Craig Mahlasi Works as a Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Geographer, Working With Data That Promotes a Fuller Understanding of the Planet
Remote sensing: for the layman, what does it involve?
Craig Mahlasi Think of it as a sort of solution to nearsightedness, bringing objects that are far away into focus. We use specialised cameras on spacecraft orbiting the Earth, which help us to see beyond what we can see down here. We see red, blue and green; the cameras see near infrared and beyond infrared colours that can be interpreted in different ways.
How are measurements taken, and what constitutes a good or bad reading?
The satellites and cameras are so good now that the possibility of a bad picture is minimal. There are two types of remote sensors – active and passive.
Passive sensors rely on external power. The sun is one source. It shines on the Earth and the cameras record the light that is reflected and then builds an image based on what comes back. All of that data is then transferred to a ground station – we have one in South Africa at Hartbeeshoek.
There, it gets stored and processed and made available to whomever needs it – which could be for free or at a cost. Then the analysis starts, with us trying to extract the most out of the image. Doing that requires innovation, and the differentiation that results from working in different ways in the field is the basis of how the business develops.
How does what you do impact the average consumer in real terms?
Remote sensing is also called ‘Earth observation’. NASA and other similar institutions put up satellites to benefit humanity in general, with obvious applications including the monitoring of weather patterns, like the recent cyclones in Mozambique.
Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2019 de Very Interesting.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2019 de Very Interesting.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
HOW TO MASTER YOUR METABOLISM
Ready to welcome a leaner, healthier you? It's time for a metabolic makeover. With a few simple, research-backed changes, you can supercharge your body's calorie-burning
A BLUEPRINT FOR ANTI AGEING
Science says it's time to rethink - and take control - of our body's age. Here's how to slow, halt and potentially turn back your biological clock
SCROLL REVERSAL
Losing days by endlessly scrolling on your smartphone? You're not alone. Perhaps neuroscience can help us beat the urge
Going back to the moon
ARTEMIS AND A NEW DAWN OF LUNAR EXPLORATION
SAD CLOWN PARADOX: WHY TEARS OFTEN LIE BEHIND THE LAUGHS
Mental health issues are common among comedians and performing is just one way they can self-medicate
FARM OF THE FUTURE
Join the BBC's Planet Earth III film crew and go behind the scenes in the city farm that's transforming fields into towers and running almost everything with robots
COULD ONE BOMB DESTROY THE WORLD?
How big a bang are arms manufacturers capable of creating?
THE THREAT OF DAY ZERO
Queues at public water taps could become normal. What can we do to avoid them?
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
The hit TV show The Last of Us imagined an apocalypse caused by a Cordyceps fungus turning humans into zombies. For many insects, real life isn't much different...
Jazz could be the key to understanding quantum physics
An improvising soloist can play any note they want next. At the quantum level, electrons have a similar freedom