Chapter 3 OPTICAL AIRBORNE REMOTE SENSING

The technology of airborne remote sensing encompasses a broad class of airborne platforms and a wide suite of remote sensing instruments. Usable platforms range from airships (Hamley, 1994; Windischbauer and Hans, 1994), UAVs (Unmanned Airborne Vehicles, Miller et al., 1999; Petrie, 2001), and helicopters (Gade et al., 1998; Matthews et al., 1997; Schaepman et al., 1997), to standard and high-altitude aircraft (see for example, Carder et al., 1993; Harding et al., 1994, Miller and Cruise, 1995; Mumby et al., 1998). Similarly, the airborne instruments deployed on aircraft vary from analog cameras (Sheppard et al., 1995), digital CCD (Charged Coupled Device) cameras (Howland, 1980; Miller et al., 1997), and analog and digital video cameras, to digital optical systems. In principle, any air-based platform that contains a measurement and recording device can be a remote sensing system for Earth observations. As a consequence, there are numerous, almost countless, airborne remote sensing systems available from commercial, state, and federal organizations world wide. Hence, a complete treatise on airborne remote sensing is far beyond the scope of this chapter. Here, we provide a brief overview of key elements that potential users of airborne remote sensing of coastal environments should consider. We limit our discussion to aircraft platforms that employ digital optical imaging systems and focus on issues that compare and contrast the use of airborne systems with the optical satellite systems described in Brown et al. (Chapter 2).