Content area
Full text
James B. Campbell. New York: The Guilford Press, 1996, 622 pp. ISBN 1-57230-041-8 (hardcover)
Remote sensing is inherently interdisciplinary. The practitioner needs to understand image acquisition and processing, and also needs a firm grasp of what kind of information will be extracted and how it will be used. The discipline is heavily dependent on technology, and evolving rapidly. All these factors make production of a solid, up-to-date textbook both urgent and difficult. James Campbell has compressed much information into the second edition of his text. It will be very useful, both as a textbook for introductory and intermediate remote-sensing courses, and as a general reference for nonspecialists wanting to educate themselves in the field. In addition, Campbell has made the book attractive to students by including advice on the place of remote sensing in the curriculum and in their career plans. Students will also appreciate the detailed how-to sections when tackling assignments involving image processing and interpretation.
The book begins with some of the basics of electromagnetic radiation and image acquisition, and data on the Landsat and SPOT images. A section on image analysis and interpretation follows. Throughout, the acquisition and interpretation of air photos is well integrated with discussion of digital images. The book concludes with extensive information on applications. Each chapter contains review questions designed to integrate the student's understanding of...