Remote Sensing of the Environment

This course is new since 2022. Smets is very friendly during the exam!

After the practical, you wait for the oral part, where you draw 3 cards: a card with 3 words where you have to give the definition, a card with a method, and a card with an image.

2026

June

18 & 19 June

Practical exam:

• GEE-script of the UN on flood detection using RADAR imagery for two dates. ( / 12)
  1. What is the extent of the flood, in m² ? ( / 1)
  2. How many people were affected? ( / 1)
  3. Why is there an underestimation of the people affected? ( / 2)
  4. Which polarization technique is best for floods, VH or VV? ( / 2)
  5. Cite at least two limitations to SAR based flood detection. ( / 2)
  6. What names of the dimensions of a SAR image? ( / 1)
• NHI-tool for the Erta Ale
  1. What are the two peak dates of hotspot detection? ( / 1)
  2. How can we compare hotspot pixels of image with different resolutions? Create a formula and explain. ( / 2)
  3. What is the peak heat emission and on what date, include the unit. ( / 1)
  4. Describe the difference between the measures VRP/FRP and the hotspot pixel count, include the units ( / 4)
• Interferograms
  1. What is the difference between the two images' acquisition geometry? ( / 1)
  2. What does LOS mean? ( / 1)
• Explain tie points and key points and the images you see (image of photogrammetric precision and georeferencing precision

Oral/theory:

1. Definitions:
   1. ESA
   2. BTD
   3. FRP
   4. SfM
   5. DIC
   6. FRP
   7. SAR
   8. TROPOMI
   9. SAR coherence
   10. Azimuth & Range
   11. Photogrammetry
   12. Interior orientation
   13. Phase unwrapping
   14. Photogrammetry
   15. Nadir
   16. GOES 17
   17. Sentinel-2 MSI
   18. Sentinel-5P
   19. Landsat-8 OLI
   20. Sentinel-3 SLSTR
2. Method:
   1. Volcanic ash detection
   2. BTD
   3. DIC
   4. SfM - MVS
   5. Thermal hotspot detection
   6. SAR based flood mapping
   7. DInSAR
3. Images:
   1. Ash from mount Etna
   2. An image of InSAR
   3. Wien's displacements law
   4. Image of hotspot detection with bars at 4µm and 12µm
   5. Image of shortening, overlap, and shadow
   6. Distortion plot and residual plot
   7. SO2 trace gas from volcanism in Indonesia
   8. Image of Notre Dame with key points

2025

June

18/06/2025

Practical exam:

1. GEE-script of the UN on flood detection using RADAR imagery for two dates. ( / 12)
   1. What is the extent of the flood, in m² ? ( / 1)
   2. How many people were affected? ( / 1)
   3. Why is there an underestimation of the people affected? ( / 2)
   4. Which polarization technique is best for floods, VH or VV? ( / 2)
   5. Cite at least two limitations to SAR based flood detection. ( / 2)
   6. What names of the dimensions of a SAR image? ( / 1)
2. NHI-tool for the Erta Ale
   1. What are the two peak dates of hotspot detection? ( / 1)
   2. How can we compare hotspot pixels of image with different resolutions? Create a formula and explain. ( / 2)
   3. What is the peak heat emission and on what date, include the unit. ( / 1)
   4. Describe the difference between the measures VRP/FRP and the hotspot pixel count, include the units ( / 4)
3. Interferograms
   1. What is the difference between the two images' acquisition geometry? ( / 1)
   2. What does LOS mean? ( / 1)
   3. Why are the fringes in the right image inverted in comparison to the one on the left? ( / 2)
   4. Why are there areas with no fringes or color? ( / 2)

Oral/Theory:

1. Definitions (you needed to explain three random ones)
   1. Nadir
   2. SAR
   3. Photogrammetry
   4. BTD
   5. Sentinel1
   6. Azimuth & range
   7. ESA
   8. GOES17
   9. Sentinel3
   10. Phase unwrapping
   11. SfM
   12. Sentinel2-MSI
   13. Sentinel3 SLSTR
   14. SAR Coherence
   15. Sentinel5P TROPOMI
2. Methods
   1. SAR - floods
   2. BTD
   3. DIC
   4. Hotspot detection
   5. SfM/MVS
3. Image
   1. Volcanic ash clouds
   2. Notre Dame tie points
   3. Lava flow & DIC
   4. Landslides & DIC
   5. Measured, nodelled and residual ground deformation
   6. dInSAR

10/06/2025

Practical exam:

1. GEE-script of the UN on flood detection using RADAR imagery.
   1. What is the extent of the flood? How many people were affected? (These variables are included in the script) Why is there an underestimation of the people affected?
   2. Which polarization technique is best for floods (VH or HH)?
   3. What are the dimensions of a SAR image?
   4. What are disadvantages of flood detection using RADAR?
2. NHI-tool
   1. What are the two peak dates of hotspot detection?
   2. How can we compare hotspot pixels of image with different resolutions?
   3. What is the peak heat emission and on what date, include the unit
   4. Describe the difference between VRP/FRP and the hotspot pixel
3. Interferograms
   1. What is the difference between the two images?
   2. What does LOS mean
   3. Why are the fringes in the right image inverted in comparison to the one on the left?
   4. Why are there areas with no fringes or color?

Definitions:

1. Nadir
2. SAR
3. Sentinel-3 (SLSTR)
4. DIC
5. SAR coherence
6. Sentinel-5 (TROPOMI)
7. BTD
8. Photogrammetry
9. Sentinel-1

Methods:

1. SfM-VSM photogrammetry
2. Thermal hotspot detection
3. Digital Image Correlation

Images:

1. DIC of a lava flow
2. Tie points/key points (Notre Dame image)
3. Foreshortening/shadow/overlap
4. Plot with B4 and B12 marked. Used to calculate hotspots. Wiens displacement law

2023

June

20/06/2023

Definitions (3 pp):

1. SAR Coherence
2. DIC
3. Sentinel-5P (Tropomi)
4. Interior orientation
5. FRP
6. Landat 8 (OLI)
7. Nadir
8. SAR
9. Sentinel-2 (SLSTR)
10. BTD

Explain image (1pp):

• Image of passive and active sensor + atmospheric distrubances
• Image of corner reflextion
• Image of  distortion and residual map
• Image of clouds and ash (BTD)

Explain Method (1pp):

• SAR Interferometry
• Thermal hotspot detection
• InSAR

2022

You have to explain 3 definitions, one image and one method per student by drawing cards. The examples below were all asked during the oral exam:

Definitions (per 3):

1. Azimuth and range direction
2. ESA
3. GOES-17

1. BTD
2. Photogrammetry
3. Sentinel-1

1. Nadir
2. SAR
3. Sentinel3-SLSTR

1. Interferrometric phase unwrapping
2. SfM
3. Sentinel-2

Explain image:

• Image of DEM and dense point cloud of volcano
• Image of atmospheric disturbance
• Image of digital image correlation (+can you see vertical displacement? No)
• Image of earth radiation budget
• Image of Notre dame and lines (image matching)

Explain method:

• Hotspot detection (Wien's law and NTI)
• SfM and MVS (+ difference tie point and point in sparse point cloud)
• Volcanic ash detection
• SAR inferrometry