Remote Sensing and Image Analysis for Earth and Planetary Science

This is an intensive 6-day short course for graduate students, researchers, industry, and government employees about remote sensing, image processing, and its applications in Earth and planetary science. The course will feature overview lectures on remote sensing, as well as hands-on exercises using remote sensing datasets and geological maps. Emphasis will be on the “core” remote sensing datasets, including visible to near-infrared, thermal infrared, and RADAR imagery, as well as elevation data (i.e., topography, morphometry and 3D analysis).  This course is intended to provide the non-specialist with a working knowledge of the background and analytical tools needed when working with various types of remote sensing data. The labs will use software packages such as ENVI+IDL (Harris Geospatial Solutions), JMARS and ArcGIS.

Detailed Time Table

*No quiz on Day 1; See more details on quizzes below

Additional details on course topics:

Lecture 1: General introduction to Remote Sensing

• Course overview: Introduce course and logistics
• Electromagnetic radiation and matter
• Basics of remote sensing datasets
• Image basics and processing

Lecture 2: Remote Sensing: Reflectance and Emission Spectroscopy

• Introduction and Basics of Visible and Near-Infrared (VNIR) and Thermal Infrared (TIR) EM interactions with Matter
  • Atmospheric Limitations and Effects
  • Rocks and Minerals… and limitations for ID
  • Vegetation and Water

Lecture 3: Remote Sensing: Various Topics

• Other uses for Thermal Infrared Data (temperature, thermal inertia, etc.)
• Introduction and Basics of Cosmic-Ray Spectroscopy
• Available multispectral sensors for the Earth and other planets

Lecture 4:  Remote sensing: RADAR

• Microwave to Radio EM Interactions with Matter
• Radar techniques: Imagery, sounding, and topography
• Target properties: Radar albedo and polarimetry
• Radar measurements of planetary bodies

Lecture 5:  Data integration and synthesis: JMARS

• GIS: JMARS Introduction and Tutorial
• Where to get data (Both Planetary and Terrestrial)

Each session will feature a series of presentations by the instructor, as well as tutorials and hands-on exercises during the laboratory sessions.

The following references are recommended readings and can be used as guides during the duration of the course. Content covered in these lectures will form the basis for practical tutorials and exercises.

Techniques:

Drury, S. A. (2001). Image interpretation in geology (p. 304). London: Blackwell Science.

Pieters, C. M., & Englert, P. A. (1993). Remote geochemical analysis, elemental and mineralogical composition (Vol. 1).

Longley, P. A., Goodchild, M. et al. (multiple editions) Geographic Information Systems and Science.

Campbell, B.A. (2002) Radar remote sensing of planetary surfaces.

Software:

JMARS is a free planetary GIS package, which provides instant access to planetary data for almost every object visited by spacecraft in our Solar System. It is highly recommended that you download from this link (https://jmars.mars.asu.edu/download). Extensive tutorials for visualizing planetary datasets, and some basic instructions on data manipulation, can be found here: https://jmars.asu.edu/jmars-tutorials.

This YouTube playlist (http://tinyurl.com/nj2ht6k) can familiarize participants with the basic tools/features of ArcMap v.10.

This one-week course is a 0.5 FCE credit. Students registered in the course will be evaluated as follows:

(*Due by the end of the course; **With the exception of the first day, a short quiz will be administered during the first 10-15 min of class for a total of 4 quizzes. You are responsible for providing your own paper and writing utensil, so please make sure you have these for class!) 

Students from any university are eligible to take the course and may receive credit in their respective institutions, subject to approval from their home Department.

***Special NOTES on course credit (Please read carefully):

If you are a Western student who seeks permission to take this graduate level course (i.e., its outside your major/program), you will need to fill out this form to get the relevant approvals to receive a grade in the course: https://grad.uwo.ca/doc/academic_services/course/course_outside_program.pdf

If you are a non-Western student, but from a University in Ontario, who seeks permission to get the relevant approvals to receive a credit for taking this course. We advise that you use this form https://grad.uwo.ca/doc/academic_services/visiting_exchange/ovgs_form.pdf, and inquire of your home institution if there are any additional steps to take for receiving full-credit for the course. For instructions on submission of this form, please contact us at cpsx@uwo.ca.

For non-Ontario students, note that Western is a member of CAGS (Canadian Association for Graduate Studies). With the approval of their program and faculty, non-Ontario students registered in a program at a CAGS member university (the home institution) may take courses for credit at Western (the host institution). The only documentation required is a single-page request form that is completed by the Deans and Graduate Chairs of the host and home institutions. Please note that students in course-based programs are NOT permitted to take more than two half-courses at another institution.

For professionals, a certificate of completion is available upon request at the end of the course.

Professionals, international students and Non-Ontario Canadians (i.e., students that do attend a university in Ontario) must pay the course fees to attend.

Canadian University (non-Ontario) Graduate Students = $500.00

International Students = $800.00

Professionals  = $1400.00

Western is subsidized by the Ontario Provincial Government; as such, Western Students are exempt from paying course fees according to Ontario provincial law. Payment is expected before the first day of class.

Use the following link for registration and payment:

https://conferences2.adt.its.uwo.ca/Default.aspx?conferenceID=275