Fundamentals oF satellite Remote sensing by Emilio Chuvieco and Alfredo Huete

The growing concern about the future and welfare of our planet has spurred great interest in monitoring environmental phenomena so that we may better understand how the Earth functions and how we may mitigate or adapt to future environments.

Satellite remote sensing is a particularly valuable tool to collect critical information on the state and condition of the Earth. The impacts of climate change, deforestation, desertification, fire, floods, and other natural and man-caused disturbances require an up-to-date, spatially comprehensive, and global source of terrestrial data. 

Satellite

Earth observations provide such global, recurrent, and comprehensive views of the many dynamic processes that are affecting the health, resources, and habitability of our planet. Human beings have demonstrated their capacity to dramatically alter Earth’s natural systems with both beneficial and negative consequences. To make more informed decisions concerning our changing environment, a better understand-ing of the tools used in environmental monitoring becomes important. Watching how our planet changes from space may not be sufficient to modify our current way of living, but it will certainly help us to more wisely manage our resources and move in more sustainable directions, because access to continuous and updated information is the basis for making rational decisions.