Development of remote sensing technology in New Zealand, part 1. Seismotectonic, structural, volcanologic and geomorphic study of New Zealand, part 2. Indigenous forest assessment, part 3. Mapping land use and environmental studies in New Zealand, part 4. New Zealand forest service LANDSAT projects, part 5. Vegetation map and landform map of Aupouri Peninsula, Northland, part 6. Geographical applications of LANDSAT mapping, part 7

The author has identified the following significant results. Inspection of pixels obtained from LANDSAT of New Zealand revealed that not only can ships and their wakes be detected, but that information on the size, state of motion, and direction of movement was inferred by calculating the total number of pixels occupied by the vessel and wake, the orientation of these pixels, and the sum of their radiance values above the background level. Computer enhanced images showing the Waimihia State Forest and much of Kaingaroa State Forest on 22 December 1975 were examined. Most major forest categories were distinguished on LANDSAT imagery. However, the LANDSAT imagery seemed to be most useful for updating and checking existing forest maps, rather than making new maps with many forest categories. Snow studies were performed using two basins: Six Mile Creek and Mt. Robert. The differences in radiance levels indicated that a greater areal snow cover in Six Mile Creek Basin with the effect of lower radiance values from vegetation/snow regions. A comparison of the two visible bands (MSS 4 and 5) demonstrate this difference for the two basins

Earth Resources. A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 34, July 1982

This bibliography lists 567 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System between April 1, and June 30, 1982. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

Using New and Long-Term Multi-Scale Remotely Sensed Data to Detect Recurrent Fires and Quantify Their Relationship to Land Cover/Use in Indonesian Peatlands

Indonesia has committed to reducing its greenhouse gases emissions by 29% (potentially up to 41% with international assistance) by 2030. Achieving those targets requires many efforts but, in particular, controlling the fire problem in Indonesia’s peatlands is paramount, since it is unlikely to diminish on its own in the coming decades. This study was conducted in Sumatra and Kalimantan peatlands in Indonesia. Four MODIS-derived products (MCD45A1 collection 5.1, MCD64A1 (collection 5.1 and 6), FireCCI51) were initially assessed to explore long-term fire frequency and land use/cover change relationships. The results indicated the product(s) could only detect half of the fires accurately. A further study was conducted using additional moderate spatial resolution data to compare two years of different severity (2014 and 2015) (Landsat, Sentinel 2, Sentinel 1, VIIRS 375 m). The results showed that MODIS BA products poorly discriminated small fires and failed to detect many burned areas due to persistent interference from clouds and smoke that often worsens as fire seasons progress. Although there are unique fire detection capabilities associated with each sensor (MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat, Sentinel 2, Sentinel 1), no single sensor was ideal for accurate detection of peatland fires under all conditions. Multisensor approaches could advance biomass-burning detection in peatlands, improving the accuracy and comprehensive coverage of burned area maps, thereby enabling better estimation of associated fire emissions. Despite missing many burned areas, MODIS BA (MCD64A1 C6) provides the best available data for evaluating longer term (2001-2018) associations between the frequency of fire occurrence and land use/cover change across large areas. Results showed that Sumatra and Kalimantan have both experienced frequent fires since 2001. Although extensive burning was present across the entire landscape, burning in peatlands was ~5- times more frequent and strongly associated with changes of forest to other land use/cover classes. If fire frequencies since 2001 remain unchanged, remnant peat swamp forests of Sumatra and Kalimantan will likely disappear over the next few decades. The findings reported in this dissertation provide critical insights for Indonesian stakeholders that can help them to minimize impacts of environmental change, manage ecological restoration efforts, and improve fire monitoring systems within Indonesia

Geophysical remote sensing of North Carolina’s historic cultural landscapes: studies at house in the Horseshoe State historic site

