A FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATION OF AN AERIAL SURVEILLANCE SPILL PREVENTION SYSTEM

Acquisition and interpretation of multispectral aerial photography and thermal infrared imagery was performed to evaluate remote sensing applications to oil and other hazardous materials spill prevention surveillance. The San Francisco Bay area was used as a test site, with major sub-areas delineated which contained facilities and activities which might lead to spills of oil and other hazardous substances into waterways. Results demonstrated that high quality, small scale (1/40,000 to 1/60,000) color infrared photography can be used for regional surveillance leading to classification of land use into areas where potential spill sources exist. High quality, large scale (1/5,000 to 1/10,000) color aerial photography can be used for localized delineation of potential spill sources. Recommendations are given for an operational spill surveillance system using multi-scale aerial photography obtained on a 9-inch format. Use of thermal infrared imagery is not indicated at this time.