Remote Sensing

A continuous record of direct total solar irradiance (TSI) observations began with a series of satellite experiments in 1978. This record requires comparisons of overlapping satellite observations with adequate relative precisions to provide useful long term TSI trend information. Herein we briefly review the active cavity radiometer irradiance monitor physikalisch-meteorologisches observatorium davos (ACRIM-PMOD) TSI composite controversy regarding how the total solar irradiance (TSI) has evolved since 1978 and about whether TSI significantly increased or slightly decreased from 1980 to 2000. The main question is whether TSI increased or decreased during the so-called ACRIM-gap period from 1989 to 1992. There is significant discrepancy between TSI proxy models and observations before and after the gap, which requires a careful revisit of the data analysis and modeling performed during the ACRIM-gap period. In this study, we use three recently proposed TSI proxy models that do not p...

This paper describes the analysis of L-band radiometric measurement data gathered with the synthetic aperture radiometer HUT-2D during several ground-based and airborne measurement campaigns. The radiometric data are analyzed from the instrument's performance point of view, aiming to verify the theoretical performance of an instrument of this kind and to assess the performance of the HUT-2D radiometer system in particular. The data sets considered for the study consist of measurements of well-known natural targets, such as cosmic background radiation, and measurements of pure water scenes, the brightness temperature of which is possible to model based on in situ measurements. We define four figures of merit, which are applicable for synthetic aperture radiometers. These are radiometric resolution, image bias, pixel-to-pixel random error, and temporal stability. Then, we use the selected data sets to assess these in the case of HUT-2D. The experimental results are discussed and compared to the theoretical values, where applicable. Also, we discuss possibilities to improve the presented performance. The main results of this paper are the consolidated performance parameters of the HUT-2D instrument. We study and discuss the properties of the error components related to the technology in a general level, and study the scalability of the errors as a function of the measured targets. In particular, the stability of the direction-dependent error component is pointed out, and a mitigation guideline is proposed.

There is no doubt that air pollution harms human health. Municipal areas are the most affected by the degradation of the air quality by discharging anthropogenic gases from transport and industrial activities. This research collected remote sensing data from numerous satellite sensors to efficiently monitor the air quality in near-real-time. This paper deliberates the developed software based on the complex event processing calculating in streaming the air quality level in Morocco and Spain. Therefore, this computer program extracts only useful information rapidly from remote sensing big data helping decision-makers. This investigation takes up also a validation between the air quality measured by the ground station data of Andalucía and Madrid regions and the used satellite sensors data.

Annual sequences of the first reprocessed albedo, bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), and nadir BRDF-adjusted surface reflectance (NBAR) products are being evaluated. BRDF model parameters (or weights) are used to compute black sky albedo at local solar noon and white sky albedo and to compute surface reflectance at a common nadir geometry. In addition to these standard resolution albedo, BRDF, and NBAR products, which are provided in the integerized sinusoidal grid projection, the BRDF parameters, black sky albedos (at local solar noon), and white sky albedos are now also being operationally produced in a global geographic projection known as the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). These are currently available at a 0.25 degree spatial resolution, although there is community interest in a 0.05 degree resolution. In addition to the operational CMGs, coarser 0.5 degree and 1 degree resolution versions of the reprocessed albedo data have also been produced for the ISLSCP-II initiative. The global distribution of these albedos (as they vary throughout the year) are presented, as well as discussions of the most recent evaluations of the quality of the standard products.

Friday, R., & Luke, D. (2017, September). Now see hear! Detecting being watched or listened to via extrasensory means. Paper presented to the 41st Society for Psychical Research International Annual Conference, East Horsley, 1st-3rd September.

Many people have turned to see someone behind them due to a ‘sense’ they were being watched. Others have 'inexplicably’ become aware of a conversation involving them, despite it being inaudible. There are many theoretical explanations for these events, one of which is that
extrasensory awareness is evolutionarily advantageous, and therefore may have developed during an era in which danger was ever-present with survival depending on such capabilities.

Evidence supporting the existence of extrasensory surveillance detection would have implications beyond purely scientific interest, yet the phenomena remains under-researched and may benefit from a fresh approach. New research being conducted at the University of
Greenwich is examining not only the possible existence of ‘psychic’ detection – but also which measures best predict this ability should it exist.

The ability to detect attention has previously been restricted to the psychic staring effect, also known as scopaesthesia - a phenomenon in which people respond via non-conventional means to being the subject of another persons’ gaze (Sheldrake 2003). However, a new investigation has been furthering the research by  incorporating the sense of being heard as well as seen, which we call acoustasthesia. The existence of these abilities was gauged in an initial experiment by the accuracy of participant’s self-reports of being watched or listened to, physiological reactions determined by electrodermal activity (EDA) which measures the
electrical conductance of the participant’s skin to indicate arousal, and differences in their behaviour under varying conditions a) not under any surveillance (control group), b) whilst being watched, c) whilst being listened to, and d) whilst being watched and listened to).

