IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - June 2019 - 188

◗ Environmental Spectros-

copy. Using a spectroraIF POSSIBLE, STUDENTS
diometer, students learn
SHOULD BE PROVIDED
about t he characteristic
WITH SIMPLE POINT-ANDre f le c tance of different
sur faces. The teac hing
SHOOT CAMERAS AND BE
staff explains the NDVI
REQUIRED TO CONVERT
by showing students how
THEM TO NDVI CAMERAS.
to analyze the reflectance
spectra of plants, soil, and
other surfaces.
◗ Earth Observation by Satellite. The students analyze satellite data with the relevant GIS software, e.g., the educational software LEOWorks (http://leoworks.terrasigna
.com/). They download the data and classify different
surfaces according to the NDVI.
◗ Infrared Measurement Technology. For a deeper understanding of electromagnetic radiation, students experiment
with different infrared devices, e.g., near-infrared and
thermal cameras. They observe the high reflectance of
vegetation in the near-infrared spectral region.

(a)

(b)
FIGURE 4. (a) Munich students launching a UAV close to a lake.

(b) The NDVI camera and a nonmodified reference camera were
mounted on the UAV's landing skid with tape.
188

Finally, the day ends with a wrap-up for the whole
group. By this point, each group will have an expert in
each aspect of the project; therefore, the group as a whole
has the necessary expertise to plan and execute its own
measurement campaign and address the challenges that
arise. If possible, students should be provided with simple point-and-shoot cameras and be required to convert
them to NDVI cameras. If not, they can be provided with
converted cameras. Thereafter, each group has to find
an area suitable for measurement and acquire the NDVI
images. Possible carrier platforms for the cameras are
tethered balloons or, if available, UAVs. The students are
instructed to investigate their research areas thoroughly
and take close-up pictures in the infrared and visible
spectral bands with nonconverted cameras and with their
converted cameras. All the gathered data are stored for
subsequent analysis.
After data analysis, each group is required to present its
results in the form of an oral presentation, poster, or scientific report. They should present their results to their peers
and, if possible, to the academic staff at their institution.
At the end of the program, project supervisors identify the
strengths and weaknesses of the students' campaigns and
give critical feedback. This teaching concept was evaluated in a joint German-Israeli student project, which is described in the following section as a best-practice example.
A JOINT GERMAN-ISRAELI SCHOOL PROJECT
ON REMOTE SENSING OF VEGETATION
Because remote sensing means gathering information
without physical contact, it seemed best to conduct the
proposed student research project in such a way that real
physical contact was not readily possible. Other reasons
to teach this remote sensing project as a joint international
project include
◗ learning about environmental aspects relevant to the
different countries, such as water and food supply
◗ studying and comparing the different vegetation in different climate zones
◗ learning how to apply digital media to provide, exchange,
and discuss data and interpretations; in this project,
web2.0 techniques were needed to keep in contact.
The international student research project on remote
sensing of vegetation using the NDVI cameras was conducted by the EPIF of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
and the DLR School Lab, the student lab of DLR Oberpfaffenhofen [8]. For each country, 16 high school students
aged 16-18 years (from Beer-Sheva and Munich) performed
measurement campaigns in their respective environments
(Figure 4). The students maintained contact with one another via social media.
The students' project started with a day at the EPIF or
DLR, according to the project plan described previously. The
German students chose their region of interest and acquired
their data using cameras mounted on a UAV (https://www
.dji.com/de/phantom-3-standard). The Israeli students
IEEE GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING MAGAZINE

JUNE 2019

http://leoworks.terrasigna.com/ http://leoworks.terrasigna.com/ http://www.dji.com/de/phantom-3-standard http://www.dji.com/de/phantom-3-standard

IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - June 2019

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