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Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 1

Physics 2850
Imaging Science and
Technologies in Todays World
Earth Observation Applications
Anne M. Smith
Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Lethbridge, Alberta
Spring 2014
Earth Observation Applications
Passive Active
Types of remote sensing
e.g. AVHRR, MODIS
SPOT, Landsat, ASTER,
AWiFS,QuickBird
IKONOS, Hyperion,
Aircraft, UAV
e.g. Radarsat-1,
Radarsat-2, SSM/I.
AMSR-E, TerraSAR-X
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Earth Observation Applications
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Remote sensing
Acquisition of information about the Earths surface from a distance.
Variety of platforms
http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_and_global_security/space_weapons/technical_issues/uc
s-satellite-database.html
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Earth Observation Applications
Satellite sensors
Sensor
Swath
width
(km)
Spatial
resolution
(m)
Spectral
bands
Temporal
resolution
(Days)
Cost
AVHRR 2399 1100 4 1 $0.00 /km
2
MODIS
2330
250
500
1000
2
5
29
1 $0.00 /km
2
Landsat-5
Landsat 7
ETM
+
185
30
60
6
1
16 $0.00/km
2
SPOT-5
60
5
10-20
1
4
26 $4.00
#
/km
2
RapidEye 77 5 5 5.5 $1.40
#
/km
2
Quickbird/
Worldview
16.5
0.5/0.6
2.0/2.4
1
4
3.5 $22.00
#
/km
2
Airborne/UAS Variable Variable Variable As required
$4.00-$7.00
/ac
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Earth Observation Applications
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Earth Observation Applications
Ocean and ice monitoring
ship detection, wind and surface-wave field estimation,
sea ice monitoring, ocean blooms, climate change
Disaster monitoring
oil spills, earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, nuclear
accident, flooding, fire
Land use change
Vegetation, minerals, hydrology, urbanization
Vegetation health
Disease, insect damage, moisture, nutrients, yield
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Earth Observation Applications
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Earth Observation Applications
Who can use this information?
Relief agencies
Policy makers and land managers
Governments
Industry
Scientists
Public
Impact assessment, risk analysis, habitat analysis
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Earth Observation Applications
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Sea Ice Monitoring
Spring 2014
Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 7
Sea Ice Monitoring
September/March
(min/max)
September
ave extent
(10
6
km
2
)
March
ave extent
(10
6
km
2
)
1979-2000 7.0 15.7
1999/2000 6.2 15.3
2000/2001 6.3 15.6
2001/2002 6.8 15.4
2002/2003 6.0 15.5
2003/2004 6.2 15.1
2004/2005 6.1 14.7
2005/2006 5.6 14.4
2006/2007 5.9 14.7
2007/2008 4.3 15.2
2008/2009 4.7 15.2
2009/2010 5.4 15.1
2010/2011 4.9 14.6
2011/2012 4.6 15.2
2012/2013 3.6 15.0
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Earth Observation Applications
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Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSM/Is) and
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for
EOS (AMSR-E)
Exploits different microwave emissions fromsea
ice and open water
Implications for Climate Change
September 14, 1984
September 13, 2012
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Sea Ice Monitoring
The Canadian Ice Service analysts use
the Radarsat images on a daily basis to
monitor the ice flows in Canadian waters
Petermannglacier, northern
Greenland
August 4, 2010 enormous chunk
of ice (250 km
2
)
largest iceberg in the last 50
years.
Radarsat-2 ScanSARWide mode
July 31, 2010
August 7, 2010
August 14, 2010
August 17, 2010.
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Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 9
Greenland
Nunavut
Ellesmere
Island
Sea Ice Monitoring
Spring 2014
Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 10
The Canadian Ice Service analysts use
these Radarsat images on a daily basis
to monitor the ice flows in Canadian
waters
Petermannglacier, northern
Greenland
August 4, 2010 enormous chunk
of ice (250 km
2
)
largest iceberg in the last 50
years.
Radarsat-2 ScanSARWide mode
September 9, 2010
September 11, 2010
September 13, 2010
Petermann
fjord
13 kmlong fragment
1.9 km/h
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Sea Surface Temperature
Sea surface temperature
measured by the AVHRR sensor
on a NOAA Polar Orbiting Satellite.
The Gulf Stream is very visible as
the red filament separating the
yellow and blue regions.
Knowledge of the location of this
very strong current is important for
ship routing, and for the
commercial fishing industry.
Red =warm, Blue =cold
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Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 11
Sea Algal Blooms
Vancouver Island, BC
MODIS (Moderate
Resolution Imaging
Spectrometer
June 25, 2006
Wind and ocean currents
Phytoplankton
photosynthesis and support
fish populations.
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Page 13
Deepwater
Horizon oil rig
explosion Gulf of
Mexico.
April 21, 2010
Landsat 7 ETM+
Optical sensor
Oil spills
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Earth Observation Applications
ALI, April 25,2010
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Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion Gulf of Mexico. April 21, 2010
Oil spill monitoring
Original oil rig
location
TerraSAR-X radar
sensor
Launched June 15,
2007
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Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
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April 24, 1986
Ukraine, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
Reactor #4 exploded
Radioactive fallout
http://earthshots.usgs.gov.
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Earth Observation Applications
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Chernobyl
fallouthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/cherno
byl-25-years-after-_n_816902.html#s233577
Chernobyl
Spring 2014
T19: Earth Observation Applications A
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
Page 16
>400 x radioactive
material released by the
atomic bombing of
Hiroshima.
released 1/100 to
1/1000 of the total
amount of radioactivity
released by nuclear
weapons testing during
the 1950s and 1960s.
[

