NEON AZIMUTH #3 - remote sensing - January 16, 1995 - by Paul McGinnis
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"Despite America's overall character as an open society, there exist many
 good-sized military reservations to which access is denied. These could
 be probed through the use of satellite photography."
 -- quote from OTA report "The Future of Remote Sensing from Space", July 1993.

This is an introduction to the science of remote sensing, a "poor man's NRO"
if you will. Remote sensing includes satellite and aerial photography,
digital radars (such as SAR - Synthetic Aperture Radar), and thermal
imaging. The technologies used are evolving rapidly and are used for
environmental, as well as military purposes. For example, earth scientists
use geographic information systems (GIS), which are large computer
databases, to combine different kinds of data, such as moisture content
of soil, steepness of terrain, and land use, to study problems such as
soil erosion.

Technologies that were once shrouded in secrecy by organizations such as
the Central Intelligence Agency or the National Reconnaissance Office,
are now widely used and easily available. You don't have to own a private
U-2 airplane to use remote sensing, since computer datasets are routinely
sold, at relatively inexpensive prices. If you've ever wondered what was
hidden in a restricted area, remote sensing is for you.


The EROS Data Center
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The U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
sells a vast collection of aerial and satellite photographs, remote sensing
datasets, and more. You should consider it as "one stop shopping" for most of
your remote sensing needs, especially if you are an American civilian. They
also provide assistance in searching for the material that you need. As
an introduction to what they have, you can request free copies of their
factsheets "Earth Science Publications-Factsheets" and "Earth Science
Information from the U.S. Geological Survey". They can be reached at:
  Department of the Interior/USGS
  EROS Data Center
  Sioux Falls, SD  57198  USA
  telephone: (605) 594-6151
  FAX: (605) 594-6589


Aerial photography
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Aerial photography is the oldest form of remote sensing. The earliest known
aerial photograph was taken in 1858, by a camera on a ballon over Bievre,
France. In addition to aerial photographs taken by private companies,
U.S. government agencies such as NASA and the Department of Agriculture
(Forest Service) have taken aerial photos. One of the best collections
of aerial photographs are the pictures taken by the NHAP (National High
Altitude Photography program, run from 1980 to 1989) and NAPP (National
Aerial Photography Program, 1987 to present). NHAP photos were taken
from 40,000 feet (12,308 meters) and NAPP photos are taken from 20,000
feet (6,159 meters). NHAP and NAPP are programs to try and photograph
all of the continental United States over a number of years -- they are
designed to provide one source of aerial photographs for many civilian
government agencies.

For an explanation of how to find and order aerial photographs, contact
EROS Data Center [see above] and ask for information on aerial photography,
including NHAP and NAPP, such as their factsheet "How to Select and Order
NAPP and NHAP Photographs". You will be sent forms to fill out describing
what you want. This includes the geographic location, photograph type,
date of photograph, etc. The easiest way to find what you are looking
for is to answer yes to the question "Do you have equipment to view
microfiche?". If you answer yes, you will be sent microfiches containing
photos of USGS 1:100,000 maps. There are dots showing where each frame
on a roll of film was taken. There are also outline "boxes" showing the
area covered by a typical frame. Some of the location dots will have
numbers, such as 210-129, which means roll 210, frame 129, while other
dots have no numbers. (You have to count down from the nearest numbered
dot.) Each dot is the center of a photograph, and you can determine
exactly which frame you want, using the map. If there are no dots in an
area, it means that no photograph is available for the area. I recommend
that you borrow a microfiche viewer at your local public library, to
view these index microfiches. (If you explain to the librarian that you
have microfiches of your own to view, you won't have to worry about being
accused of stealing library materials when you take the microfiches home.)
If you want a cheap way of viewing microfiches, you can order a handheld
20x magnification microfiche viewer from:
  Ercona Corp.
  979 New North Ocean Avenue
  Patchogue, NY  11772  USA
  telephone: (516) 758-0700
Their viewer looks like a mutated magnifying glass, but it works and it is
portable. They cost $45.95 apiece plus shipping (call Ercona for the shipping
rate to your area.)

