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The following points highlight the top fifty applications of remote sensing. Some of the applications are: 1. Measuring gravity with the GRACE satellites 2. Deriving elevation and contours using photogrammetry 3. Watching the aurora borealis from another angle 4. Comparing the past and present with human impact change 5. Planning an optimal telecom network capacity and Few Others.
Application # 1. Measuring gravity with the GRACE satellites:
This is one of the neatest remote sensing applications on the list — measuring gravity. GRACE stands for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment. GRACE consists of two satellites in the same orbit approximately 220 kilometers apart. When the leading satellite increases speed, this means there is a greater gravitational pull.
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If the leading satellite slows down, this means there is less gravitational pull. These pulls in gravity are measured using microwave pulses from one satellite to the other. The end result is the most accurate measurements of gravity to this date.
Application # 2. Deriving elevation and contours using photogrammetry:
Photogrammetry dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. It is used to find the geometric properties of objects by measuring distances between objects. Some of its derived products in GIS include contour mapping, surface models, volumetric surveys and 3d mapping. It’s also used in other fields such as for crime scene mapping, archaeological excavations and architecture.
Application # 3. Watching the aurora borealis from another angle:
When charged particles from the sun get caught in the Earth’s magnetic field, they slam into the gases of our atmosphere. The different colors we see are from the different gases. If you’ve watched the Aurora Borealis from the ground, you might want try from up above. One of the most surreal videos is watching the International Space Station’s view of the Aurora Borealis.
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Application # 4. Comparing the past and present with human impact change:
The Landsat missions are the longest-running Earth observation missions ever. Its digital records date back to the 1970s. If we want to understand landscape change, the Landsat missions give us a snapshot back in time. We can learn from the past for future generations. Oil spills, deforestation, wars, chemical spills, dead zones, smog are unnatural, man- made disasters. All are preventable and can be viewed from space.
Application # 5. Planning an optimal telecom network capacity:
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It’s estimated that 87% of the world population now use mobile devices. The astounding rate of growth in this industry requires extensive planning for optimal network capacity. Telecommunications companies are using remote sensing as a cost-effective way to optimize capacity requirements.
Radio frequency coverage can be augmented with the appropriate antenna type, location and direction. Satellite-derived terrain, land use and environmental factors can be modeled to achieve optimal network capacity.
Application # 6. Tracking displaced refugees to help deliver aid and services:
A solution to tracking refugees and camp conditions is with satellite imagery. The United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) wanted to deliver aid and services to Sudanese refugees in Tongo.
They needed a clear understanding of the situation at Tongo refugee camps. UNHCR mapped the influx of refugees, agriculture, waterways and infrastructure using satellite imagery. As a result, UNHCR was able to better manage and deliver aid where needed.
Application # 7. Covering the most ground in search of road cracks:
Some constructive advice is to cover more ground with remote sensing data. The city of Solvang, California is taking their road management issues very seriously. In one complete shot, public works used satellite images to locate damaged paving. The public is served best as crews know exactly which roads are in desperate need of repair.
Application # 8. Getting a top-down view when purchasing real estate:
When you’re in the market to purchase a home you want the complete view of the property and surrounding area. Schools, shopping districts and parks are all things that potential buyers are interested in knowing before their home purchase. This is why the use of satellite imagery in real estate has been a real growth segment.
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It also allows everyone in the home buying process a top-down view. Appraisers, insurance companies and lenders can get a quick glimpse of the home through the convenience of the internet.
Application # 9. Keeping a watchful eye to prevent future atrocities from happening:
Atrocities often result in a change of environment, destruction of buildings and migration of people. They can occur in secretive areas with military regime restricting access. For these reasons, remote sensing applications and imagery are keeping a watchful eye on atrocious acts.
GTHR (Geospatial Technology for Human Rights) are using this approach to help those who are victims. Specifically, satellite remote sensing provides the legal evidence, to help on-the- ground coordination and prevention of future illegal activity.
Application # 10. Designing a lift irrigation system to supply water in India:
A lift irrigation system can improve water supply for agriculture and other industries. Planning the design of lift irrigation systems require a wide range of data. Satellite stereo image pairs and photogrammetry are particularly useful for generating datasets like digital terrain models. The engineers can get the full view on the ground before commencing construction.
