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Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers
by Gerald R. Hubbell Richard J. Williams Linda M. BillardAmateur astronomers who want to enhance their capabilities to contribute to science need look no farther than this guide to using remote observatories. The contributors cover how to build your own remote observatory as well as the existing infrastructure of commercial networks of remote observatories that are available to the amateur. They provide specific advice on which programs to use based on your project objectives and offer practical project suggestions. Remotely controlled observatories have many advantages--the most obvious that the observer does not have to be physically present to carry out observations. Such an observatory can also be used more fully because its time can be scheduled and usefully shared among several astronomers working on different observing projects. More and more professional-level observatories are open to use by amateurs in this way via the Internet, and more advanced amateur astronomers can even build their own remote observatories for sharing among members of a society or interest group. Endorsements: "Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers Using High-Powered Telescopes from Home, by Jerry Hubbell, Rich Williams, and Linda Billard, is a unique contribution centering on computer-controlled private observatories owned by amateur astronomers and commercialized professional-amateur observatories where observing time to collect data can be purchased. Before this book, trying to piece together all of the necessary elements and processes that make up a remotely operated observatory was daunting. The authors and contributors have provided, in this single publication, a wealth of information gained from years of experience that will save you considerable money and countless hours in trying to develop such an observatory. If you follow the methods and processes laid out in this book and choose to build your own remotely operated observatory or decide to become a regular user of one of the commercial networks, you will not only join an elite group of advanced astronomers who make regular submissions to science, but you will become a member of an ancient fraternity. Your high-technology observatory will contain a "high-powered telescope" no matter how large it is, and from the comfort of home, you can actively contribute to the work that started in pre-history to help uncover the secrets of the cosmos. " Scott Roberts Founder and President, Explore Scientific, LLC. "In the past three and a half decades, since I first became involved with remote observatories, the use of remote, unmanned telescopes at fully automated observatories has advanced from a very rare approach for making astronomical observations to an increasingly dominant mode for observation among both professional and amateur astronomers. I am very pleased to see this timely book being published on the topic. I highly recommend this book to readers because it not only covers the knowledge needed to become an informed user of existing remote observatories, but also describes what you need to know to develop your own remote observatory. It draws on more than two decades of remote observatory operation and networking by coauthor Rich Williams as he developed the Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) into the world-class network it is today. This book is the ideal follow-on to coauthor Jerry Hubbell''s book Scientific Astrophotography (Springer 2012). Remote observatories have a bright future, opening up astronomy to a new and much larger generation of professional, amateur, and student observers. Machines and humans can and do work well together. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have and will take advantage of the developments over the past several decades by the many pioneers of remote observatories. " Russ Genet, PhD. California Polytechnic State University Observing Saturn for the first time is a memory that stays with us for the rest of our lives, and for many it is the start of an odyssey--an odyssey into observational astronomy. Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers is a b...
Remote Sensing
by Siamak Khorram Frank H. Koch Cynthia F. van der Wiele Stacy A.C. NelsonRemote Sensing provides information on how remote sensing relates to the natural resources inventory, management, and monitoring, as well as environmental concerns. It explains the role of this new technology in current global challenges. "Remote Sensing" will discuss remotely sensed data application payloads and platforms, along with the methodologies involving image processing techniques as applied to remotely sensed data. This title provides information on image classification techniques and image registration, data integration, and data fusion techniques. How this technology applies to natural resources and environmental concerns will also be discussed.
