Engineering advances in environmental remote sensing

Remote sensing, especially from aircraft, has provided invaluable data to assess the environmental impact of man’s activity. The primary techniques that have been successfully demonstrated include aerial photography, thermal scanning, and multi-spectral scanning. In addition, laser probing techniques have also been used recently, from airborne platforms, to monitor specific pollutants over wide geographical areas. The success of these activities has prompted increased research and development to improve the utility of this class of monitoring technique.