1. EG5503 GIS & Earth Observation Applications

2. TOPICS Quantitative remote sensing Rainfall estimation Proxy Air Temperature Agriculture Disaster Management Human Health Hydrodynamics

3. Quantitative remote sensing? Estimation of a physical quantity Proxy environmental variables Application driven Less science and more operational Makes use of algorithms Interfaces with environmental models

4. Applications that use quantitative RS Agriculture – NDVI, temperature, rainfall Health – NDVI, temperature, rainfall, dust, wind Hydrology – Rainfall Climate change – NDVI, temperature, rainfall Weather forecasting – Winds, rainfall

5. Rainfall estimation Cold Cloud Duration (CCD) using Meteosat Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission using radar (TRMM) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) rainfall measurement using microwave instruments

6. Rainfall estimation Pioneered by work of Lethbridge, 1967 Became an operational system thanks to Milford and Dugdale at TAMSAT (University of Reading) Based on relationship between period during which convective cloud tops are below a specific threshold and rainfall measured beneath them Cold Cloud Duration (CCD):

7. Rainfall estimation TRMM mission is a joint US/Japan effort coordinated by NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan) TRMM was launched in 1997 – with an initial mission life of 3 years TRMM data is relayed to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM):

8. Rainfall estimation Precipitation Radar (PR) TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Lightning Image Sensor (LIS) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM):

9. Rainfall estimation System coordinated by NOAA Became operational in 1987 Uses a 7-channel passive microwave radiometer Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I):

10. Rainfall estimation Data collected from the SSM/I are used to estimate several geophysical parameters including: Rainfall Rate Rainfall Frequency Cloud Liquid Water Cloudiness Frequency Total Precipitable Water Snow Cover Sea-Ice Sampling Frequency Ocean Surface Wind Speed (1.0 degree only!) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I):

11. Proxy Air Temperature LST (land surface temperature) may be converted to a proxy air temperature by means of a solar correction algorithm Knowing the position of the Sun at the time an image is acquired allows the LST to be transformed into a proxy for air temperature (approx 1m above the ground)

15. Introduction Agriculture is big business A nation’s food supply affects both its economic status and political stability In Europe and the US the greatest concern is profit and getting crops to market and obtaining a good price – whilst staying cheap In the developing world the issue is food security and the wellbeing of the population

16. Introduction Monitoring of crops from space or aircraft aids decision making When to irrigate and what fertilizer is needed Management of crop rotation and set-aside Most large-scale commercial farms are so large that monitoring cannot be made on foot so remote sensing is the clear choice

17. Spectral signatures of sugar cane species. Source: Galvao et al, 2005

18. Disaster Management Uses of RS for Disaster Management WildfiresVolcanic eruptions AvalancheTsunami EarthquakeLandslides FloodingExtreme weather DroughtDisease RefugeesMilitary

19. Disaster Management PLANNINGMITIGATION Modelling Assessment Prediction Contingency Monitoring situations Deployment of resources Decision-making Public relations COST EFFECTIVENESS !!!

20. Disaster Management Disaster Management PLANNING MITIGATIONLEARNING

22. QuickBird used extensively throughout Asian Tsunami Disaster

23. Human Health Health and disease often has a spatial component Climatic, environmental and socio-economic variables affect health Epidemics and outbreaks spread across a region – either as a function of movement of people or environmental factors

25. NOAA-AVHRR station: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

26. Rainfall maps from Cold Cloud Duration - Meteosat

27. NDVI and proportion of children testing positive for P. falciparum

28. Ancilliary geographical information

30. Malaria Model prevalence and ERA rainfall

31. Hydrodynamics stream river estuary THE SEA

32. Hydrodynamics From DeMers, 2002

33. Hydrodynamics From DeMers, 2002

34. Further Reading Cresswell MP, Morse AP, Thomson MC and Connor SJ. (1999). Estimating surface air temperatures from Meteosat land surface temperatures using an empirical solar zenith angle model. International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol 20 (6), 1125-1132. Lethbridge M. (1967). Precipitation probability and satellite radiation data. Monthly Weather Review, Vol 95 (7), 487-490 Milford J and Dugdale G. (1990). Estimation of rainfall using geostationary satellite data. In Applications of Remote Sensing in Agriculture. Edited by Steven M and Clark J. Published by Butterworths, London Dugdale G, Hardy S and Milford J. (1991). Daily catchment rainfall estimated from Meteosat. Hydrological Processes, Vol 5, 261-270

35. Further Reading TRMM Website: http://www.eorc.nasda.go.jp/TRMM/index_e.htm SSM/I Website: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/daac/ssmi_instrument.gd.html/ TAMSAT (CCD Rainfall) Website: http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/tamsat/