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ESM392Sciences2 Unitsintermediate

Remote Sensing

This course introduces the principles of remote sensing and radiation. It covers topics such as electromagnetic radiation, energy interactions in the atmosphere, and interactions with Earth surface features. Students will learn about remote sensing platforms, imaging systems, and sensors. The course also explores aerial photography, digital image processing, and various applications of remote sensing in land use mapping, agriculture, urban planning, and forestry.

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200h
Study Time
13
Weeks
15h
Per Week
intermediate
Math Level
Course Keywords
Remote SensingRadiation PrinciplesAerial PhotographyImage ProcessingGIS

Course Overview

Everything you need to know about this course

Course Difficulty

Intermediate Level
Builds on foundational knowledge
65%
intermediate
📊
Math Level
Moderate Math
🔬
Learning Type
Hands-on Practice

Course Topics

Key areas covered in this course

1

Remote Sensing Principles

2

Electromagnetic Radiation

3

Aerial Photography

4

Digital Image Processing

5

Land Use/Land Cover Mapping

6

Agricultural Applications

7

Urban Planning Applications

8

Forestry Applications

Total Topics8 topics

Requirements

Knowledge and skills recommended for success

Basic Geography

Introductory Physics

💡 Don't have all requirements? Don't worry! Many students successfully complete this course with basic preparation and dedication.

Assessment Methods

How your progress will be evaluated (3 methods)

Assignments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Tutor-Marked Assessments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Final Examination

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Career Opportunities

Explore the career paths this course opens up for you

Remote Sensing Analyst

Apply your skills in this growing field

GIS Specialist

Apply your skills in this growing field

Urban Planner

Apply your skills in this growing field

Agricultural Consultant

Apply your skills in this growing field

Environmental Scientist

Apply your skills in this growing field

Forestry Manager

Apply your skills in this growing field

Industry Applications

Real-world sectors where you can apply your knowledge

Environmental MonitoringUrban PlanningAgricultureForestryDisaster ManagementResource Management

Study Schedule Beta

A structured 13-week journey through the course content

Week
1

Module 1: Introduction to Remote Sensing and Radiation Principles

5h

Unit 1: Overview

2 study hours
  • •Read the introduction to remote sensing
  • •Understand the course objectives
  • •Familiarize yourself with remote sensing terminologies

Unit 2 Electromagnetic Radiation

3 study hours
  • •Study electromagnetic energy as a source for remote sensing
  • •Understand the electromagnetic spectrum
  • •Differentiate between wavelength and frequency
Week
2

Module 1: Introduction to Remote Sensing and Radiation Principles

5h

Unit 3 Radiation Principle

3 study hours
  • •Understand the principles of radiation
  • •Study Stefan Boltzman's law
  • •Relate radiation principles to remote sensing

Unit 4 Energy Interactions in the Atmosphere

2 study hours
  • •Study atmospheric scattering and absorption
  • •Understand Rayleigh, Mie, and Non-selective scattering
  • •Learn about atmospheric windows
Week
3

Module 1: Introduction to Remote Sensing and Radiation Principles

5h

Unit 5 Energy Interaction with Earth Surface Features

5 study hours
  • •Study reflection, absorption, and transmission of energy
  • •Understand spectral reflectance curves for vegetation, soil, and water
  • •Analyze energy interactions with different Earth surface features
Week
4

Module 2: Remote Sensing Platforms, Imaging System and Their Capabilities

4h

Unit 1 Remote Sensing Platforms

4 study hours
  • •Study land-based, aerial, and satellite platforms
  • •Understand geostationary and sun-synchronous orbits
  • •Analyze the features of different satellite platforms
Week
5

Module 2: Remote Sensing Platforms, Imaging System and Their Capabilities

5h

Unit 2 Imaging Systems

5 study hours
  • •Study panchromatic, multispectral, super-spectral, and hyper-spectral imaging systems
  • •Differentiate between the different imaging systems
  • •Understand the applications of each imaging system
Week
6

Module 2: Remote Sensing Platforms, Imaging System and Their Capabilities

5h

Unit 3 Remote Sensors and their Capabilities

5 study hours
  • •Study the different remote sensors
  • •Understand the capabilities of each sensor
  • •Analyze the use of sensors in different wavelength ranges
Week
7

Module 3: Aerial Photography

5h

Unit 1 Meaning and History of Aerial Photography

3 study hours
  • •Understand the meaning and history of aerial photography
  • •Study the first aerial photograph taken
  • •Learn about the development of aerial photography

Unit 2 Types of Aerial Photograph

2 study hours
  • •Differentiate between vertical and oblique aerial photographs
  • •Study the types of aerial cameras
  • •Understand the applications of each type of photograph
Week
8

Module 3: Aerial Photography

5h

Unit 3 Taking Vertical Aerial Photograph

5 study hours
  • •Understand the processes involved in taking vertical aerial photographs
  • •Study flight lines, forward overlap, and sidelap
  • •Learn about stereoscopic coverage
Week
9

Module 3: Aerial Photography

5h

Unit 4 Geometric Property of Aerial Photograph

5 study hours
  • •Compute the scale of aerial photographs
  • •Understand relief displacement
  • •Analyze distortion and displacement in aerial photographs
Week
10

Module 3: Aerial Photography

3h

Unit 5 Air Photo Interpretation

3 study hours
  • •Study visual variables in aerial photo interpretation
  • •Understand tone, texture, pattern, site, and association
  • •Learn about basic air photo interpretation equipment
Week
11

Module 4: Principles of Digital Image Processing

5h

Unit 1 Digital Image Pre-Processing

3 study hours
  • •Study image rectification and restoration
  • •Understand restoring periodic line striping
  • •Learn about filtering of random noise

Unit 2 Digital Image Enhancement

2 study hours
  • •Study linear and non-linear contrast stretch
  • •Understand intensity, hue, and saturation transformations
  • •Learn about density slicing and edge enhancement
Week
12

Module 4: Principles of Digital Image Processing

5h

Unit 3 Digital Image Classification

5 study hours
  • •Study supervised and unsupervised classification
  • •Understand the steps involved in each classification method
  • •Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each method
Week
13

Module 5: Application of Remote Sensing

5h

Unit 1 Land use/Land cover mapping

2 study hours
  • •Study the application of remote sensing in land use/land cover mapping
  • •Understand the use of satellite images and aerial photographs
  • •Learn about change detection and environmental analysis

Unit 2 Agricultural and Natural Resources Applications

3 study hours
  • •Study the application of remote sensing in agriculture and natural resources
  • •Understand crop monitoring, yield determination, and soil analysis
  • •Learn about water resources application

This study schedule is in beta and may not be accurate. Please use it as a guide and consult the course outline for the most accurate information.

Course PDF Material

Read the complete course material as provided by NOUN.

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Study Tips & Exam Preparation

Expert tips to help you succeed in this course

1

Review the principles of electromagnetic radiation and energy interactions (Modules 1 and 2).

2

Practice calculating photo scale and analyzing geometric properties of aerial photographs (Module 3).

3

Familiarize yourself with digital image processing techniques, including pre-processing, enhancement, and classification (Module 4).

4

Study the applications of remote sensing in land use mapping, agriculture, urban planning, and forestry (Module 5).

5

Create concept maps linking different remote sensing platforms, sensors, and their applications.

6

Solve practice problems related to image classification and interpretation.

7

Review all Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) and focus on areas where you had difficulty.

8

Allocate sufficient time for revision and practice before the final examination.

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