An Annotated Guide to Earth Remote Sensing Data and Information
Resources for Social Science Applications
Section 1.0
Basic Information and Documentation on Earth Remote
Sensing
Note: This annotated guide was published in 1998. The links on this page are no longer maintained.
Suggested starting points for general readers are indicated with an
asterisk.
1.1 General Overviews and Compendia
- * Atlas of Satellite Observations Related to Global Change.
Published in 1993, this volume includes more than 25 articles on the
use of satellite data and imagery to address key scientific questions
concerning global environmental change. Topics covered include the
Earth's radiation balance, atmosphere, oceans, land, cryosphere, and
the effects of human activities. An appendix describes both existing
and planned operational and research satellites for Earth observation
by country. Availability: Printed volume available from Cambridge
University Press (ISBN 0-521-43467-X).
- Earth Observations from Space: History, Promise, and Reality.
The Space Studies Board of the U.S. National Research Council has
prepared a detailed history of the Mission to Planet Earth Program
and reviewed the overall development and organization of U.S. civil
Earth observations programs. Published in 1995, the report provides
useful programmatic background for understanding the current and planned
suite of Earth remote sensing satellites and associated instruments.
Availability: Printed version available from the Space Studies Board,
National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20418. Executive Summary available online via the National Academy
Press Reading Room at http://www.nap.edu/readingroom
(search on title). A direct link to the summary is at: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom
/records/NX006300.html
- Manual of Photographic Interpretation, 2nd Edition. Updated
in 1997 from the original manual published in 1960, this comprehensive
manual reviews the history and fundamentals of photographic interpretation;
methods for recognizing and assessing landforms, soils, vegetation,
hydrology, and structures and cultural features; and a range of applications
including land use and land cover inventory, agriculture and forestry,
wildlife and wetlands, urban planning and archaeology, military uses,
and environmental monitoring. It includes two appendices that list
major imagery collections and sources of aerial photographs. Availability:
Printed volume available from the American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing, 5420 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 210, Bethesda, Maryland
20814-2160 (ISBN 1-57083-039-8). For additional information see http://www.asprs.org/publications.html
- Manual of Remote Sensing, 3rd Edition (a series): Earth Observing
Platforms & Sensors. Now published in Windows-compatible CD-ROM
format, this manual updated in 1996 provides detailed information
on more than 270 satellite and airborne platforms focusing on atmospheric,
geophysical, and Earth resources. The CD-ROM includes sample datasets,
technical specifications of hardware, and numerous color illustrations.
Availability: CD-ROM available from the American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing, 5420 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 210, Bethesda, Maryland
20814-2160. For additional information see http://www.asprs.org/publications.html
- MTPE 1999 EOS Reference Handbook. The Mission to Planet Earth
(MTPE) Program of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) maintains a reference handbook describing the status of the
Earth Observing System (EOS). This document includes detailed information
on planned EOS and related satellite missions, EOS instruments, EOS
interdisciplinary science investigations, and MTPE pathfinder data
sets. Availability: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepage/misc_html/refbook.html.
(**ok Bob?) Printed version available from EOS Project Science Office,
Code 900, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, tel.
(301) 286-3411.
- * Thematic Guide on the Use of Satellite Remote Sensing to Study
the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. The on-line
guide developed by the Consortium for International Earth Science
Information Network (CIESIN) provides an overview of satellite remote
sensing in relationship to research on human interactions with global
environmental change. It includes the full text of selected documents
and literature on remote sensing applications as well as other bibliographic
materials and direct links. Availability: http://www.ciesin.org/
- * Trends in Commercial Space-1996: Satellite Remote Sensing.
This paper, prepared by the Office of Air and Space Commercialization
of the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of an edited volume, provides
an overview of commercial satellite remote sensing. It summarizes
the Presidential Policy on Commercial Remote Sensing and lists planned
worldwide commercial remote sensing capabilities. Availability: http://cher.eda.doc.gov/oasc/rmtsens.html
1.2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- A FAQ on Vegetation in Remote Sensing. This FAQ document
addresses the use of remote sensing to assess vegetation characteristics.
It includes details on the derivation of standard indices and a bibliography.
The on-line version is dated 13 October 1994. Availability: http://www.info-mine.com/technomine/ege/vegfaq.txt
- * The Satellite Imagery FAQ. This five-part FAQ provides
summary information on satellite-based imagery of the Earth. It deals
with both general and technical questions and includes an extensive
list of remote sensing satellites and instruments, with pointers to
resources available on the Internet. The FAQ is updated approximately
monthly by members of the Image Processing and Remote Sensing Listserver
(IMAGRS-L). Availability: http://www.geog.nott.ac.uk/remote/satfaq.html
(latest version).