Remote Sensing Application II: A Climate Change Perspective in Agriculture (New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives #77)
by Tofael AhamedThis book focuses solely on the issues of agricultural productivity analysis with advanced modeling approaches bringing solutions to food-insecure regions of the world, especially in south and southeast Asia and in Africa. Advanced modeling tools and their use in regional planning provide an outstanding opportunity to help face the challenges of climate change. The sudden effect of flash floods, drought, salinity, and sea water rises causing saltwater intrusions and its impact on agricultural production are some of the disastrous results of climate change. In this edited volume, information on climate-induced impacts for flooding, flash floods, and drought impact on agricultural crops is provided to address possible solutions for food security in south Asia, southeast Asia, and some regions of Africa. Leading-edge research methodology is presented as it relates to remote sensing applications for regional science and allied fields. In regional policy planning, agriculture andforestry play key roles in food security along with environmental conservation and depend on geo-spatial variability. Satellite remote sensing and geographical information systems have an immense potential to encompass all these factors and to catalogue the regional variability of climate change and climate economics. In the satellite remote sensing domain, advanced modeling tools, deep learning applications, and cloud-based earth engines significantly increase the flexibility of decision making and its application for regional perspectives. The result can increase agricultural and forest productivity and ensure its resilience and sustainability. The book’s chapters introduce modeling techniques such as machine learning and fuzzy expert system using satellite remote sensing datasets based on cloud application. These methods assist regional planners to increase crop production, land use, and detection of changes in land cover in order to better understand their vulnerability toclimate-related disaster. Furthermore, remote sensing and in-depth GIS analysis are integrated with machine learning to address natural uncertainties such as flash floods, droughts, and cyclones so that emergency responses for agricultural production management can be adopted more effectively.
Remote Sensing Assessment of Sustainable Development in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) Region
by Jia Song Xin Du Shanlong Lu Harrison Odion Ikhumhen Tingting Lv Xidong ChenThis book serves as a vital foundation for regional collaboration, urging stakeholders to adopt innovative, interdisciplinary approaches. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, renowned for its ecological diversity and essential freshwater resources, faces pressing sustainability challenges that require comprehensive solutions. This assessment report unifies decades of research on the HKH, providing critical insights and practical strategies for sustainable development in the context of rapid urbanization and climate change. Through advanced analysis utilizing long-term time series models and satellite remote sensing data, the report addresses how urbanization and environmental shifts affect regional hydrology, how agricultural practices contribute to food security, and the extensive impacts of human activities on fragile ecosystems. In a bid to enhance knowledge-sharing, the report introduces a robust database platform, enabling researchers, policymakers, and local communities to access and apply critical data. This platform fosters a collective effort to respond effectively to environmental degradation and climate threats, while also creating a reference framework for other regions facing similar issues. Targeted toward policymakers, researchers, and sustainability practitioners, this report aims to drive informed decision-making, encourage sustainable practices, and protect the resilience of the HKH for future generations.
Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis
by John A. RichardsRemote Sensing Digital Image Analysis provides the non-specialist with an introduction to quantitative evaluation of satellite and aircraft derived remotely retrieved data. Since the first edition of the book there have been significant developments in the algorithms used for the processing and analysis of remote sensing imagery; nevertheless many of the fundamentals have substantially remained the same. This new edition presents material that has retained value since those early days, along with new techniques that can be incorporated into an operational framework for the analysis of remote sensing data. The book is designed as a teaching text for the senior undergraduate and postgraduate student, and as a fundamental treatment for those engaged in research using digital image processing in remote sensing. The presentation level is for the mathematical non-specialist. Since the very great number of operational users of remote sensing come from the earth sciences communities, the text is pitched at a level commensurate with their background. Each chapter covers the pros and cons of digital remotely sensed data, without detailed mathematical treatment of computer based algorithms, but in a manner conductive to an understanding of their capabilities and limitations. Problems conclude each chapter.
