Tropical remote sensing—opportunities and challenges

Historically, the potential of remote sensing for ecological studies remained limited for a variety of reasons, including the insufficient spatial, spectral, or temporal resolution of most remote sensing data. As the chapters of this book illustrate, the fine spectral detail of hyperspectral remote sensing, or imaging spectrometry, presents a wealth of possibilities for expanding our understanding of tropical ecosystems. However, the potential of imaging spectrometry is limited by the shortage of hyperspectral data, and the sheer volume and complexity of hyperspectral data when they are available. This chapter will focus on two applications of this untapped potential: (1) assessment of biodiversity, and (2) evaluation of biosphere-atmosphere interactions-both areas where imaging spectrometry can provide new opportunities. To make progress in the face of such challenges, we will need to develop an informatics framework that encompasses the full complexity of hyperspectral data and the complexity of the task at hand. Thus, this chapter also outlines some basic considerations of the cyberinfrastructure needed to accommodate this task.