A novel terminal-processing application for utilizing satellite imagery in Mobile GIS

Abstract

The good network conditions are of great importance in most current mobile GIS systems for the application of satellite images, as most image processing and analyses are conducted on the server side, whereas the mobile device needs to frequently sent the requests and receive the outcomes of the server through the Internet. However, because of the poor network condition in isolated workplace of fieldworkers, it is difficult for them to have enough interactions with the server side efficiently. Therefore, a new terminal-processing prototype application, RSTools, for handling satellite images on the client side is designed to reduce dependence on good networks. The prototype allows users to conduct real-time operations, covering band math, color composite and rule-based image classifications for multi-source satellite images such as Landsat 8, WorldView2 and GaoFen-1. Compared to traditional remote sensing applications, this application is efficient at reducing not only the interactions times but also the time spent in obtaining the results of image processing in real-time, especially when the data transmission time is considered. As such, if the network condition is poor, the application will be a better choice to efficiently obtain results of satellite images in real-time.