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Remote sensing is the act of aquiring information on an object, area, or phenomena without making physical contact with it. One of the simplest and oldest forms of remote sensing is using a camera to take a picture. This method may be the oldest but it is still in use today and has since been enhanced with digital camera.

As technology evolved, so did the methods and capabilities of remote sensing. Today a multitude of platforms, including helicopters, planes, drones and even satellites are used to carry the sensors that observe and gather imagry from all areas of Earth. Different sensors use different parts (spectral bands) of the electromagnetic spectrum to gather this data. Some sensors sense radiation from different parts of the visible spectrum (this is light that you and I can see), some sense infrared radation (such as thermal/heat) while others can detect microwaves.

There are two types of sensors, Passive and Active. Passive sensors observe radiation that is emmited by the object, or that is reflected by the object from an external source (i.e. the sun). Active sensors send out their own electromagnetic waves, such as radar. The waves are then relfected by the surface of the Earth and bouce back towards the sensor.

With the aid of remote sensing we are now able to observe and better understand areas that are otherwise difficult to reach.

Aerial photography was once the most common method of remote sensing used for habitat mapping and even population counts. Eventually satellite imagery was used more often, either to replace or improve aerial photography. With improvements in software and reductions in cost, remote sensing became a more widely used tool for mapping habitats.

The group Ducks Unlimited paired up with NASA in the 1980s and became an early pioneer for satellite remote sensing by using Landsat images to map waterfowl habitat. Ducks Unlimited continues to use a variety of remote sensors for habitat monitoring and change detection.

Since then, remotely sensed imagery has been used in the management of many wildlife species. In 1985, Palmeirim used Landsat imagry to identify potential release sites for the reintroduction of ruffed grouse in Kansas.

Such practices continue today as many agencies and organizations use remotely sensed data for the monitoring and mapping of wildlife habitats and population studies. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Bureau of Land Mangement, and the U.S. Forest Service are among the many that do so.

From aerial high definition videography to observe hunting techniques to satelitte imagry to identify and locate key areas of habitat, remote sensing has lead to a greater understanding of the world we share and how to better help species in need.