MSc Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications
After my first degree, I studied for an MSc in Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications, at the University of Dundee. The 1 year course included a 6 month taught element, and a 6 month research element. The subjects on the taught element included:
- Orbital Mechanics,
- Terrestrial Geology and Geomorphology,
- Space Platforms,
- Planetary Physics,
- Atmospheric Physics,
- Software Engineering,
- Optical Image Processing,
- Digital Image Processing,
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS),
- Surveying,
- IR, UV, Optical and Radar Remote Sensing,
- Photogrammetry.
The software engineering was taught using the C programming language, and the programming assignments ranged from:
- Histogram Equalisation of Satellite Images
- Calculating Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from visible and near infrared AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) channels onboard the NOAA satellites
- Edge Enhancement of Satellite Imagery
- Reading input from AVHRR HRPT files, identifying minor frame details, performing image analysis on the HRPT files and outputting the AVHRR data to various output file channels
RESEARCH - MARTIAN ANALYSIS FROM THE PHOBOS-2 SPACECRAFT
The 6 month research thesis was titled:
An analysis of Martian surface anomalies using the Phobos-2 spacecraft.
This involved collaboration with and visits to Research Institutes in Russia, to gain a detailed understanding into the nature of the research, and into Russian spacecraft design and operations. The research also resulted in a number of poster presentations and papers.
Data was analysed predominantly from the Hesperia Planum region of Mars, using the Thermoscan Optical / Infrared Spectrometer onboard the Phobos-2 spacecraft - a spacecraft which went dead after only a few days in Mars orbit, but still managed to return some superb images of Mars in the visible and infra-red ranges.
The research examined the hypothesis that the surface origin of airborne plumes observed by the Thermoscan instrument were endogenic in nature, and caused by Martian permafrost deposits outgassing, or whether they were simply aeolian features.