Application # 11. Measuring the volume difference at a uranium enrichment site using 3d mapping:
SAAB’s Vricon Rapid 3D Mapping System is really how to make your data come to life. Multiple 3d satellite images can be combined to understand change detection in the third dimension. Using five satellite acquisitions and the 3d mapping system, volume difference at a uranium enrichment site was successfully mapped in Iran.
Application # 12. Helping provide clean drinking water with base maps:
Water is life’s most basic need. But nearly 1 billion people live without clean drinking water. The first step in solving this problem is identifying areas that are in need of water. High spatial resolution satellite imagery can really differentiate where water shortages exist.
This is the starting point to an action plan. Simple remote sensing applications like base maps can positively affect the lives of millions by establishing where and who is in need of essential resources like water.
Application # 13. Monitoring active volcanoes using thermal remote sensing:
Volcanoes form when hot molten rock from the upper mantle finds its way to the surface. Eruptions are dangerous to humans and the surrounding environment. There are over 600 active volcanoes on Earth.
Volcanoes are often inaccessible (unless you are Mario or Luigi) making remote sensing applications like thermal and mid- infrared clear solutions for understanding volcano activity. AVHRR and MODIS are prime candidates for volcano monitoring.
Application # 14. Inventorying potential landslides with interferometry:
Landslides are often under-represented for hazard research. But every year in the United States, landslides cause loss of life and billions of dollars in damage. The first step in inventorying potential landslides is using stereo and optical images with slope.
Slope instability triggers can be a number of things: earthquakes, erosion, poor drainage and more. InSAR can provide early warning signs for landslides because how well it measures ground surface displacements.
Application # 15. Catching fish and improving long-term fisheries sustainability:
There are plenty of fish in the sea from a satellites viewpoint. Satellites monitor sea surface temperature and ocean colors because they are indicative of specific fish species. The top-down view of remotely sensed data can be communicated with local fisherman.
Fishermen use this information to save time and fuel in real-time. In terms of remote sensing applications in fisheries and marine environment, algal blooms can be mapped which are harmful to aquaculture. This improves overall long-term sustainability.
Application # 16. Tracking the great distances of migratory birds and inspecting their prevalence:
Birds travel great distances in search of food, climate and breeding sites. Light-weight GPS telemetry is just one of the tools being used to know where birds migrate. As forests become more limited, migration patterns are important for wildlife managers.
Remote sensing applications like LiDAR, multispectral and radar can show forest properties like vertical structure and phenology. Habitat suitability models predict the prevalence of bird species using these forest properties.
Application # 17. Preventing the spread of diseases in epidemiology:
There is a clear connection for epidemiology and geography. Some diseases are best-suited for climate, land use and air. Remote sensing applications in health use these remote sensing data and prediction models to understand epidemiological processes.
Application # 18. Recording video footage from satellites:
A new, innovative approach that has entered the market is satellite video. Some remote sensing applications include watching airplanes depart/land, examining rush hour traffic and spying on your neighbour. These can all be done from the comfort of your own home, all movie footage courtesy of satellites. The future may be for remote sensing software applications to process videos, instead of still images.
Application # 19. Quantifying the damage after an earthquake:
The result of an earthquake can be catastrophic and at times difficult to assess. But an earthquake assessment is essential for rescue workers. They need to be done quickly and with accuracy. Object-based image classification using change detection (pre- and post-earthquake) is a quick way to get damage assessments. Other remote sensing applications in disaster assessments include casted shadows from buildings and digital surface models.
Application # 20. Looking at the Earth as an art masterpiece:
Some of the most breathtaking views are from space. Evidence of this is in NASA’s 75 page collection of Earth images seen from space. The collection of Earth observation images were taken from the Terra, Landsat, EO-1 and Aqua satellites. In this Earth art masterpiece, you can find some of the most intriguing patterns and geometry of our oceans, atmosphere and land features.
Application # 21. Recognizing buildings easily with the bird’s eye oblique view:
There’s some sort of irresistible magnetism people have for the bird’s eye oblique view. Pictometry are the specialists of oblique image photography. The logic behind it is that when you view the world at a 45 degree angle, it’s much easier to recognize land features (like from an airplane window). This is why Google and Bing maps have added this functionality to their interfaces.