1.3 Glossaries
- CCRS Remote Sensing Glossary. This searchable database, maintained
by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, contains a comprehensive
list of terms related to radar, optical, and airborne remote sensing
and a dictionary of acronyms. Results may be displayed in English
or French. Availability: http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/eduref/ref/glosndxe.html
- Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in Geographic Information
Systems, Cartography, and Remote Sensing. An extensive list of
abbreviations and acronyms related to GIS and remote sensing (dated
June 1996). Availability: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/abbrev.html
- Earth Observing System (EOS) Acronyms/Abbreviations. A long
list of acronyms and abbreviations provided by the EOS Project Science
Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Availability: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/EOS_acronym.html
(**not there)
- Earth Observing System (EOS) Glossary. This is an extensive
glossary of concepts and terms related to remote sensing and weather,
aimed primarily at teachers and students in Grades 7-12. A short bibliography
and a list of educational resources around the U.S. are also provided.
Availability: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/Earth_Glossary/Intro.html
- Global Land Information System (GLIS) Glossary. An extensive
glossary of earth science acronyms and terms is available from the
U.S. Geological Survey's GLIS maintained by EROS Data Center (EDC).
Availability: http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/glis/hyper/glossary/index
- Glossary of Remote Sensing Terminology and Acronyms. A brief
list of remote sensing terms and acronyms and associated definitions.
Availability: http://www.seaspace.com/glossary.html
1.4 Tutorials and Other Educational Materials
- * Community Colleges for Innovative Technology Transfer, Inc.
(CCITT) Project in Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Geographic
Information Systems. CCITT is a consortium of U.S. community colleges
affiliated with a local NASA Center. This project is developing a
set of curriculum modules aimed at undergraduate courses in Earth
system sciences or related disciplines. The project also offers periodic
faculty workshops in remote sensing, image processing, and GIS. Availability:
http://earth.fhda.edu/
- GLOBE Visualization Server. The Visualization server of the
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
program provides images of global environmental data including both
student measurements and reference data from the Environmental Modeling
Center (EMC) and selected satellites. Availability: http://glom.arc.nasa.gov/
- * NASA's Observatorium. This is a public access site for
Earth and space data primarily oriented to pre-college students. It
includes an image gallery and selected exhibits on topics such as
ozone and the use of remote sensing in agriculture and in the Mississippi
flood of 1993. Availability: http://www.rspac.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/core.shtml
- * Remote Sensing Core Curriculum. Under development by a
distributed team involving the University of Maryland Baltimore County
(UMBC), the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
(NCGIA), and the University of South Carolina, this curriculum provides
an introduction to photo interpretation and photogrammetry, remote
sensing of the environment, digital image processing, and remote sensing
applications. It includes links to educational and on-line data resources
and provides both lecture and exercise materials on topics such as
population estimation, environmental warfare, flood analysis, and
rangeland management. Availability: http://www.umbc.edu/rscc
or http://research.umbc.edu/~tbenja1/index.html
- * Remote Sensing Task Force. The Remote Sensing Task Force
of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) has developed
a set of instructional materials dealing with remote sensing of the
environment. Specific topics include the Persian Gulf War, the nuclear
accident at Chernobyl, fires in Yellowstone National Park, and the
1993 flood around St. Louis, Missouri. The WWW site includes ordering
information and samples of low- and high-resolution imagery. Availability:
http://www.oneonta.edu/~baumanpr/ncge/rstf.htm
- Remote Sensing Tutorial. This on-line tutorial under development
by Goddard Space Flight Center focuses on the role of space technology
in monitoring the Earth's surface and atmosphere. It is aimed at both
professional audiences and the general public and includes extensive
materials on remote sensing applications. Although not yet complete,
more than half of the planned chapters are available and several more
are apparently in progress. Availability: http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/TofC/toc1.html
(**ok Bob?)
- Satellite Meteorology Online Remote Sensing Guide. An instructional
module focusing on weather satellites, particularly Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and Polar Orbiting Environmental
Satellites (POES). Availability: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(GH)/guides/rs/sat/home.rxml
- Satellite Training Application. This computer-based training
application, under development by the Naval Research Laboratory in
Monterey, California, presently includes a prototype Satellite Tutorial
on interpretation of satellite imagery and training materials on the
Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) of the Defense Meteorological
Satellite Program (DMSP). Additional materials are being prepared
for other U.S. environmental satellites. Availability: http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/~white/
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