GEO4520 – Advanced Remote Sensing: Natural Hazards and Climate Change

The course introduces advanced methods of remote sensing in geosciences, in particular those useful for monitoring natural hazards and climate change. These methods include the generation of digital elevation models from satellite sensors, measurement of Earth surface displacements from satellites, change detection methods, and thermal remote sensing. Typical remote sensing applications to natural hazards covered in the course are slope and mass movements, avalanches, debris flows, floods or forest fires. Typical climate change applications include changes in land surface temperature, as well as snow and glacier cover.

Special emphasis is given to current research and modern sensors, and the topics covered are adjusted depending on the background of the students and their interest.

After completing the course, you will be able to

• explain how optical digital images can be used to generate digital elevation models
• understand the principles and applications of radar interferometry
• describe the physical principles behind thermal radiation and how it can be exploited in remote sensing
• compare different methods to detect changes in digital images and to calculate surface displacements based on them
• apply satellite imagery to derive important land surface parameters such as surface temperature, snow cover, soil moisture or vegetation parameters
• communicate results from two of your own remote sensing projects in oral and written form
• reflect on your own experiences from analysis of digital elevation models, topographic classification methods and thermal remote sensing, and their application in environmental sciences

with special emphasis on applications to natural hazards and climate change.

Both master's students and PhD candidates can take this course.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb. If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to master's students who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included.

The course has a max capacity of 20 students. If there are more than 20 applicants for the course, applicants will be ranked after the following categories:

1. Master's students in Geosciences admitted to one of the following programme options (not prioritized order):
   • Geosciences (master)
   • CS: Geoscience (programme option)
2. PhD candidates from the University of Oslo
3. Other students

Applicants will be ranked by the number of ECTS-credits within each category: all applicants within category 1 are ranked before applicants in category 2. If there are space limitations in the course, available places will be given to students selected randomly within the same category.

Based on experience, there is generally room for everyone who applies for admission to the course within the deadline.

• GEO3515 – Remote Sensing of the Earth surface / GEG2240 – Introduction to remote sensing (continued) or similar courses/knowledge
• GEO3460 – Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Geographical Data Acquisition / GEG2250 – Introduction in surveying, photogrammetry and spatial analysis (continued) or similar courses/knowledge
• MAT1100 – Calculus / MAT1001 – Mathematics 1 (discontinued) or similar courses/knowledge
• IN1900 – Introduction to Programming with Scientific Applications / INF1100 – Introduction to programming with scientific applications (continued) or similar courses/knowledge

Also, good basics in physics and geosciences are useful.

Teaching consists of lectures, lab/computer training, project work, e-learning, and student presentations.

1-2 scientific essays on curriculum literature and 2 project presentations must have been approved before you sit the final examination.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the course responsible.

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

• 1-2 scientific essays on curriculum literature and 2 project presentations must have been approved before you sit the final examination.
• 2 project reports count ca. 50% (ca. 25% each) towards the final grade.
• A final examination (written or oral depending on student numbers) counts ca. 50% towards the final grade.
• Both the 2 project reports and the final examination must be passed separately in order for you to pass the course.

If there are less than 10 students admitted to the course, the final examination will be given as an oral examination.

Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:

• GEO9520

Courses taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English.

You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.