DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTITATIVE METHODS OF STUDYING THE EARTH FROM SPACE

The paper surveys the development of “space geography”–a field of knowledge applying the methods of remote sensing, the physical sciences, and mathematics in the solution of geographic problems. Early advances featured methodological improvements (use of quantitative methods in image processing), whereas future research must focus upon perfecting our knowledge of: (a) relationships underlying the use of these methods, i.e., between environmental parameters and reflectance values, (b) methods of effectively combining different types of imagery, and image products and field work, in research, and (c) appropriate quantitative indices for feature recognition. Examples of the operationalization of such concerns are demonstrated for land-use and soil mapping projects. Translated from: Izvestiya, AN SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1985, No. 5, pp. 110–116.     

INTEGRATION OF CARTOGRAPHIC AND REMOTE SENSING METHODS

The history of the joint use of maps and air photos/space imagery in geographic problem solving is examined, as are general problems which must be addressed before more complete consolidation of map use and image interpretation methods will be possible. The relatively new field of geoiconics, encompassing image theory, processing, and interpretation, is proposed as a branch of knowledge promoting the integration of cartography and remote sensing rather than a megafield that will ultimately replace them. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1985, No. 4, pp. 11-22.     

THE CONCEPT OF AN INTEGRATED REPOSITORY OF SPACE IMAGERY AND NEW CRITERIA FOR ITS GEOGRAPHIC AND CARTOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

This paper outlines some principles believed necessary for the establishment of integrated collections of remote sensing imagery, including, at the national level, a unified state image repository for the USSR. A multi-criterion classification of imagery is introduced, which provides a framework for structuring such a repository, and a number of measures for evaluating the utility of imagery within it are described. One of the latter is “geographic” resolution (levels of image detail), which provides a relatively straightforward indication of the type of geographic information embedded within particular types of remote sensing imagery. Translated by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005 from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1988, No. 6, pp. 53-62.     

USE OF SPACE IMAGERY IN THE STUDY OF MASS EXCHANGE IN GLACIER SYSTEMS

The author surveys the use of remote sensing imagery in the study of mass exchange in glaciers, i.e., glacier dynamics resulting from phase changes in the water which they contain. A program of research now underway at the Institute of Geography (USSR Academy of Sciences) in conjunction with the “Priroda” Remote Sensing Center (Moscow) focuses on improving methods of data collection and mapping of glacier dynamics from space imagery, and particularly on identifying natural glacioclimatic zones believed to represent specific mass exchange conditions or regimes. The boundary of glacier nourishment separating areas of accumulation and ablation represents a key glacioclimatic indicator of mass exchange on satellite imagery and aerial photography. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1986, No. 5, pp. 26–31.     

IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WITH A DATA BANK OF SPACE IMAGERY

The paper outlines a strategy for environmental management based on the joint use of space imagery and existing thematic map sets in monitoring the state of the environment in areas known as territorial human-environment complexes, proposed as regional-level units of nature management. Space imagery is also instrumental in the identification of these complexes prior to the onset of monitoring, a subject which is addressed in some detail at the start of the paper. Most extensive coverage is devoted to the organization and operation of a centralized, interdisciplinary data bank of remote sensing imagery, from which scenes are processed and interpretation maps distributed according to the specific needs of user organizations. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1986, No. 2, pp. 138-142.     

MAPPING THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOIL COVER OF THE TAIGA FROM REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY

An experiment is described in which multiscalar remote sensing imagery is sequentially employed in the detection of various rankings of soil types endemic to the taiga natural zone in the northern USSR. Relief features, vegetation associations, extent of surface water, and drainage patterns visible on imagery at scales from 1:12,000,000 to 1:5,000, also examined at low altitude and in the field at a series of test sites, served as indicators of various soil cover types. Considerable attention is given to an explanation of why these features can be considered valid indicators of taiga soil types as well as to the appearance of the indicators on band-specific (black-and-white) and color composite imagery. Translated from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1987, No. 3, pp. 87-99.     

ANALYSIS OF REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY IN ENGINEERING GEOMORPHOLOGY

An image interpretation technique known as “indicational analysis” is applied to engineering geomorphology–i.e., image characteristics visible on remote sensing imagery are used to infer (indicate) the presence of features that are not directly visible. In this case the identification of particular relief forms provides a basis for inferring the level of risk posed by geomorphological hazards to major construction projects such as railroads, pipelines, and highways. A key aspect of the procedure is a multiscalar approach, in which different components of the overall store of information brought to bear on a problem are obtained at different levels of interpretation. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1987, No. 2, pp. 35–42.     

