Understanding Remote Sensing Technology - …

1 Lesson A8 7 Understanding Remote SensingTechnologyUnit Systems and TechnologyProblem Area SystemsLesson Remote Sensing TechnologyNew Mexico Content Standard:Pathway Strand:Power, Structural and Technical SystemsStandard:IX:Use the variety of tools available in computer systems to accomplish fast,accurate production in the :IX-A:Identify and explain various types of hardware systems to show theirapplications and describe individual components of each various types of diagnostic able to show aptitude in use ofvarious competency on cable though put and set Learning in this lesson should result in studentsachieving the following objectives:1. Explain Remote Describe how Remote Sensing systems gather data on agronomic Explain how precision farming uses Remote Mexico Agricultural Mechanics and Technology Lesson Plan LibraryUnit A.

2 Problem Area 8. Lesson 7. Page of following resources may be useful in teaching this lesson:Recommended of the following resources should be selected to accompany thelesson:Brandau, U4074. Urbana, Illinois: ITCSI nstructional , Donald M., et Technology in Agriculture. Danville, Illinois:Interstate Publishers, Inc., , James D., and Harold F. Reetz, in Site-Specific , Illinois: Interstate Publishers, Inc., following resources will be useful to students and ~vo- of Equipment, Tools, Supplies, and FacilitiesWriting surfaceOverhead projectorTransparencies from attached following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics):Active systemAerial photographyFrequency of coverageGeographic Information SystemGround-truthingPassive systemPixelsRemote sensingSatellite imagingSpatial resolutionSpectral resolutionSpectral responseVegetative indicesInterest an interest approach that will prepare the students for the les-son.

3 Teachers often develop approaches for their unique class and student situations. A possibleapproach is included s the middle of July, and it s time to check the cornfields to see how this year s crop Mexico Agricultural Mechanics and Technology Lesson Plan LibraryUnit A. Problem Area 8. Lesson 7. Page are two ways to do this:Option #1 Go into the 100 degree heat and start walking through the 7 foot tall corn stalks. Of coursethe leaf edges will cut your face, arms, and neck, the bugs will buzz your eyes, the pollen will make yousneeze. Last night s rain will cause your feet to weigh 10 times their normal amount because they are cov-ered in mud, and you can really only see about 5 rows on each side of where you are #2 Sit down at your computer in your air-conditioned office and download the Remote sensingimagery that indicates the exact locations that vary from the normal plant growth taking place in the restof the field.

4 Use diagnostic tools to determine why those areas are performing below their peak perfor-mance, and make a decision that may correct the will you check your corn field?Summary of Content and Teaching StrategiesObjective 1:Explain Remote Problem:What is Remote Sensing ? sensingis a group of techniques used to collect information about an object or areawithout actually being in contact with that object or area. Remote Sensing can be used inprecision farming to gather data about an area in order to make management decisions. Thiscan be accomplished through two photographycan be done with modern aircraft, using photography or electro-optical sensors. These take a snapshot of an area and information can be gatheredbased on the differences in color within the image.

5 Aerial imagery can be done by privatecompanies or by imaginguses satellites in space to gather information on an area. Though thedistance is much greater than that of an airplane, satellite based Sensing can provide verydetailed information. Remote Sensing through satellite imaging uses one of two sys-tems LANDSAT (Land Satellite), which is a group of governmental satellites used tocollect environmental information about the earth s surface, or SPOT (Systeme Pourl Observation de la Terre), operated by the French government. Data is retrieved fromthese satellites by special variety of teaching methods can be used to help students master this material. Assigned readings in therecommended texts will help students in Understanding the content.

6 Have students consider using a videocamera or still camera. The photos and images gathered with those cameras can be used to show the gath-ered information to people who were not at that place at that time. Remote Sensing can provide precisionfarmers with information that they could not see from their viewpoint. See TM: A8 7A to reinforce thetwo methods used to gather Remote Sensing Mexico Agricultural Mechanics and Technology Lesson Plan LibraryUnit A. Problem Area 8. Lesson 7. Page 2:Describe how Remote Sensing systems gather data on agronomic Problem:How does Remote Sensing gather data on agronomic crops?II. Remote Sensing gathers information about an area by utilizing light waves within the elec-tromagnetic spectrum. The weather maps that show cloud cover and precipitation useremote Sensing to provide that information.

7 When light waves travel through space and hitan object, the waves can reflect off the object, be absorbed by the object, or be transmittedthrough the object. Often, more than one of these reactions occur. In addition, all objectswith a temperature above absolute zero emit radiation of their own, though this is not visibleto the human eye. Every object causes a unique reflection of wavelengths, known as aspec-tral response. Remote Sensing uses all of the reflected and emitted radiation to create a dif-ferential map that shows differences in an area. All areas that have plants that had a consis-tent growth and health would appear the same, while areas that had poor growth or a lack ofvegetative material would appear different from the healthy Remote Sensing systems can be anactive system, such as a radar, that generates anddetects its own signal, or apassive system, which detects signals that occur resolutionis the size of the object that can be distinguished through Remote sens-ing.

8 Some systems can distinguish each plant from the next, while other systems can onlysee each row distinguished from the resolutiondetermines how well thesystem can distinguish between different wavelengths of of coveragerefers to how often the system is available to view the area to be remotely sensed. Somemethods, such as airplanes could be used as often as a customer desires. Satellite meth-ods may not be able to access the area in question as often as When a Remote Sensing system gathers data from the electromagnetic radiation emittedfrom an object or area, it produces a digital image in two or three-dimensional is then displayed aspixels,or picture elements. Smaller pixels provide betterresolution, and thus more detail to a map. The images can be in black and white, color,or color infrared.

9 In color infrared images, healthy green vegetation appears as students read te Precision Agriculture Unit (#4074) listed in the recommended resources list. Theinformation in this unit would be most helpful if it is assigned before the content of this objective is TM: A8 7B to reinforce how Remote Sensing uses light waves to gather information. DisplayTM: A8 7C. It will be useful in reinforcing the types of images Remote Sensing can 3:Explain how precision farming uses Remote Problem:How can precision farmers use remotely sensed data?III. It is not possible to measure soil moisture content or phosphorus levels in plant leaves usingremote Sensing . Specific numerical data of any type cannot be gathered using this technol-ogy. However, the data can be inferred by using data analysis tools to find correlationbetween the data gathered by Remote Sensing , and actual measurements on the ground inNew Mexico Agricultural Mechanics and Technology Lesson Plan LibraryUnit A.

10 Problem Area 8. Lesson 7. Page locations. Once this sensor data is matched with actual measurements, correlation canthen be drawn over large areas of ground where ground measurements were not is considered to be the greatest value of Remote Sensing , which is the ability to gatherlarge amounts of data quickly with minimal labor Vegetative properties such as crop progress, water stress, leaf damage, or nitrogen levelscan be determined using remotely sensed maps known asvegetative indices. This canalso be used to detect weed or insect pressure in an area. The differences within the map,or the differences from a specific time an area was remotely sensed to the next time sens-ing is done, can be used in analysis tools to determine which scenario could be causingthe problem in the Remote Sensing is used primarily as one data layer in an entireGeographic InformationSystem(GIS).