ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses a brief background of remote sensing and then touches on the convergence of remote sensing with geographic information systems (GIS). Modern GIS originated as scientists began to apply computerized data analysis approaches within their respective disciplines. Geographers/cartographers, computer scientists, and natural resource scientists are among those who had a hand in the rapid growth and adoption of this technology. Because of the convergence and synergism between remote sensing and GIS, scientists and managers have gained a capacity to understand natural systems in ways that have not been previously possible. These multidisciplinary collaborations have fueled the exponential growth in the knowledge of biological systems in space and time.