This dissertation is written in accordance with the three article option offered by the Geography Department at UNC Greensboro. It contains three manuscripts to be submitted for publication. The articles address specific research issues within the remote sensing process described by Jensen (2016) as they apply to subsurface geophysical remote sensing of historic cultural landscapes, using the buried architectural features of House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site in Moore County, North Carolina. The first article compares instrument detection capabilities by examining subsurface structure remnants as they appear in single band ground-penetrating radar (GPR), magnetic gradiometer, magnetic susceptibility and conductivity images, and also demonstrates how excavation strengthens geophysical image interpretation. The second article examines the ability of GPR to estimate volumetric soil moisture (VSM) in order to improve the timing of data collection, and also examines the visible effect of variable moisture conditions on the interpretation of a large historic pit feature, while including the relative soil moisture continuum concepts common to geography/geomorphology into a discussion of GPR survey hydrologic conditions. The third article examines the roles of scientific visualization and cartography in the production of knowledge and the presentation of maps using geophysical data to depict historic landscapes. This study explores visualization techniques pertaining to the private data exploration view of the expert, and to the simplified public facing view

Modelling spatial variability of coffee (Coffea Arabica L.) crop condition with multispectral remote sensing data.

Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2017.Abstract available in PDF file

ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 Calibration, Validation, Science and Applications

Twelve edited original papers on the latest and state-of-art results of topics ranging from calibration, validation, and science to a wide range of applications using ALOS-2/PALSAR-2. We hope you will find them useful for your future research

Earth resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes (issue 52)

This bibliography lists 454 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between October 1 and December 31, 1986. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

Spatial-temporal analyses of climate elements, vegetation characteristics and sea surface temperature anomaly. A Case study in Gojam, Ethiopia

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.Agriculture is the backbone of Gojjam economy as it depends on seasonal characteristics of rainfall. This study analyses the components of regional climate variability, especially La Niña or El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and their impact on rainfall variability and the growing season normalized difference vegetation index. The temporal and spatial distribution of temperature, precipitation and vegetation cover have been investigated statistically in two agricultural productive seasons for a period of 9 years (2000–2008), using data from 11 meteorological station and MODIS satellite data in Gojam, Ethiopia. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is widely accepted as a good indicator for providing vegetation properties and associated changes for large scale geographic regions. Investigations indicate that climate variability is persistent particularly in the small rainy season Belg and continues to affect vegetation condition and thus Belg crop production. Statistical correlation analyses shows strong positive correlation between NDVI and rainfall in most years, and negative relationship between temperature and NDVI in both seasons. Although El Niño and La Niña events vary in magnitude in time, ENSO analyses shows that two strong La Niña years and one strong El Niño years. ENSO analyses result shows that its impact to the region rainfall variability is mostly noticeable but it is inconsistent and difficult to predict all the time. The NDVI anomaly patterns approximately agree with the main documented precipitation and temperature anomaly patterns associated with ENSO, but also show additional patterns not related to ENSO. The spatial and temporal analyses of climate elements and NDVI values for the growing season shows that NDVI and rainfall are very unstable and variable during the 9 years period. ENSO /El Niño and La Niña events analyses shows an increase of vegetation coverage during El Niño episodes contrasting to La Niña episodes. Moreover, El Niño years are good for Belg crop production

Earth Survey Applications Division

Accomplishments of research and data analysis conducted to study physical parameters and processes inside the Earth and on the Earth's surface, to define techniques and systems for remotely sensing the processes and measuring the parameters of scientific and applications interest, and the transfer of promising operational applications techniques to the user community of Earth resources monitors, managers, and decision makers are described. Research areas covered include: geobotany, magnetic field modeling, crustal studies, crustal dynamics, sea surface topography, land resources, remote sensing of vegetation and soils, and hydrological sciences. Major accomplishments include: production of global maps of magnetic anomalies using Magsat data; computation of the global mean sea surface using GEOS-3 and Seasat altimetry data; delineation of the effects of topography on the interpretation of remotely-sensed data; application of snowmelt runoff models to water resources management; and mapping of snow depth over wheat growing areas using Nimbus microwave data

Earth Resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 29, April 1981

This bibliography lists 308 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between January 1, 1981 and March 31, 1981. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis