Preface

Remote sensing is an important tool in environmental management, providing up-todate, detailed information about the environment condition and use. The integrated use of remote sensing with other established technologies or tools, such as GIS, provides a complementary capability for cost-effective means of assessing characteristics over landscape-scale areas and also periodically updating basic data. The combined use of remote sensing with other methods has proved increasingly valuable for the analysis and interpretation of the remotely sensed data acquired from airborne, space-borne or ground remote sensing sensors.

This book covers the latest developments in remote sensing theory and applications by numerous researchers, experts and collaborators of the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Lab of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics of the Cyprus University of Technology. All the Chapter contributions are selected outcomes from funded research projects from the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Lab. Seven chapters have been selected with the objective of exploring the beneficial use of remote sensing for environmental monitoring applications. The main highlight of this book is the integration of several techniques such as satellite remote sensing, field spectroscopy, smart sensors, ground techniques for achieving an integrated method for the systematic monitoring of the environment.

Chapter 1 contains detailed contents of how Earth observation data along with ground meteorological data are used for the study of the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon in Cyprus.

Chapter 2 discusses the implementation of the most widely used models for estimating evapotranspiration and irrigation demand using satellite imagery.

Chapter 3 presents a brief overview of the evolution of remote sensing in archaeological research as well as several applications of applied remote sensing techniques through different case studies in Cyprus and Greece. In this chapter, several techniques of remote sensing have been presented including earth observation from satellite, airborne low altitude systems, archived aerial imagery, geophysical surveys, 3D terrestrial laser scanners, field spectroscopy and GIS analysis.

#### XII Preface

Chapter 4 shows how the integrated use of satellite remote sensing and GIS technology can contribute substantially to the sustainable management of a watershed basin. Interpretation of multi-spectral satellite sensor data were able to examine the development of updated land use and land cover maps and record of the urban sprawl phenomenon in a catchment area.

Chapter 5 describes how remote sensing has been used to monitor water quality in inland waters such as dams in Cyprus using spectro-radiometric measurements, smart-platforms and satellite imagery. The use of an innovative, energy-autonomous floating sensor platform (buoy) is introduced for the wireless monitoring of turbidity data. The use of field spectroscopy for defining the appropriate spectral region in which water quality parameters are retrieved prior to the use of satellite imagery has been introduced.

Chapter 6 shows how remote sensing techniques are able to detect areas of the pipelines with water leakages. Indeed, ground spectro-radiometric data along with the low altitude system provided a useful tool for the detection of water leakages.

Chapter 7 contains detailed contents of how Earth observation, sun-photometric, Lidar techniques and particulate matter measurements are integrated to monitor air pollution. Finally, this chapter highlights of how model simulation is used to retrieve aerosol optical thickness values.

I would like to express my sincere thanks, gratitude and appreciation to my team members at the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Lab as well to my collaborators who have contributed to this book. Without their strong commitment, this book would not have been possible. I am also thankful to InTech editorial team who has provided the opportunity to publish this book.

> **Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis**  Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics Head of the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Research Lab Faculty of Engineering and Technology Cyprus University of Technology Cyprus

X Preface

been introduced.

aerosol optical thickness values.

the opportunity to publish this book.

sprawl phenomenon in a catchment area.

Chapter 4 shows how the integrated use of satellite remote sensing and GIS technology can contribute substantially to the sustainable management of a watershed basin. Interpretation of multi-spectral satellite sensor data were able to examine the development of updated land use and land cover maps and record of the urban

Chapter 5 describes how remote sensing has been used to monitor water quality in inland waters such as dams in Cyprus using spectro-radiometric measurements, smart-platforms and satellite imagery. The use of an innovative, energy-autonomous floating sensor platform (buoy) is introduced for the wireless monitoring of turbidity data. The use of field spectroscopy for defining the appropriate spectral region in which water quality parameters are retrieved prior to the use of satellite imagery has

Chapter 6 shows how remote sensing techniques are able to detect areas of the pipelines with water leakages. Indeed, ground spectro-radiometric data along with the

Chapter 7 contains detailed contents of how Earth observation, sun-photometric, Lidar techniques and particulate matter measurements are integrated to monitor air pollution. Finally, this chapter highlights of how model simulation is used to retrieve

I would like to express my sincere thanks, gratitude and appreciation to my team members at the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Lab as well to my collaborators who have contributed to this book. Without their strong commitment, this book would not have been possible. I am also thankful to InTech editorial team who has provided

**Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis** 

Cyprus

Faculty of Engineering and Technology Cyprus University of Technology

Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics Head of the Remote Sensing and Geo-Environment Research Lab

low altitude system provided a useful tool for the detection of water leakages.

**Chapter 1**

**Satellite and Ground Measurements**

Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis, Adrianos Retalis,

Dimitrios Paronis, Kyriacos Themistocleous and

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Silas Michaelides, Filippos Tymvios,

Athos Agapiou

**1. Introduction**

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/39313

**for Studying the Urban Heat Island Effect in Cyprus**

An urban heat island (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby an urban area experiences elevated air temperatures due to anthropogenic modification of the environment and is usually more evident at night. During heat waves the local effect of an UHI is superimposed on the re‐ gional temperature field and as a result heat stress is enhanced. Both the intensity and the spatial structure of the observed thermal contrast of the UHI depend on various parameters, such as the structure of the urban tissue, the population density and its associated heat re‐ lease, the land use patterns, the vegetation cover, the surface topography and relief etc. In general terms, the UHI is becoming more intense as city sizes increase. Traditional measure‐ ments of the near-surface UHI are based on measurements of the air temperature using ur‐ ban and rural weather stations or air temperature transects. Thermal satellite sensors, which primarily measure the radiance at the top of the atmosphere in the thermal infrared, retrieve the so called land surface temperature (LST) which is the temperature measured at the Earth's surface and is regarded as its skin temperature. Given that LST is different from the surface air temperature, a distinction is made in remote sensing studies between surface ur‐

Several studies published in the literature have focused on the use of remotely sensed data for studying the urban heat island effect (Dousset & Gourmelon, 2003; Kato & Yamaguchi, 2005; Lo & Quattrochi, 2003; Streutker, 2002; Tran et al., 2006; Xiao et al., 2007; Yuanbo et al., 2007). Other relevant studies are focusing on the validation of satellite LST retrievals with

> © 2013 Hadjimitsis et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2013 Hadjimitsis et al.; licensee InTech. This is a paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ban heat island (SUHI) and atmospheric heat island (e.g., Nichol, 1996).
