Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

"The Signal-to-Noise Ratio measures the proportion between the meaningful information (signal) in the data and the background noise. This noise could be due to atmospheric disturbances, sensor inaccuracies, or transmission errors. A high SNR is desirable as it indicates that the signal (the meaningful information) is significantly more robust than the noise.

For remote sensing, achieving a high SNR is critical. For instance, if we are using satellites to measure surface temperatures, the actual measurement (the signal) could be clouded by interference from atmospheric particles or even the sun’s reflected radiation. Having a high SNR ensures that these interferences (noise) do not significantly affect the accuracy of the data." (Mapscaping, 2023)