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Module Figure 3
4

Figure 3a: distrubution of animal
different governorates of Oman
units in the different governorates Figure 3b: Rainfall in the
2005
of Oman 2005
9-12 December, 2013

Legend: Legend:
? Darker areas – higher numbers of ? Darker areas – higher rainfall.

animal units ? Lighter areas – lower rainfall.
? Lighter areas – lower numbers of
animal units

Remotely sensed data

What is remote sensing?

Essentially, we can describe remote sensing as a technique used to acquire images of the Earth’s land
and water surface, and to provide data on features on the face of the Earth without the observer
being in direct contact with the object of observation. These images are taken with devices sensitive to
electromagnetic energy such as:

? light - cameras and scanners;

? heat - thermal scanners; and
? radio waves - radar.

Remotely sensed data are useful when data are difficult to acquire, such as when the area is difficult to
access, or the areas of interest cross country boundaries. In other cases, it is useful when the cost of
acquiring ground-based data for extensive areas, for which SoE reports are often required, is beyond
the means of many governments and organizations. For these cases, remote sensing provides a partial
solution for data acquisition for SoE reporting. But even for areas where conventional methods have
been used to acquire data, remote sensing still provides many added advantages.

24 Monitoring, Data and Indicators