STUDY OF THE MORPHOSTRUCTURES OF MOUNTAINOUS AREAS FROM SPACE IMAGERY

The authors review recent developments in the USSR in the use of remote sensing imagery in the analysis, at the world-regional and local levels, of major relief elements (and structural elements manifest in relief) typical of mountainous country. Keys to their interpretation at a variety of scales are described. Case studies and detailed interpretation of imagery in the Soviet Far East and Central Asia (large-scale) and the Caucasus (intermediate-scale) provide for the identification of all morphostructural elements possible through traditional analysis, and in the latter case, for the first direct detection of transverse (cross-cutting) faults. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1988, No. 1, pp. 16-29.     

MAPPING THE SOILS OF THE MAJOR NATURAL ZONES OF THE USSR FROM REMOTE SENSING IMAGERY

The authors describe the results of their experience in the use of remote sensing imagery to map the distribution of soils within the major natural zones (e.g., wooded steppe, taiga, semidesert) of the USSR. Considerable attention is devoted to instrumental-visual methods of interpretation before the focus shifts to automated interpretation and methods of map compilation, particularly general mapping at intermediate and large scales. One section assesses the relative sizes of mesorelief forms and fields in various natural zones in an effort to determine at what image scales the soil types indicated by these features will be identifiable. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: G. V. Dobrovol'skiy and V. L. Andronikov, eds., Aerokosmicheskiye metody v pochvovedenii i ikh ispol'zovaniye v sel'skom khozyaystve: sbornik nauchnykh trudov [Remote Sensing Methods in Soil Science and Their Utilization in Agriculture: A Collection of Scientific Works]. Moscow: Nauka, 1990, pp. 22-34.     

IMAGE INTERPRETATION AS A SYSTEM OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

The article provides insights derived from conceptualization of the totality of elements (subsystems) of image interpretation as part of a larger system of scientific research. Among the elements discussed in some detail in terms of their impacts on the appearance of features interpreted on remote sensing imagery include solar radiation, the atmosphere, distinctive characteristics of the surface of the area being imaged, the remote sensors employed for image recording, processing techniques, the image medium, and the “human” element (interpreter). It then describes an evolutionary process in image interpretation by which knowledge gained in early stages represents an input leading to refinement of approaches employed in later stages. A final section describes factors contributing to dynamics (“scintillation” or “flickering”) of features on imagery of the same area but recorded at different times or under different imaging conditions. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, seriya geograficheskaya, 1993, No. 3, pp. 102-109.     

MORPHOSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AS PART OF DETAILED REMOTE SENSING STUDIES OF THE VOLGOGRAD AREA

An approach to the use of large-scale remote sensing imagery in oil and gas exploration is described, and more specifically, the selection and interpretation of meaningful surface indicators to infer the existence of oil and gas traps in subsurface horizons. Through such “morphostructural” analysis arcuate, concentric relief elements often provide clues to the location of centers of ancient uplift and subsidence, which are then provisionally mapped along with other aspects of structure considered relevant in establishing the location of buried petroleum-bearing horizons. Translated from: Geomorfologiya, 1988, No. 1, pp. 69-73.     

SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS OF LAND PARAMETERS AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM OF CLIMATE RESEARCH

The role of remote sensing in one aspect of the World Climate Research Program is summarized. More specifically, unresolved theoretical and methodological problems are outlined for the use of remote sensing imagery (in conjunction with the International Land Surface Climatology Project) to derive quantitative parameters of land (and ice) surface characteristics. These parameters are raw data for models of the overall circulation of the atmosphere, which can be used to generate maps of albedo, surface roughness, hydrology, etc. A list of preliminary standards for satellite monitoring of land surface characteristics is included. Translated from: Izvestiya Vsesoyuznogo Geograficheskogo Obshchestva, 1988, No. 2, pp. 161-165.     