Application # 22. Mapping the mysteries of our ocean floors:
In this day and age, we have most of the world mapped. The world is at our fingertips with a wide range of open source mapping applications. The next challenge is mapping the ocean floor. ESA’s CryoSat-2 and NASA’s Jason-1 satellites have pieced together the most complete picture of our ocean floor and subfloor features. The pull of gravity reveals underwater mountains and seafloor topography.
Application # 23. Understanding the human rights situation in North Korea:
Remote sensing can give an in-depth look at hermit kingdoms like North Korea. Remote sensing enables what some travelers may never get to see in their lifetime. Ostrich farms, breweries, towers —all uniquely North Korean. But satellites also enable to see the darker side of North Korea. For those wanting to escape North Korea, they are sent to prison camps. These camps are clearly seen from the skies.
Application # 24. Comparing climatic factors from past to present:
Understanding the state of our climate has immeasurable importance. NASA is mapping different climate factors on a monthly basis to see how much these variables change. Through this lens, climate variables like carbon monoxide, chlorophyll and aerosol size are being mapped as a function of time. Remote sensing satellites include MODIS, CERES, AMSR-E, TRMM and MOPITT. Never in our history have we understood Earth’s climate as we do today.
Application # 25. Monitoring the global sex trade situation in remote areas:
The global sex trade is a growing international crime where one’s rights are violated through commercial exploitation. Often involuntary, the flow of human trafficking has been tracked using the latest satellite imagery from NASA. The flow of human trafficking often crosses boundaries and done secretively. Remote sensing makes it possible to overcome these barriers and provide evidence for human trafficking globally.
Application # 26. Assessing fuel economy of vehicle emissions:
Governments have been putting pressure on vehicles to meet emission standards. Satellites can monitor fuel economy and emission standards with minimal interference from the sky. Multispectral remote sensing can measure vehicle emissions such as CO, HC and NO. Ideas have been toyed around with to impose surcharges based on distance driven and improperly maintained equipment. Satellites offer a golden opportunity to control pollution from motor vehicles.
Application # 27. Providing early warning signs for famine over large scales:
Governments want early warning signs for famine to deliver appropriate food supplies to areas of shortage. Early warning signs for famine have been developed which incorporates vegetation growth and crop yield forecasting. Flooding and drought can be better understood with satellites like SMAP and SMOS. Remote sensing satellites go from moving around orbit into moving our understanding of global famine.
Application # 28. Mapping regional economic activity at night:
We’re giving glowing reviews for night-time remote sensing applications. The total amount of radiance gives insight on regional economies, access to electric power and distribution of income. Higher radiance correlates with Gross Domestic Product and has also been compared with human well-being.
Application # 29. Studying geology of the Earth’s surface:
Geology is one of the rare things that stays constant in our lives. Every landscape, plant and animal we see today are affected by the rocks, material and nutrients. All have an origin from geology. Some of the remote sensing applications in geology include bedrock, lithological and structural mapping. Multispectral spectral reflectance has provided valuable information on rock composition while radar has also been useful in studying surface roughness.
Application # 30. Assessing the environmental change and promoting biodiversity in parks:
There’s no kidding around of the importance of parks. Parks provide a home for a large number of animals and species at risk. They often prohibit development and are used for camping and recreation. Parks can be large in scale making them a difficult resource to manage. Remote sensing data gathered over time can show landscape change. Some remote sensing applications in parks include mapping biodiversity, invasive species and forest fire risk.
Application # 31. Measuring albedo for Earth’s radiation budget:
Albedo measures the percent of reflected sunlight. A darker surface will heat up quickly and absorb sunlight. Brighter surfaces like snow reflect much sunlight back to the atmosphere. Albedo is a key component in the Earth’s radiation budget. In order to calculate total albedo, each land cover type is assigned an albedo value. Multiply albedo with the land cover type and sum to measure total albedo.
Application # 32. Locating groundwater activity for wells:
Earth is surrounded by water in the form of oceans, rivers and lakes. At the ground below your feet is even more water in the form of groundwater. An aquifer stores groundwater. There are thousands of wells that draw water from aquifers. This water is being used in agriculture, drinking water and more.
