Progress of remote sensing in Australia

Abstract

During the past year multispectral photography and thermal infra-red scanning have been introduced to the region. The Cartwright multilens camera and the Daedalus thermal scanner have opened entirely new remote sensing horizons to consumers including government agencies, mining companies, forestry departments and municipal authorities. Much of the introduction has been via comprehensive test programmes over well known and documented features. Multispectral photography has been successfully used in several Queensland and Tasmanian mining areas as an aid to geological mapping, and by highway authorities in New South Wales. Thermal infra-red scanning has been carried out in the Territory of Papua New Guinea in search for geothermal areas and has proved highly successful in the search for upwelling fresh water into the ocean along coastal areas ultimately for a source of fresh water. Pollution studies involving oil slicks, sewerage, thermal pollution and illegal releasing of industrial waste have taken place in and around major population centres on the east coast using thermal detection techniques. Undoubtedly one of the major contributions thermal infra-red scanning has achieved is in the mineral exploration field. The large arid regions of Australia lend themselves well to presunrise scanning, where as a direct result of the work undertaken, significantly large new mineral discoveries have been made. Additional research and development further into the remote sensing field are taking place in Universities, quasi-governmental agencies and in the private sector like ourselves. The future looks bright for remote sensing in this part of the world and through same are continuing to further improve the environment we live in.