Once you know the roll and frame number of the picture that you want, you can
order photographic prints, or negative transparencies from EROS Data Center.
Prices are comparable to those at commercial photo labs. For example, a
9"x9" (23 cm x 23 cm) B&W print is $6.00, while a 36"x36" (92 x 92 cm)
color infrared print costs $65.00. You can order black-and-white (B&W)
("panchromatic") or color infrared (CIR) prints in 3 sizes (9" x 9", 18" x 18",
36" x 36") (23 cm x 23 cm, 46 cm x 46 cm, 92 x 92 cm). The image scales
range from 1:10,000 to 1:80,000 for different sized photos.

Can you really get aerial photographs of classified areas? I've obtained
a few. My favorite is an 18"x18" picture of Randsburg Wash Test Range
("Sea Site I"), part of the U.S. Navy's complex at China Lake, California.
The Navy described this installation as a "highly classified, sensitive,
electronic warfare facility" to the Bureau of Land Management, yet I obtained
a print of NAPP picture 1844-205 of the facility, taken on August 29, 1989.
It shows a small number of buildings, and roads spread over a large area. There
are gaps in existing coverage though -- for example, parts of the Nevada
Test Site and the Nellis Range were photographed in 1980, but not all of
it, including Groom Lake. NAPP was supposed to photograph Nevada in 1994,
and the index microfiches will be available sometime around the beginning
of April 1995. It will be interesting to see if they have complete coverage,
including Groom Lake, or whether Air Force paranoia prevailed, and they
were prevented from photographing anywhere near the Groom Lake test facility.


Satellite photography
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There is a fantasy that I have, of being able to cheaply obtain satellite
imagery of classified areas, comparable to the 6" (15 cm) resolution
a military KH-12 spy satellite can provide. Unfortunately, the phrase to
remember is "Satellites cost a lot of money!". Satellite imagery is defined in
terms of spatial resolution - for example, a spatial resolution of 10 meters
means that the closest two objects can be, and be identified as separate
objects, is 10 meters. The accepted rule is that the smallest object that
can be detected in a single computer picture element ("pixel") is half the
diameter of the spatial resolution. Sometimes, objects that are highly 
reflective or absorb a lot of light show up intermittently. For example, 
small roads show up in 30 meter resolution Landsat pictures as faint lines
because of this. The spatial resolution of a satellite is also referred
to as the ground sample distance (GSD). It's interesting that civilian
remote sensing satellites don't have as high a resolution as the
military reconnaissance satellites, but instead can image in multiple
spectral bands. This makes it easier to detect camouflage -- it's easier
to hide something in one band (such as the visual spectrum), but harder
to camouflage something from all 7 bands of the Landsat TM sensor, for
example. During the 1991 Gulf War, the multispectral capability of
the American Landsat and the French SPOT satellites were used extensively.

Landsat satellite images are probably the easiest to obtain. Unfortunately,
the inexpensive and easily obtained Landsat 4 and 5 MSS (Multispectral
Scanner) images have a poor spatial resolution of 82 meters. All Landsat
MSS images older than 2 years are available from EROS Data Center -- you
can find what you need from GLIS [see below]. Negative transparencies
in 18.5 cm size are available for only $18.00 apiece -- I've ordered these
and had them printed by a commercial photo lab. A 2x enlargement can be
used for wide area searching, to try and areas that deserve a closer look,
for unknown classified facilities. For example, you can obtain such a
photo of Groom Lake, Nevada (Area 51) as Entity ID LM84366017293X0, taken
in July 23, 1992, with the sun at a high angle to eliminate shadows.

If you have plenty of money, you can order Landsat TM data on computer tapes.
Landsat's TM (Thematic Mapper) sensor has a spatial resolution of 30 meters
and if you want the latest indexed TM dataset showing Groom Lake, you could
order item LTY5393817350X0 from the EROS Data Center. For $4,400, you get
6250 bpi computer tapes covering 10,000 square miles (25,600 square km) of
Southern Nevada, shot in 7 spectral bands (covering wavelengths from 0.45
to 2.35 microns),taken on December 12, 1994. Unfortunately for my readers,
I have neither the computing resources to process reel-to-reel tapes for 
such a large dataset, nor the funds to purchase the dataset... Perhaps I
should start an "Image the secret airbase" fund.

Landsat 6 was supposed to carry an ETM (Enhanced Thematic Mapper) with a
resolution of 15 meters, but Landsat 6 experienced a launch failure on
October 5, 1993. Landsat 7 is scheduled to be launched in 1997 with a 
panchromatic sensor with a resolution of 5 meters and the ability to
take stereoscopic (3-D) images.

