Southwest Watershed Research : Remote Sensing

Landsat-7 launch

Launch of Lansat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on 15 April 1999 at Vandenberg Air Force Base

The term remote sensing encompasses methods that employ electromagnetic energy as the means of detecting and measuring target characteristics, commonly with sensors mounted on aircraft or satellite platforms. SWRC remote sensing research has been directed toward four general activities:

Calibration and signal processing

Sensor calibration
Reflectance factor retrieval
Bidirectional reflectance distribution function

Algorithm and model development

Evaporation
Soil moisture
Vegetation

Field experiments and inter-disciplinary programs

Monsoon '90
Walnut Gulch '92
Semi-Arid Land Surface Atmosphere (SALSA) Program
Landsat-7 Science Team Program
RANGES
Earth Observation 1 (EO-1) Validation Team Program

Data archive

WCL Image and Ground Data Archive (WIGDA '99)

Suggested publications:

Moran, M. S., Y. Inoue and E. M. Barnes. Opportunities and limitations for image-based remote sensing in precision crop management, Rem. Sens. Env. 61:319-346. Published 1997.

Moran, M. S. Image-based remote sensing for agricultural management - perspectives of image providers, research scientists and users, 2nd Intl. Conf. Geospatial Information in Agric. and For. 10-12 Jan., Orlando, Fla. I-23-I-30. Published 2000.