The research of geography science about geographic environmental system is based on the acquisition of geographic information. The latter restricts the improvement of geographic researching methods and influences the development of the whole geography science. With the help of a series of advanced scientific theory and technology

such as systematic science

the advanced remote sensing technology is sucessfully applicable to the research of geographic environmental system. Thus the environmental remote sensing-the important branch subject of the remote sensing technology applying has been formed. Its position as the scientific tool for geography science has thus been gradually established.The essence of environmental remote sensing includs three aspects: （1） The full use of electromagnetic interaction in geographic environmental system; （2） Seeking better structure of geographic environmental information handling system under the support of remote sensing information mechanism researching; （3） The realization of standardization in the process of geographic environmental system’s synthetical analysis.The subject position of environmental remote sensing shows both specific property

they are important subject of remote sensing applying and new technical methods of modern geographic science researching. Because environmental remote sensing stretches into the great fields of information science and geographic science

it fully shows synthetic and intersecting characteristics. Environmental remote sensing and conventional methods of geographic science emphatically inspect energy-information system and substance-information system respectively. In some respect

they can not be replaced by each other up to now. But environmental remote sensing depends on the unceasing perfection of its technical system and the strengthening of synthetical analysis function and the interrelation in a series of non-electromagnetic information （such as information overlap technology）

it shows unique advantage in many fields of geographic environmental system.At the same time

owing to the restraint of scientific cognition and technological level and the inherent peculiarity

the research of environmental remote sensing also has some limitation. They are somewhat indistinctive of remote sensing information and unreatily of subpi-xel information and unperfect subject system etc.