Interpretation of remote sensing images

The interpretation of remote sensing images is to analyze, reason and judge through the characteristic information of various identification targets provided by remote sensing images, and ultimately achieve the purpose of identifying targets or phenomena. However, the information provided by remote sensing images is indirectly reflected through the tone, structure and other forms of the image. Therefore, we need to use some background knowledge to interpret an image, including professional knowledge, regional background knowledge and remote sensing system knowledge.

The so-called background knowledge refers to the knowledge of the subject to be interpreted. If you want to interpret the farmland, plants, etc. in the image, you need to understand the shape, phenological stage, etc. of various crops. The so-called regional background knowledge refers to regional characteristics, landscape characteristics, etc. For example, Antarctica has an ice cap that does not melt all year round; my country's climate is complex and diverse, with a prominent monsoon climate; the Oriental Pearl Tower is one of Shanghai's landmark buildings, and so on. The knowledge of remote sensing systems is the most basic, involving the reasons for the formation of images, the imaging bands of different sensors and image characteristics, etc.

In fact, everyone comes into contact with many images in daily life. With the development of remote sensing technology, some remote sensing images can often be seen on various new media, so basic visual interpretation is not very easy. Difficult things. But here we still have to focus on the differences between the interpretation of remote sensing images and the ordinary image viewing in our daily lives. First, remote sensing images are usually top-view, while the photos we usually come into contact with on mobile phones, cameras, etc. are ordinary perspective; second, many imaging bands of remote sensing images are not just visible light bands, so many image features do not match ours. Common sense will cause certain difficulties in interpretation; third, remote sensing images usually reflect features at a scale or resolution that we are not familiar with. Therefore, the interpretation of remote sensing images is a complex process that requires patience and care.

The interpretation of remote sensing images can be regarded as the reverse process of remote sensing imaging. There are two main ways: manual visual interpretation and computer processing. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, but since manual visual interpretation is really a waste of manpower and time, the current development trend is mainly the second one. Although it faces many difficulties, it is also making continuous progress.

Remote sensing image interpretation can be divided into three processes: image recognition, image measurement and image analysis.