A VERY BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO REMOTE SENSING!

 

There were many definitions of remote sensing and a simple way to know that is to do a google search.

Then what is the purpose of this paper?

For those who seek a simple understanding of remote sensing with out jargon or confusing terms !

Remote sensing is not a concept so alien to humanity rather it is what we actually do when we see objects that surround us or hear sounds emanating around us.

How do we do this?

Through sense objects such as eyes or ears and an interpreter named brain or mind.

This is exactly the process or the concept followed in the science of remote sensing.

Instead of the sense organs, special equipment named ‘sensors’ are used for remote sensing.

To understand how sensors work we need to understand what we do with our eyes or ears?

What we do with our eyes and ears?

With eyes we see and with ears we hear.

Fine how we see?

We see the light coming from the objects with eyes.

We see objects having different colours.

We see objects having different shapes and structures.

We not only see the objects but also how they are arranged, in addition, we see their shadows too, if the objects are in sun light.

In fact, it is not the eyes rather the brain interprets the images as objects. Some time the brain or mind do commit some mistakes while interpreting the image it sees through eyes, as in the case of ‘mirage’.

Similarly, we hear the sound, it do have patterns as in the case of music and noise.

So far , we understand how we see and hear. 

Seeing and hearing are simply the process of remote sensing we human beings use to gather information from the surroundings we live.

During the course of evolution human beings invented many new gadgets and instruments to make their life simple, beautiful and useful.  For example a ‘crane’, it is a mechanical device exactly does the work of a hand or a leg. But the crane is capable of lifting or throwing objects that far exceed the human limitations.

Similarly the ‘remote sensors’ are the electro- mechanical devices do the work of eyes. They see from a distance exceeding the limitations of the human eyes!

For instance, certain types of remote sensors are capable of seeing objects from a distance of 34,000Kms!

Thus ‘remote sensing is a process of seeing or observing earthen objects from a distance through sensors’.

From what we understood so far, we knew that remote sensors will only see and record the earthen objects like a camera or more precisely a digital camera but only the human beings can decode or interpret the recorded information. In addition, there may be ample possibilities of noises being recorded in the place of information and there would also be possibilities for misinterpretation.