Remote sensing: With special reference to urban and regional transportation

ConclusionsRapidly growing technology and experimentation in remote sensing occasion inquiries into the role of this tool in urban and regional information systems and decision making processes. Its primary efficacy lies in the substitution for current capabilities as contrasted to the rendering of entirely new services. Implementation of large scale urban and regional remote sensing systems must be preceded by careful analysis of the costs and benefits involved. Lack of good parametric data at this time precludes clear statements on benefit/ cost relationships. Nevertheless, access to a new technical capability should not divert attention from the major goal, i. e. the establishment of effective urban and regional management and decision making based on appropriate information and criteria. The largest roadblocks in comprehensive remote sensing relate to the interfacing of data collection and data reduction systems and the quality of data itself. Study of remote sensing in urban transportation supports the previous points. In the foreseeable future, it appears that monitoring and surveillance of the relatively static features of transportation and traffic promise more substantial pay-offs than analysis and real-time control in dynamic areas including travel behavior.