Skip to main content

GeoAI for Earth Observation Imagery

Fundamentals and Practical Applications

  • 1st Edition - May 19, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Dalton Lunga, Ronny Hänsch
  • Language: English

GeoAI for Earth Observation Imagery: Fundamentals and Practical Applications comprehensively covers methodologies of AI and Machine Learning applications of image processing for Ea… Read more

Back to School

Start strong. Study with purpose.

Save up to 25% on trusted learning resources

Description

GeoAI for Earth Observation Imagery: Fundamentals and Practical Applications comprehensively covers methodologies of AI and Machine Learning applications of image processing for Earth Observation (EO) Imagery. As traditional image processing methods face challenges with handling vast volumes of EO imagery, leading to efficiencies and limitations when extracting meaningful insights, AI-driven approaches can enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of image processing. Chapters cover essential methodologies including atmospheric compensation, image enhancement techniques like deblurring and superresolution, and advanced analysis methods such as semantic segmentation and object detection.

Cutting-edge approaches to computing, automating, and optimizing image processing tasks are also covered. Additionally, emerging trends in GeoAi and their implication on future research are reviewed. The book serves as an essential guide for navigating the complexities of spatial data and equips readers with knowledge to enhance their analytical capabilities.

Key features

  • Examines the essentials of image preprocessing, enhancement, analysis, and computing techniques tailored for EO imagery
  • Provides an introductory resource for implementing AI for EO image analysis
  • Demonstrates practical deployment of GeoML methodologies through case studies

Readership

Post-graduate students, academics, and researchers in GeoAi, Earth Observation, remote sensing technologies, Earth and Planetary science, and Environmental Science

Table of contents

Part I — Image preprocessing

1. Earth observation and GeoAI through the years: six decades of progress in image analysis

1.1. Motivation and context

1.2. About this book


2. Radiometric correction

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Methodology

2.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

2.4. Application example

2.5. Best practices and open issues

2.6. Future implications


3. Rectification

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Methodology

3.3. State of the art and current developments

3.4. Application example

3.5. Best practices and open issues

3.6. Future implications


4. Georeferencing of remote sensing imagery

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Methodology

4.3. State of the art and current developments

4.4. Application example

4.5. Best practices and open issues

4.6. Future implications


5. Image registration

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Methodology

5.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

5.4. Application example

5.5. Best practices and open issues

5.6. Future implications


6. Mosaicking remote sensing data

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Methodology

6.3. State of the art and current developments

6.4. Future challenges and opportunities

6.5. A practitioner’s guide to mosaicking

Part II — Image enhancement

7. Pansharpening

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Methodology

7.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

7.4. Application example

7.5. Best practices and open issues

7.6. Future implications


8. Superresolution of satellite imagery

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Methodology

8.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

8.4. Application example

8.5. Best practices and open issues

8.6. Future implications


9. Earth observation image denoising

9.1. Introduction

9.2. Methodology

9.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

9.4. Application example

9.5. Best practices and open issues

9.6. Future implications

Part III — Image analysis

10. Semantic segmentation

10.1. Introduction

10.2. Methodology

10.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

10.4. Application example

10.5. Best practices, challenges, future implications

10.6. SpaceNet 8 — copyright and licensing


11. Synthesis of Earth observation imagery

11.1. Introduction

11.2. Requirements for remote sensing

11.3. Methodology

11.4. State-of-the-art and current developments

11.5. Application example

11.6. Best practices and open issues

11.7. Future implications


12. Geospatial data visualization with Python

12.1. Introduction

12.2. Methodology

12.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

12.4. Application examples

12.5. Best practices and open issues

12.6. Future implications


13. Multimodal data fusion

13.1. Introduction

13.2. Methodology

13.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

13.4. Application examples

13.5. Best practices and open issues

13.6. Future implications


14. Self-supervised learning

14.1. Introduction

14.2. Methodology

14.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

14.4. Example

14.5. Best practices and open issues

14.6. Future implications


15. Object detection

15.1. Introduction

15.2. Methodology

15.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

15.4. Application example

15.5. Best practices and open issues

15.6. Future implications


16. Visual question answering

16.1. Introduction

16.2. Datasets

16.3. Methods

16.4. Conclusion

Part IV — Computing

17 Geospatial machine learning libraries

17.1. Introduction

17.2. Methodology

17.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

17.4. Application example

17.5. Best practices and open issues

17.6. Future implications


18. High-performance computing

18.1. Introduction

18.2. Modern HPC

18.3. Distributed computing

18.4. State-of-the-art and current developments

18.5. GeoAI applications

18.6. Best practices and open issues

18.7. Future implications


19. Cloud infrastructure for EO imagery

19.1. Introduction

19.2. Methodology

19.3. State-of-the-art and current developments

19.4. Application examples

19.5. Best practices

19.6. Future implications

19.7. Conclusion

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: May 19, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

DL

Dalton Lunga

Dalton Lunga is a group leader for GeoAI and a senior R&D staff scientist at ORNL. He is also an Associate Editor for Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. He is an interdisciplinary scientist with expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, high-performance computing and remote sensing. Dalton leads multidisciplinary teams and projects focused on developing novel methods at the intersection of AI, computer vision, and geography toward the built and physical environment mapping using earth observation data. His research is impacting the generation of accurate population estimates and information about urban growth and decline, informing disaster response, identifying at-risk areas to support national security application challenges. Prior to ORNL, Dalton was a Team Lead and Senior Research Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa where he established and led a Data Science for Decision Impact team. He received his Ph.D in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette.

Affiliations and expertise
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA

RH

Ronny Hänsch

Ronny Hänsch is a scientist at the Microwave and Radar Institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) where he leads the Machine Learning Team in the Signal Processing Group of the SAR Technology Department. His research interest is computer vision and machine learning with a focus on remote sensing (in particular SAR processing and analysis). He was chair of the GRSS Image Analysis and Data Fusion (IADF) technical committee 2021-23, and serves as co-chair of the ISPRS working group on Image Orientation and Sensor Fusion, as editor in chief of the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. associate editor the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and organizer of the CVPR Workshop EarthVision (2017-2024) and the IGARSS Tutorial on Machine Learning in Remote Sensing (2017-2024). He has extensive experience in organizing remote sensing community competitions (e.g. SpaceNet and the GRSS Data Fusion Contest).

Affiliations and expertise
Scientist, Microwave and Radar Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany

View book on ScienceDirect

Read GeoAI for Earth Observation Imagery on ScienceDirect