Remote Sensing Image Processing Algorithms for Detecting Air Turbulence Patterns
by Maged MarghanyInjuries due to air turbulence has increased recently, therefore there is considerable concern and interest in understanding and detecting it more accurately. Presently hardly any research deals with air turbulence detection using remote sensing images. Most works use conventional optical remote sensing data with classical methods such as a library spectral signature, band ratio, and principal component analysis without designating new methods and technology. Very little research has attempted to implement optical and microwave remote sensing images for air turbulence detections.This book provides new image processing procedures for air turbulence detection using advanced remote sensing images and quantum image processing. Currently, there is a huge gap between research work in the field of air turbulence detection and advanced remote sensing technology. Most of the theories are not operated in terms of software modules. Most of the software packages in the field of remote sensing images cannot deal with advanced image processing techniques in air turbulence detections due to heavy mathematics work. In this view, this book fills a gap between advanced remote sensing technology and air turbulence detection. For instance, quantum image processing with a new generation of remote sensing technology such as RADARSAT-2 SAR images is also implemented to provide accurate air turbulence detections.
Remote Sensing Intelligent Interpretation for Mine Geological Environment: From Land Use and Land Cover Perspective
by Lizhe Wang Weitao Chen Xianju LiThis book examines the theory and methods of remote sensing intelligent interpretation based on deep learning. Based on geological and environmental effects on mines, this book constructs a set of systematic mine remote sensing datasets focusing on the multi-level task with the system of “target detection→scene classification→semantic segmentation." Taking China’s Hubei Province as an example, this book focuses on the following four aspects: 1. Development of a multiscale remote sensing dataset of the mining area, including mine target remote sensing dataset, mine (including non-mine areas) remote sensing scene dataset, and semantic segmentation remote sensing dataset of mining land cover. The three datasets are the basis of intelligent interpretation based on deep learning. 2. Research on mine target remote sensing detection method based on deep learning. 3. Research on remote sensing scene classification method of mine and non-mine areas based on deep learning. 4. Research on the fine-scale classification method of mining land cover based on semantic segmentation.The book is a valuable reference both for scholars, practitioners and as well as graduate students who are interested in mining environment research.
Remote Sensing Land Surface Changes: The 1981-2020 Intensive Global Warming
by Felix KoganThis book discusses the detrimental consequences of climate-related land changes over a 40-year period between 1981 and 2020, and focuses on how climate warming is deteriorating the agricultural system due to excessive heat, lack of moisture and more intensive and widespread droughts leading to a reduction of agricultural production. Most of the existing literature on the unfavourable consequences of global warming for land are based on a relatively short period of weather station data, covering local land areas with limited networks and monitoring parameters. These concerns have led to the use of satellite data, whose measurements are controlled by such vegetation characteristics as chlorophyll, carotenoids, moisture contents in the plants and temperature inside the vegetation community. Therefore, the discussion of this book is completely based on high-resolution global land surface measurements by the sensors on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) operational afternoon polar-orbiting satellites. The book also focuses on understanding climate change impacts on land changes where humans are living, and combines biophysically-grounded methods and the 40-year data to develop models for monitoring large-scale Earth warming impacts on land and for timely prediction of climate consequences for humans. These 40-year trends in land characteristics will help to better inform the assessment of potential changes in the future and how to reach human sustainability. The book will of interest to scientists using satellite remote sensing to track climate change impacts on land over time, as well as students and researchers in climatology and environmental sustainability.
Remote Sensing Monitoring and Evaluation of Degraded Grassland in China: Accounting of Grassland Carbon Source and Carbon Sink (Springer Geography)
by Wei Zhou Jianlong Li Tianxiang YueThis book focuses on grassland ecosystem evaluation including vegetation coverage, net primary productivity, carbon sink accounting, and grassland degradation evaluation based on mutual data resource, ecosystem model simulation, remote sensing monitoring and driving mechanism exploration. It aims to provide a guide seeking to understand the overall situation of grassland in China in the context of global climate change and build a scenario for the driving force quantitative evaluation. It will be an essential reference to the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle and degraded grassland ecological restoration engineer implementation. Chapters are carefully developed to cover (1) situation of grassland in China; (2) spatial-temporal of grassland coverage in China;(3) net primary productivity evaluation; (4) carbon sink/source accounting and its carbon-hydrology effect;(5) grassland landscape pattern; (6) grassland degradation evaluation based on remote sensing;(7) Grassland degradation restoration and constructing green ecological protective screen. The new scenario and driving mechanism evaluation model make this book a valuable read for researcher of land ecosystem carbon cycle, ecosytem degradation remote sensing evaluation as well as organizations engaged in eco-restoration practices.
