One of the primary missions of the CEO is to provide education and training in the use of satellite remote sensing for the Yale community. Each year the CEO supports a course at Yale for upper level undergraduate and beginning graduate students. We are also exploring the possibility of offering an advanced project oriented seminar in remote sensing. In addition, the CEO periodically offers one day or one week seminars. If you wish to discuss remote sensing education you can contact one of the CEO Faculty Advisors, Research Scientists or member of the CEO staff.
The semester long course covers the theory and application of satellite remote sensing as a tool for environmental science. The lectures and lab exercises during the first half of the course include the fundamentals of electromagnetic radiation, reflection and absorption, satellite and sensor technology, GIS, map projections, and digital image analysis, as well as practical training with advanced image processing software and internet data acquisition techniques. The latter half of the course consists of a series of environmental case studies which use satellite image processing techniques to solve a particular problem or answer a particular question. These applications may include: forest harvesting and land use, geomorphology, ecology, epidemiology and infectious disease, archaeology, oceanography, geology, hydrology, meteorology and climate studies. In addition to weekly labs, each student complets an independent term research project and presents the results in lieu of a final examination.
This seminar introduces students to advanced topics in the field of remote sensing. It consists of lectures, student-led discussion sessions, and lab exercises. Students meet once a week for lectures by Yale and visiting professors. Topics covered include techniques to locate and obtain data, image preprocessing, radiative transfer theory, multi-temporal data analysis, and data integration issues and methods. There will be laboratory exercises for each of the advanced modules at the Center for Earth Observation (CEO) at ESC 119. In addition, students will use the hardware and software facilities of the CEO to work on their own research project.
Prerequisites: G&G 362/562 or equivalent
ArcGIS is an extremely powerful GIS application. The Image Analysis extension to ArcGIS provides the ability to process and classify satellite images and aerial photographs within this GIS program. We have developed a one day workshop that combines lectures and lab exercises to introduce the concepts of remote sensing and provide hands on experience with the Image Analysis extension. This workshop is intended for those with some experience with ArcGIS who would like to begin working with satellite images or aerial photographs. Please contact the CEO if you are interested in attending a future workshop.
For those of you without the time or inclination to take a semester-long course, or just want an introduction to these technologies, you can explore the World Wide Web. The internet contains a large amount of information about Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). There are tutorials, FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions), pictures and long lists of links to interesting places. Educators may be interested in the following set of links for introductory information on Remote Sensing and GIS, as well as sources of free or low-cost data.
24 August 2006