The value of site-specific information and the environment: technology adoption and pesticide use under uncertainty

Remote sensing technology offers an opportunity to significantly increase the amount of site-specific information about field characteristics such as pest populations. Coupled with variable rate application technologies, this added information has the potential to provide environmental benefits through reduced pesticide applications. However, producers face a complicated adoption decision because output prices and crop yields are uncertain. A model is developed to examine the potential value of remote sensing information to pesticide applications in an option-value framework under uncertainty. Simulations suggest that remote sensing information could decrease pesticide use, but uncertainty and irreversibility are likely to limit technological adoption by farmers. Potential cost-share subsidies are discussed.     

An introduction to digital methods in remote sensing of forested ecosystems: Focus on the Pacific Northwest,USA

Aerial photography has been routinely used for several decades by natural resource scientists and managers to map and monitor the condition of forested landscapes. Recently, along with the emergence of concepts in managing forests as ecosystems, has come a significant shift in emphasis from smaller to larger spatial scales and the widespread use of geographic information systems. These developments have precipitated an increasing need for vegetation information derived from other remote sensing imagery, especially digital data acquired from high-elevation aircraft and satellite platforms. This paper introduces fundamental concepts in digital remote sensing and describes numerous applications of the technology. The intent is to provide a balanced, nontechnical view, discussing the shortcomings, successes, and future potential for digital remote sensing of forested ecosystems.     

遥感调查方法在河北省省级自然保护区生态环境变化评估方面的应用研究

河北省省级自然保护区以自然生态系统类型为主,人类活动较为频繁,将遥感评估方法应用于河北省省级自然保护区生态环境变化评估具有重要意义。本文通过分析高分辨率遥感卫星影像的特点,结合河北省省级自然保护区的实际情况,优先选取分辨率为2m的民用卫星,提出了遥感调查方法在自然保护区人类活动和开发建设活动中自动监测、生态系统格局变化、生态系统质量变化以及人类活动干扰程度四方面的评估应用。     

遥感技术在灾害监测中的应用

介绍总结了近年来遥感技术在灾害监测中的应用与进展，以若干应用实例阐明了遥感技术在实现对自然灾害进行宏观、实时、动态、连续监测中不可替代的作用；在对我国灾害遥感的应用现状进行了分析之后，发现灾前预测工作有所不足；指出遥感技术将进一步同地理信息系统技术和全球定位系统技术相结合，在防灾减灾工作中发挥愈来愈重要的作用。     

利用遥感影像软件ENVI提取植被指数

在遥感影像处理中，植被指数提取广泛应用于定性和定量评价植被覆盖及其生长活力。主要介绍了在ENVI遥感图像处理软件对遥感影像进行植被指数。对植被指数提取的关键部分进行分析，并给出植被指数提取的技术关键。     

洪水灾害遥感监测研究综述

洪水灾害是最严重的自然灾害之一,洪灾造成的损失十分严重,对其进行科学的监测是防灾减灾的基础。在洪水灾害遥感监测研究进展的介绍基础上,着重对中分辨率、高时相、微波、高精度DEM、多源数据遥感洪水监测原理及方法的研究进展进行比较和总结,分析各种数据特点。在此基础上提出了洪水遥感监测向高分辨率、高时相性方向,遥感影像相互订正和利用3S技术是洪涝灾害动态监测发展的方向,为洪水灾害的快速反应和防洪辅助决策提供依据。     

Remote sensing for land management and planning

The primary role of remote sensing in land management and planning has been to provide information concerning the physical characteristics of the land which influence the management of individual land parcels or the allocation of lands to various uses These physical characteristics have typically been assessed through aerial photography, which is used to develop resource maps and to monitor changing environmental conditions These uses are well developed and currently well integrated into the planning infrastructure at local, state, and federal levels in the United States.Many newly emerging uses of remote sensing involve digital images which are collected, stored, and processed automatically by electromechanical scanning devices and electronic computers Some scanning devices operate from aircraft or spacecraft to scan ground scenes directly; others scan conventional aerial transparencies to yield digital images. Digital imagery offers the potential for computer-based automated map production, a process that can significantly increase the amount and timeliness of information available to land managers and planners.Future uses of remote sensing in land planning and management will involve geographic information systems, which store resource information in a geocoded format. Geographic information systems allow the automated integration of disparate types of resource data through various types of spatial models so that with accompanying sample ground data, information in the form of thematic maps and/ or aerially aggregated statistics can be produced Key issues confronting the development and integration of geographic information systems into planning pathways are restoration and rectification of digital images, automated techniques for combining both quantitative and qualitative types of data in information-extracting procedures, and the compatibility of alternative data storage modes     

