1 
THE PRACTICAL INTEGRATION OF REMOTE SENSING AND G1S* 
David J. Cowen 
Liberal Arts Computing Lab and Department of Geography 
University of South Carolina 
Columbia, SC 29208 
USA 
cowend@SC.EDU 
ABSTRACT 
At the middle of this decade we are approaching a mature level of the integration of remote sensing and 
GIS technology. Advancements in software functionality, sensor systems, user interfaces, and client server 
computing environments enable planners, managers and scientists to combine the power of these two spatial 
data handling tools even in desktop systems. This paper reviews the significant developments that have 
occurred recently to foster this integration. It is argued that in the middle of this decade it is no longer 
necessary to choose between raster and vector data structures or be forced to rely on computer specialists to 
conduct spatial analysis. The paper demonstrates the practical integration of remote sensing and GIS by 
examining the ability of a desktop GIS (ArcView 3.0) running under Windows 95 to integrate and analyze 
remotely sensed data. The experiment involves the extraction of information from a SPOT 10 meter 
panchromatic image and Calibrated Airborne Multi spectral 2.5 meter data. The successful manipulation of 
these two data sources in an inexpensive and user friendly computing environment suggests a high level of 
interdependence between the two technologies now exists. Ln the future the GIS community will increasingly 
rely on remotely sensed data for current and accurate data. Conversely, the remote sensing community will 
increasingly see that GIS represents a logical market for their products. As the decade progresses we are likely 
to see these two technologies fuse into a more general category of spatial data handling systems that feed the 
needs of models and spatial decision support systems. Therefore, it is important that researchers in the two 
fields combine their talents and concentrate on the development of efficient procedures to “classify”, store, and 
analyze the tremendous volumes of remotely sensed data that will soon be piped down to Earth from a new 
generation of satellites. 
1.0 INTRODUCTION 
The objective of this paper is to examine the state of the practical integration of remote sensing and 
GIS in 1996. The premise of the paper is that remote sensing and GIS represent two important suites of 
spatial data handling tools that are merging into a common set of functions. At the same time that the 
distinctions between the tool kits are becoming cloudy we are also on the verge of having a new set of satellite 
based remote sensing data of substantially higher resolution and wider spectral signatures than that currently 
available from commercial satellites. This paper provides a glimpse into the future by examining the 
capabilities of a new desktop GIS to analyze image data that simulates the next generation of remote sensing 
data. 
* Presented at the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing “Workshop on New 
Developments in Geographic Information Systems”, Milan, Italy, 6-8 March 1996.