Remote Sensing Technology in Forensic Investigations: Geophysical Techniques to Locate Clandestine Graves and Hidden Evidence
by G. Clark DavenportRemote Sensing Technology in Forensic Investigations provides a basic understanding of concepts involved in the use of basic geophysical surveying, metal detectors, magnetics, electromagnetics and ground penetrating radar in police and forensic investigations. Such technology can be vital in locating clandestine, buried evidence which is often concealed in the subsurface underground. Crime scene investigation and evidence collection entails locating, identifying, collecting, and cataloging. Such physical evidence searches are time consuming and can often lead to searches that require excavations, which in itself that can destroy evidence. The noninvasive, nondestructive methods outlined in this book can both reduce the time spent on searches and excavations, thereby increasing the probability of locating vital physical evidence. As such, the application of remote sensing methods has gained increased acceptance, and seen increased usage, by investigators. Remote sensing methods are based on making indirect measurements of the surface of and within the earth. The resulting measurement information can be presented in either an imaging format— such as in aerial photography—or a non-imaging format, such as in a profile or contour map. These measurements can be interpreted to identify and characterize contrasts due to differences in physical and natural properties of the materials being studied. This can include physical evidence, remains, and clandestine graves. This book will serve as a handy introductory primer to the technology, techniques, and application of such techniques. Throughout, numerous references and additional resources are provided for those investigators, forensic anthropology, and police professionals who want further information on the technology’s usage for investigative purposes.
Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing with R - Lab Manual
by Marcelo de Carvalho Alves Luciana SanchesThis Lab Manual is a companion to the textbook Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing with R. It covers examples of natural resource data analysis applications including numerous, practical problem-solving exercises, and case studies that use the free and open-source platform R. The intuitive, structural workflow helps students better understand a scientific approach to each case study in the book and learn how to replicate, transplant, and expand the workflow for further exploration with new data, models, and areas of interest. Features Aims to expand theoretical approaches of remote sensing and digital image processing through multidisciplinary applications using R and R packages. Engages students in learning theory through hands-on real-life projects. All chapters are structured with solved exercises and homework and encourage readers to understand the potential and the limitations of the environments. Covers data analysis in the free and open-source R platform, which makes remote sensing accessible to anyone with a computer. Explores current trends and developments in remote sensing in homework assignments with data to further explore the use of free multispectral remote sensing data, including very high spatial resolution information. Undergraduate- and graduate-level students will benefit from the exercises in this Lab Manual, because they are applicable to a variety of subjects including environmental science, agriculture engineering, as well as natural and social sciences. Students will gain a deeper understanding and first-hand experience with remote sensing and digital processing, with a learn-by-doing methodology using applicable examples in natural resources.