Results of the self-reporting aspect of the experiment suggested that whilst the data appeared to initially show participants were able to detect being watched and listened to, when reporting bias was accounted for the results were not significantly different from control conditions. Similarly, the participants’ EDA during the physiological reaction section of the experiment produced results that were not significant, however there were very interesting and highly significant differences between conditions when analysing changes in behaviour. These
differences were measured by participants’ increase or decreases in response time when undertaking a cognitive task.

To test whether this outcome could be replicated, the experiment was repeated. This time however improvements and amendments were made to the methodology as the first experiment hinted at aspects which may have accounted for both significant and not significant results.

Statistical power was improved by running more self-report trials to counteract the apparent reporting bias, and the EDA test was run in combination with the cognitive task that had previously yielded positive results to investigate the experimenters’ developing theory that the ability to psychically detect being watched or listened to may be determined by the necessity to access such phenomena.

The study area is located in Bayuda desert lying about 400 km from Khartoum in the state of River Nile, North Sudan. The present study aimed to identify gold mineralized zones through an integrated geoscientific approach. The approach integrated the results of geospatial studies, geological mapping, field observations and geochemical data. Remote sensing studies using ASTER and Quickbird data helped to identify the zones of chloritic, sericitic and phyllic alteration signatures and gossan rich zones. Geological mapping and field observations confirmed the presence of gold mineralization along the quartz veins which shared the litho contacts of biotite muscovite schist, biotite muscovite gneiss and silicate gneiss. These gold bearing potential areas were found to be structurally controlled and most of the mineralizations were along the proximity of shear-zones, faults and folds. The gold assay values obtained from the chemical analysis of stream sediment and pitting-trenching samples also confirmed the results of remote sensing and geological mapping. Integration of all these data helped to identify drill holes’ locations in the study area for further exploration. This focused plan facilitated cost and time optimization in exploration activities.

Throughout the tropical regions, raising demands for the land due to the exponential growth of the human population has resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation for wildlife. Consequently, wild animals come out from the fragmented habitats and compete with the human for resources. In order to reduce this conflict, sustainable habitat management balancing the socioeconomic needs of the people is of the utmost importance. The present study is an effort to assess the elephant's habitat suitability in the trans-boundary forested areas of India and Bangladesh, Patharia Hills Reserve Forest. This is an important study considering the increased human-elephant conflict in the area, and also the area is home to many IUCN's red-listed animals including Chinese pangolin, spectacled monkey, capped langur. Field surveys were conducted to collect the elephant distribution data and identify potential anthropogenic disturbances. Remote sensing and geographic information system along with analytical hierarchy process were used in the methods for modeling habitat suitability to identify habitat parameters and preparation of suitability maps. Vegetation status (32.50%), settlements (23.30%), elevation (17.20%) and water sources (12.70%) were found to be the most weightage parameters for the movement of the elephant. The study on elephant habitat suitability mapping in the trans-boundary forest revealed that 6.88% area of the habitat is highly disturbed, 36.07% area is somehow disturbed, 35.38% area is moderately suitable and only 21.67% area is most suitable for the Asiatic elephants. Identification of suitable areas and potential factors disturbing the habitats is important for conserving and management of wildlife for particular species and in particular sociophysical conditions. Sustainable management strategies can be fixed based on the findings for the long-term conservation of elephants and other wildlife of the area.

Urbanization refers to the increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas and it leads to the urban expansion. Urban expansion is the indications of urbanization and it greatly affects socioeconomic growth and the decision making process for urban development policies. Therefore analyzing the patterns of land use change is an essential issue and it is needed for land use planning and future land management. Kolkata is one of the major metropolitan cities in India. The percentage of land use change in the 'City of Joy' is less in city core areas and it is much high in city peripheral areas. The physical expansion of the city grew linearly in south-easterly and south-westerly direction beside the eastern side of the river Hooghly as we have seen in the recent satellite imageries. Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) is spread over 1875.04 Sq.km (Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, 2006). To analyse the expansion of the Kolkata city Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) tool has been applied because it is very useful tool for analyzing land use changes on spatio-temporal scale. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the spatial expansion of Kolkata city and to study the growth rate in the municipalities around Kolkata city within Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Side by side an effort has been done to find out the spatial patterns of land use change and vegetation cover change and lastly to identify the patterns of recent land use change within Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA).

The geographical concentration of criminal violence is closely associated with the social, demographic, and economic structural characteristics of neighborhoods. However, few studies have investigated homicide patterns and their relationships with neighborhoods in South Asian cities. In this study, the spatial and temporal patterns of homicide incidences in Karachi from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed using the local indicators of spatial association (LISA) method. Generalized linear modeling (GLM) and geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) methods were implemented to examine the relationship between influential factors and the number of homicides during the 2009–2018 period. The results demonstrate that the homicide hotspot or clustered areas with high homicide counts expanded from 2009 to 2013 and decreased from 2013 to 2018. The number of homicides in the 2017–2018 period had a positive relationship with the percentage of the population speaking Balochi. The unplanned areas with low-density residential land use were associated with low homicide counts, and the areas patrolled by police forces had a significant negative relationship with the occurrence of homicide. The GWPR models effectively characterized the varying relationships between homicide and explanatory variables across the study area. The spatio-temporal analysis methods can be adapted to explore violent crime in other cities with a similar social context.

