Remote Sensing, also refered to as Earth Observation, generally refers to the use of satellite, airborne, water or ground-based sensor technologies to capture information about the earth, including the surface of land, the atmosphere and water bodies.
The remote sensing team is made up a team in Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics in Inuvik and a team in Yellowknife. They provide expertise and services in:
- raster data analysis;
- tasking for data collection to meet specific project needs;
- airborne and satellite based earth observation data;
- Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, (RPAS) coordination across the GNWT;
- data warehousing;
Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics
The Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics was established in 2018 and builds on previous investments in the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility and the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line toward builing a northen digital economy. The centre is co-located in the Aurora Research Institute in the town of Inuvik and is a regional office of the NWT Centre for Geomatics. The Centre's mission is to:
- Establish monitoring programs on natural and economic resources and infrastructure in the NWT using remote sensing technology;
- Build and support applied science research opportunities that leverage remote sensing technology and data in collaboration with the Aurora Research Institute to provide decision support for governments and communities of the NWT;
- Promote the value of remote sensing and the geomatics sector, as well as the open data and map resources available through the NWT Centre for Geomatics to support decision making.
Remote Sensing Products
The remote sensing team uses specialized software in combination with data from multiple sensors to generate a variety of data products. For instance, RADAR-based sensors can be used to show ground movements related to changing permafrost, as well as ice thickness. Other sensors that combine various wavelenths of the light spectrum have been used to assess burn severity, classify vegetation types and assess landscape change. RPAS (also known as drones) technology has been used to develop surface models of the terrain, which can demonstrate volumes of changes for ground movement or resource extraction.