Remote Sensing and GIS Application in Forest Conservation Planning (Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences)
by Chaitanya B. Pande Kanak MoharirThis book focuses on the challenges in conservation, management and protection of forests in India as well as other countries, using recently developed technologies. Various topics are discussed including remote sensing, GIS, land use land cover, forest conservation techniques, social economics effects, fire forecasting models and the effect of fire on natural resources, among others. The book provides multi-disciplinary overviews for academicians, administrators, policymakers and professionals involved in the diverse aspects of sustainable forest development, planning and management, and forecasting and extinguishing forest fires. The book helps readers better understand the development of forests by planning and management in India and other countries, with the following focuses: - Forest area conservation in India and other countries - Advanced techniques for planning and conservation of forest cover - Forest conservation modeling using remote sensing and GIS techniques - Forest fire forecasting models used in remote sensing and GIS environments
Remote Sensing and GIScience: Challenges and Future Directions
by Pavan Kumar Meenu Rani Haroon Sajjad Bhagwan Singh Chaudhary J. S. RawatThis book covers several themes related to forestry, agriculture, water, soil, urban, and atmospheric research. GIScience technology systems have increased in significance in recent decades and have the ability to acquire information at ground level with a higher spectral resolution using a field radio-spectrometer, which is a great improvement compared to other remote sensing systems. GIScience technology systems are widely used for solving and understanding the concept of forestry, crop, water resources, and related research themes. This book aims to advance the scientific understanding of GIScience technology and applications. The chapters present GIScience data integration with other sources such as LiDAR, Multi-spectral data and their applications in forestry, crop assessment, soil assessment, mineral mapping and related themes. The book will be of interest to geospatial experts, modellers, foresters, agricultural scientists, hyperspectral remote sensing and space community, ecologists and conservation communities, environmental consultants, big data compilers, and computing experts.
Remote Sensing for Characterization of Geohazards and Natural Resources (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Andrea Donnellan Estelle Chaussard Cathleen Jones Jingyi Ann ChenThis book provides insights from a geoscientist’s perspective into the benefits and the potential of remote sensing methods to address problems with a high social impact: identifying the drivers of geohazards and developing new methods for monitoring natural resources. The fields covered include volcanic hazards, seismic hazards, landslide hazards, land subsidence hazards and monitoring of natural resources through the use and combination of various remote sensing techniques and modelling approaches. This book should spark collaborations and encourage readers to think beyond disciplines or techniques, as well as enable readers to build their own workflow depending on their study of interest. It provides a much-needed comprehensive review of recent advances that remote sensing methods have brought to geohazards and resources research. It is unique in the way that it unifies geohazards and natural resources research to highlight cross-field advancements and potential areas for multiple fields of science to collaborate. The book intends to provide both a basic understanding of the remote sensing methods used in geohazards and natural resources sciences, with appropriate referencing for readers wishing to further their technique-specific learning, and a detailed application of these methods to a variety of sustainability problems. It aims at providing the reader with workflows for combining multiple techniques with demonstrated results in a variety of disciplines. This approach makes the book useful for both students learning about geohazards and resources, learning about remote sensing methods, and for researchers intending to expand their skill set using methods that have been applied to other fields. This book provides an introduction to each remote sensing method with references for in-depth technical learning which will benefit students in Remote Sensing courses.
Remote Sensing for Food Security (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Felix KoganThis volume gathers a variety of applications for remote sensing of vegetation health (VH) and concretely shows how this information can be used in service of ending hunger and of ensuring future food security. In this book’s ten chapters, Dr. Felix Kogan, one of the most prolific scientists in this sphere, shows how a new VH method, designed from operational environmental satellite data, can be used to provide advanced predictions of agricultural losses, helping to enhance food security and reducing the number of hungry people. Topics covered include the scientific basis of the VH method, drought monitoring, prediction of short-term agricultural yield and crop insurance, and impacts of long term climate variability and change on food security. A short discussion on VH for human health-related topics such as detection and prediction of malaria and fire risk is included as well.
Remote Sensing for Malaria: Monitoring and Predicting Malaria from Operational Satellites (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Felix KoganThis book presents research using high-resolution operational satellite data for monitoring and assessing numerically how to reduce the area and intensity of malaria outbreaks. Satellite data and imageries a powerful and effective tool for malaria monitoring and reduction of the number of affected people as it bypasses the limitations imposed by the dearth of near-the-ground weather data in many malaria-prone areas. With this in mind, this volume provides readers with:In-depth information in monitoring signs of malaria from operational polar-orbiting satellitesExamples of country-specific models for predicting malaria area (1 and 4 km2 resolution) and intensityInformation on the how the effects of climate change on malaria outbreak area and intensity can be monitoredA new Vegetation Health (VH) methodology to estimate vegetation moisture, temperature and moisture/temperature conditions as indicators of malaria vector activityAdvice to users on the application of VH technology for early assessments of malaria area, intensity and risk levelRemote Sensing for Malaria is intended for an audience of public health practitioners, environmentalists, and students and researchers working in spatial epidemiology and disease prevention.
