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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mapping Forest Carbon Stocks to Understand Carbon Implications of Treatment on Wildfire for the Calwood Fire, Boulder County Colorado

Recent, record-breaking wildfire activity in the western U.S. illustrates the need for fire mitigation, such as forest fuels reduction treatments. Forests serve as crucial carbon sinks that combat the increasing effects of climate change, but fuels reduction treatments may remove carbon from forested systems. As a result, forest managers need to find a balance between fire mitigation and carbon preservation. This project partnered with Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) and the University of Colorado, Denver to investigate the 2020 Cal-Wood fire in Boulder County, Colorado. Using remote sensing data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Imagery, and LiDAR, we mapped post-fire forest carbon pools and compared these values with values derived from field measurements. The analysis suggested that fuels reduction treatments did not reduce carbon loss in the presence of wildfire enough to clearly distinguish post-fire carbon between treated and untreated areas. However, the final carbon maps provide BCPOS and researchers with an opportunity to explore carbon estimation models based on remote sensing data as well as a framework to evaluate fuels reduction treatment effectiveness and impact on forest carbon stocks for future wildfire events.

Sarah Hettema↗
NASA NTRS2011

New Challenges of Cloud Remote Sensing from Space

Clouds are recognized as a major source of uncertainties in predicting climate change. Lack of observational constraints on cloud processes has hindered the development of more reliable climate and weather models. With the advanced NASA EOS and A-Train sensors, we now have better knowledge about vertical distribution, water content, and occurrence frequency of global cloudiness. New ice water content (IWC) measurements from CloudSat and MLS have led to several improvements in model physics and parameterization schemes. MISR and GPS high-resolution data start to reveal deep insights on cloud processes and dynamicS in the planetary boundary layer (PBL). However, Earth sciences are still facing urgent needs to measure cloud microphysical properties, interactions between clouds and aerosol/precipitation, and processes that are coupled in 3-D space but not adequately sampled by the A-Train curtains or by the 2-D imageries. Submillimeter- wave, multi-angle imaging, and GPS radio occultation have emerged as promising remote sensing techniques to meet the challenges and enable new sciences for mid-tropospheric and PBL clouds.

Wu, Dong L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Discovering the Ancient Maya From Space

The Peten region of northern Guatemala contains some of the most significant Mayan archeological sites in Latin America. It was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished, and abruptly disappeared. Remote sensing technology is helping to locate and map ancient Maya sites that are threatened today by accelerating deforestation and looting. Thematic Mapper, IKONOS, and QuickBird satellite, and airborne STAR-3i and AIRSAR radar data, combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, are successfully detecting ancient Maya features such as sites, roadways, canals, and water reservoirs. Satellite imagery is also being used to map the bajos, which are seasonally flooded swamps that cover over 40% of the land surface. Through the use of various airborne and satellite sensor systems we have been able to detect and map ancient causeways, temples, reservoirs, and land forms, and locate these features on the ground through GPS technology. Recently, we have discovered that there is a strong relationship between a tropical forest vegetation signature in satellite imagery and the location of archeological sites. We believe that the use o f limestone and lime plasters in ancient Maya construction affects the moisture, nutrition, and plant species of the surface vegetation. We have mapped these vegetation signatures in the imagery and verified through field survey that they are indicative of archeological sites. Through the use of remote sensing and GIS technology it is possible to identify unrecorded archeological features in a dense tropical forest environment and monitor these cultural features for their protection.

Sever, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Discovering the Ancient Maya from Space

The Pet6n region of northern Guatemala contains some of the most significant Mayan archeological sites in Latin America. It was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished, and abruptly disappeared. Remote sensing technology is helping to locate and map ancient Maya sites that are threatened today by accelerating deforestation and looting. Thematic Mapper, IKONOS, and QuickBird satellite, and airborne STAR-3i and AIRSAR radar data, combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, are successfully detecting ancient Maya features such as sites, roadways, canals, and water reservoirs. Satellite imagery is also being used to map the bajos, which are seasonally flooded swamps that cover over 40% of the land surface. Through the use of various airborne and satellite sensor systems we have been able to detect and map ancient causeways, temples, reservoirs, and land forms, and locate these features on the ground through GPS technology. Recently, we have discovered that there is a strong relationship between a tropical forest vegetation signature in satellite imagery and the location of archeological sites. We believe that the use of limestone and lime plasters in ancient Maya construction affects the moisture, nutrition, and plant species of the surface vegetation. We have mapped these vegetation signatures in the imagery and verified through field survey that they are indicative of archeological sites. Through the use of remote sensing and GIS technology it is possible to identify unrecorded archeological features in a dense tropical forest environment and monitor these cultural features for their protection.

