Remote-Sensing Technologies and Data Processing Algorithms - New Ecoinformatics Tools in Environmental Science: Applications and Decision-making - page 145

Table 2.17 Typical remote sensing technologies, their information content and effectiveness
Sensors and parameters they
determine

O L T M R

Sea/water surface temperature ++ or +++ ++ or +++

Sea/water surface natural salinity ++ or +++

Oil pollution on water surface + + ++ +++

Water pollution with dissoluble
chemicals

+ ++ +

Water pollution with waste out fl ow + ++ +

Soil moisture + + or ++ +++ + or ++

Sub-surface moisture (depth to
water table)

+++ + or ++

Zones of water seepage through
water barriers

+ + + +++ +

Flooding + or ++ + or ++ + +++ +++

General: water regime of terrain + or ++ + + +++ ++

Terrain relief + ++ or +++ + + or ++ ++ or +++

Water areas and/or wet lands over-
growing with vegetation

+ + + ++ +++

Vegetation classification ++ + + + or ++

Vegetation biomass, dynamics,
seasonal changes

+ + + ++

Monitoring crowns of separately
standing trees

++ or +++

Monitoring vegetation sick rate + or ++ + +

Deforestation + or ++ + +

Monitoring timber/forest clearance + or ++ + +

Risk of forest or peat re + or ++ + or ++ ++ or +++ +

Revealing epicenter and/or border
of fire in foggy and smoky
condition

+ or ++ ++ or +++ ++ or +++

Monitoring terrain traf c ability + or ++ + or ++ ++ or +++ ++ or +++ ++ or +++
O Optical (digital photo and/or video cameras, spectrometers), L Lidar (Laser 3-D scanner), T Thermal
IR-radiometers, M Microwave radiometers, and R Radar (SAR) (Krapivin and Shutko 2012)

As we mentioned above, the crosses in Table 2.17 characterize the information
content (usefulness) of different sensors, beginning from a single cross (the lowest
rate of usefulness) and moving to three crosses (highest usefulness). Thus this table
allows one to obtain preliminary assessments of the effectiveness of the expected
results of some experimental campaign under the development.
Of course, Table 2.17 re ects the expert-level opinion regarding the usefulness

of different sensors. This opinion was created by them based on multi year studies

fl