Remote sensing

Module code: GY7705

There is a great deal of interest from scientists, public officials and the general public in information derived from satellites about the Earth’s surface. Satellite data has been instrumental over the years to measure the temperature of the ocean’s, map the retreat of glaciers, monitor water quality, assess the transformation of land use, measure crop growth and assist the response of the authorities after disasters. This module develops student’s understanding and practical experience with the acquisition of data by satellites and processing of satellite data to extract information.  

Remote sensing is a data science. Vast amounts of imagery are being collected at different spatial and temporal scales over the Earth’s surface. To save time, we must identify the most appropriate data set. Student’s will be taught how to make decisions regarding the nature of data that is available from satellites and how to apply processing routines to clean the data, remove cloud, classify and determine the accuracy of any derived maps.

Lectures are supported by practical sessions using software used extensively in the commercial world. Student’s actively tackle a socio-economic or environmental issue with their project work.

Topics covered

• Physical principles of Earth observation
• Satellites and sensors
• Image pre-processing
• Image classification
• Image enhancements
• Applications within geographical science

Optical, radar and lidar domains are covered by the module giving you a unique learning experience.