Thermal Imaging is a non-contact, long-range remote sensing technique that detects radiated energy (heat) from objects at a distance. The camera converts the reflected or emitted heat energy into an electronic signal that is then displayed on its screen as a color map of the object’s apparent temperature. Each object has its own unique emissivity (a ratio of the actual radiation it emits to that of a theoretical black body radiator) and surface temperature that distinguishes it from other objects in its image. The camera’s optical system focuses the infrared energy onto the sensor array, which responds to it with an electronic signal, and then produces a color display. URL https://metalstaircases.uk/

Depending on the application, thermal cameras may operate in one of four spectral regions: the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band; the midwave infrared (MWIR) band; the longwave infrared (LWIR) band or the very far-infrared (FIR) band. The atmospheric transmission (amount of infrared radiation that passes through the atmosphere) varies between these bands as the result of molecular absorption.

For example, water molecules (such as H2O and CO2) attenuate IR energy very rapidly in the LWIR band. The detection range of a thermal imaging camera is largely dependent on the emissivity of the target and its size, as well as the detector’s normalized detectivity (see Radiometric Measurement).

Residential Energy Savings: The Impact of Thermal Imaging Heat Loss Surveys

Many wildlife ecologists use thermal imagery to observe animal behavior in the field. They can also be used to identify and count animals in groups. For example, a UAV-mounted thermal imaging system has been developed to detect roe deer fawns in meadows prior to or during mowing operations.