Satellite and aircraft remote sensing is a cost-effective technology for environmental assessment and monitoring. Satellite and airborne digital and photographic data are used for this purpose. Aerial photographs date back to the 1920s, and satellite images to 1972. These data are used to document environmental conditions that existed at a moment in time (a "baseline"), typically before the occurrence of some event (beginning of oil field operations, urbanization, spills, etc.). This documentation serves as a benchmark against which future changes can be compared and quantified. Typically, land cover and land use, existing environmental conditions, geologic hazards, water quality, and archeological sites are evaluated. Changes in the environment are then monitored at regular intervals throughout the operational cycle.

The application of remote sensing technology to environmental assessments and monitoring will be shown in examples of: 1) deforestation in South America, 2) hydrocarbon spill detection, 3) vegetation re-growth pattern in wetlands after seismic surveys, 4) land use and agricultural changes in developing countries, and 5) seismic survey designs in the central U.S.

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