The French SPOT (Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre) satellites
seem to be the currently preferred commercial choice, particularly among arms
control researchers. They offer a 10 meter resolution panchromatic sensor
that images in one spectral band (0.51 to 0.73 microns) that produces
quite usable images. For example, I have seen photos (in a book) of Kharg
Island, in the Persian Gulf that show the locations of new antiaircraft
batteries. Examples of SPOT pricing include $1,500 for a film image of
of a 15 km by 15 km "quarter scene", $2,600 for a computer tape of a
60 km by 60 km "full scene", and $1,200 for pre-1990 SPOT "full scenes"
on CD-ROM. There are additional charges in case a SPOT satellite has
to be tasked to image an area or if you want to do tricks like stereoscopic
imaging (with multiple satellite passes). SPOT can also image off-nadir, which
means that a side-looking view can be obtained, instead of just imaging in the
vertical direction. Another advantage of SPOT is that they are a French
company, which means that they probably don't care too much about U.S.
"national security" concerns. SPOT satellites also use a three band infrared
imaging sensor with a resolution of 20 meters. SPOT can be reached at:
  SPOT Image Corporation
  1897 Preston White Drive
  Reston, VA  22091-4368  USA
  telephone: (703) 715-3100
         -or-
  SPOT IMAGE
  5 rue des Satellites
  F-31031 Toulouse Cedex  FRANCE
  telephone: (+33) 62 19 40 40

The highest resolution available on existing commercial satellites is that
provided by the Russian KVR-1000 orbiting cameras. These satellites are
used by Russian intelligence and send back film canisters to Earth in
re-entry pods. The images that are sold have been processed to decrease
their resolution to 2 meters -- the actual resolution is believed to be
0.4 meters. Both photographic prints and scanned computer images are
available. SPOT Image has a contract with Sojuzkarta to sell 5-6 meter
imagery at prices ranging from $1,560 to $3,800 per scene. I've misplaced
the address for the 2 meter resolution photos. I'm not sure of the ground
area that the KVR-1000 images cover, but apparently, scene sizes can
range from 4 km by 4 km to 40 km by 40 km. Caveat Emptor - there have
been reports of long delays in delivery of KVR-1000 pictures, as well
as a policy of not selling photos of Russia.

In the next 2 to 3 years, high resolution (less than 4 meters) satellites
such as Eyeglass and SIS will be launched. It will be interesting to
see how nations cope with anyone being able to order detailed images of
previously prohibited areas. One military document I saw indicated a
fear of "mediasats" during future military operations. It will become
quite easy for agencies like CNN to show current satellite imagery of
of a war zone on the evening news.


Other technologies
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Remote sensing includes more than just optical methods, and I've been
tinkering with digital radar data lately. One of the problems with
aerial and satellite photography is that areas can be covered with clouds
negating any image. This isn't a problem too often for restricted areas
in the U.S., which tend to be in the deserts of the western U.S., but
is a real big problem elsewhere. Digital radars such as SAR (Synthetic
Aperture Radar) can "see" through the clouds, and produce an image similar
to a black-and-white photograph. An example of a digital radar is the
highly classified U.S. satellite program code-named LACROSSE. Digital
radars also can detect metallic objects quite easily and "see" some
distance underground. (This is how NASA located the lost city of Urum
under the Arabian desert.) Computer datasets taken with SLAR (Side Looking
Airborne Radar) are available from EROS Data Center. I will discuss my use
of SLAR data in more detail below.

Another type of digital remote sensing data that can be used is Digital
Elevation Models (DEM) and Digital Line Graphs (DLG) to produce
3-dimensional views of the terrain in an area. For example, NASA imaging
specialist Dave Schmitz (schmitz@nas.nasa.gov) has produced excellent
models of the terrain around Groom Lake. Color GIF images of hese are
available by Internet FTP to host ftp.shell.portal.com in the directory
/pub/trader/pictures/smitty.


Intelligence techniques
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Determing where to collect remotely sensed data can be a real challenge.
If you know an area is classified, half the battle is won. Otherwise, you
have to look for clues to indicate that something is there. For example,
Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) maps show power lines leading into the Groom
Lake, Nevada area, but there are no markings to show that a large, secret
installation is up there. You can also look for other clues, such as 
maps showing roads (especially paved) going into military reservations
or restricted areas, and not appearing to go to anything in particular.
U.S. intelligence analysts used to follow railroad tracks in U-2 and
satellite imagery, to find out where they led to in the former Soviet
Union.