Remote Sensing for Sustainable Forest Management
by Steven E. FranklinAs remote sensing data and methods have become increasingly complex and varied - and increasingly reliable - so have their uses in forest management. New algorithms have been developed in virtually every aspect of image analysis, from classification to enhancements to estimating parameters. Remote Sensing for Sustainable Forest Management reviews t
Remote Sensing of African Mountains: Geospatial Tools Toward Sustainability
by Samuel Adelabu Abel Ramoelo Adeyemi Olusola Efosa AdagbasaThis edited volume focuses on the use of remote sensing techniques to assess and monitor mountainous ecosystems in Africa, with a focus on tracking changes related to climate change and human activity. The book is timely, as the interaction of mountain environmental dynamics with conservation and sustainability is an under-researched issue. The chapters in this volume use remotely sensed data to study a variety of topics related to mountains and their ecosystems, including but not limited to vegetation, energy systems, environmental hazards, ecosystem services, diseases, climatic shifts, geological formations and geomorphological dynamics. The ability to monitor, assess and analyze mountainous regions is aided by the availability of remote sensing products such as optical and microwave sensors and low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The works presented here push the frontier of knowledge on mountain studies and will help shape local, national and global assessments and policies, including efforts toward the achievement of the African Agenda 2063. The book will be of interest to researchers and students in remote sensing, geography, ecology and sustainability, as well as to government organizations and conservation specialists.
Remote Sensing of Agriculture and Land Cover/Land Use Changes in South and Southeast Asian Countries
by Krishna Prasad Vadrevu Chris Justice Thuy Le Toan Shibendu Shankar RayThis book sheds new light on the remote sensing of agriculture in South/Southeast Asian (S/SEA) countries. S/SEA countries are growing rapidly in terms of population, industrialization, and urbanization. One of the critical challenges in the region is food security. In S/SEA, although total food production and productivity have increased in previous decades, in recent years, the growth rate of food production has slowed down, mostly due to land use change, market forces and policy interventions. Further, the weather and climate systems in the region driven primarily by monsoon variability are resulting in droughts or flooding, impacting agricultural production. Therefore, monitoring crops, including agricultural land cover changes at regular intervals, is essential to predict and prepare for disruptions in the food supply in the S/SEA countries. The current book captures the latest research on the remote sensing of agricultural land cover/ land use changes, including mapping and monitoring crops, crop yields, biophysical parameter retrievals, multi-source data fusion for agricultural applications, and chapters on decision making and early warning systems for food security. The authors of this book are international experts in the field, and their contributions highlight the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies for agricultural research and applications in South/Southeast Asia.
Remote Sensing of Clouds and Precipitation (Springer Remote Sensing/photogrammetry Ser.)
by Constantin AndronacheThis book presents current applications of remote sensing techniques for clouds and precipitation for the benefit of students, educators, and scientists. It covers ground-based systems such as weather radars and spaceborne instruments on satellites. Measurements and modeling of precipitation are at the core of weather forecasting, and long-term observations of the cloud system are vital to improving atmospheric models and climate projections. The first section of the book focuses on the use of ground-based weather radars to observe and measure precipitation and to detect and forecast storms, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. It also discusses the observation of clouds using ground-based millimeter radar. The second part of the book concentrates on spaceborne remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. It includes cases from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, using satellite radars to observe precipitation systems. Then, the focus is on global cloud observations from the ClaudSat, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), including a perspective on the Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite. It also addresses global atmospheric water vapor profiling for clear and cloudy conditions using microwave observations. The final part of this volume provides a perspective into advances in cloud modeling using remote sensing observations.
