GEOG 406 3 Credit Hours Introduction to Remote Sensing

1. GEOG 406 (3 Credit Hours) Introduction to Remote Sensing Instructor: Samuel Adu-Prah Teaching Assistant: Mike Weiand Office: (room number/building): Faner Hall 4440 Office Phone: 453-3323 Office Hours: M 8:00-9:00, W 1:00-2:00; Th 1:00:3:00 Email: saduprah@siu.edu Course: (Prerequisites:None)

2. Course Desrciption This course will explore fundamental concepts of remote sensing as they relate to applications in the sciences and engineering (biology, geology, forestry, ecology, agriculture, meteorology/weather, oceanography, hydrology, transportation, urban planning, resource and environmental management. Other topics covered include energy interactions, reflectance, scanning systems, satellite systems, digital image processing, and image classification. Training in Remote Sensing software, including LEICA Geosystems GIS and mapping tools - ERDAS Imagine will form part of the Lab work.

3. COURSE OBJECTIVE/FOCUS The objective of this course is to give the students an understanding of remote sensing as an efficient mapping and analysis tool.  At the end of this course, the student will be able to process remotely sensed imagery, identify the interactions that the electromagnetic energy makes with the atmosphere and features on the ground, understand some of the different remote sensing platforms and products available to users, describe the characteristics of active and passive sensing, know the different types of resolution, and perform basic classification of an image on the appropriate software

4. REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: Required Textbook: Introduction to Remote Sensing, 3rd edition, by James Campbell, Taylor & Francis, 2002 Reference: Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, 3rd edition, by T. Lillesand & R. Kiefer Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective, by J. Jensen, 2000 International Journal of Remote Sensing and other Journals of Remote Sensing

5. COURSE SCHEDULE: Lecture: M 10:00-11:50, FANR 2533 Laboratory: T (001) 10:00-11:50, FANR 2534; W (002) 10:00-11:50, FANR 2534.

6. Course Time Table

7. Course Time Table

8. Course Time Table

9. LAB AND HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS All work will be due on the date specified. Late assignments will not be tolerated and will attract a penalty. All work must be completed to receive a passing grade for this course. No assignments will be accepted after the unit exam in which the assignment was given.  Each assignment will be submitted in a report folder. A cover sheet will be included with each assignment identifying the assignment, student name, and class. Unless otherwise stated, only one assignment per folder will be accepted.  Assignments will be typed. When graphical output is required from an assignment, the output should be properly identified and located in the appropriate part of the lab report. Periodically through the semester there may be outside reading assignments that require an overview report. Lab reports will consist of a least 3 main parts: Purpose of the lab written in your own words. Procedure. In this section succinctly identify the procedures employed in the lab and your results. Conclusion. This section will consist of a discussion of the lab in general and upon your results in particular. Such items of importance might be the validity of the lab, limitations of the results, possible sources of errors that might affect the results, items you might have done differently, special problems encountered, etc

10. ATTENDANCE POLICY I understand that each student may upon occasion need to be away from class due to illness or other important matters. Please note, being absent is not an acceptable excuse for not being prepared when you return to class.  All laboratory absences must be made up during the semester.  It is your responsibility to check with you classmates to obtain the information that was covered during lecture and lab periods.

11. CLASS CONDUCT It is essential that everyone in this class establish a mutual respect amongst each other in this class. During the lecture, feel free to ask questions, but refrain from conducting personal conversations. 

12. PERFORMANCE/EVALUATION CRITERIA There will be 2 exams, 4 test, and 9 to 10 lab exercises. All lab reports and assignments must be received on time. Attendance and participation in class activities are very important and will account for part of the total grades.

13. Grades will be based on the following:

14. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This class represents a commitment of time and energy for both the faculty and student.  It is expected that the student put in an additional 2-3 hours of work for every credit hour of this course.  This number represents an average and not an absolute maximum threshold.  This means that some students will have to put in even more time to learn the material presented in this course.  Work schedules or other responsibilities do not represent acceptable exceptions to this obligation. Office hours have been listed above. Other hours can be arranged if necessary. If you have problems, please see me as soon as possible. Waiting until the end of the semester may be too late.

15. FINAL NOTE: By registering in this course, each one of you is explicitly making the following pledge of honesty: "I understand that any serious violation of ethical standards could jeopardize my future in this class. All submitted academic work must reflect my or the group's efforts and initiatives as described in this course syllabus.“ Additional information on this issue is available in the Student Conduct Code handbook.

16. GEOG 406