114
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tors during the 1989-90 academic year. Details of this core curriculum appear elsewhere in
these proceedings (Estes et al., 1990). The NCGIA curriculum represents a comprehensive set
of lecture and laboratory materials and is an attempt to standardize introductory, technical, and
applied training in GIS. Based on both the widely varying content of what is taught and the
apparent success of the NCGIA program, it is perhaps desirable to suggest a similar core cur
riculum for remote sensing education, and, in fact, the NCGIA curricuum can serve as a model
for the proposed remote sensing program.
The Remote Sensing Core Curriculum should blend the fundamentals of remote .sensing,
both optical and non-optical, with the interpretation, both visual and non-visual, of various for
mats of remote sensing data, both from aircraft and satellites (and perhaps other platforms).
Further, there should be a comprehensive set of examples of the application of remote sensing
to real-world situations and problems. Following the lead of the NCGIA, this remote sensing
education core curriculum, might be divided into at least three distinct, yet interrelated, phases.
Following is a suggested structure of those three phases. 5
• Course One: Introductory Remote Sensing
This course would be required of all undergraduate students in earth science related
programs and would provide the basic education and training in the theory, principles,
practice, and applications of remote sensing. The more traditional fields of
photointerpretation and photogrammetry would be emphasized, but other aspects would
be covered as well. The objective of this course would be to provide graduates with the
basic knowledge and training to perform effectively as resource professionals, and to in
troduce them to topics that they will undoubtedly encounter in professional practice.
Below is a suggested outline for such an introductory course:
■ Overview and History of Remote Sensing
■ Electromagnetic Radiation Principles
■ Atmospheric interactions: Scattering and Absorption
■ Energy-Matter Interactions: Spectral Reflectance Properties
■ Photographic Sensors
■ Films and Filters
■ Principles of Visual Image Interpretation
■ Optical Transfer of Photographic Detail
■ Introduction to Photogrammetry
■ Horizontal & Vertical Geometry of Aerial Photographs
■ Pianimetric & Topographic Mapping
■ Sources and Acquisition of Existing Remote Sensing Imagery
■ Specifications for Planning an Aerial Photographic Mission
■ Non-photographic Systems: Thermal and Multispectral Scanners
• Interpretation of Thermal & Multispectral Imagery
■ Non-photographic Systems: Radar
■ Interpretation of Radar Imagery
■ Satellite Remote Sensing Systems: Landsat, SPOT, Meteorological
■ Applications: Land Use, Agriculture, Water Resources, Oceanography, Geology,
Forestry, and others
■ Quantitative Remote Sensing: Image Processing and Pattern Recogniton
■ Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
■ Interaction between Remote Sensing and GIS Technologies
Laboratory exercises designed to enable students to implement the classroom theory and
principles would accompany the lecture series.
• Course Two: Advanced Remote Sensing
This course would concentrate on quantitative remote sensing, principally digital im
age processing and pattern recognition. Such an advanced course would expose stu-
5 What is being proposed here is suggested only for the audience's consideration and comment.
