INFORM students that in order to plan a remote sensing mission they need to learn about spatial and temporal resolution and swath. They will be learning about the concepts of swath and resolution by participating in activities. 

Ask students to list what they know about remote sensing. Give them a few minutes to list their responses.

Prompt students to think about other factors they may need to consider before beginning the actual remote sensing mission.  

Prompt students to take a piece of paper, roll it into a tube and look at the black/white board in the classroom. 

Teacher note: You may want to use remote sensing image of the Oahu #1or #2  for this activity. If you do not have projection capabilities you may want to sketch an object on the black/white board.

Ask students while looking through the tube, how many passes across the black/white board will they need to make to see the entire blackboard. 

Describe the concept of swath in remote sensing (See 5th paragraph on this web page).

Prompt students to write a definition of swath. See Activity sheet: Defining the terms (PRSM-1).

Ask students why the swath is important in remote sensing.

Prompt students to look at the What are we looking for site that shows different levels of spatial resolution. 

• Reveal one picture at a time and have students compare and contrast the pictures that were taken of the same objects but at different spatial resolutions.

Ask the students:

• What are the similarities?
• What are the differences?
• What would you be able to describe using image #1 that you couldn't describe using image #4?
• What could you describe using image #4 that you couldn't describe using image #1?

 Teacher note: You may want to have the students view the images in reverse order to the way they are presented at the site. In this way their interest may be piqued as they try to identify the object that is revealed in the image with the highest resolution.

Introduce the relationship between resolution and pixel (picture element) by participating in the activity: How well can a Satellite see?

Ask students how remote sensing images will be seen differently based on spatial resolution based on what they learned by doing the "How Well Can A Satellite See?" activity.

Prompt students to write a definition of spatial resolution. See Activity sheet: Defining the terms (PRSM-1).

 Debrief the students by asking them to identify advantages and disadvantages to low and high spatial resolution. This discussion might be enhanced by asking them for examples of situations when one might be preferable.

Optional activity: An interesting and fun exercise is to have the students see if they can locate Kailua Bay on a remote Sensing Image of Oahu #1 with the aid of the map of Oahu

For the location of Kailua Bay, see the map of Oahu

Teacher note:

·         Before teaching this activity, teachers should bookmark each of the image websites in advance.

·         It is recommended that teachers print images from the websites in advance if computers and/or a projector is not available in the classroom.

Teacher resources:

• Spatial resolution
• Spatial resolution, pixel size, and scale

Student activity:

• Students create a list of what they know about remote sensing, which might include:
• Remote sensing is gathering data on things without touching them.
• Elements of remote sensing include energy sources, transmission of data, remote sensing instrument, and data processing.
• Energy is given off from a source that is gathered and interpreted by a remote sensing instrument and turned in to an image that scientists can interpret.
• Aircraft, satellites, balloons; etc can collect remote sensing data.
• Remote sensing instruments can detect both visible and infrared EM radiation from which images can be produced.
• Remote sensing instruments can collect data that is from heat sources, gases, etc.
• Remote sensing instruments gather data throughout the EM spectrum.

 

Sample student responses:

• For example, the size of the area being sensed, the location of the area being sensed.

Student activity:

Students participate in swath activity demonstration and record their definition of swath on Activity sheet: Defining the terms (PRSM-1). 

Sample student responses:

• Swath is what the RS instrument "sees."  
• Understanding the swath of the instrument helps to plan flight path needed to gather the appropriate data for the mission.

 Student activity:

• Students participate in short discussion on spatial resolution.
• Review the four pictures of the train set taken from different heights.

·         Compare and contrast the pictures.

Sample student responses:

• The images are all of the same thing.
• You can see much more detail in picture #1 but a bigger area in picture #4.
• In image #1 I could describe the train, its color and features. I can't see those features in image #4.
• In image #4 I can see the whole landscape and see how the area is laid out. I can't see much except the train in image #1.

  Student activity:

• Students participate in the activity: How well can a Satellite see?

Sample student response:

• The picture I had drawn did not look as clear when I did it using the graph paper with the larger squares on it. I had to pick one color from a few blocks and so I lost some of the detail in the picture.

Student activity:

Students record their definition of spatial resolution on the Activity sheet: Defining the terms (PRSM-1).

Sample student responses to debrief: 

• In low spatial resolution, we can see large (gross characteristics) features in a larger ground area, but we can't see the fine details of these features.
• In high spatial resolution, we can see smaller details of the features. However, the higher the resolution, the less total ground area can be seen.