{"id":3280,"date":"2020-12-04T08:30:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T11:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/certi.org.br\/blog\/?p=3280"},"modified":"2025-07-22T19:29:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T22:29:19","slug":"environmental-monitoring-by-remote-sensing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/certi.org.br\/blog\/environmental-monitoring-by-remote-sensing\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental monitoring by remote sensing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

 Environmental monitoring refers to various activities conducted to obtain knowledge and systematically accompany the situation of natural resources. It is used to help to protect the resources monitored, mitigate impacts and guarantee their sustainable use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post explains the productive activities to which environmental monitoring is related, the main forms of conducting monitoring and their advantages, recent innovations and trends in the field and studies about remote sensing for environmental monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the advantages of environmental monitoring from space?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A variety of human and productive activities require environmental monitoring solutions. This is due to legal requirements related to environmental licensing processes for projects, or to environmental compliance issues, when seeking access to distinct markets or to obtain credit and investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Examples of activities that frequently require environmental monitoring solutions include mining and manufacturing, civil construction projects (highways, railroads and electrical transmission lines), utility services, agricultural activities and those involving the extraction and use of natural resources (silviculture, forest exploitation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental monitoring programs are usually conducted in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1)<\/strong> based mainly on data collection in the field, with later analyses conducted in a laboratory or office; or
(2) <\/strong>with remote sensing<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 While data collection in the field is a more common practice among companies and in projects, this approach consumes a large quantity of human and financial resources and has limitations. Depending on the objective of the monitoring, the related difficulties may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Low spatial and temporal representation in most cases;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Data collection in an intrusive manner, requiring interaction with the environment monitored; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Difficult access that can prevent data collection in locations of interest.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Remote sensing <\/strong>is an optional approach that is already widely used and has strong potential for the development of applications for environmental monitoring. It is conducted using data and images collected by sensors aboard satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Environmental monitoring by Remote Sensing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     Environmental monitoring by remote sensing<\/strong> is based on processing data and images acquired by sensors on satellites and other types of platforms, to extract information about targets on the earth\u2019s surface,  or processes of interest over time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     It is important to emphasize that monitoring by remote sensing<\/strong> is not applicable to all situations or all those required in highly complex monitoring processes.  In some cases, the technique is used to complement conventional monitoring methods. In others, it can completely eliminate the need for field visits and spending on laboratory analyses or those done in an office.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     The main advantages of this approach in relation to conventional monitoring are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n