Satellite images are like maps: they are full of useful and interesting information, provided you have a key. They can show us how much a city has changed, how well our crops are growing, where a fire is burning, or when a storm is coming. To unlock the rich information in a satellite image, you need to: Look for a scale. Primary Source Analysis Tool for Students Students can use this simple tool to examine and analyze any kind of primary source and record their responses. Primary Source Analysis Tool (56 KB) Students can download and fill in this PDF, then save, print, e-mail, or upload it. Or, they can print it and fill it in by hand.
Primary Source Strategies: Maps Satellite
Satellite images are like maps: they are full of useful and interesting information, provided you have a key. They can show us how much a city has changed, how well our crops are growing, where a fire is burning, or when a storm is coming. To unlock the rich information in a satellite image, you need to:
- Look for a scale
- Look for patterns, shapes, and textures
- Define the colors (including shadows)
- Find north
- Consider your prior knowledge
These tips come from the Earth Observatory’s writers and visualizers, who use them to interpret images daily. They will help you get oriented enough to pull valuable information out of satellite images. Contact | bioengaging technology: dr. kevin culpepper.
Look for a Scale
One of the first things people want to do when they look at a satellite image is identify the places that are familiar to them: their home, school, or place of business; a favorite park or tourist attraction; or a natural feature like a lake, river, or mountain ridge. Some images from military or commercial satellites are detailed enough to show many of these things. Such satellites zoom in on small areas to collect fine details down to the scale of individual houses or cars. In the process, they usually sacrifice the big picture.
When looking at a resource to determine whether it is primary or secondary, words that describe the action of the author can be helpful. For example, words like these can indicate actual research carried out:
- examined
- predicted
- experimented
- tested
- investigated
- explored
In secondary resources, since the focus is on analyzing or discussion of a primary source, you would look for words that describe the action of the author indicating that this is an analysis or discussion, such as:
- analysis
- synthesis
- overview
- appraisal
- reported on
Primary Source Strategies: Maps South Africa
You will need to examine the abstract and/or the article to determine if the resource is primary or secondary. Unogamerate. While the words above can help indicate the type of resource, this is not a cut and dried process where if you see a particular word, that means the resource is always primary.
Locating a findings section in an article doesn't mean the source is either primary or secondary. Check to see whether the authors did the research themselves, or whether they analyzed research done by others.