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Types of Remote Sensing


Remote Sensing means collecting information about the Earth's surface without touching it, usually using satellites, aircraft, or drones.

There are different types of remote sensing based on the energy source and the wavelength region used.

🛰️ 1. Active Remote Sensing

📘 Concept:

  • In active remote sensing, the sensor sends out its own energy (like a signal or pulse) to the Earth's surface.

  • The sensor then records the reflected or backscattered energy that comes back from the surface.

⚙️ Key Terminology:

  • Transmitter: sends energy (like a radar pulse or laser beam).

  • Receiver: detects the energy that bounces back.

  • Backscatter: energy that is reflected back to the sensor.

📊 Examples of Active Sensors:

  • RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging): Uses microwave signals to detect surface roughness, soil moisture, or ocean waves.

  • LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging): Uses laser light (near-infrared) to measure elevation, vegetation height, or buildings.

📍 Applications:

  • Mapping terrain and elevation (LiDAR).

  • Monitoring floods, forest biomass, and surface deformation (RADAR).

  • Measuring ice thickness or ocean waves.

💡 Example Satellite Missions:

  • Sentinel-1 (ESA) – C-band SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar).

  • RISAT (India) – Radar Imaging Satellite.

  • ICESat-2 (NASA) – Laser altimeter (LiDAR).

☀️ 2. Passive Remote Sensing

📘 Concept:

  • In passive remote sensing, the sensor does not send any energy.

  • It detects natural energy (mostly sunlight) that is reflected or emitted by objects on Earth.

⚙️ Key Terminology:

  • Emitted radiation: energy given off naturally by an object (like thermal energy).

  • Reflected radiation: sunlight that bounces off the Earth's surface.

  • Spectral bands: ranges of wavelengths (like visible, infrared, etc.) recorded by sensors.

🌈 Examples of Passive Sensors:

  • Optical sensors on satellites like Landsat, Sentinel-2, and MODIS.

  • They detect visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared light.

📍 Applications:

  • Mapping vegetation (using NDVI).

  • Studying land use/land cover, water bodies, and soil.

  • Detecting forest fires or droughts.

💡 Example Satellite Missions:

  • Landsat series (NASA/USGS)

  • Sentinel-2 (ESA)

  • Resourcesat and Cartosat (ISRO)

🌡️ 3. Thermal Remote Sensing

📘 Concept:

  • This technique measures natural thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface.

  • Every object with a temperature above absolute zero (0 K) emits infrared radiation.

  • Thermal sensors record this energy to estimate surface temperature.

⚙️ Key Terminology:

  • Thermal infrared region: wavelength between 3 µm and 14 µm.

  • Brightness temperature: temperature recorded by the sensor.

  • Thermal emissivity: ability of a surface to emit heat energy.

🌡️ Examples of Thermal Sensors:

  • Landsat Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)

  • MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)

  • ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)

📍 Applications:

  • Urban heat island studies.

  • Volcano and forest fire monitoring.

  • Soil moisture and evapotranspiration estimation.

  • Detecting ocean currents and water temperature.

📡 4. Microwave (RADAR) Remote Sensing

📘 Concept:

  • Uses microwave energy (longer wavelengths than visible light).

  • Can penetrate clouds, fog, and even vegetation, and works day and night.

  • Often used in active mode (RADAR), but can also be passive (radiometer).

⚙️ Key Terminology:

  • SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar): advanced radar that produces high-resolution images.

  • Polarization: direction of the radar wave (VV, VH, HH, HV).

  • Backscatter coefficient (σ⁰): measure of the reflected microwave energy.

🌊 Examples of Microwave Sensors:

  • Active: Sentinel-1 (C-band SAR), RISAT (C-band SAR), TerraSAR-X.

  • Passive: SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), AMSR-E.

📍 Applications:

  • Monitoring floods, landslides, and deforestation.

  • Measuring soil moisture and sea ice thickness.

  • Detecting ground deformation and earthquakes (InSAR).



TypeEnergy SourceWavelength RegionWorks at NightCloud PenetrationExample Sensors
ActiveArtificial (sensor-generated)Microwave, Laser✅✅Sentinel-1 (RADAR), LiDAR
PassiveSunlight/NaturalVisible, Infrared❌❌Landsat, Sentinel-2
ThermalNatural (Earth-emitted heat)Thermal Infrared (3–14 µm)✅❌Landsat TIRS, MODIS
Microwave (RADAR)Usually ArtificialMicrowave (1 mm–1 m)✅✅Sentinel-1, RISAT, TerraSAR-X


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