Fundamentals
of System Science
Instructor: Professor Jeffrey
C.
Steiner
Rm: J106 Marshak
e-Mail:
steiner@sci.sci.ccny.cuny.edu
Phone: 650-6984
Appnts:
Sadie Barnes 650-6984
EAS106: MW
2:00-3:15
Rm:
105
Text:
Remote Sensing of the Environment
Authors: Jensen
This syllabus covers approximately the first half of the course. The remaining material will depend on where we are at the close of this part.
I. Syllabus
1. Introduction to Remote Sensing (lec 1, Ch. 1)
2. Problems that need solving
a. Environmental issues and survey of satellites (general terms) (lec 2)
b. Translation of experimental smoke data to satellite
c. Methods for detecting toxic chemicals
i. What is Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) in general terms (lec 3)
1. Review of Optics (Ch. 2)
2. Overview of Fourier Transform (theoretical and experimental) (lec 4, Supplement 1)
3. Satellite remote sensing
a. Atmosphere considerations (lec 7-8, Supplement 2-4)
i. Gas absorption phenomena
ii. Radiation and spectral measurements
1. Stefan-Boltzman
b. Multispectral systems and NOAA satellite systems (lec 9, Supplement 5)
i. MODIS
1. Finding MODIS data (Supplement 6)
ii. Visual Image Interpretation (Ch. 5)
iii. Multispectral Remote Sensing Systems (Ch. 7)
iv. Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) relative to FTIR
1. Mathematic overview (lec 5, Supplement 7)
2. Sensors
v. Scanning FTIR and General Image Interpretation(lec 6, Supplement 8)
We are
fortunate to have two optical/remote sensing centers
at CCNY, The NOAA Crest Research Center for Remote
Sensing Science and Technology (CREST) , and the NASA-COSI University Research Center
for Optical Sensing and Imaging of the Earth and Environment (COSI). EAS, CE and EE
students are involved in these centers and need
introduction to remote sensing.
Interactive Digital Language (IDL) is one of these tools. Some students will need this capability
right away, whereas others may see the need down the road.
To make this course accessible to all
students, the laboratory/recitation part is divided into two portions,
an
initial (optional) IDL/Recitation segment and a subsequent ENVI portion. The specifics are discussed below.
Since
this is only a 3-hour course, and IDL/ENVI in and of itself will itself
involve
a substantial additional outside class effort, I will institute an
out-of-class
seminar for students interested in an in-depth look at the subjects we
cover
(in particular, IDL and infrared spectroscopy). Sessions
are open (and recommended) for everyone. Extra
credit will be given to
participating students under “classroom
participations” (may amount to + or – adjustment of up to 15%).
1. Lecture
Classroom sessions will comprise a common lecture of about 30 minutes, leaving 20 minutes for computer-related instruction. Students working on term papers (see structure of Laboratory/Recitation, below) can either leave or stay at this juncture.
There are 2 exams (comprise about 35% definitions/65% short answer/problems)= 200 points, and 1 final.
2 exams = 200 points
1 final exam = 100 points
Lecture Assignments = 100 points
2. Laboratory/Recitation
Laboratory computer & recitation parts are divided into two parts: IDL/Term paper and ENVI parts. The laboratory/computer portion starts with IDL and then transitions into ENVI. The IDL part is optional, except for PhD students; all students attempt the ENVI labs.
A. STUDENTS TRYING ½ SEMESTER IDL PLEASE
READ THE FOLLOWING:
Computer science is one of those subjects that requires an enormous amount of hands-on, trial-and-error work. Classroom work may provide guides, keys and shortcuts, but, like typing, to become proficient you will need to spend a lot of outside-class time. This is only a 3 credit class, so you will spend much more effort than 3-credits worth (hence the term paper option). However, this is your chance to learn a neat language, and gain an in-depth knowledge as to how programming works.
Students turn in computer programs (just e-mail them) once a week, absolutely without fail. You are expected to take a shot at a solution, even if your program fails to compute.
IDL Homework = 100 points.IDL
B. STUDENTS WRITING A TERM PAPER PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
Undergraduate papers should involve a minimum of 3 references; papers should total about 10 pages (double spaced, including pictures); Masters should include at least 6 references and the paper should total about 20 pages (including pictures).
The purpose of the papers is to survey the literature on a given topic. If you quote someone, you must use quotes in your paper. If you are paraphrasing (taking their approximate thought/ideas/words then you must reference their work). If you plagiarize, you will get zero points and possibly fail. Possible organization for the paper: abstract (salient points that you found); introduction (purpose of the paper); background (what people used to think); body (what your survey found); and conclusions (what you think about the present state of affairs in this area). The term paper will take much less time than the IDL work, but you are expected to turn in a classy work. To make sure that progress is being made, select a topic in the first week, a list of references in the second week, a tentative outline and summaries of papers in the third week, and the paper in the 4-5th weeks, depending on how the IDL is going.
Term Paper = 100 points
ENVI Portion Hmwk = 100 points