This course provides an introduction to the rapidly growing field of remote sensing and image analysis, which primarily involves environmental monitoring and Earth observation from space. The first part of the course introduces core concepts in remote sensing, describing the processes by which images are captured by sensors mounted on remote platforms including satellites and airplanes and key characteristics of the captured images themselves. Students learn about various remote sensing image products and use cases. The second part of the course introduces hands-on image analysis methods in the industry-standard ArcGIS software platform, integrating Landsat, radar, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Earth Observing System satellites to studying land-use change, oceanography, meteorology, and environmental monitoring. Students learn techniques for processing, analyzing, and visualizing remotely sensed imagery and raster data in ArcGIS. The third part of the course introduces students to Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based remote sensing and image analysis platform. Students explore basic image processing techniques with Google Earth Engine and also learn about data interoperability considerations. Practical applications provided throughout the course.
