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Articles: Electronics - Why
Satellite Photos?
By
SilentOne
One important aspect in the management of the environment
and its resources is establishing the spatial extent and the
dynamics of changes in land cover and land use over time by using
satellite aerial photos.
This paper proposes a methodology for monitoring land
cover change in coastal zones, specifically coastal mangrove
wetlands. Satellite aerial photos are a breakthrough in technology.
The approach was inspired by the availability of aerial photographs
at several epochs and their high spatial resolution and geometric
stability.
The topographic features of coastal zones justify
relaxing the rigorous and complicated procedure of photogrammetric
orientation, while still achieving an adequate reliability and
accuracy. The methodology developed in this paper is followed by a
case study evaluating the validity and applicability of this
technique in assessing changes in coastal mangrove forests using
satellite aerial photography.
Coastal zones are of great economic and social
importance. About 25 percent of global primary productivity occurs
in these areas, and around 60 percent of the human population lives
there. Hence, changes of land use and land cover are most intense in
coastal margins (Cracknell 1999).
The study reported here devotes special attention to
coastal mangrove wetlands. Mangrove wetlands are evergreen forests
located in the inter-tidal regions along the coastlines of tropical
and subtropical regions (Mitsch and Gosselink 2000). Mangrove areas
play a crucial ecological role in coastline stabilization and
protection and act as a natural filtering system that prevents waste
produced on the land from being deposited in the ocean. Furthermore,
they are breeding sites and hosts of a variety of fish and animal
species of economic value to human
beings.
The use of satellite photos and aerial photograghy has
profund implications an many aspects of human life. The ability to
see from a great distance is a great tool made available through the
use of satellite aerial photography.
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