A professor in West Virginia Universitys Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is introducing his students to the tools of contemporary geography that were used to assist with the emergency response in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

In his Introduction to Remote Sensing course, Tim Warner, an associate professor of geology and geography, introduces a class of 20 undergraduate and graduate students to how remote sensing devices such as satellites and aerial devices were used to provide topographic maps and to identify hot spots at the site of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

“Remote sensing studies earth from a distance,”explains Warner.”Scanners and sensors are able to provide spatial information rapidly. This was vital in coordinating the relief effort since the World Trade Center site was constantly changing and new maps were needed as they cleared away debris.”

One of the first devices used was a satellite about 280 miles in space. The satellite produced photographs so detailed that cars on roads in Manhattan are visible.

“These pictures provided an aesthetic view and helped them coordinate the relief efforts. They used these maps to determine where people should go to clear out the debris,”Warner says.

A relatively new form of remote sensing technology, called LIDAR , provided more detailed maps than satellite pictures. LIDAR uses light to map topography and provides a three-dimensional view complete with elevation variations. A plane flew over the site, and an instrument shot light at the site, then timed how long it took for the light to return. LIDAR is used by cell phone companies to map terrain in order to determine where to place their towers so that their users get the best reception on their phones as possible.

“Considering how fast light travels, it is amazing how precise the map of the site is; it is like radar, except with light. These maps were used to orientate the people who went into the site with their surroundings first. It is the same type of technology used to train pilots who will be flying into new airports,”Warner says.

Thermal maps were also constructed with remote sensing technology that determined where hot spots and fires continued to smolder. These maps were provided to warn relief workers in advance of possibly dangerous areas.

Warner is usually concerned with biogeographical remote sensing where he normally studies forests. He works with WVU colleague James McGraw, the Eberly Family Distinguished Professor of Biology, on a test site on Chestnut Ridge where they use high spatial resolution imagery to identify individual trees, and track them with time. They also have LIDAR data for the site, which allows them to examine the distribution of branches in trees. Warner says he wants his students to understand the wide variety of applications for the technology they are exploring in class.

“I want to show people how technology was helpful in the disaster response, and want to help bring some closure to this tragedy.”