Even if you obtain good clues, you will not always find clear evidence
of a classified facility. For example, I obtained Landsat-5 MSS image
LM5033037009229290, taken on October 18, 1992, which covers a broad
area in New Mexico. I did this because I have some evidence that there
is a classified facility somewhere under the military restricted airspace
R-5107B, which covers White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force
base. This restricted area is quite large - I estimated that it covered
4,500 square miles (11,520 square km). Studying the Landsat image, I found
something that appeared to be a runway, at least 8,000 feet (2,462 meters)
long. This anomaly was dark line, perfectly straight, running in a
northwest direction. My estimate placed it near 106 degrees 33' West,
33 degrees 8' North. According to my DMA charts, nothing was supposed
to be there. (This area is east of Skillet Knob peak, south of Mt. Baldy).
However, the DMA charts showed another anomaly to the east, a large
circular area, surrounded by a ring with 10 "X"s on it. My guess is that
this could be a direction finding array of antennas. I obtained 2 NHAP
aerial photographs of the area (308-128 and 308-126), taken on May 11, 1986.
Neither photo showed the "runway" that appeared in the 1992 Landsat image,
but picture 308-128 showed the circular anomaly as a large cleared area,
approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) in diameter, with an access road around
the perimeter and a building where the map showed a heliport. For some
reason, the DMA chart did not show an adjacent, smaller cleared circular
area approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in diameter.

Whether or not the Landsat image shows a runway at a previously unknown
classified location is unclear. It occupies a much larger pixel width than
other roads in the area, but it could be a very wide road. It could also
be an airstrip used for bombing practice by aircraft, such as the one
at Gold Flat, on the Nellis Range, Nevada. Whatever the "runway" is, it
doesn't appear in the 1986 aerial photos. The 1992 DMA map shows
extensive new road construction in the area that doesn't appear in the 1986
aerial photos, and are too small to resolve in the 1992 Landsat image.
Thus, it still remains a mystery and further research is needed.


The computer revolution
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The most important trend in remote sensing is the digitization of the
data. If you can obtain the data in an electronic format, you can do
any manipulation you want to it. For example, if you have a dataset and
you notice that known roads have a numerical value of 30 to 39 for each
pixel (sample)  that contains a road, you could have every pixel with
that range appear in red on your computer screen, to highlight all
the roads that were imaged. There are programs, such as JPL's PC-based
IMDISP that let you do just that, plus numerous other data enhancing
tricks.

For another example of computer enhancement, Internet users can FTP to
ftp.shell.portal.com, and look in the directory /pub/trader/pictures/SLAR.
This directory contains some examples of my work with digital remote
sensing, and SLAR in particular. There are before and after GIF images
(and "raw" binary datasets) of the Indian Springs AAF military air field in
Nevada, that I used for training in remote sensing. I developed a method
for enhancing the resolution of an image by adapting bilinear interpolation
algorithms to double the number of pixels in an image. (The new pixels are
averaged from adjacent pixels.) The ANSI C source code for this is in
the file /pub/trader/pictures/datafill.c . Be sure to read the file
00readme.SLAR if you plan on downloading anything from the SLAR directory -
it will provide a more detailed explanation of what is available.


Online USGS resources
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The U.S. Geological Survey has provided a number of remote sensing
resources to Internet users. For example, you can use World Wide Web
(WWW) client software to connect to URL http://www.usgs.gov/ and find
out a lot about what's available and the work of the FGDC (Federal
Geographic Data Committee). (FGDC is currently working on standards
for computerized remote sensing and geographic data sets, such as 
the ASTM D18.01.05 Specification. This work will reduce the confusion
caused by numerous different formats for datasets.)

Another place to check is to telnet to glis.cr.usgs.gov . Once you've
registered for an account, you can obtain reports on the technical
details of remote sensing and search through data collections, such
as the Landsat images, to find exactly what you're looking for. If you
have a X-Windows client, telnet to xglis.cr.usgs.gov, and you will be
able to see preview images of some data sets, such as the 1 km resolution
AVHRR material, and maps of image coverage areas. (GLIS is an abbreviation
for Global Land Information System.)