Sever, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Application of ERTS-1 data to the protection and management of New Jersey's coastal environment

ERTS-1 imagery is being used by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to develop information products that will assist the state in optimally managing its coastal resources and in allocating funds. Interviews with NJDEP personnel have identified significant problem areas in the coastal zone, and the types of remote sensor derived information products that can be used in real-time decision making. Initial analyses of imagery from several successive ERTS-1 orbits have shown the extent, predominant drift, and dispersion characteristics of waste disposal in coastal New Jersey waters. Imagery (MSS Bands 4 and 5) for several orbits, shows that New-York Harbor tidal discharge extending as far south as Long Branch, New Jersey.

Mairs, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Remote sensing of lunar color differences using isoluminous enhancement techniques.

An isoluminous method of processing and viewing multispectral lunar imagery was developed in an effort to enhance the very subtle color variations seen on the lunar surface. The new technique normalizes the achromatic shades of gray to a common value and displays any small spectral reflectivity shifts as vivid colors. The primary advantage of the isoluminous method is its ability to present two objects (having the same spectral distribution) as the exact same color on the viewer screen regardless of any brightness difference which may exist between the two.

Yost, E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Utilizing remote sensing data for land use decisions for Indian lands in South Dakota.

Evaluation of photographic and thermal infrared imagery acquired at an altitude of 11,500 ft above ground level (in southwestern South Dakota) on Oct. 15, 1970, June 30, 1971, and Aug. 2, 1971, for use in mapping range sites and soils. A density slicing system was used to enhance film optical density differences associated with range sites and soils. The range site boundaries in native rangeland areas were found to be delineated best by a density slicing analysis of color infrared film obtained in August 1971. The range site maps produced by density slicing were superior to existing range inventory maps. The density slicing analysis of color infrared film from the August 1971 flight was best for locating soil boundaries in rangeland areas. To adequately map soils in rangeland areas, data based on density slicing used in conjunction with slope gradient information derived from stereoscopic analyses provided more detailed and accurate information than is presently available from range site and soil maps of the area.

Frazee, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Satellite geological and geophysical remote sensing of Iceland

The author has identified the following significant results. Under a binational, multidisciplinary experiment ERTS-1 imagery is being used to measure and map dynamic natural phenomena in Iceland. A few of the initial results from the project are: (1) a large variety of geological and volcanic features can be studied, particularly on imagery acquired at low sun angle ( 10 deg), which have not been previously recognized; (2) under optimum snow cover conditions, geothermal areas can be discerned by their snowmelt pattern or by warm spring discharge into frozen lakes; (3) a variety of map types at scale of 1:1,000,000 and 1:500,000, can be compiled, made more accurate, or updated (changes in coastline, glaciers, lakes, etc.); (4) the persistence of snow in the highland areas, during the summer months, has important ramifications to rangeland management; (5) false color composites (MSS) permitted the mapping of four types of vegetation; forested, reclaimed, cultivated areas and grasslands, and the mapping of the seasonal change of the vegetation, all of high value to rangeland management when complete, repetitive coverage of Iceland becomes a reality with an operational satellite; and (6) the volcanic eruption on Heimaey was recorded.

