Geography Commons^™

Mapping The Desertification Process In Southern Morocco Using Remote Sensing Data, Abdellah Benkhalti

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Desertification is a problem occurring in arid and semiarid zones all over the world. It is a consequence of mismanagement of the land. Human activities and livestock pressure on such fragile ecosystems lead to a deterioration of the soil by increasing its salinity, lessening its moisture, and covering it with sand and dust. Aerial photographs and satellite images constitute a tool for mapping and monitoring the desertification process. Multispectral data can assist in detecting the indicators of desertification in early stages in order to plan adequate action.

The improvement of the resolution of satellite images and the fact that they …

Wind Streamline Ambiguity Removal Of Microwave Scatterometer Data, Hans W. Zaepfel

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a class of satellite microwave scatterometers that return oceanographic information which includes wind vectors with directional ambiguity. The first part of the ambiguity removal process is to reduce the data to a directional ambiguity of 180°. This thesis shows that wind direction change contains the information required for streamline ambiguity removal and that syntactic pattern recognition techniques can be used to locate the areas of wind direction change. Spreading the information along the areas of wind direction change results in the removal of the streamline ambiguity. The algorithm is implemented and the results are presented showing that it …

A Comparative Study Of Geologic Information Derived From Visually Interpreted Slar And Landsat Imagery, William Leo Barry

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geologists have used numerous tYPes of remote sensors for the interpretation of earth surface features. Two of the more recently developed remote sensors are SLAR (side-looking airborne radar) and LANDSAT (ERTS, Earth's Resources Technology Satellite, renamed L~~DSAT). The author undertook a straightforward qualitative research study to ascertain and compare the amount, types and reliability of the geologic information which can be derived separately from visually interpreted LANDSAT and SLAR imagery. The area selected for this study is located in north-central Arizona. The imagery analyzed consists of unenhanced black and white ... multispectral scanner (MSS) bands 5, 6 and 7 LANDSAT …

The Technical, Legal And Political Implications Of Remote Sensing Satellites, Matthew Mahoney

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines the phenomenon of reconnaissance satellites and their role in the present arms race. While volumes of material have been written on the arms race in general, or the weapons race in particular, very little has been written on the role of satellites in this conflict and almost nothing has been written on the role of reconnaissance satellites. There is a need for much greater debate on the role of reconnaissance satellites in outer space. Reconnaissance satellites have, in part, rewritten the meaning of the arms race and they have contributed significantly to arms reductions talks between the …

Usage And Limitations Of Characteristic Vector Analysis Of Remote Sensing Multispectral Data For The Identification And Quantification Of Water Quality Parameters, Theodore A. Talay

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Recent applications of the technique of characteristic vector analysis to remote-sensing water color data has met with varying degrees of success. It is apparent from these experiments that a more thorough understanding of the informational capability of characteristic vector analysis is needed.

The Development Of A Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer And Its Application To Remote Sensing Of The Earth, Richard Forrest Harrington

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The design, development, application, and capabilities of a variable frequency microwave radiometer are described. This radiometer has demonstrated the versatility, accuracy, and stability required to provide contributions to the geophysical understanding of ocean and ice processes. The design technique utilized a closed-loop feedback method, whereby noise pulses were added to the received electromagnetic radiation to achieve a null balance in a Dicke switched radiometer. Stability was achieved through the use of a constant temperature enclosure around the low loss microwave front end. The Dicke reference temperature was maintained to an absolute accuracy of 0.1 K using a closed-loop proportional temperature …

Development Of Thermal Infrared Imagery To The Detection Of Urban Heat Islands, Ronald L. Block

Open Access Master's Theses (through 2010)

The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the scientific validity of using airborne and satellite thermal infrared sensing as a technique for detecting the urban heat islands of selected towns and cities in eastern Nebraska. Emphasis is on the development of the technique, rather than on specific applications of its methodology.Two objectives of application include ascertaining the relationship between: 1) large structural density index values and high density renditions; and 2) increasing city size and increased density ranges.Several instruments and techniques were used to determine the feasibility of thermal infrared sensing. Density renditions were obtained by use of …

Design Of A Reliable, Inexpensive Recording Rain Gage Which Utilizes Solid-State Memory, Stephen A. Dyer

KWRRI Research Reports

Researchers working in the general area of water resources frequently have need for precipitation data. Unfortunately, the cost of commercially available recording rain gages is often greater than $1,000 per unit. This report describes a microprocessor-controlled remote recording rain gage which is capable of unattended operation for periods of greater than a month that costs less than $400 in single quantities. The laboratory prototype uses a tipping bucket to collect precipitation in 0.01-inch increments. The time of the bucket tip is stored, using an offset binary format, in solid-state memory. A complete description of the gage hardware is presented along …

Application Of Satellite Data And Lars' Data Processing Techniques To Mapping Vegetation Of The Dismal Swamp, Jeffrey Allan Messmore

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study concerned the feasibility of using digital satellite imagery and automatic data processing (ADP) techniques as a means of mapping swamp forest vegetation. Multispectral scanner data acquired by the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1; renamed LANDSAT-1) was analyzed using ADP techniques developed by Purdue University's Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing (LARS). The site for this investigation was the Dismal Swamp, a 210,000 acre swamp forest located south of Suffolk, Va. on the Virginia-North Carolina border. Two basic classification strategies were employed in determining the vegetation mapping capability of ERTS-1 data. The initial classification utilized unsupervised techniques which produced …

Fracture Pattern Analysis Employing Remote Sensing Techniques For Groundwater Movement With Environmental Applications: Preliminary Report, Bradford C. Hanson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The study will consist of determining the relationship between fracture patterns and porosity-permeability changes in carbonate rocks with emphasis on groundwater movement. These porosity-permeability changes will be measured by relative groundwater movement, in the form of either springs, artesian wells, municipal supplies, or private wells. Relationships will be determined by plotting the positions of the measuring sites and correlating these sites with mapped fractures. Water yield is expected to be markedly greater for sites along fracture traces than for those located at random.