This is why it’s important to have good spatial knowledge of groundwater. Groundwater activity can be understood by its rock types, soil, land use and rainfall. Remote sensing groundwater prospect zone maps are used to locate well sites.
Application # 33. Observing population growth in urban areas using land use change:
Urban planners want to know population growth and distribution to optimize development and improve the well-being of citizens. Land use change can be modelled to provide an accurate measure for population growth. Not only is it accurate, but land cover provided more detail for population growth distribution within cities and census tracts.
Application # 34. Keeping a watchful eye on biodiversity:
Biological diversity (biodiversity) is the wide variety of animals and plants in a geographic location. With the spatial and spectral resolutions of sensors improving year by year, remote sensing applications in biodiversity are beginning to play a larger role. It remains in the early development stage but strides are being made using hyper spectral and 3d vegetation structures using LiDAR.
Application # 35. Keeping an inventory on cemeteries using UAVs:
The Czech Republic implemented a system to map cemeteries using unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs). Over 80,000 graves were captured at 1 cm pixel resolution. Not only was this faster than manually recording each cemetery in the field, but a digital record of the imagery remains. UAVs were a low-cost and highly accurate solution for cemetery mapping. The result was a spatial database and tax dollars saved.
Application # 36. Predicting the occurrence of dinosaur tracks for paleontologists:
Remote sensing gives the inside track on understanding exactly where dinosaurs once roamed the Earth. Cantwell Foundation lists four primary geospatial factors in the occurrence of fossil sites. These four factors are vegetation coverage, slope, aspect and proximity to landslides and all can be obtained using remote sensing. Forget about doing guess-work and put your best foot forward.
Application # 37. Delineating watersheds using DEMs for hydrologists:
A digital elevation model determines where and how water flows in a watershed. Hydrologists are interested in the hydrologic budget when they study watersheds. Inputs are precipitation, surface flow and groundwater flow.
Outputs are evapotranspiration, infiltration and surface runoff. Remote sensing contributes to watershed delineation by providing accurate elevation data. Digital elevation models are used to accurately represent stream flow paths and the contributing areas with software systems like HEC and Geo-HMC.
Application # 38. Using habitat suitability models to predict the abundance of mosquitoes:
Habitat suitability models are making some interesting predictions on the abundance of mosquitoes. Remotely-sensed factors such as greenness, brightness, temperature and especially moisture positively correlate with the over-occurrence of mosquitoes. Knowing the location of high concentrations of mosquitoes can guide risk assessment for disease carrying pathogens and mosquito fogging efforts.
Application # 39. Using a least-cost analysis and vegetation to understand wildebeest migration:
Tanzania hosts one of the greatest migrations on Earth. More than 2 million wildebeest migrate and give birth on the same month. The purpose of migration is locating food resources. But can we model their movements? Research has shown that variables like vegetation (NDVI) and relief (slope) are drivers for wildebeest movement patterns. However, rainfall may also have an impact on migration patterns as well.
Application # 40. Assisting cities manage assets and ensuring safety standards:
Companies like Cityscan use mobile LiDAR to assist cities manage their assets and ensure safety standards. Each year, cities and municipalities issue thousands of permits for construction. This massive volume of permits makes it difficult for cities to manage activity.
Using mobile LiDAR collection and comparing it with municipal data, Cityscan ensures construction activity is safe and properly permitted. Road conditions, utilities, billboards and sign inventories are some of the other remote sensing applications in asset management.
Application # 41. Calculating the depth of snowpack:
Forget about putting on your winter jacket and scarf for measuring snowpack depth. Snowpack is the accumulation of snow over extended periods of time. They feed into rivers as the snow melts. This is why snowpack makes an important source of information for flood control and drinking water.
As you can imagine, there is a high level of difficulty measuring the depth of snowpack. NASA has had the most success using LiDAR and a spectrometer to measure albedo and snow depth. Both these variables explain the absorption of sunlight and rate of snowmelt.