During last two decades, Bartin Forests in northwest of Turkey have been exploited by human impacts. Easy access and the abundance of valuable and large diversity forest products have led to higher population densities with opening new settlement areas via deforestation activities. In this study, interpretation of digital image classification resulted from multi-date Landsat-5 TM images recorded in time frame between 1992s and 2000s was evaluated to produce land cover maps for change detection analysis. The accuracy of the Landsat TM classification and errors inherent to the techniques used were assessed accordingly. The updated digital forest inventory plans, existing different scales topographic maps and aerial photographs was integrated into a GIS database with the generated classification results in order to elaborate a spatially explicit multi-date database on land use/cover change. This spatial model is used for identifying deforestation fronts and biodiversity conservation. A...

Receiving of remote sensed data's signals in urban space information reception centers is usually difficult, because of complex electromagnetic situation in cities and insufficient EMC. Traditional methods for digital reconstruction of images use smoothing and autoregressive forecasting. In this case anomalous spikes on the image are lost. Alternative method based on Kolmogorov-Wiener's filters and fractal properties of satellite images is

Straightforward mapping of detailed heathland habitat patches and their quality using remote sensing is hampered by (1) the intrinsic property of a high heterogeneity in habitat species composition (i.e. high intra-variability), and (2) the occurrence of the same species in multiple habitat types (i.e. low inter-variability). Mapping accuracy of detailed habitat objects can however be improved by using an advanced approach that specifically takes into account and exploits these inherent patch characteristics. To demonstrate the idea, we developed and applied a multi-step mapping framework on a protected semi-natural heathland area in the north of Belgium. The method consecutively consists of (1) a 4-level hierarchical land cover classification of hyperspectral airborne AHS image data, and (2) a kernel-based structural re-classification algorithm in combination with habitat patch object composition definitions. Detailed land cover composition data were collected in 1325 field plots. ...

We present the development and use of a novel distributed geohazard modeling environment for the analysis and interpretation of large scale earthquake data sets. Our work demonstrates, for the first time, how earthquake-related surface deformation measured from satellite images using imageodesy algorithms is coupled with analysis and simulation using finite-element numerical models.

Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) diklasifikasikan terdiri atas DAS dipertahankan dan dipulihkan. Penentuan klasifikasi tersebut didasarkan pada penilaian terhadap parameter lahan, tata air, sosial ekonomi kelembagaan, investasi bangunan air, dan pemanfaatan ruang wilayah. Klasifikasi ini mengacu kepada Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 37 Tahun 2012. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui klasifikasi DAS dalam pengembangan rehabilitasi kondisi lahan sebagai tolak ukur parameter dalam pengembangan DAS Arau yang sedang tercemar saat ini. Selain itu, penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk menentukan klasifikasi DAS kondisi saat ini dengan memanfaatkan data penginderaan jauh (PJ) dan Sistem Informasi Geospasial (SIG) sebagai pembanding dengan kondisi lahan yang lebih detail hasilnya. Data penginderaan jauh yang digunakan antara lain citra Landsat 8. Untuk mengetahui kondisi lahan, data yang digunakan yakni data penutupan lahan hasil ekstraksi data penginderaan jauh Landsat 8 dengan metode klasifikasi terselia. Pada penelitian ini digunakan algoritma NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) sebagai acuan untuk mengetahui seberapa besar kerapatan vegetasi pada kondisi lahannya. Kerapatan vegetasi dibedakan menjadi lahan kosong, kerapatan vegetasi rapat, kerapatan sedang, dan kerapatan jarang. Untuk pemanfaatan PJ dan SIG sebagai pengolahan data yang telah terkumpul, data kemudian didistribusikan secara spasial dalam klasifikasi DAS dan parameternya yaitu kondisi lahan yang akan direhabilitasi. Hasil yang diperoleh dari penelitian ini meliputi seberapa besar tingkat kekritisan lahan, persentase penutupan vegetasi, dan nilai pengelolaan lahan yang nantinya dapat dimanfaatkan serta untuk pemerintah sebagai sarana sosialisasi kepada masyarakat agar Kondisi DAS Arau yang saat ini tercemar dapat ditanggulangi secara bersama-sama.

The necessity to control all the activities within the marine environment is nowadays vital for most official authorities. Besides protecting the ecosystem and providing safety and surveillance along the transportation corridors, illegal immigration and sustainable economic activities are also issues to cover. Since early nineties, a lot of efforts have been devoted to develop monitoring systems based on transponders (VMS or AIS). Such systems use active on-board devices to track ship positions via satellite communications. Despite of their great performance, the experience has shown, however, that this approach does not have the required independency and other alternatives are necessary. Among them, the one gathering more benefits is the integration of remote sensing, specially Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), with operational transponders. Certainly, this solution provides redundancy, 7/24 and all-weather monitoring capability, independently from the targets to track.