Earth Resources and Satellite Imaging Systems

Abstract

The potential of remotely sensed data to analyze resources on the surface of the Earth was transformed by the launch of the first Landsat spacecraft in 1972. Here the principal features of present and future Earth resource satellites and sensors are discussed, and four case histories provided where such data are proving of high practical value. The examples are in the fields of geological exploration for oil and gas, commercial forecasting of crop production, multi-resource surveys of developing countries, and the production of regional photomaps. None of these applications could be performed at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time without the use of satellite data.