Remote sensor types are the platforms that acquire imagery or other measurements of the earth’s surface. They can be satellite-, aircraft-, or ground-based. Most remote sensing methods can be applied to more than one sensor type and sometimes many types. The list below is by no means comprehensive, but it represents the most common remote sensor types used in aridland ecosystems. If you’re looking for information on a sensor type that’s not listed here, please contact us.
| Name | Abbreviation | Resolution (m) | Availability | Return Interval | Type* | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer | MODIS | 250,500,1000 | 2000 to present | Daily | M | Satellite |
| Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer | AVIRIS | 5,20 | 1998 to present | On demand | H | Aircraft |
| Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer | ASTER | 15,30,90 | 2000 to present | On demand | M | Satellite |
| Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 | TM5 | 30,60 | 1984 to 2013 | 16 days | M | Satellite |
| Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper 7 | TM7 | 15,30,60 | 1995 to 2003 | 16 days | P,M | Satellite |
| Landsat Data Continuity Mission (Landsat 8) | LDCM | 15,30,100 | 2013 to present | 16 days | P,M | Satellite |
| Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre 5 | SPOT5 | 2.5,10 | 2002 to present | 1 to 4 days | P,M | Satellite |
| Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre 1-4 | SPOT1-4 | 20 | 1986 to present | 1 to 4 days | P,M | Satellite |
| Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre Vegetation | SPOT Vegetation | 1150 | 1998 to present | daily | M | Satellite |
| RapidEye | RapidEye | 5 | 2008 to present | Daily | M | Satellite |
| Quickbird | Quickbird | 0.8,2.5 | 2001 to present | 1 to 3.5 days | P,M | Satellite |
| OrbView-2 | OrbView-2 | 1100 | 1997 to present | Daily | M | Satellite |
| Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer | MISR | 275 | 2000 to present | 9 days | M | Satellite |
| Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer | ENVISAT-MERIS | 300 | 2002 to present | 3 days | M | Satellite |
| Landsat Multi-spectral Scanner | MSS | 80 | 1972 to 1997 | 18 days | M | Satellite |
| IKONOS | IKONOS | 0.9,4 | 2001 to present | 3 days | P,M | Satellite |
| GeoEye-1 | GeoEye-1 | .41,1.65 | 2008 to present | 3 days | P,M | Satellite |
| FORMOSAT-2 | FORMOSAT-2 | 2,8 | 2004 to present | Daily | P,M | Satellite |
| Color-infrared Aerial Photography | CIR | 1 | variable | On demand | M | Aircraft |
| Color Aerial Photography | Photo | 1 | variable | On demand | C | Aircraft |
| WorldView-1 | Worldview-1 | 0.5 | 2007 to present | 1.7 to 4.6 days | P | Satellite |
| Radarsat-2 | Radarsat-2 | 3 to 100 | 2008 to present | On demand | R | Satellite |
| Radarsat-1 | Radarsat-1 | 8 to 100 | 1995 to present | 4 to 6 days | R | Satellite |
| Panchromatic Areial Photography | B/W Photo | 1 | variable | On demand | P | Aircraft |
| Advanced Synthetic Aperature Radar | ENVISAT-ASAR | 30,150,1000 | 2002 to present | 3 days | R | Satellite |
| Worldview-2 | Worldview-2 | 0.42,1.8 | 2009 to present | 1.1 days | P,M | Satellite |
| Light Detection and Ranging | LIDAR | variable | variable | On demand | E | Aircraft |
| Unmanned Aircraft Systems | UAS, UAV | variable | variable | On demand | C,M | Aircraft |
| Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer | AVHRR | 1.1km | 1981 to present | twice daily | M | Satellite |
| Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer | CHRIS | 18,36 | 2001 to present | 7 days | H | Satellite |
| Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 | AVNIR-2 | 10 | 2004 to 2011 | 46 days | M | Satellite |
** *C=Color, E=Elevation, H=Hyperspectral, M=Multispectral, P=Panchromatic, R=Syntheric Aperature Radar **