VEGETATION AS A CRITERION FOR INTERPRETING THE MOISTURE REGIME OF A LANDSCAPE

Vegetation signatures on aerial photographs and space imagery are used as indicators of soil moisture differences in a Siberian taiga landscape. The authors use remote sensing products to identify all major habitat types resulting from variable soil moisture regimes that were observed on the ground. These types are described, as are their interpretation keys and the effects of scale change on habitat discrimination. Translated from: Kosmicheskiye metody izucheniya prirodnoy sredy Sibiri i Dal'nego Vostoka, Novosibirsk, 1983, pp. 63-74.     

USE OF SPACE IMAGERY IN THE FOREST ECONOMY

This paper provides a broad overview of current Soviet applications of remote sensing in the performance of forest inventories and related valuational studies, and in the production of derivative thematic maps—in particular, the photostatistical method of forest inventory based on interactive computer-assisted interpretation of satellite imagery and large-scale air photos. The ultimate future objective is the formation of a unified remote sensing-geographic information system for forest management and inventory purposes that will encompass the entire forested area of the country. Advances in the use of satellite imagery in the monitoring of forest fires, insect infestations, and rangeland deterioration have also been made since the late 1970s. Translated from: Geodeziya i kartografiya, 1986, No. 4, pp. 30–36.     

THE STUDY AND MAPPING OF HUMAN IMPACTS ON NATURE IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE USSR USING SPACE IMAGERY

The authors present the results of experiments in the use of remote sensing imagery for construction of maps depicting human modification of nature. Four diverse areas within the USSR were selected as mapping sites, providing a broad range of environmental and land-use characteristics for investigation. Human impacts were most effectively mapped for two desert sites. The authors recommend combining satellite imagery with terrestrial spectrometric observations or color-infrared photography in investigations of environmental change in steppeland and forested territory. Translated from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1984, No. 6, pp. 11-18.     

CBERS-02B星数据质量评价及其铀成矿要素解译应用研究

利用遥感影像处理技术和数理统计方法,评价了中巴地球资源一号卫星02B星（CBERS—02B,以下简称02B星）遥感数据的空间特性和辐射特征,并与ETM＋多光谱数据主要特征参数进行了对比分析。在此基础上,以江西桃山花岗岩型铀矿田为试验区,结合航空放射性数据,开展了基于02B星遥感数据的控矿断裂带、热液蚀变带及主要成矿岩体等铀成矿要素的光谱特征识别与提取,并对该数据的地学应用潜力进行了评价。     

AERIAL AND SPACE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE STUDY OF GEOSYSTEM DYNAMICS

A Siberian geographer explores real and potential applications of remote sensing imagery in research on geosystem dynamics. Four different methodological approaches to the analysis of geosystem dynamics are identified and described: comparison of heterochronous and seasonal imagery, geosystem forecasting and reconstruction based on image analysis, determination of current state and extant geosystem trends, analysis of linkages and interactions among geosystem components. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1992, No. 4, pp. 140-146.     

INTERPRETATION OF ECOLOGICAL-SOIL CHARACTERISTICS OF WOODED STEPPE ZONE IN THE CENTRAL RUSSIAN UPLAND

The authors describe how remote sensing imagery can be employed in the identification of different types of chernozem soils in a predominantly agricultural zone (forest steppe), where natural vegetation (normally one of the best vegetation indicators) has been largely displaced by farm fields. A multi-stage methodology is outlined whereby small-scale imagery is used to delineate large regions of similar bioclimatic-geologic characteristics, from which areas of similar soil formation conditions are distinguished. Multispectral and multitemporal space imagery then is employed to detect less salient ecological-soil differences that can affect phototone and image texture. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: G. V. Dobrovol'skiy and V. L. Andronikov, eds., Aerokosmicheskiye metody v pochvovedenii i ikh ispol'zovaniye v sel'skom khozyaystve: sbornik nauchnykh trudov [Remote Sensing Methods in Soil Science and Their Utilization in Agriculture: A Collection of Scientific Works]. Moscow: Nauka, 1990, pp 103–109.     

REMOTE SENSING-BASED MONITORING OF GEOSYSTEMS USING MORPHOMETRIC METHODS

A Russian geographer assesses past experience with (and potential applications of) the principles and methods of landscape morphometry in the remote sensing-based monitoring of geosystems. Considerable attention is devoted to methods of calculating indices measuring the shape, nonuniformity, relative location, proximity, connectivity, and fractal dimensions of strips and patches—two basic types of forms found on remote sensing imagery. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1998, No. 4, pp. 97-103.