Graduate Courses in Remote Sensing

ELEG  633: Image Processing, Dr. G. Arce
MAST 681: Remote Sensing of Environment, Dr. V. Klemas
MAST 685: Underwater Acoustics, Dr. M. Badiey
MAST 686: Remote Sensing Seminar, Dr. X.-H. Yan
MAST 604:  Environmental Data Management, Dr. V. Klemas
MAST 881: Satellite Oceanography, Dr. X.-H. Yan
GEOG 474: Introduction to Remote Sensing, Dr. Tracy DeLiberty
GEOG 667: Advanced Geographic Information Systems, Dr. Tracy DeLiberty
GEOG 672: Seminar in GIS, Dr. Tracy DeLiberty
MAST 606: Ocean (Atmosphere) Remote Sensing, Dr. X.-H. Yan

MAST 681 - Remote Sensing of Environment
Fall Semester - Dr. V. Klemas - 3 Credits
(GEOG 681 & ELEG 681)

Course Description:

Detection and mapping of environmental conditions on land and sea with optical, infrared and microwave sensors. Digital analysis of satellite images using multispectral and spatial analysis techniques and correlation with ground/ship data. Application to oceanography, coastal processes, geology, land use, geography, agriculture, climate and pollution studies. Cross-listed with ELEG681 and GEOG681.

Syllabus:

(1) Introduction
             Course Outline, Textbook, Class Notes, References
             Homework, Class Projects and Papers
             Definition and Applications of Remote Sensing
             Basic Remote Sensing System Elements

(2) Electromagnetic Radiation
             Electromagnetic Waves and Spectrum
             Radiometric Terms and Units
             Blackbody and Line Radiators
             Radiation Laws (Planck's, Wien's, Stefan-Boltzman's)

(3) Reflection and Polarization
             Reflection and Refraction Laws
             Specular and Diffuse Reflectors
             Spectral Reflection Signatures
             Polarization Properties

(4) Absorption and Scattering
             Attenuation Laws and Coefficients
             Atmospheric Absorption (Transmission Windows)
             Atmospheric Scattering (Rayleigh, Mie, Non-Selective)
             Atmospheric Correction Techniques

(5) Types of Sensors
             Visible, Near-Infrared, Thermal Infrared, Microwave (Radar)
             Imagers (Aerial Film Cameras, Multispectral Scanners, Radar)
             Spectrometers, Radiometers, Profilers
             Sensor Calibration, Comparison of Sensor Performance

(6) Aerial Photography
             Vertical, Oblique, Stereo Photography
             Camera, Lens, Film and Filter Selection
             System Trade-Offs: Resolution vs. Coverage
             Mission Planning: Flight Lines, Altitude,
             Exposure, Sun Angle, Scene Contrast, etc.

(7) Satellites and Data Sources
             Remote Sensing Satellites, Orbits, Sensors
             Landsat, SPOT, NOAA/AVHRR, etc.
             Hyperspectral and High Resolution Systems
             Satellite Data Products and Sources

(8) Image Preprocessing and Enhancement
             Image Statistics and Histograms
             Rectification and Restoration (Geometric and Radiometric)
             Image Enhancement (Color Density Slicing, etc.)
             Contrast Manipulation (Contrast Stretching, etc.)
             Spatial Feature Manipulation (Edge Enhancement, etc.)
             Image Transforms (Principal Component Analysis, etc.)

(9) Multispectral Analysis and Image Classification
             Supervised and Unsupervised Classification
             Classification Techniques (Minimum Distance, Maximum Likelihood, etc.)
             Spectral Mixture Analysis Using End Member Spectra
             Accuracy Assessment (Errors of Omission and Commission)
             Field Data Sampling

(10) Remote Sensing of Vegetation
             Spectral Signatures and Reflectance Models
             Plant Health and Stress Determination
             Forest Inventories and Agricultural Applications
             Wetland Status and Trends Assessment
             Mapping Wetland Biomass, Buffers, and Invasive Species

(11) Coastal Land Cover Mapping
             Land Cover Mapping with Landsat TM and SPOT
             Land Cover Change in Coastal Watersheds (NPS Pollution, Run-off)
             NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)
             Landscape Analysis (Environmental Indicators)
             Predictive Models for Archeology and Highway Planning

(12) Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
             Introduction to GIS and Georeferenced Data
             Data Input (Raster and Vector Data, etc.)
             GIS Analysis Functions (Integrated Analysis of Spatial and Attribute Data)
             Data Management (Data Base, Spatial Data Models, etc.)
             GIS Applications in Coastal Management
             Environmental Modeling and Risk Assessment

(13) Geologic and Hydrologic Applications
             Fault Line Analysis and Pattern Recognition
             Geobotany and Mineral/Metal Exploration
             Spectral Discrimination of Rocks and Soils
             Soil Type Identification and Mapping
             Hydrologic Studies of Watersheds (Flow, Storage, Flooding, etc.)
             Beach Erosion (Storms, Littoral Drift, etc.)

