Types of Satellites

• There are four basic types of Satellites:

i) Communication Satellites – provide a worldwide
linkup of radio, television and telephone.
ii) Weather or Meteorological Satellites - provide
continuous, up-to-date information about large-scale
atmospheric conditions such as cloud cover and
temperature profiles.
iii) Navigation Satellites – primarily to satisfy the
navigation system that nuclear submarines could
use to update their inertial navigation system.
iv) Reconnaissance Satellites – provide intelligence
information of military activities of foreign countries.

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 Remote Sensing in Indian
• Space activities started in early 1960s
• Indian Space Programme driven by the vision Dr.
Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian Space
Programme
• ISRO – Indian Space Research Organization is the
leading organization for space progrmme of India. Its
objective to develop space technology and its
application to various national tasks.
• ISRO has established two major space systems i)
INSAT (Indian National Satellites) for communication,
television broadcasting and meteorological services,
and ii) IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satellites) for
resources monitoring and management.
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 Types of Indian Satellites
• Since 1960 ISRO has launched more than 50 satellites
• Types of Indian Satellites launched:
a) Geo-Stationary Satellites – the first (GEOS-I) was launched in
1975 from US. Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system are
placed in Geo-stationary orbits is one of the largest domestic
communication satellite system in Asia-Pacific region,
established in 1983 with commissioning of INSAT – IB. The
latest INSAT-4CR launched in September, 2007.
b) Earth Observation Satellites (EOS) – the first EOS LANDSAT-I
was launched in 1972 by US. Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
satellite system was commissioned with the launch of IRS-IA, in
1988 and the latest EOS of India Oceansat -2 was launched in
September, 2009. The data is used for several applications
covering agriculture, water resources, urban development,
mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, drought and flood
forecasting and disaster management. 3
 Types of Indian Satellites
c) Experimental/Small Satellites – for the experiment of
remote sensing, atmospheric studies, orbit control,
recovery technology etc. ISRO has launched this type of
satellites. The first indigenously built in Indian satellite
was Aryabhata launched in April,1975 and the latest
ANUSAT in April, 2009.
d) Space Mission – Indian space programme
encompasses research in areas like astronomy,
astrophysics, planetary and earth sciences, atmospheric
sciences etc. Chandrayan-I was India's first mission to
moon launched in October, 2008. The space craft was
orbiting around moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar
surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic
mapping of moon.

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 Data Reception & Dissemination
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) is responsible for
remote sensing satellite data acquisition and processing, data
dissemination. NRSC has its data reception facility at
Shadnagar, 65 km from Hyderabad city.
• Data Analysis – Remote Sensing data are being used to
map/monitor/.survey/manage various natural resources of the
country under National Natural Resources Management System
(NNRMS) programmes.
• Several areas of application such as agriculture, soil, bio-
resources and environment, ocean resources, water resources,
rural and urban development, disaster management etc. which
are direct relevance to the nation are executed by ISRO centres
like National Remote Sensing Centre, Space Application Centre,
Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres, State Remote
Sensing Centres etc.
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Remote Sensing - Analysis Techniques
• The output of a remote sensing system is usually an image
representing the scene being observed. Many further steps of
digital image processing ands modeling are required in order to
extract useful information from the image.
• Digital image processing – comprises the four basic steps:
(a) Image correction/restoration - Image data recorded by
sensors on a satellite or aircraft contain errors related to
geometry and brightness values of the pixels. These errors
are corrected using suitable mathematical models, which are
either definite or statistical models.
(b) Image enhancement: Image enhancement is the
modification of image, by changing the pixel brightness
values, to improve its visual impact. It is performed by deriving
the new brightness value for a pixel either from its existing
value or from the brightness values of a set of surrounding 6
pixels.
Remote Sensing - Analysis Techniques
• Digital image processing
(c) Image transformation: The multi-spectral character of image
data allows it to be spectrally transformed to a new set of image
components or bands with a purpose to get some information
more evident or to preserve the essential information content of
the image, with a reduced number of transformed dimensions.
(d) Image classification: The overall objective of image
classification procedures is to automatically categorize all pixels
in an image into land cover classes or themes. A pixel is
characterized by its spectral resolution, which is determined by
the relative reflectance in different wavelength bands.

The integration of spatial data and their combined analysis is

performed through a set of computer software/hardware, known as
Geographical Information System (GIS)
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 GIS
• GIS – is a computer assisted system for capture, storage,
retrieval, analysis and display of spatial data and non-spatial
data attribute data.
G = Geographic reference – data of spatial coordinates (latitude &
longitude) on the surface of the earth (map) i.e. location data
IS = Information System – database of attribute data
corresponding to spatial location and procedures to provide
information for decision making
(The GIS history dates back to 1960, first developed in Canada)
Objectives of GIS:
– Maximize efficiency of decision making and planning;
– Provide efficient means for data distribution and handling;
– Elimination of redundant database- minimize duplication;
– Capacity to integrate information from many sources;
– Update data quickly and cheaply
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 Components of GIS
• A working GIS integrate five key
components:
1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Data
4. People
5. Methods
• 1. Hardware - The machinery on which
GIS operates – computers, scanner,
printers, plotters, digitizers, and other
types of equipment.
• 2. Software – The GIS software includes
the programs and user interface for
driving the hardware such as Arc Info, Arc
View, Map Info, PANMAP, SPANS etc.

