Introduction to Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is a field of technology designed to enable people to look beyond the range of human vision. Whether it is over the horizon, beyond our limited human range, or in a spectral range outside human perception, we are in search of information. The focus here will be on imaging systems that extend our range of perception, particularly in the realms of intelligence, strategy, tactics, and military applications. To begin, consider one of the first remote-sensing images. Figure 1.1 shows a photograph by Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (Gaspard was also known by his pseudonym, Nadar). Gaspard took this aerial photo of Paris in 1868 from the Hippodrome Balloon, tethered 1700 ft above Paris. Contrast this with…