Williams, R. S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Earth Science Imagery Registration

The study of global environmental changes involves the comparison, fusion, and integration of multiple types of remotely-sensed data at various temporal, radiometric, and spatial resolutions. Results of this integration may be utilized for global change analysis, as well as for the validation of new instruments or for new data analysis. Furthermore, future multiple satellite missions will include many different sensors carried on separate platforms, and the amount of remote sensing data to be combined is increasing tremendously. For all of these applications, the first required step is fast and automatic image registration, and as this need for automating registration techniques is being recognized, it becomes necessary to survey all the registration methods which may be applicable to Earth and space science problems and to evaluate their performances on a large variety of existing remote sensing data as well as on simulated data of soon-to-be-flown instruments. In this paper we present one of the first steps toward such an exhaustive quantitative evaluation. First, the different components of image registration algorithms are reviewed, and different choices for each of these components are described. Then, the results of the evaluation of the corresponding algorithms combining these components are presented o n several datasets. The algorithms are based on gray levels or wavelet features and compute rigid transformations (including scale, rotation, and shifts). Test datasets include synthetic data as well as data acquired over several EOS Land Validation Core Sites with the IKONOS and the Landsat-7 sensors.

LeMoigne, Jacqueline↗
NASA NTRS1971

Remote sensing evaluation of the Klondike Mining District, Nevada. Part 1: Geology, photography and infrared

During August of 1970 Mission 140 was flown with the NASA P3A aircraft over the Klondike Mining District, Nevada. High quality metric photography, thermal infrared imagery, multispectral photography and multichannel microwave radiometry were obtained. Geology and ground truth data are presented and relationships of the physical attributes of geologic materials to remotely sensed data is discussed. It is concluded that remote sensing data was valuable in the geologic evaluation of the Klondike Mining District and would be of value in other mining districts.

Brennan, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA Next-Generation Sensing Technologies for Earth & Planetary Science

Dr. Ved Chirayath's seminar will highlight new sensing technologies and airborne platforms he is developing for Earth & Space Science as director of the NASA Silicon Valley Laboratory for Advanced Sensing. His talk will feature recent work on Fluid Lensing, the first remote sensing technology capable of imaging through ocean waves in 3D at sub-cm resolutions, MiDAR, a next-generation active hyperspectral remote sensing and optical communications instrument, airborne gas sensing of multipollutant combustion sources, and a plasma actuated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that utilized high-voltage dielectric discharge devices to achieve the first plasma controlled flight in history.Fluid Lensing and the NASA FluidCam instrument have been used extensively to provide distortion-free 3D multispectral imagery from UAVs of shallow marine systems around the world. MiDAR is being deployed on aircraft and underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) as a new method to remotely sense living and nonliving structures in extreme environments as an analog for future Ocean Worlds robotic exploration missions. Finally, Chirayath will present preliminary results from NeMO-Net, a supercomputer-based neural network that uses a citizen science video game for global multimodal coral reef benthic habitat mapping, fusing remote sensing data from Fluid Lensing, MiDAR, NASA's Earth Observing System, and commercial satellites, to better understand the present and past dynamics of shallow marine systems. Together, these maturing technologies present promising new ways in which to explore terrestrial, marine, and aerial systems on Earth, and, ultimately, aid in the search for extraterrestrial life within our solar system and beyond.

Chirayath, Ved↗
NASA NTRS1981

The structure of short gravity waves on the ocean surface

A brief review is given of the salient properties of short gravity waves and the way in which their structure is modified by longer waves or swell, by variable currents, and by internal waves. It is noted that an underlying swell produces a mottled pattern in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, and an expression is derived giving the fractional modulation in backscattering cross section of the ocean surface in terms of the slope of an underlying swell, the wind direction, and the direction of swell propagation relative to the angle of observation. The expression provides the possibility in appropriate circumstances of estimating the swell slope by remote sensing, in addition to the wavelength and direction of propagation, which can be measured directly from the imagery. An account is also given of the refraction of waves in variable currents and internal waves.

