Some operative applications of remote sensing

Among the methods of applied geophysics, remote sensing plays a major and an ancillary role, at the same time. The major role deals with the acquisition and processing of data with the aim of describing the properties of the surfaces and their subsurface mass. The ancillary one consists in furnishing indications to address specific geophysical surveys. The paper presents some operative applications of remote sensing by stations fixed on ground and by airborne surveys: monitoring the biogas vents and evaluating their flow in waste disposal sites, analyzing the stability of rocky walls, studying the moisture content of soils for the most general purposes and in particular to contribute to archaeological prospecting. Single and multitemporal collection of data are taken into consideration to describe polarizing properties of the surfaces and to define the heat capacity in the thermal infrared domain and the presence of luminescent phenomena in the visible range. The use of environmental indicators, like vegetation, is also discussed with the aim of revealing through superficial seepages the pattern of underlying mass.