(14) Bathymetry, Coral Reefs and SAV
             Light Attenuation in Water
             Active and Passive Bathymetry Techniques (LIDAR, etc.)
             Coral Reef Classification
             Mapping Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)

(15) Detection of Particulate/Dissolved Substances in Water
             Spectral Discrimination of Particulate and Dissolved Substances
             Mapping Chlorophyll and Suspended Sediment Concentrations
             Regression and Neural Network Models
             Ocean Productivity and Fisheries Applications
             Ocean Color Sensors and Data Products (SeaWiFS)

(16) Currents, Fronts and Pollutants
             Lagrangian and Eulerian Techniques
             Tracking Current Drogues and Drifters
             Feature Tracking of Coastal Currents and Fronts
             Observing and Modeling Ocean-Dumped Waste Dispersion
             Remote Sensing of Oil Slicks
             Tracking and Predicting Oil Slick Drift

(17) Thermal Infrared Techniques
             Thermal Infrared Sensing (Theory, Sensors, Techniques, etc.)
             Mapping Sea Surface Temperature (Currents, Fronts,Upwelling, etc.)
             Polar Orbit Meteorologial Satellites (NOAA/AVHRR, etc.)
             Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites (GOES)
             Meteorological Observations

(18) Microwave Radiometry
             Microwave Emission, Absorption, Propagation
             Basics of Microwave Radiometry
             Measurement of Soil Moisture
             Determination of Sea State and Salinity

(19) Radar Basics
             Radar Fundamentals (Radar Equation, Cross-Section, etc.)
             Side-Looking Airborne Radar
             Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
             Land Applications of Radar

(20) Radar Applications in Oceanography
             Radar Satellites (RADARSAT, ERS-1, etc.)
             SAR Imaging of Surface Features (Waves, Internal Waves, Slicks, etc.)
             Scatterometer Surface Winds.
             Radar Altimetry of Sea Surface Height

(21) Course Summary and Review

(22) Final Examination*
 
 

Course Textbook:Campbell, Introduction to Remote Sensing, Third Edition, 2002
______________________
*The final grade for the course is based on: 40% Final Exam; 30% Course Paper; 30%
Homework.


 

MAST 686 - REMOTE SENSING SEMINAR
Fall, Dr. Xiao-Hai Yan , 1 CREDIT

Course Description:

Invited speakers from government, industry and university research laboratories will discuss the latest advances in multispectral, infrared and microwave remote sensing, with applications in physical oceanography, marine biology, geography, geology, archeology, and environmental data management. Typical applications covered include fisheries and wetlands management, mixed layer and air/sea interactions, El Nino and Climate Changes, coastal land use planning, archeological site prediction models for highway palnning, coastal and estuarine productivity, drift and dispersion of pollutants, infrared studies of ocean currents, microwave sensing of estuarine salinity, radar studies of wind/wave/current interaction, satellite image analysis and environmental data management.

MAST 604 -ENVIRONMENTAL DATA MANAGEMENT
Spring, Dr. Vic Klemas, 1 credits

Course Description:

This course emphasizes the use of remotely sensed data for research and management of coastal resources. Environmental issues are discussed and data requirements defined. Case studies are presented to illustrate the use of Geographic Information Systems for Integrating remotely sensed imagery with ancillary data layers to address specific coastal environmental problems.

Course Outline:

  1. Introduction to Coastal Environmental Issues
  2. Environmental Data Requirements
  3. Remote Sensing(Aerial photography)
  4. Remote Sensing(Satellite systems, data and techniques)
  5. Data Preprocessing
  6. Image Enhancement and Analysis
  7. Geographic Information Systems(GIS)
  8. GIS overlay Analysis
  9. Computer Lab. Demonstration
10. Case Study: Wetlands Mapping(Technical, legal, economic issues)
11. Case Study: Watershed Characterization Related to NPS Pollutant Run-off
12. Case Study: Coastal Pollutants and Estuarine Water Quality
13. Case Study: Oil Spill Tracking
14. Case Study: Ocean Dumping
15. Course Review

MAST 881 - SATELLITE OCEANOGRAPHY
Spring, Dr. Xiao-Hai Yan, 3 credits

Course Description:

Fundamentals of remote sensing in oceanography, including space platforms, their orbits, instruments, data retrieval and image processing. Oceanographic applications of remote sensing, including visible, infrared and microwave techniques for sensing ocean color, temperature, salinity, currents and waves. Recent developments of remote sensing models for oceanic studies and new developments in data analysis. RESTRICTIONS: Requires permission of instructor.

Course Outline:

I. Introduction
II. Theoretical Background
Review of Electromagnetic Radiation
Radiometric Units and Terms
Absorption in the Atmosphere
Radiative Transfer Equation
Scatter in the Atmosphere
The Influence of Particles
Transmission Through the Atmosphere
Interaction of Radiation with Surface
III. Practical Aspects of Satellite Oceanography
Upper Ocean Processes
Air-Sea Interaction
Mixed Layer Determination
Velocity Determination
Tropical Dynamics
IV. Observation Using Visible, Infrared and Microwave Radiation
Radiometric Instruments
Sources of Error
Influence of Clouds
Observation of Ocean Color Using CZCS
Observation of SST Using AVHRR and SSM/Z
Radiation Budgets
Measurements of Oceanic Rain
V. Radar Observation of the Sea
Theory of Radar Scatter from the Sea
Scatterometer Application
Synthetic Aperture Radars
Altimetry
Sources of Error
Observation of Ocean, Geoid, Wind, Waves and Surface Geostrophic Currents
VI. Satellite Systems
Obits
Descriptions of Ocean-Observing Satellites and Their Instruments
Future Satellite Systems
Source of Data
VII. Image Processing Techniques
Hardware and Software
Geometric and Radiometric Corrections
Image Registrations
Enhancement
Image Classification
Pattern Recognition
VIII. Future Directions

 
Reference Book: Methods of Satellite Oceanography, R. Stewart, 360 pp.
(Available at University Bookstore)

 
Reference Papers

 
Grading:
Homework Sets 25%
Project Research 50%
Final Exam 25%
back to the Center for Remote Sensing Page.
 
Last modified: November 10, 2004
Brian Dzwonkowski --- briandz@newark.cms.udel.edu