~
100,000km of land
was significantly
contaminated with
fallout, the worst hit
regions being in
Belarus, Ukraine and
Russia.
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City of Pripyat,
Ukraine
before and after
Chernobyl Nuclear
Plant disaster as
seen using
Landsat TM
May 31, 1986
Landsat 5 TM image, false colour composite
26 July 1992
Landsat 4 TM image, false colour composite http://earthshots.usgs.gov.
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Earth Observation Applications
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Chernobyl
Before and after Chernobyl Nuclear Plant disaster as seen using Landsat TM
http://earthshots.usgs.gov/earthshots
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April 29, 1986 July 26, 1992 June 5, 2011
Chernobyl
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Mt. St. Helens
Yakima
Pullman
Volcanic eruption
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Mount St. Helens WA, USA May 18
th
, 1980, 08:32
Volcanic eruption: Mount St. Helens WA, USA
Landsat images over three decades.
Aug 29
th
1979 Sept 24
th
1980 Aug 23
rd
1981
Jul 22
nd
1985 Sept 22
nd
1990 Aug 19
th
1995
Aug 16
th
2000 Aug 14
th
2005 Aug 12
th
2010
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RADARSAT-1
September 2, 2006, S6
May 5, 2008, S1
submerged ground = red
partially submerged vegetation
areas = pale blue
Flooding
Saint John River in New Brunswick
May 2008
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2000 2005 2010
Shrinking of the Aral Sea
Time series of Landsat true colour composite images.
B=Band 1 (450-520 nm), G=Band 2 (520-600 nm) and R=Band 3 (630-690 nm)
1960 shoreline
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Year Area (cubic kilometers) Salt content (g/liter)
1960 >700 14
2007 75 100
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Shrinking of the Aral
Sea
Aralsk, Kazakstan
September 1977 September 1998 September 2010
Landsat 2 Landsat 5 Landsat 5
Aralskto Aral Sea
0 km
Aralskto Aral Sea
91 km
Aralskto Aral Sea
13 km