Phillips, O. M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

U.S. Government Open Internet Access to Sub-meter Satellite Data

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has contracted United States commercial remote sensing companies GeoEye and Digital Globe to provide very high resolution commercial quality satellite imagery to federal/state government agencies and those projects/people who support government interests. Under NextView contract terms, those engaged in official government programs/projects can gain online access to NGA's vast global archive. Additionally, data from vendor's archives of IKONOS-2 (IK-2), OrbView-3 (OB-3), GeoEye-1 (GE-1), QuickBird-1 (QB-1), WorldView-1 (WV-1), and WorldView-2 (WV-2), sensors can also be requested under these agreements. We report here the current extent of this archive, how to gain access, and the applications of these data by Earth science investigators to improve discoverability and community use of these data. Satellite commercial quality imagery (CQI) at very high resolution (< 1 m) (here after referred to as CQI) over the past decade has become an important data source to U.S. federal, state, and local governments for many different purposes. The rapid growth of free global CQI data has been slow to disseminate to NASA Earth Science community and programs such as the Land-Cover Land-Use Change (LCLUC) program which sees potential benefit from unprecedented access. This article evolved from a workshop held on February 23rd, 2012 between representatives from NGA, NASA, and NASA LCLUC Scientists discussion on how to extend this resource to a broader license approved community. Many investigators are unaware of NGA's archive availability or find it difficult to access CQI data from NGA. Results of studies, both quality and breadth, could be improved with CQI data by combining them with other moderate to coarse resolution passive optical Earth observation remote sensing satellites, or with RADAR or LiDAR instruments to better understand Earth system dynamics at the scale of human activities. We provide the evolution of this effort, a guide for qualified user access, and describe current to potential use of these data in earth science.

Neigh, Christopher S. R>↗
NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS Level 3-b AVHRR-LAC Imagery: Scaled At-sensor Radiance in LGSOWG Format

The BOREAS Staff Science Satellite Data Acquisition Program focused on providing the research teams with the remotely sensed satellite data products they needed to compare and spatially extend point results. Data acquired from the AVHRR instrument on the NOAA-9, -11, -12, and -14 satellites were processed and archived for the BOREAS region by the MRSC and BORIS. The data were acquired by CCRS and were provided for use by BOREAS researchers. A few winter acquisitions are available, but the archive contains primarily growing season imagery. These gridded, at-sensor radiance image data cover the period of 30-Jan-1994 to 18-Sep-1996. Geographically, the data cover the entire 1,000-km x 1,000-km BOREAS region. The data are stored in binary image format files.

Hall, Forrest G.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Online Remote Sensing Interface

BasinTools Module 1 processes remotely sensed raster data, including multi- and hyper-spectral data products, via a Web site with no downloads and no plug-ins required. The interface provides standardized algorithms designed so that a user with little or no remote-sensing experience can use the site. This Web-based approach reduces the amount of software, hardware, and computing power necessary to perform the specified analyses. Access to imagery and derived products is enterprise-level and controlled. Because the user never takes possession of the imagery, the licensing of the data is greatly simplified. BasinTools takes the "just-in-time" inventory control model from commercial manufacturing and applies it to remotely-sensed data. Products are created and delivered on-the-fly with no human intervention, even for casual users. Well-defined procedures can be combined in different ways to extend verified and validated methods in order to derive new remote-sensing products, which improves efficiency in any well-defined geospatial domain. Remote-sensing products produced in BasinTools are self-documenting, allowing procedures to be independently verified or peer-reviewed. The software can be used enterprise-wide to conduct low-level remote sensing, viewing, sharing, and manipulating of image data without the need for desktop applications.

Lawhead, Joel↗
NASA NTRS1975

The integration of manual and automatic image analysis techniques with supporting ground data in a multistage sampling framework for timber resource inventories: Three examples

An approach to information acquisition is discussed in the context of meeting user-specified needs in a cost-effective, timely manner through the use of remote sensing data, ground data, and multistage sampling techniques. The roles of both LANDSAT imagery and Skylab photography are discussed as first stages of three separate multistage timber inventory systems and results are given for each system. Emphasis is placed on accuracy and meeting user needs.

Gialdini, M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Department of the Interior program

The remote sensing activities of the Department of Interior are summarized. The use of satellite imagery in land and water management is described. Specific topics discussed include: land use mapping, exploration and discovery of metal, oil, and gas deposits, location of geological faults, and repetitive monitoring of dynamic environmental phenomena related to water resources.

Balsley, J. R.↗