Uses of Remote Sensing

Uses of Remote Sensing

Remote sensing has been and is being used very widely, to obtain information accurately, with speed and ease, about the vast stretch of land features and water bodies of the earth. The important fields in which remotely-sensed data are used are given below for an appreciation of the technique of remote sensing.

1.    Geology. To identify rock types, earth lineaments (fault lines) and landslides, remote sensing is being used.

2.    Meteorological Research. To study various components of meteorology such as cloud cover, intensities and variations in weather elements, global climate change and so on.

3.    Oceanography. To study various elements of oceanography such as surface temperatures, ocean currents, sea erosion, wave patterns and marine resources.

4.    Water and Land Resources. Remote sensing is highly useful in identifying water bodies such as lakes, ponds and rivers, their aerial extent and quality, snowmelt, runoff, surface flow, irrigation, land suitability, soil type and moisture capacity of soil.

5.    Land Use, Agriculture and Forestry. Remote sensing is useful also in the field of urban and regional land use studies. Urban development, crop identification and estimation, crop diseases detection, forest cover mapping and deforestation are other uses of remote sensing.

6.    Hazard Control. To measure the natural and man made hazards like storms, landslides, floods and pollution and to control such hazards.

7.    Land Survey and Cartography. Aerial photagraphs are widely used for updating the existing maps and to measure heights. Both aerial and satellite data products are used to renew the existing transportation routes and planning.