This volume addresses the physical foundation of remote sensing. The basic grounds are presented in close association with the kinds of environmental targets to monitor and with the observing techniques. The book aims at plugging the quite large gap between the thorough and quantitative description of electromagnetic waves interacting with the Earth's environment and the user applications of Earth observation. It is intended for scientifically literate students and professionals who plan to gain a first understanding of remote sensing data and of their information content.

Teaches the basic nature of optical and microwave, active and passive, remote sensing (RS) data in a compact unified frame Explains the quantitative information contained in the various types of RS observations of land, water and atmosphere Covers the end-to-end path from basic theory to actual Earth observation Provides numerous references for visualization, further understanding, and in-depth specialized analysis Contains many diagrams and illustrations to facilitate the contact between analytical tools, physical meaning, and reality

Autorentext
Domenico Solimini has obtained the tenure as assistant professor at the University of Rome, Italy, since 1966, and as full professor since 1980. In 1981 he moved to the newly established Tor Vergata University, Rome,Italy, where he acted as dean of Engineering curricula faculties, department director, and PhD coordinator. His teaching has concerned electromagnetic fields, antennas, propagation, and remote sensing. He received the 2005 IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Education Award. His research mainly concerns passive and active remote sensing of both Earth's atmosphere and solid land surface, also within several international projects. He has authored and co-authored a few hundred publications. He is a co-founder of GEO-K, a geoinformation company spin-off of Tor Vergata University.

Inhalt

Contents

Preface.-List of Figures.- List of Tables.- 1. The Electromagnetic Field.-2. Dielectric Behavior of Terrestrial Materials.- 3. Electromagnetic Sources and Radiation.- 4. Waves and Fields.- 5. Propagation.- 6. Reection.- 7. Scattering.- 8. Thermal Emission.- 9. Radiative Transfer and Passive Sensing.- 10.Electromagnetic Spectrum and Remote Information.- 11.Antennas and Apertures in Earth Observation.- 12.Earth Surface Rendering from Images.- 13.Sensing Surface and Underneath Features.- 14.Wave Interaction with Land, Water and Air.- A. Vectors, Coordinates and operators.- Acronyms.- Symbols.