Use of Remotely Sensed Imagery in Cyber Warfare and Cyber Counterterrorism

Remote sensing refers to the acquisition of information at a distance. More specifically, it has come to mean using aerial photographs or sensors on satellites to gather data about features on the surface of the earth. In this article, remote sensing and related concepts are defined and the methods used in gathering and processing remotely sensed imagery are discussed. The evolution of remote sensing, generic applications and major sources of remotely sensed imagery and programs used in processing and analyzing remotely sensed imagery are presented. Then the application of remote sensing in warfare and counterterrorism is discussed in general terms with a number of specific examples of successes and failures in this particular area. Next, the potential for misuse of the increasing amount of high resolution imagery available over the Internet is discussed along with prudent countermeasures to potential abuses of this data. Finally, future trends with respect to this rapidly evolving technology are included.