Satellite Based Remote Sensing

Sun-synchronous polar orbits

• Most earth imaging satellites is polar-orbiting, meaning that they circle the planet in a roughly north-south ellipse while the earth revolves beneath them. Therefore, unless the satellite has some sort of "pointing" capability, there are only certain times when a particular place on the ground will be imaged
• Global coverage, fixed crossing, repeat sampling
• typical altitude 500-1,500 km

Non-Sun-synchronous orbits

• Tropics, mid-latitudes, or high latitude coverage, varying sampling
• Typical altitude 200-2,000 km

Geostationary orbits

• Regional coverage, continuous sampling
• Over low-middle latitudes, altitude 35,000 km

What we measure using Remote sensing

• Reflectance
• Radiance