Further reading
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"Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation", 3rd edition, by Thomas Lillesand
and Ralph Kiefer, 1994, John Wiley & Sons, New York -- this is an excellent
college textbook on the science of remote sensing.

"The Future of Remote Sensing from Space: Civilian Satellite Systems and
Applications", OTA-ISC-558, U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 
July 1993, Government Printing Office -- a good overview of current
civilian programs to monitor the Earth. Appendix C on the "Military Uses
of Civilian Remote Sensing Data" is especially useful. Available for $14.00
(US) or $17.50 (foreign), stock number 052-003-013333-9, from:
  New Orders
  Superintendent of Documents
  P.O. Box 371954
  Pittsburgh, PA  15250-7954
  telphone: (202) 783-3238

"New Satellite Images For Sale: The Opportunities and Risks Ahead", 
UCRL-JC-118140 (CSTS-47-94), Vipin Gupta, Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, December 1994, Center for Security and Technology Studies --
recommended for its broad coverage of the subject. This article is
supposed to appear in the journal "International Security", but it is
also available on the World Wide Web through the CSTS section on URL
http://www.llnl.gov/ .

"Remote Sensing Field Guide: Desert", Report ETL-0588, J. N. Rinker et al,
1991, U.S. Army Engineer Topographic Labs -- I haven't yet seen this 568
page technical report, but the abstract indicates it would be quite useful in
locating installations in remote desert regions of the U.S. (Available for
$61.00 (U.S., Canada, or Mexico) or $122.00 (elsewhere). Add $6.00 for
postage to the U.S., $10.00 for postage to Canada and Mexico, and $14.00
for postage elsewhere. Available as order number AD-A244 855/3/XAB from:
  National Technical Information Service
  5285 Port Royal Road
  Springfield, VA  22161  USA
  telephone: (703) 487-4650

"Verification Technologies: Cooperative Aerial Surveillance in International
Agreements", OTA-ISC-480, U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment,
July 1991 -- Appendix B, "Photointerpretation and Image Processing" is
quite revealing, and even shows examples such as the use of a digital
Fourier/Hartley transform to filter some frequencies of light from an
image to highlight submarines. Availalble from NTIS as order number
PB91-220020 (sorry, but I don't have the price for this item).

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Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com / trader@shell.portal.com
                PaulMcG@aol.com / 76056.201@compuserve.com

(Sorry I haven't been too active online recently, but I've been busy with
a number of projects. I sometimes post to the Skunk Works Digest
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About Project NEON AZIMUTH
__________________________

NEON AZIMUTH is the code-name of a project I've created to provide information
on the "sources and methods" that can be used to learn about secret U.S.
military programs. I realize the risk I am taking by publicizing this
information -- the U.S. government could decide to close off these sources. Why
am I providing this information? The American taxpayers have a right to know
where their money is being spent, and the "sources and methods" given in
NEON AZIMUTH can help locate secret U.S. military programs.

Subscription requests for NEON AZIMUTH and comments on the material can be sent
to me by electronic mail to:
  TRADER@cup.portal.com
  
U.S. Snail (postal mail):
  Paul McGinnis
  P.O. Box 28084
  Santa Ana, CA  92799
  USA

Anonymous FTP access to files dealing with excessive military secrecy
is available from Internet host ftp.shell.portal.com (IP address
156.151.3.4) in the /pub/trader directory. Read the 00readme files for
descriptions of the files. Writings from Glenn Campbell, author of the
"Area 51 Viewer's Guide" are available in /pub/trader/secrecy/psychospy.

Back issues of NEON AZIMUTH are available in the directory:
  /pub/trader/secrecy/neon-azimuth

World Wide Web users of such software as Mosaic or Lynx can use this
URL to get to the FTP site: ftp://ftp.shell.portal.com/pub/trader/

America Online users can use Keyword:FTP and connect to ftp.shell.portal.com .
Click on the "pub" folder icon, and then the "trader" icon to get to
the /pub/trader directory.

Those who have only electronic mail access to the rest of the net (such as
Compuserve users at the present time) can try ftp-by-email by sending a
message to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com with the word  help  in the body of the
message.

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If you have really sensitive material you want to pass on to me, here is my
PGP public encryption key:

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