Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Electromagnetic waves in free space
- 3 Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter
- 4 Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the Earth's atmosphere
- 5 Photographic systems
- 6 Electro-optical systems
- 7 Passive microwave systems
- 8 Ranging systems
- 9 Scattering systems
- 10 Platforms for remote sensing
- 11 Data processing
- Appendix 1 The Global Positioning System
- Appendix 2 Data tables
- References
- Hints and solutions to numerical problems
- Index
- Plates section
11 - Data processing
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Electromagnetic waves in free space
- 3 Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter
- 4 Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the Earth's atmosphere
- 5 Photographic systems
- 6 Electro-optical systems
- 7 Passive microwave systems
- 8 Ranging systems
- 9 Scattering systems
- 10 Platforms for remote sensing
- 11 Data processing
- Appendix 1 The Global Positioning System
- Appendix 2 Data tables
- References
- Hints and solutions to numerical problems
- Index
- Plates section
Summary
Introduction
The general direction of this book has been to follow approximately the flow of information, from the thermal or other mechanism for the generation of electromagnetic radiation, to its interaction with the surface to be sensed, thence to its interaction with the atmosphere, and finally to its detection by the sensor. It is clear that that the information has not yet reached its final destination. Firstly, it is still at the sensor and not with the data user. Secondly, the ‘raw’ data will in general require a significant amount of processing before they can be applied to the task for which they were acquired.
In this chapter, we shall discuss the more important aspects of the processes to which the raw data are subjected. For the most part, it will be assumed that the data have been obtained from an imaging sensor so that the spatial form of the data is significant. The principal processes are transmission and storage of the data, preprocessing, enhancement and classification. The last three processes are generally regarded as aspects of image processing, a major field of study in its own right, and we shall not be able to do much more here than outline its general features. There are many books on the subject to which the interested reader may be referred, for example Mather (1987), Richards (1993) and Schowengerdt (1997).
Transmission and storage of data
It is clear that the data must be brought from the sensor to the place where they are to be analysed.
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- Physical Principles of Remote Sensing , pp. 270 - 309Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001