Application # 42. Planning spine-jarring black diamond ski runs with aspect data:
In countries like Canada and Russia, the territory is wide and below freezing for a good portion of the year. The mountainous terrain is ideal for ski resorts. But with so much ground to choose from, site selection is more difficult. This is why recreation planners are turning to laser technology for planning ski resort location. Aspect data refers to the horizontal direction a mountain slope faces. The greater the angle, the more black diamond ski runs.
Application # 43. Improving efficiency and safety of air traffic control:
Air traffic control directs aircrafts from the ground to prevent collision and improve the flow of traffic. Unfortunately, there are excessive dollars and emissions wasted on inefficient routes. The next generation of air traffic moves from ground-based radar to a satellite-based GPS system. The new air traffic control system aims at improving routes, reducing traffic delays and saving money. It also intends to assist planes land faster and help navigate through weather with the use of satellites.
Application # 44. Spotting undeclared nuclear power plants automatically:
The International Atomic Energy Association plans to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear power plants. A typical nuclear power plant contains at least one circular cooling tower with thermal emissions possibly being released.
Nuclear plants are also located near bodies of water and more than often connected with a road or railway. Given this set of criteria, the use of object based classification and multispectral imagery aims at automating the search for undeclared nuclear power plants. Not a bad start-5 out of 5 were already successfully automatically identified.
Application # 45. Narrowing down a search for a missing body:
Remote sensing can save time, money and manpower in locating missing people. Crime detectives want to narrow down their search before they go in quest. Remote sensing tools can explore the search area with a fine-tooth comb and pick up anomalies on the ground. This could include anything from a rabbit hole to the crime scene, itself. This is truly time saver if you have a rough idea of the search location.
Application # 46. Monitoring oil reserves by looking at floating oil roof tanks:
All it takes to monitor oil reserves from the sky is a bit of geometry and some high spatial resolution imagery. Oil tanks are usually circular with a floating roof tank to prevent evaporative losses. Satellites can look at how much shadow is being casted in relation to the floating roof. More shadows means less oil reserves. Remote sensing applications like this make use of satellite imagery without having to physically measure each oil tank.
Application # 47. Finding ghost cities on the map:
Some of the most peculiar satellite imagery shows the construction of apartments, shopping malls and other amenities. But practically nobody lives there. Economists have their eyes on China to push global economic growth. What they’ve found is that GDP and employment numbers may be deceiving, if resources are improperly being allocated to sectors without demand. Satellites can indicate how real or artificial economic growth is.
Application # 48. Spotting swimming pools for late-night dives:
Not all satellite imagery is used for good intentions. If you own a swimming pool, it may be a target for a strange craze called ‘dipping’. Teenagers have been using aerial and satellite imagery on Google Earth to locate swimming pools. At night, they would take an impromptu dip in any the largest pools they could find. This activity is of course trespassing (which is a crime). In other words, don’t try this at home, kids.
Application # 49. Reducing traffic jams using change detection:
Our increasing populations and urbanization has led to increasing amounts of traffic in urban centers. Traffic jams mean wasted fuel and time. Ground measuring systems provide extremely precise traffic volumes but it’s limited to selected roadways. Traffic density is being monitored using change detection. Traffic analysts can compare two satellite images with slight lags. This shows traffic movement over a larger picture.
Application # 50. Exploring, protecting and navigating in the Arctic:
Things are kind of in flux now for ‘who’ is claiming ‘what’ in the Arctic. The US, Russia, Canada and Danish are all staking their territory. But no one can tap the Arctic until all countries come to an agreement. Mineral extraction, natural gas, as well as potential shortcuts for shipping routes the Arctic may be one of the last great frontiers for human development. Heavy duty tasks like sea ice monitoring, ship tracking and national defense makes satellites a heaven-sent opportunity for maintaining sovereignty in the North.
Satellite information is fundamentally important if we are going to solve some of the major challenges of our time. For issues like climate change, natural resources, disaster management and the environment, remote sensing provides a wealth of information at a global scale. What we get are answers to these problems so we can make informed decisions.
There are endless possibilities of benefits to society from remote sensing. With higher spatial, spectral and temporal resolution, the future of remote sensing is promising. If we are going to take on some of the biggest challenges of Earth in the near future, we need remote sensing to cover that much ground.