Introduction to Surveillance Studies

AERIAL SURVEILLANCE

KEY CONCEPTS

• common forms of aerial surveillance

• how aerial surveillance is used

• specialized surveillance for military and human rights purposes

Introduction

Aerial surveillance is used for many purposes such as detecting forest fires, search and rescue, aerial mapping, geological research, weather forecasting and storm tracking, wildfire detection, border security, and resource management.

Aerial surveillance encompasses a variety of technologies mounted on towers and buildings, and carried aboard piloted and uninhabited aircraft and orbiting satellites. Airborne devices that sense in visual spectra and radar are the most common, but there are many that use infrared and ultraviolet frequencies, as well.

Several ...