Urban Development
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Earth Observation Applications
2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)
False Colour Composite Images (15 m spatial resolution)
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Urban Development
Las Vegas
Time series of Landsat satellite
images shows development.
True colour images
Blue band (450-520 nm) = B
Green band (520-600 nm) =G
Red band (630-690 nm) = R
1972 1986 1992 2000 2011
Year Population (x 1000)
1972 273
1986 608
1992 863
2000 1376
2010 1951
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Earth Observation Applications
Urban Development
Las Vegas Landsat time series
Analysis and classification
Land cover
Land use
Changes over time
1994
1994 1972
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Athabasca oil sands
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Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
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Landsat true colour composite images (30 m spatial resolution)
Athabasca oil sands
Spring 2014
T19: Earth Observation Applications A
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
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Athabasca oil sands
1984
2001
2011
Classification of images or simple digitization can be used to estimate growth fromover time
Substantial growth 2001-2011
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Oil and Gas-GIS Analysis
2001 NWA Infill Project
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Image courtesy of Barry Adams, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
CFB Suffield NWA (pre-infill--1997)
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Image courtesy of Barry Adams, Alberta Environment and sustainable Resource Development
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CFB Suffield NWA (post-infill--2001)
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Image courtesy of Barry Adams, Alberta Environment and sustainable Resource Development
Lost grazing (by area): loamy (12.5%), sands (11.1%), choppy sandhills (1.8%)
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Canadian grasslands
Grassland Cultivated crop
C emission 26 Mg ha
-1
C sequestration
0.5 Mg ha
-1
year
-1
Photographs courtesy of
G. Bourgeois, M. Didkowsky,
R. Bourchier, J. Nicholsen, G. Larson, C. Kloppenburg.
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Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
Grassland spatial extent and fragmentation
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Earth Observation Applications
Newell, Taber,
Cypress and
Forty Mile
County.
Highlights
areas of
change
Validation?
lack of historic
ground data
Local
knowledge
County Unchanged To crop To grassland Total
area in ha (%change)
Newell 590714 (95) 23241 (4) 9867 (2) 623823
Cypress 884880 (95) 34339 (4) 9961 (1) 929180
Taber 413384 (96) 11185 (3) 4439 (1) 429009
Forty Mile 424616 (98) 4724 (1) 3638 (1) 432978
Grassland change (1999-2005)
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Earth Observation Applications
Native Prairie Vegetation Inventory
1990-1993
1:30,000 aerial photography
section based
%ground cover of tree, shrub, graminoid,
riparian, lake or wetland
Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI)
colour infrared digital airborne imagery 0.5 m
comprehensive biophysical, anthropogenic and land use inventory
polygon-based, 5.0 ha for upland site types and 1.0 ha for wetland
site types.
accuracy estimated at >90%
Image courtesy of Barry Adams, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
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Image courtesy of Barry Adams, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
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Earth Observation Applications
Updated GVI
2007 SPOT Image
2006 GVI
GVI updates through satellite
imagery?
Database
Record
Add/edit/delete
Slides courtesy of Barry
Adams AESRD
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Crop Condition Assessment Program
(CCAP)
Statistics Canada
Longest crop monitoring program in Canada (1987)
Western Canada and US Northern Plains
Crop and pasture/rangeland condition (relative measure)
Based on AVHRR/MODIS satellite imagery from Early July mid-
August NDVI
Spring wheat yield based on, seeded acres and linear regression
analysis
Accuracy within 5.6% of published estimates for 10 of the 13 years
Federal, provincial and private stakeholders
Integration remote sensing, GIS and Internet.
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Earth Observation Applications
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Spring 2014
T20A: Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
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NDVI =(NIR-red)/(NIR+red)
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Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
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Crop Condition
Assessment
Program

Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World

P.M. Teillet
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Amalgamate Values to
Census of Agriculture
Regions
Spring wheat yield
estimate using linear
regression and
weighting by area
seeded
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Earth Observation Applications
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Earth Observation Applications
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Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
Page 43
Amalgamate Values to
Census of Agriculture
Regions
Spring wheat yield
estimate using
linear regression
and weighting by
area seeded
Spring 2014
Earth Observation Applications
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Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World
P.M. Teillet
Page 44
Amalgamate Values to
Census of Agriculture
Regions
Spring wheat yield
estimate using
linear regression
and weighting by
area seeded
Year
CCAP
Forecast
1
Statistics
Canada official
estimate
2
Forecast versus
Statistics Canada
1989 28.8 26.8 7.4%
1990 34.9 33.7 3.6%
1991 31.3 33.1 -5.5%
1992 31.0 31.3 -0.9%
1993 29.0 32.0 -9.4%
1994 29.5 30.7 -3.9%
1995 29.4 32.3 -9.0%
1996 35.2 36.1 -2.6%
1997 33.2 36.1 -2.6%
1998 31.8 33.4 -4.8%
1999 36.7 37.7 -2.7%
2000 34.6 36.1 -4.2%
2001 28.8 27.4 -4.8%
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Anne M. Smith
Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Lethbridge, Alberta
anne.smith@agr.gc.ca
Spring 2014
Earth Observation Applications
Imaging Science and Technologies in Todays World Page 45