TOPIC ON: Passive Sensors: Department of Geology

TOPIC ON: Passive Sensors
Submitted by: Rajdeep Bordoloi

M.Sc. Final year
Submitted to: Prof. SC Mathur
Department of Geology
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks

to Prof. S.C Mathur for giving me the
opportunity to work on this project.
Without his mere help and guidance the
completion of this project would have
never been possible. I have learned a lot
from this project and it will surely help
me in life.
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Contents:
Definition of sensor and passive sensor
Examples of Passive remote sensing image
Some applications for passive remote sensing
Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive Sensors
Bibliography
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Definition of sensor and passive sensor:
In remote sensing, the device used to acquire data i.e. to
measure the radiation arriving to the satellite instrument, is
usually referred to as a “sensor”. In remote sensing, many
different sensors are used that have varying sensitivities to
radiations at different wavelengths in the electromagnetic
spectrum.
Sensors that use external energy sources to “observe” an object
(e.g., the sun light to observe the Earth) are called “passive
sensors”.
Fig: passive sensor working
Examples of Passive remote sensing image

Examples of passive sensor-based technologies include:
Photographic, thermal, electric field sensing, chemical, infrared
and seismic. However, as can be the case with some sensors,
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seismic and infrared light sensors exist in both active and passive
forms. Depending on what is being sensed these various sensors
might be mounted to a satellite, airplane, boat, submarine UAV
drone, or from another convenient point of observation such as a
building top. The data gathered by remote sensing is used for
everything from cartography to resource exploration to
atmospheric and chemical measurements. Remote sensing is
also one of the basic enabling technologies for the Internet of
Things (IoT), in which almost any imaginable entity can be
equipped with a unique identifier and the ability to transfer data
over a network autonomously.
Really, passive remote sensing can be very similar to how our
eyes interpret the world.
For example, here are the Rocky Mountains in true color.
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But the power of passive remote sensing is to see light in the
whole electromagnetic spectrum. For example, this multispectral
image can have different band combinations like color infrared.
Fig: multispectral image
In this image the bright red colour denotes healthy vegetation and
the bright white is built-up areas, the darkest shade is water. In
the east, this could be a transmission line right-of-way because
how it’s constantly the same width.
Fig: panchromatic image
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Some applications for passive remote sensing
In terms of passive remote sensing, the Landsat mission is the
longest-running earth observation program. For over 40 years,
Landsat has collected and documented our changing planet.
Landsat science helps understand Earth’s climate, ecosystems
and land use. For over 40 years, the Landsat missions have been
an eyewitness of our changing planet. Because of it, we have a
historical barometer where we gauge change and plan our future
as a planet.
Passive sensors include different types of radiometers and
spectrometers. Most passive systems used in remote sensing
applications operate in the visible, infrared, thermal infrared, and
microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Passive
remote sensors include the following:
 Accelerometer—An instrument that measures acceleration

(change in velocity per unit time). There are two general
types of accelerometers. One measures translational
accelerations (changes in linear motions in one or more
dimensions), and the other measures angular accelerations
(changes in rotation rate per unit time).
 Hyperspectral radiometer—An advanced multispectral
sensor that detects hundreds of very narrow spectral bands
throughout the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared
portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This sensor’s very
high spectral resolution facilitates fine discrimination
between different targets based on their spectral response in
each of the narrow bands.
 Imaging radiometer—A radiometer that has a scanning
capability to provide a two-dimensional array of pixels from
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which an image may be produced. Scanning can be
performed mechanically or electronically by using an array of
detectors.
 Radiometer—An instrument that quantitatively measures the
intensity of electromagnetic radiation in some bands within
the spectrum. Usually, a radiometer is further identified by
the portion of the spectrum it covers; for example, visible,
infrared, or microwave.
 Sounder—An instrument that measures vertical distributions
of atmospheric parameters such as temperature, pressure,
and composition from multispectral information.
 Spectrometer—A device that is designed to detect, measure,
and analyze the spectral content of incident electromagnetic
radiation. Conventional imaging spectrometers use gratings
or prisms to disperse the radiation for spectral discrimination.
 Spectroradiometer—A radiometer that measures the
intensity of radiation in multiple wavelength bands (i.e.,
multispectral). Many times the bands are of high-spectral
resolution, designed for remotely sensing specific
geophysical parameters
Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive Sensors

Advantages:
 The surveyor need to only record a naturally occurring field
and so he need to supply only a sensor and data recorder.
 Field operations are time efficient. Thus, passive
experiments can be run over wider areas in a more cost
effective manner.
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 One or two well established field procedures are generally
used. Contractors can provide these surveys on short notice
with easy quantifiable results.
 Interpretation of the limited set of observations can be
accomplished with modest computational requirements
quickly and efficiently.
Disadvantages:
 Less control of noise because source of the signal is out of
the control of surveyor.
 Passive fields are generally the result of integrating
anomalous geologic contributors over wide areas,
identification of the source of anomalous reading can be
difficult.
 One or two well established field procedures are generally
used. This limits the amount of customization that can be
done for specific problems.
 The data sets collected in passive experiments are smaller
than those collected in active experiments and usually
unsuitable for detailed interpretation.
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Bibliography:
https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/remote-sensors
https://www.isro.gov.in/search/node/passive%20sensor
https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/passi
ve-sensor
https://gisgeography.com/passive-active-sensors-remote-
sensing/
https://openei.org/wiki/Passive_Sensors
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TOPIC ON: Passive Sensors

Submitted by: Rajdeep Bordoloi

I would like to express my special thanks

Definition of sensor and passive sensor

Examples of Passive remote sensing image

Some applications for passive remote sensing

Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive Sensors

Fig: passive sensor working

Examples of Passive remote sensing image

Fig: multispectral image

Fig: panchromatic image

 Accelerometer—An instrument that measures acceleration

Advantages and Disadvantages of Passive Sensors

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