Remote-Sensing Technologies and Data Processing Algorithms - New Ecoinformatics Tools in Environmental Science: Applications and Decision-making - page 144

that is, using the GIMS as the key instrument to solve environ-
mental problems, for decision-making procedures in the GIMS, for geoscience and
remote sensing, and for oceanic engineering

For our case —

and for the very typical example of
diagnosing and preventing at an earlier stage the buildup of extensive moisture in
the soil, water barrier failure, and

—

flood development the most acceptable, useful
and effective, instruments, and technologies that have been proven in a number of
domestic and international campaigns are the following:

fl

(1) Optical (digital photo and/or video cameras, spectrometers).
(2) Lidar (Laser 3-D scanner).
(3) Thermal IR-radiometers.
(4) Microwave radiometers.
(5) Radar (Synthetic Aperture Radar

SAR).
(6) Short pulse nadir viewing subsurface dielectric irregularities

—

nder.

(7) Georadar (subsurface dielectric irregularities finder of on-ground location, also

nadir viewing).

first 5 of total 7 rather widely
used instruments with regard to their application for remote sensing of water and
land areas. Crosses in the Table 2.7 indicate the degree of capability (and thus of
usefulness) of different sensors to registration of different parameter variations or
changes in different situations in typical/characteristic environments. Three crosses
indicate the highest possible rank of effectiveness, one cross

Table 2.17 presents the effectiveness estimates of

— minimum one.

five of the seven, rather than seven of the seven, presented types of
sensors discussed? The answers are as follows:

Why are

(a) sensors 6 and 7 are still not used so widely as the rst 5 sensors,

(b) these two sensors were not used in the development of the GIMS, and

(c) special conditions are needed to organize a flight campaign and to include in it

these sensors and Radar, including Synthetic Aperture Radar, which are
effective and useful, but heavy, of a big size and expensive tools for aircraft
and spacecraft remote sensing.

fl

These technologies are under the development primarily in JPL and Vega Radio
Corporation in Russia and available for potential users.
Table 2.17 gives rough but effective assessments of how basic remote sensors,
operating at both passive and active microwaves in the infrared and optical bands,
behave under the basic parameters and conditions inherent

in the following

scenarios:

• Oceanic, sea or fresh/water surface.

• Plane and rough water surface.

•

Foam-covered and oil spill-covered water surface.

•

Water-vegetative canopy system.

• Bare land surface.

• Vegetation-covered soil.

• Atmosphere-tree crown system (when sensing upward through the canopy).