Radiometric Resolution

Radiometric resolution describes the sensitivity of a remote sensingRemote SensingRemote sensing is the science of collecting data about Earth's surface without direct physical contact, primarily usi... detector to differences in the intensity of electromagnetic energy it receives, quantified as the number of discrete brightness levels the sensor can record. It is expressed in bits per pixel: an 8-bit sensor records 256 distinct intensity levels (2^8), while a 12-bit sensor records 4,096 levels, and a 16-bit sensor records 65,536 levels. Why radiometric resolution mattersHigher radiometric resolution enables the sensor to distinguish subtler differences in surface reflectance, which is particularly important for detecting low-contrast features such as variations in water turbidity, slight differences in soil moisture, or gradations in vegetation stress. Landsat 8 improved from 8-bit to 12-bit radiometric resolution compared to earlier Landsat sensors, significantly enhancing its ability to differentiate surface features. Relationship to other resolutionsRadiometric resolution is one of four fundamental resolution types in remote sensing, alongside spatial resolutionSpatial ResolutionSpatial resolution defines the size of the smallest feature or ground area that can be distinguished in a spatial dat... (pixel size), spectral resolutionSpectral ResolutionSpectral resolution describes the width and number of wavelength bands a remote sensing sensor can detect. Higher spe... (number and width of bands), and temporal resolutionTemporal ResolutionTemporal resolution is the revisit frequency of a satellite sensor over the same location on Earth, determining how o... (revisit frequency). All four must be considered together when evaluating a sensor's suitability for a specific application. Radiometric resolution determines the dynamic range and sensitivity of remote sensing data. As sensor technology advances, higher radiometric resolutions enable increasingly precise quantitative analysis of Earth's surface.