ASSESSMENT OF REMOTE SENSING INPUT TO HYDROLOGIC MODELS1

Remotely sensed variables such as land cover type and snow-cover extent can currently be used directly and effectively in a few specific hydrologic models. Regression models can also be developed using physiographic and snow-cover data to permit estimation of discharge characteristics over extended periods such as a season or year. Most models, however, are not of an appropriate design to readily accept as input the various types of remote sensing parameters that can be obtained now or in the future. Because this new technology has the potential for producing hydrologic data that has significant information content on an areal basis, both inexpensively and repetitively, effort should be devoted now to either modifying existing models or developing new models that can use these data. Minor modifications would at least allow the remote sensing data to be used in an ancillary way to update the model state variables, whereas major structural modifications or new models would permit direct input of the data through remote sensing compatible algorithms. Although current remote sensing inputs to hydrologic models employ only visible and near infrared data, model modification or development should accommodate microwave and thermal infrared data that will be more widely available in the future.     

RUNOFF PREDICTION USING REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY1

ABSTRACT: Percent imperviousness is an important parameter in modeling the urban rainfall-runoff process and is usually determined using manual methods such as random sampling or conventional accounting methods. In this study two computerized methods are used for estimating the percent imperviousness of urban watersheds using high altitude remote sensing imagery. These methods include the Laser Image Processing Scanner and the Video-Tape Camera system. Imperviousness is directly estimated in the former method while in the latter it is estimated as a function of the statistics of the responses on emulsions of the imagery. The percent imperviousness computed by utilizing remote sensing imagery was used with the conceptual models of rainfall-runoff models. The models were applied to four urban watersheds and the runoff prediction results indicate that imperviousness determined by using remote sensing imagery was as accurate as that obtained by the manual methods, and that the use of remote sensing imagery requires significantly less time and money.     

QuickBird影像融合最佳波段选择及不同融合方法质量评价研究

分析了QuickBird多光谱遥感影像各个波段的光谱特征,并进行了定量评价。根据信息量的大小和波段相关性得到最佳波段组合,在最佳组合波段下利用遥感影像处理软件ERDAS9.2选择或利用建模模块建立不同的影像融合模型对QuikBird多光谱数据与全色遥感影像进行融合,按照定性及定量指标对融合前后的遥感影像进行色彩、分辨率及信息量评价,得到QuikBird影像数据最佳融合方法。     

SELECTING RECONNAISSANCE STRATEGIES FOR FLOODPLAIN SURVEYS1

ABSTRACT: Multispectral aircraft and satellite data over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River were analyzed to evaluate potential contributions of remote sensing to floodplain surveys. Multispectral digital classifications of land cover features indicative of floodplain areas were used by interpreters to locate various floodprone area boundaries. The boundaries thus obtained were found to be more striking and continuous in the Landsat data than in the low altitude aircraft data. The digital approach permitted satellite results to be displayed at 1:24,000 scale and aircraft results at even larger scales. Results indicate that remote sensing techniques can delineate floodprone areas more easily in agricultural and limited development areas than in areas covered by a heavy forest canopy. At this time it appears that the remote sensing data would be best used as a form of preliminary planning information or as an internal check on previous or ongoing floodplain studies. In addition, the remote sensing techniques can assist in effectively monitoring floodplain activities after a community enters into the National Flood Insurance Program.     

Aerospace wetland monitoring by hyperspectral imaging sensors: a case study in the coastal zone of San Rossore Natural Park

The San Rossore Natural Park, located on the Tuscany (Italy) coast, has been utilized over the last 10 years for many remote sensing campaigns devoted to coastal zone monitoring. A wet area is located in the south-west part of the Natural Park and it is characterized by a system of ponds and dunes formed by sediment deposition occurring at the Arno River estuary. The considerable amount of collected data has permitted us to investigate the evolution of wetland spreading and land coverage as well as to retrieve relevant biogeochemical parameters, e.g. green biomass, from remote sensing images and products. This analysis has proved that the monitoring of coastal wetlands, characterized by shallow waters, moor and dunes, demands dedicated aerospace sensors with high spatial and spectral resolution. The outcomes of the processing of images gathered during several remote sensing campaigns by airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral sensors are presented and discussed. A particular effort has been devoted to sensor response calibration and data validation due to the complex heterogeneity of the observed natural surfaces.     