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 Components of GIS
3. Data – Geographical data and other related tabular data to be
collected and compiled to custom specifications and
requirements. GIS can integrate spatial data with other
existing data resources.
4. People – GIS technology has limited value without people
who manage and develop plans for applying it to real world
problems. The identification of GIS specialist vs end users is
often critical to the implementation of GIS technology, i.e.
‘brain ware’ refers to the purpose and objectives and provides
the reason and justification of using GIS technology.
5. Methods – a successful GIS operates according to a well
designed implementation plan and business rules, which are
the models and operating practices unique to each
organization.

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 Stages of GIS
• There four major stages of creating GIS:
i) Data input, ii) Data storage; iii) Data analysis and modelling and
iv) Data output and presentation
i) Data input – is the process of encoding analogue data in the form of
maps, imageries or photographs into computer readable digitized form
and writing data into the GIS database. Its of two types:
a) Spatial data (latitude/longitude, features on map e.g. soil units,
administrative boundary etc.)
Components
b) Attribute data (descriptive of Geographic
data about data e.g. soil properties,
the features
population etc.) Spatial data
Attribute
data

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SPATIAL DATA SOURCES
 Stages of GIS
• Data Input
• Spatial Data capture (representing locations in a database) can be in two
basic formats: a) Vector format and b) Raster format
• Vector format - reality is represented as points, lines & areas and is based
on discrete objects view of reality (analogue maps)
• Raster format - reality is represented as grid of cells/pixels and the is based
on continuous fields view of reality (photographs, imageries, etc.)
• Vector data capture - This is generally used for capturing data for analogue
maps. It is based on the observation that any map consists of 3 basic kinds
of features –
– point features (points do not have length, width or area),
– line features (a line consists of a set of ordered points. It has length, but no
width or area), and
– polygon or area features (polygon or area is formed when a set of ordered
lines form closed figure whose boundary is represented by the lines).
A vector based system displays graphical data as points, lines or curves,
or areas with attributes. Cartesian coordinates (x, y) or geographical
coordinates (latitude, longitude) define points in a vector system. 12
Concept of
Vector and Raster Real World

Raster Representation
Vector Representation
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 R T
1 R T point
2 H R
3 R line
4 R R
5 R
6 R T T H
7 R T T polygon
8 R
9 R
 Stages of GIS
• Digitization (process of converting data from analog to digital format) is usually
done feature by feature. For example, all point features are on a map
(say cities, towns, etc.) are digitized in one layer. Similarly all line
features (e.g. roads, rivers, drainage network, canal network, etc.) are
digitized as a separate layer. So are the polygon features (soils, districts,
agro-ecological zones, etc.) .

• Raster data capture - A raster based GIS locates and stores map data
by using a matrix of grid cells or pixels. Each cell or pixel is represented
either at its corner or centroid by a unique reference coordinate (cell
address). Each cell also has discrete attribute data assigned to it.

• The raster data resolution is dependent on the pixel or grid cell size. Data
can be conveniently captured from remote sensing imageries, areal
photographs, and other such imageries of the earth's surface in a raster
data format. In this format, the various features are identified by
superposing the imageries over a fine rectangular grid of the earth's
surface which they represent.
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 Stages of GIS
• Attribute data
Attribute data are descriptive data of point, line and area features. For
points, this may be the name of the location, its elevation, etc. For lines
attribute data could be the name of a road, or canal etc. For polygons, the
attribute data may relate to name of a district and its population, area etc.

• Attribute data about points/lines/areas features can be entered into different

database files. The files can be linked to the default spatial database
generated after digitizing by creating an identification key in each data file
which is also common to the spatial database generated by the GIS after
digitization.
ii) Data Storage
•  GIS does not store maps. It stores data organized into a database. The
locational data of different features (coordinates, topology) are generated
during the digitization process. The attribute data of locations are created
separately. And a link between the locational and attribute data is provided.

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 Stages of GIS
iii) Data Analysis
• Data analysis is carried out using the layers of map information
created in vector or raster data formats and associated attribute
data to find solutions to specific problems. In each case the problem
needs to be defined clearly before the relevant map layers and
analysis procedures can be identified.

• STEPS IN BUILDING A GIS - the way in which a GIS is built will

depend on the way information will be used in the decision-making
process. Building a GIS proceeds through at least 4 stages:
– Defining the objectives
– Building the spatial and attribute data bases
– Database management for geographic analysis
– Presenting results in the form of maps, etc.

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 Use of GIS
• Urban and Regional Planning, land use, infrastructure
development etc.
• Health Care use GIS for marketing, promotion, research and
development
• Central and State Governments use GIS for development in
economy, reforms for the legislation, administration registration
for the voters, emergency management
• Logistics use GIS for scheduling, routing, dispatch, tracking, and
operations in the warehouse
• In agriculture for the analysis of production, pollution control,
targeted agrarian production
• In telecommunications department for wireless engineering,
routing of communication network, customer support etc.
• Gas and Electric companies use GIS for engineering planning
and designing, customer service, distribution system
management, marketing, power generation and management of
load, meter reading, billing and collection
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 Use of GIS
• Petroleum Industry uses GIS for exploration, distribution, and
retail
• Environmental management use GIS natural resource
management, water quality, waste management, groundwater
modeling,
• Public Safety units use GIS as a constitutional part of
emergency response systems formulated for man-made and
future disasters
• Forest Department use GIS for the mapping of flora and fauna
• Census of India

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