Remote Sensing of Drought: Innovative Monitoring Approaches (Drought and Water Crises)
by Brian D. Wardlow Martha C. Anderson James P. VerdinRemote Sensing of Drought: Innovative Monitoring Approaches presents emerging remote sensing-based tools and techniques that can be applied to operational drought monitoring and early warning around the world. The first book to focus on remote sensing and drought monitoring, it brings together a wealth of information that has been scattered through
Remote Sensing of Glaciers: Techniques for Topographic, Spatial and Thematic Mapping of Glaciers
by Petri Pellikka W. Gareth ReesGlaciers and ice sheets have been melting significantly during recent decades, posing environmental threats at local, regional and global scales. Changes in glaciers are one of the clearest indicators of alterations in regional climate, since they are governed by changes in accumulation (from snowfall) and ablation (by melting of ice). Glacier chan
Remote Sensing of Impervious Surfaces (Remote Sensing Applications Series)
by Qihao WengRemote sensing of impervious surfaces has matured using advances in geospatial technology so recent that its applications have received only sporadic coverage in remote sensing literature. Remote Sensing of Impervious Surfaces is the first to focus entirely on this developing field. It provides detailed coverage of mapping, data extraction,
Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover in Mountain Region: A Comprehensive Study at the Central Tibetan Plateau
by Duo ChuThis book presents the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover in the central Tibetan Plateau during the last two decades, based on various types of satellite data, long-term field investigation and GIS techniques. Further, it demonstrates how remote sensing can be used to map and characterize land use, land cover and their dynamic processes in mountainous regions, and to monitor and model relevant biophysical parameters.The Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest plateau on the Earth and well known as “the roof of the world,” is a huge mountainous area on the Eurasian continent and covers millions of square kilometers, with an average elevation of over 4000 m. After providing an overview of the background and an introduction to land use and land cover change, the book analyzes the current land use status, dynamic changes and spatial distribution patterns of different land-use types in the study area, using various types of remotely sensed data, digital elevation models and GIS spatial analysis methods to do so. In turn, it discusses the main driving forces, based on the main physical environment variables and socioeconomic data, and provides a future scenario analysis of land use change using a Markov chain model. Given its scope, it provides a valuable reference guide for researchers, scientists and graduate students working on environmental change in mountainous regions around the globe, and for practitioners working at government and non-government agencies.
Remote Sensing of Northwest Himalayan Ecosystems
by R. R. Navalgund A. Senthil Kumar Subrata NandyHimalaya, one of the global biodiversity hotspots, is the abode of a variety of flora and fauna. The Himalayan ecosystems have immense ecological, socioeconomic, and aesthetic significance as they provide a wide range of ecosystem services. The northwest Himalaya (NWH), covering three states of India viz., Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, starts from the foothills of Shivaliks in the south and extends to the greater Himalaya in the north. This region is also the source of some of the major rivers of India. With the increase in population, the NWH ecosystems have been under threat due to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, expansion of agriculture and settlement, overexploitation of natural resources, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, mining, construction of roads and large dams, and unplanned tourism. The Himalaya being young and geotectonically active, remains inherently unstable, fragile, and prone to natural disasters. Climate change is also likely to impact the Himalayan cryosphere drastically. Recognizing the importance of the Himalaya, a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) of Govt. of India, to conserve biodiversity, forest cover and other ecological values in the Himalayan region has been taken up.Spaceborne remote sensing with its ability to provide synoptic and repetitive coverage has emerged as a powerful tool for assessment and monitoring of the Himalayan resources and phenomena. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun has taken up a number of studies in the fields of geology, water resources, forestry, agriculture, urban settlement, etc., over the last decade. The book summarises the work carried out in different disciplines, illustrated with tables and figures and a host of relevant references. It is hoped that the book serves as an excellent reference of immense value to the students, researchers, professors, scientists, professionals, and decision makers working in the NWH region.