GIS: Introduction to remote sensing

Daily satellite images, micro-satellites, drone data, Google Earth, and LiDAR data are just some of the exciting data sources that are increasingly available to researchers and the public. Remote sensing data are an important input to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), for example, to detect land cover changes, to map forests and terrain with LiDAR data, and acquire images and 3D data with drones. This course gives an introduction to 2D (e.g., Sentinel-2 data) and 3D (e.g., photogrammetry from drones, airborne LiDAR) remote sensing data sources for terrestrial applications, goes into the theory behind remote sensing, provides information on data access, data analysis exercises, and looks towards future developments in the field. The course is a suitable introduction for those that are simply curious about the most common remote sensing data sources used today, and for those that see remote sensing as an important part of their future work.