REMOTE SENSING OF RIPARIAN BUFFERS: PAST PROGRESS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS1

Riparian buffer zone management is an area of increasing relevance as human modification of the landscape continues unabated. Land and water resource managers are continually challenged to maintain stream ecosystem integrity and water quality in the context of rapidly changing land use, which often offsets management gains. Approaches are needed not only to map vegetation cover in riparian zones, but also to monitor the changes taking place, target restoration activities, and assess the success of previous management actions. To date, these objectives have been difficult to meet using traditional techniques based on aerial photos and field visits, particularly over large areas. Recent advances in remote sensing have the potential to substantially aid buffer zone management. Very high resolution imagery is now available that allows detailed mapping and monitoring of buffer zone vegetation and provides a basis for consistent assessments using moderately high resolution remote sensing (e.g., Landsat). Laser‐based remote sensing is another advance that permits even more detailed information on buffer zone properties, such as refined topographic derivatives and multidimensional vegetation structure. These sources of image data and map information are reviewed in this paper, examples of their application to riparian buffer mapping and stream health assessment are provided, and future prospects for improved buffer monitoring are discussed.     

遥感技术在基层环境监测单位的常见应用

卫星遥感成为环境监测的新手段,基层环保部门由于受技术装备、知识储备、资金的限制,只能开展部分工作。文章介绍了常见的数据源,基层单位可开展的常见工作及取得的工作经验。期望为广大环保基层单位在现有条件下开展遥感环境监测工作提供参考。     

气候遥感解译法在区域气候研究中的应用

运用遥感手段进行气候资源普查和生态气候类型的划分,是现代应用气候的一种新的研究方法,也是遥感技术应用的一个新领域。研究实践证明,遥感技术对于下垫面气候研究具有独特的功能,特别是对地方气候分析提供了新的内容和手段。本文以内蒙古兴安盟科右中旗和突泉县为列,对气候遥感解译法进行初步分析和概述,以促进该研究法在区域气候研究中更广泛地推广和应用。     

Surveying and mapping of natural resources by remote sensing

Sustainable economic development requires detailed knowledge of the natural resources of any nation. Acquiring the needed information by conventional means may require a large investment in time, personnel, and therefore, in cost. A viable alternative is space-age technology which provides the necessary tools to conduct surveys of natural resources in a timely manner. Such technologies can obtain the required data by means of digital sensors, radar imaging systems and stereo cameras. These data can be utilized to map structures that may contain oil and gas deposits, recognize high concentrations of economic minerals, and discover regions with fertile soils and good potential for groundwater. Those applications warrant greater use of remote sensing methods and techniques by the international scientific community, particularly for the development of natural resources in the Third World. This paper represents a general review of the available, and easily interpretable, space-borne data that are useful in the mapping of natural resources.     

浅谈水质在线监控中遥感技术的应用

空间信息技术以及计算机技术的发展，给环境监控提供了先进、快速和科学的方法。其中，遥感技术由于能够快速、宏观地获得所监控区域的数据，近年来已逐渐成为环境监控系统中的重要技术手段。遥感信息是被控区域的电磁辐射能量及其结构特征与时空状态在遥感图像上的表现。今后，遥感技术、在线监控系统和地理信息系统等多种信息处理工具的结合将是环境信息监控系统发展的主要方向。     

干旱区绿洲土地覆盖变化遥感应用研究--以新疆于田绿洲为例

从人地关系理论出发以土地利用变化为切入点通过野外调查和遥感动态监测对干旱区绿洲土地覆盖变化规律进行了研究.在考察数据和对遥感图像的分类结果的评价的基础上对干旱区绿洲土地利用/土地覆盖空间动态变化进行规律性分析提出只有协调人地关系、加强区域地理建设才是使干旱区绿洲地区避免荒漠化的唯一道路.     

SOJUZKARTA offers geodesy and cartography services

SOJUZKARTA is the official Soviet foreign trade association that sells geodesy and cartography services to international markets. The organization inter alia provides remote sensing photographs, undertakes natural resource cadastresurveys, provides remote sensing for the exploration for oil, gas, ore and other natural deposits, provides consultancy and training services and prepares topographic maps. Many of these services are provided to developing countries and this paper gives several examples of the use of its services by such countries.     

Monitoring wetland changes with remote sensing: An East African example

Environmental managers need current, accurate information upon which to base decisions. Viable information, especially in developing countries, is often unavailable. Satellite remote sensing is an appropriate and effective data source for mapping the surface of the earth, including a variety of environmental features. Remote-sensing-derived information is enhanced by being one component within a geographic information system (GIS). These techniques were employed to study an expanding delta in East Africa.The Omo River flows from the Ethiopian Highlands into the northern end of Lake Turkana, creating a large delta extending between Ethiopia and Kenya. This isolated and unique wetland feature has expanded by over 500 sq km in the last 15 years as measured by space-borne remote sensing techniques and corroborated by low-altitude aircraft reconnaissance flights.The growth of the delta appears to be a function of both increased sedimentation and decreased lake levels and river flows. Within the delta there has been a selective decline in wildlife and an increase in human activity, both pastoral and agricultural. The uniqueness of this isolated delta suggests that consideration be given to its possible protection and management.On leave from Department of Geography, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA