BANGALORE UNIVERSITY JNANA BHARATHI CAMPUS

BANGALORE – 560056

SUBJECT: ENV 303 - Remote Sensing and GIS Applications

TOPIC: Earth Observation Satellires

SUBMITTED TO,
Dr.N.Sunitha
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE

BANGALORE UNIVERSITY.

SUBMITTED BY,

SURESHA B

3rd Semester MSc

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

BANGALORE UNIVERSITY
 CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. History

3. Types of earth observation satellite

4. Applications

5. Reference
 Earth Observation Satellite
Introduction:
An Earth observation satellite or Earth remote sensing satellite is a satellite used or
designed for Earth observation (EO) from orbit, including spy satellites and similar ones
intended for non-military uses such
as environmental monitoring, meteorology, cartography and others. The most common type
are Earth imaging satellites, that take satellite images, analogous to aerial photographs;
some EO satellites may perform remote sensing without forming pictures, such as in GNSS
radio occultation.
The first occurrence of satellite remote sensing can be dated to the launch of the first artificial
satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. Sputnik 1 sent back radio
signals, which scientists used to study the ionosphere. NASA launched the first American
satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. The information sent back from its radiation
detector led to the discovery of the Earth's Van Allen radiation belts. The TIROS-
1 spacecraft, launched on April 1, 1960 as part of NASA's Television Infrared Observation
Satellite (TIROS) program, sent back the first television footage of weather patterns to be
taken from space.
As of 2008, more than 150 Earth observation satellites were in orbit, recording data with both
passive and active sensors and acquiring more than 10 terabits of data daily.
Most Earth observation satellites carry instruments that should be operated at a relatively low
altitude. Most orbit at altitudes above 500 to 600 kilometers (310 to 370 mi). Lower orbits
have significant air-drag, which makes frequent orbit reboost maneuvers necessary. The
Earth observation satellites ERS-1, ERS-2 and Envisat of European Space Agency as well as
the MetOp spacecraft of EUMETSAT are all operated at altitudes of about 800 km (500 mi).
The Proba-1, Proba-2 and SMOS spacecraft of European Space Agency are observing the
Earth from an altitude of about 700 km (430 mi). The Earth observation satellites of
UAE, DubaiSat-1 & DubaiSat-2 are also placed in Low Earth Orbits (LEO) orbits and
providing satellite imagery of various parts of the Earth.
To get (nearly) global coverage with a low orbit, a polar orbit is used. A low orbit will have
an orbital period of roughly 100 minutes and the Earth will rotate around its polar axis about
25° between successive orbits. The ground track moves towards the west 25° each orbit,
allowing a different section of the globe to be scanned with each orbit. Most are in Sun-
synchronous orbits.
A geostationary orbit, at 36,000 km (22,000 mi), allows a satellite to hover over a constant
spot on the earth since the orbital period at this altitude is 24 hours. This allows uninterrupted
coverage of more than 1/3 of the Earth per satellite, so three satellites, spaced 120° apart, can
cover the whole Earth except the extreme polar regions. This type of orbit is mainly used
for meteorological satellites.
History:
Herman Potočnik explored the idea of using orbiting spacecraft for detailed peaceful and
military observation of the ground in his 1928 book, The Problem of Space Travel. He
described how the special conditions of space could be useful for scientific experiments. The
book described geostationary satellites (first put forward by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky) and
discussed communication between them and the ground using radio, but fell short of the idea
of using satellites for mass broadcasting and as telecommunications relays

Starting with IRS-1A in 1988, ISRO has launched many operational remote sensing satellites.
Today, India has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation.
Currently, *thirteen* operational satellites are in Sun-synchronous orbit – RESOURCESAT-
1, 2, 2A CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A, 2B, RISAT-1 and 2, OCEANSAT-2, Megha-Tropiques,
SARAL and SCATSAT-1, and *four* in Geostationary orbit- INSAT-3D, Kalpana & INSAT
3A, INSAT -3DR. Varieties of instruments have been flown onboard these satellites to provide
necessary data in a diversified spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions to cater to different
user requirements in the country and for global usage. The data from these satellites are used
for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban planning, rural
development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, ocean resources and disaster
management.

Types of Earth Observation Satellite:

Experiment Launch Launch Launch Vehicle Orbit Application Remarks
Satellite (TES) Date Mass Type
EOS-03 Aug GSLV-F10 / EOS-03 GTO Earth Launch
12, Observation unsuccessful
2021
EOS-01 Nov PSLV-C49/EOS-01 LEO Disaster
07, Management
2020 System,
Earth
Observation
RISAT-2BR1 Dec 628 Kg PSLV-C48/RISAT- LEO Disaster
11, 2BR1 Management
2019 System,
Earth
Observation
Cartosat-3 Nov PSLV-C47 / SSPO Earth
27, Cartosat-3 Mission Observation
2019
 RISAT-2B May 615 Kg PSLV-C46 Mission LEO Disaster
22, Management
2019 System,
HysIS Nov PSLV-C43 / HysIS SSPO Earth
29, Mission Observation
2018
Cartosat-2 Jan 12, 710 Kg PSLV-C40/Cartosat- SSPO Earth
Series Satellite 2018 2 Series Satellite Observation
Mission
Cartosat-2 Jun 23, 712 kg PSLV-C38 / SSPO Earth
Series Satellite 2017 Cartosat-2 Series Observation
Satellite
Cartosat -2 Feb 714 kg PSLV-C37 / Cartosat SSPO Earth
Series Satellite 15, -2 Series Satellite Observation
2017
RESOURCESAT- Dec 1235 PSLV-C36 / SSPO Earth
2A 07, kg RESOURCESAT-2A Observation
2016
SCATSAT-1 Sep 371 kg PSLV-C35 / SSPO Climate &
26, SCATSAT-1 Environment
2016
INSAT-3DR Sep 2211 GSLV-F05 / INSAT- GSO Climate &
08, kg 3DR Environment,
2016 Disaster
Management
System

CARTOSAT-2 Jun 22, 737.5 PSLV-C34 / SSPO Earth

Series Satellite 2016 kg CARTOSAT-2 Series Observation
Satellite
INSAT-3D Jul 26, 2060 Ariane-5 VA-214 GSO Climate &
2013 Kg Environment,
Disaster
Management
System
SARAL Feb 407 kg PSLV-C20/SARAL SSPO Climate &
25, Environment,
2013 Earth
Observation
RISAT-1 Apr 26, 1858 PSLV-C19/RISAT-1 SSPO Earth
2012 kg Observation

Megha- Oct 12, 1000 PSLV-C18/Megha- SSPO Climate &

Tropiques 2011 kg Tropiques Environment,
Earth
Observation
RESOURCESAT- Apr 20, 1206 PSLV- SSPO Earth
2 2011 kg C16/RESOURCESAT- Observation
2

CARTOSAT-2B Jul 12, 694 kg PSLV- SSPO Earth

2010 C15/CARTOSAT-2B Observation
Oceansat-2 Sep 960 kg PSLV-C14 / SSPO Climate &
23, OCEANSAT-2 Environment,
2009 Earth
Observation
RISAT-2 Apr 20, 300 kg PSLV-C12 / RISAT-2 SSPO Earth
2009 Observation
CARTOSAT – Apr 28, 690 Kg PSLV-C9 / SSPO Earth
2A 2008 CARTOSAT – 2A Observation
IMS-1 Apr 28, 83 kg PSLV-C9 / SSPO Earth
2008 CARTOSAT – 2A Observation

CARTOSAT-2 Jan 10, 650 kg PSLV-C7 / SSPO Earth

2007 CARTOSAT-2 / SRE- Observation
1
CARTOSAT-1 May 1560 PSLV- SSPO Earth
05, kg C6/CARTOSAT- Observation
2005 1/HAMSAT
IRS-P6 / Oct 17, 1360 PSLV-C5 SSPO Earth
RESOURCESAT- 2003 kg /RESOURCESAT-1 Observation
1
The Technology Oct 22, PSLV-C3 / TES SSPO Earth
2001 Observation
Oceansat(IRS- May 1050 PSLV-C2/IRS-P4 SSPO Earth
P4) 26, kg Observation
1999

IRS-1D Sep 1250kg PSLV-C1 / IRS-1D SSPO Earth

29, Observation
1997

IRS-P3 Mar 920 kg PSLV-D3 / IRS-P3 SSPO Earth

21, Observation
1996

IRS-1C Dec 1250 Molniya SSPO Earth

28, kg Observation
1995
 IRS-P2 Oct 15, 804 kg PSLV-D2 SSPO Earth
1994 Observation

IRS-1E Sep 846 kg PSLV-D1 LEO Earth Launch

20, Observation Unsuccessful
1993

IRS-1B Aug 975 kg Vostok SSPO Earth

29, Observation
1991

SROSS-2 Jul 13, 150 kg ASLV-D2 Earth Launch

1988 Observation, Unsuccessful
Experimental
IRS-1A Mar 975 kg Vostok SSPO Earth
17, Observation
1988

Rohini Satellite Apr 17, 41.5 kg SLV-3 LEO Earth

RS-D2 1983 Observation

Bhaskara-II Nov 444 kg C-1 Intercosmos LEO Earth

20, Observation,
1981 Experimental

Rohini Satellite May 38 kg SLV-3D1 LEO Earth

RS-D1 31, Observation
1981

Bhaskara-I Jun 07, 442 kg C-1Intercosmos LEO Earth

1979 Observation,
Experimental

Earth Observation Applications:

Earth Observation Satellites of ISRO has been successfully able to establish many operational
applications in the country. Both at Central and State level, there are large number of users who
utilise space based inputs for various purposes. Some of the important missions of ISRO, in
terms of IRS series of satellites, that has enabled unique applications of space based imaging
are, Cartosat-1 & 2, Resourcesat-1 & 2, Oceansat-1 & 2, Risat-1, Megha-Tropiques, SARAL,
Scatsat, INSAT series, and host of other satellites. ISRO is in the verge of realising next
generation of these satellites, as part of continuity of missions, to ensure that the user
community is continuously benefitted from space inputs for sustainable development and good
governance.

The hallmark of Indian space programme is the application-oriented focus and the benefits that
have accrued to the country through these programmes. The societal services offered by Earth
Observation, SATCOM and the recent NavIC constellation of satellites in various areas of
national development, including tele-education and telemedicine, are standing examples of
applications oriented space programme of India. Remote Sensing applications projects at
National, State and Local levels are being carried out through a well-established multi-pronged
implementation architecture of National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) in
the country. The architecture of space programme in India emphasises on the applications, with
active participation of user-community from Government, Academia and Industry. During past
many years, Indian Remote Sensing Satellite constellation has taken giant strides in ensuring
many areas of application, operational. Some of the most prominent ones are Agricultural
Crops Inventory, Water Resources Information System, Ground Water Prospects, Forest
Working Plans, Biodiversity and Coral Mapping, Potential Fishing Zones, Ocean State
Forecasts, Rural Development, Urban Development, Inventory & Monitoring of Glacial Lakes
/ Water Bodies, Location based Services using NavIC constellation, Disaster Management
Support Programme (Cyclone and Floods Mapping & Monitoring, Landslide Mapping &
Monitoring, Agricultural Drought, Forest Fire, Earthquakes, Extreme Weather Monitoring and
experimental Forecasts and so on).

Geospatial technologies, remote sensing, satellite communication and navigation systems are
providing many new ways for effective management of natural resources. This has resulted in
enabling variety of data and information products for societal benefits and also helping planners
and decision-makers to embark upon unique people-centric services. Web Geoportals and
mobile technologies (Bhuvan Geoportal) are the other popular platforms, being used by
Governments, to provide information services and solutions at all levels, which are proving to
be effective. The Government system has successfully adopted to use such technologies for the
benefit of people at large. ISRO works closely with Central & State Government departments/
ministries, Industry and Academia in ensuring best of solutions for optimal management of
Natural Resources, support services for good governance and societal development. Through
a well-coordinated effort, this system has been able to provide several important applications
that are becoming people-centric today.

Weather:
A weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor
the weather and climate of the Earth. These meteorological satellites, however, see more
than clouds and cloud systems. City lights, fires, effects of pollution, auroras, sand and dust
storms, snow cover, ice mapping, boundaries of ocean currents, energy flows, etc., are other
types of environmental information collected using weather satellites.
Weather satellite images helped in monitoring the volcanic ash cloud from Mount St.
Helens and activity from other volcanoes such as Mount Etna. Smoke from fires in the
western United States such as Colorado and Utah have also been monitored.

Environmental Monitoring:
Other environmental satellites can assist environmental monitoring by detecting changes in
the Earth's vegetation, atmospheric trace gas content, sea state, ocean color, and ice fields. By
monitoring vegetation changes over time, droughts can be monitored by comparing the
current vegetation state to its long term average. For example, the 2002 oil spill off the
northwest coast of Spain was watched carefully by the European ENVISAT, which, though
not a weather satellite, flies an instrument (ASAR) which can see changes in the sea surface.
Anthropogenic emissions can be monitored by evaluating data of tropospheric NO2 and SO2.
These types of satellites are almost always in Sun-synchronous and "frozen" orbits. A sun-
synchronous orbit passes over each spot on the ground at the same time of day, so that
observations from each pass can be more easily compared, since the sun is in the same spot in
each observation. A "frozen" orbit is the closest possible orbit to a circular orbit that is
undisturbed by the oblateness of the Earth, gravitational attraction from the sun and
moon, solar radiation pressure, and air drag.

Mapping:
Terrain can be mapped from space with the use of satellites, such as Radarsat-
1 and TerraSAR-X.

Agriculture and Soil

Information on crop statistics is required for planning and decision making purposes, such as,
distribution and storage of food grains, Govt. policies, pricing, procurement and food security
and so on. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare effectively uses contemporary
techniques of satellite remote sensing in such decision making. Remote sensing data does
provide many advantages over conventional methods, particularly in terms of timely decision
making mechanisms, spatial depiction and coverage including cost effectiveness. Space data is
used in addressing in many critical aspects, such as, crop area estimation, crop yield &
production estimation, crop condition, deriving basic soil information, cropping system studies,
experimental crop insurance, etc.
Crop production forecasts using satellite remote sensing data has been conceptualized by ISRO
in early eighties. This led to the success of CAPE (Crop Acreage and Production Estimation)
project, that was done with active participation of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’
Welfare (MoA&FW), towards forecasting of production of crops in selected regions. In order
to enhance the scope of this project, the FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural Output using Space,
Agro-meteorology and Land based Observations) programme was conceptualized, by
developing methodology for multiple in-season forecasts of crops at national scale. A centre
named Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) was established by MoA&FW
in New Delhi in April 2012, which operationally uses space-based observations, at national
level, for pre-harvest multiple crop production forecasts of nine field crops. Crops covered are
wheat, rice, jute, mustard, cotton, sugarcane, rabi & kharif rice and rabi sorghum. Remote
Sensing based acreage and yield forecasts based on weather parameters or spectral indices are
used to provide production forecasts. The center is also actively involved in national level
assessment of Horticultural crops and their coverage across the agro-climatic regions in the
country.

Indian Remote Sensing Data for Crop

Monitoring
In addition, the center also uses the space-based techniques in making multiple assessments of
Drought conditions in the country, which in turn helps the Government in making decisions on
relief measures for the affected areas in the country. A well-established Agriculture Drought
assessment mechanism is used operationally by the MNCFC .
Agriculture Drought
The remote sensing based techniques for drought assessment of crops has been developed by
ISRO and operationalised to Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Center (MNCFC) which
carries out this activity regularly. The inputs used are rainfall data, dry spell and crop NDVI.
A comparison of these conditions is made with respect to normal and previous years as one of
the assessment parameters, in addition to many other indicators. Details are available
on MNCFC website.

The deficient rainfall forms the first trigger for detailed assessment of drought, while other
indicators, such as, Remote Sensing inputs, Soil Moisture, Crop Sowing and Hydrology related
parameters are further supplemented. NDVI deviation is normally computed as one of the
spatial indicator, using the recent normal year, which gives a good depiction of drought onset.

NDVI variation during September 2018 with respect to September 2017

Horticulture
Considering the importance of horticulture towards food & nutrient security including its
export potential and economic benefits, a programme called ‘Coordinated programme on
Horticulture Assessment & Management using geoiNformatics (CHAMAN)’ was launched in
September 2014 by MoA&FW. Components of CHAMAN were a) Crop Inventory : 7 Major
horticultural crops in selected districts of major states (185 districts in 12 states), b)
Development and Management Planning: Post-Harvest Infrastructure, Aqua-horticulture,
Orchard rejuvenation, Crop Intensification, GIS Database creation, site suitability assessment
and c) R&D: Crop identification, yield modelling and disease assessment, precision farming,
new techniques and algorithms. View online maps in Bhuvan.
 Mango orchards in Ramanagara district, Karnataka.

Fruit orchard inventory, Nashik district

Cropping System Analysis

A cropping system is defined as the cropping pattern and its management to derive benefits
from a given resource base under a specific environmental condition. The productive base of
cropping system is plant growth, which is influenced by management and environment.
Management here includes all those components associated with crop production. These
include, crop area, crop biomass, economic yield, crop rotation, crop calendar, time and spread
of sowing and harvest. Environment is the invariant resource of soil, physiography and climate.
Research is needed to maximising returns per unit area per unit time. Diversification of
agriculture by crop rotation is a lesson learnt from the green revolution to stabilize the crop
productivity levels. Satellite data provides vital information for cropping system analysis,
which includes crop area, cropping pattern, crop rotation, crop calendar, crop vigour, soil type,
etc. The cropping patterns of kharif, Rabi and summer season are combined to generate crop
rotation (sequence in which crops are grown in the same field during an agricultural year). The
cropping patterns and crop rotation maps are utilized to assess the crop diversity (number of
crops occupying a particular area) and cropping intensity (number of crops grown in succession
in a year in a single field) over study sites of Indo-Gangetic plains.
Energy
India has a clear direction of utilising renewable energy for meeting the country’s
requirements. Satellite remote sensing provides synoptic view, covering larger areas
continuously for longer periods. Winds, solar and wave energy resources can be assessed
with the help of Earth Observation data. Assessment of solar energy from Geostationary
satellites like INSAT 3D & 3DR, ocean wind energy from Scatterometer data and ocean
wave energy from Altimeter data & numerical models are being carried out. Monthly assured
solar energy (kWhm-2) is derived using Kalpana-1 VHRR.

Solar Energy Wind Energy

Forest & Environment

Remote sensing data is used for varieties of applications in forestry and environment including
Biodiversity characterization, Wetlands, Forest & Biomass mapping, Land Degradation and
Desertification processes, Coastal wetlands, Coral reefs, Mangroves, Glaciers, Air and Water
pollution assessment etc. The multi resolution satellite data (eg. IRS AWiFS, INSAT and
others) are used for historical change assessment, biomass estimation, automated annual forest
changes etc. Forest fires are routinely monitored using multi temporal data and near real time
satellite data and are provided to Forest Survey of India (FSI), MoEF&CC and other state forest
departments for field interventions.

FSI is one of the earliest institutions to have adopted the use of remote sensing techniques for
national forest mapping. It brings out biennial forest cover mapping of the country, using
remote sensing data which helps the country in close monitoring of the status of forests in the
country.
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