Making Sense in Time Remote Sensing and the Chall

Authors: Peter A Walker Pauline E Peters

Publish Date: 2006/12/12

Volume: 35, Issue: 1, Pages: 69-80

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Abstract

This article contributes to the encouraging recent trend toward more critical examination of the linkages between remote sensing and social analysis of environmental change Using two case studies from Malawi we explain the importance of thinking about temporal scale when using remote sensing data Specifically from our ontheground research we came to appreciate three important issues 1 multiple causation and multiple temporal scales operating simultaneously—making inference of casual relations between particular social factors and observed land use changes difficult 2 ‘visible’ vs ‘invisible’ processes and events and 3 ‘continuous’ vs ‘punctuated’ social and environmental processes We observe that in each case social differentiation is key to understanding which temporal frames are most relevant in understanding observed land use dynamics We conclude that while these are not entirely new observations research on the applications of remote sensing in social analysis of environmental change could be enriched by more rigorous examination of linkages between environmental change temporal scale and the social relations including social differentiation that can help to explain how and why particular temporal frames are most salient

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