This paper gives a brief synthesis of the information obtainable from remote-sensing data and how it can be related to two significant functions of catchment hydrology, namely, the processes of production and transfer. After presenting examples of the type of information that can be derived from remote sensing (characterisation of soil surface by different wavelengths, temporal changes of surface states, incision and geometry of possible water pathways on the surface, etc.), we examine how this information can provide parameters for input into runoff and erosion models. Finally, we assess the progress in assimilating remote-sensing data into deterministic models of storm runoff.