Physically based remote sensing methods and the remaining challenges of monitoring vegetation: new angles on an old problem (Лекция)

Mapping vegetation through optical remote sensing involves various considerations, processes and techniques that rapidly evolved during the past decade. In this talk, the physically based methods and problems associated with the estimation of ecological and biophysical variables from remote sensing observations will be discussed. They will be illustrated over the solar spectral domain, with emphasis on leaf area index (LAI) estimation using currently available algorithms developed for moderate resolution sensors, with due attention to the associated advantages and drawbacks. Next, the topic of physical interpretation of multi-angle observations will be visited with illustrations of useful applications from this rapidly growing field. The emphasis will be on the added new information that existing optical multi-angle data can provide to existing applications. There has been a wide array of approaches which have resulted in studies demonstrating progress and many of which show the possible advantages over the use of purely mono-angle techniques - particularly for obtaining measures of canopy structure.