotely sensed data Presents a step-by-step processing through open source GIS and statistical analysis software Advanced Environmental Monitoring with Remote Sensing Time Series Data and R describes and provides details on recent advances concerning publicly available remotely sensed time series data in environmental monitoring and assessment. This book is a must-have practical guide for environmental researchers, professionals, and students.

It gives comprehensive coverage of the fundamentals, the techniques, and the demonstrated results of a variety of projects in a manner accessible to both the novice and the advanced user of remotely sensed data. This is a unique and distinctive work on change detection in landscapes and watersheds and examines topics such as the basis of image analysis, change detection, radar and validation (or accuracy assessment). A number of North American case studies take the reader through real examples - with all the successes and pitfalls. There are advanced topics for the experienced user including advanced classification techniques (eg. pixel mixing). Established data sources such as Landsat MSS and AVHRR data are described as are new sensors such as radar and AVIRIS. Applications include fire, wetlands, forests, environmental change, vegetation, Amazonia, and the savannah. The book concludes with a description of methods for performing a change detection accuracy assessment.

This text provides coverage of the fundamentals, the techniques, and the demonstrated results of a variety of projects in a manner accessible to both the novice and the advanced user of remotely sensed data.

Advancements in object-based image analysis, commercial high-resolution satellite sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles, there is growing interest in studying terrestrial, pollution, catastrophe, and ocean dynamics using a range of high-resolution remote sensing data (UAV). High and extremely high-resolution optical and microwave images enable the extraction of more information from a variety of resource management domains, including agriculture, forestry, geological resources, water resources, cryosphere, atmosphere, and analytics for climate change. Researchers have started utilizing advanced techniques for fine-level information extraction, new sensors and platforms, improved quantification, and characterization of physical environments, patterns, and processes. High-quality articles addressing the use and application of remote sensing in environmental studies will be published in this Research Topic.

Remote sensing has witnessed a renaissance as new sensor systems, data collection capabilities and image processing methodologies have expanded the technological capabilities of this science into new and important applications areas. Perhaps nowhere has this trend been more evident than in the study of earth environments. Within this broad application area remote sensing has proven to be an invaluable asset supporting timely data gathering at a range of synoptic scales, facilitating the mapping of complex landscapes and promoting the analysis of environmental process. Yet remote sensing’s contribution to the study of human/environmental interaction is scattered throughout a rich and diverse literature spanning the social and physical sciences, which frustrates access to, and the sharing of the knowledge gained through, these recent advances, and inhibits the operational use of these methods and techniques in day to day environmental practice, a recognized gap that reduces the effectiveness of environmental management programs. The objective of this book is to address this gap and provide the synthesis of method and application that is currently missing in the environmental science, re-introducing remote sensing as an important decision-support technology.

Remote Sensing plays a key role in monitoring the various manifestations of global climate change. It is used routinely in the assessment and mapping of biodiversity over large areas, in the monitoring of changes to the physical environment, in assessing threats to various components of natural systems, and in the identification of priority areas for conservation. This book presents the fundamentals of remote sensing technology, but rather than containing lengthy explanations of sensor specifications and operation, it concentrates instead on the application of the technology to key environmental systems. Each system forms the basis of a separate chapter, and each is illustrated by real world case studies and examples. Readership The book is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in earth science, environmental science, or physical geography taking a course in environmental remote sensing. It will also be an invaluable reference for environmental scientists and managers who require an overview of the use of remote sensing in monitoring and mapping environmental change at regional and global scales. Additional resources for this book can be found at: http://www.wiley.com/go/purkis/remote.