REMOTE SENSING INDICES

BY

DANIEL SIFAEL
DEPT OF
GEOGRAPHY –
UDOM
REMOTE SENSING INDICES

• Spectral indices are calculated using a mathematical equation that is

applied on two or more spectral reflectance bands of the image.

• The calculated spectral index is a ‘new’ image that highlights

particular land surface features or properties e.g. vegetation, soil,
water, better than the original input bands.

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Spectral indices help in modelling, predicting, or infer surface
processes
• Developed to assess and monitor several land change processes
• Computed from multiband images by adding and subtracting bands
thereby making various band ratio
• Emphasizes a specific phenomenon that is present, while mitigating
other factors

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Common spectral indices and their applications:

• Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)

• Normalized difference water index (NDWI)
• Normalized difference building index (NDBI)
• Normalized difference moisture index(NDMI)
• Soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI)
• Enhanced vegetation index (EVI)
• Normalized difference snow index (NDSI)

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 1. Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI)
• Is a spectral index designed to highlight the presence of snow in remote
sensing imagery.

• It is particularly useful for identifying snow-covered areas in satellite or

aerial images.

• NDSI is based on the fact that snow strongly reflects in the visible and
near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while other
surfaces absorb more in these wavelengths.

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• The resulting index values range from -1 to
1.
Interpretation of NDSI values:
• Positive values (closer to 1) indicate the
presence of snow.
• Negative values (closer to -1) may
suggest the absence of snow.

Applications of NDSI include;

1. snow cover mapping
2. monitoring snowmelt, and
3. assessing changes in snow extent over
time. 6
NDSI – Kilimanjaro Mountain

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2. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

• Is a mostly used spectral index in remote sensing to assess and monitor

vegetation health and density.

• NDVI is calculated using the reflectance values of the near-infrared (NIR)

and red bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

• Healthy vegetation absorbs most of the visible light that hits it and reflects
a large portion of the near-infrared light.

• Unhealthy or sparse vegetation reflects more visible light and less near-
infrared light.
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The value range of an NDVI is -1 to 1.
• Negative values of NDVI (values approaching -1)
correspond to water.
• Values close to zero (-0.1 to 0.1) generally
correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, or
snow.
• Values greater than 0.2 are vegetation (the higher
the value the healthier/denser the vegetation).
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NDVI

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Applications of NDVI

1.Vegetation Monitoring: NDVI is commonly used to monitor changes in vegetation cover

over time. It helps in assessing the health, growth, and distribution of vegetation in
different areas.
2.Crop Health Assessment: NDVI is widely used in agriculture to monitor the health and
stress of crops. It can provide information about crop conditions
3.Land Cover Classification: NDVI is often used as a feature in land cover classification
algorithms. It helps differentiate between different land cover types based on their
vegetation content.
4.Drought Monitoring: NDVI can be used to detect drought conditions by identifying
changes in vegetation health and identifying areas experiencing water stress.
5.Ecological Studies: NDVI is valuable in ecological studies to assess the impact of
environmental changes on vegetation and ecosystems.

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NDVI - KINAPA

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3. Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI)

• Is a spectral index commonly

used in remote sensing to
identify and map water bodies
within satellite or aerial
imagery.

• NDWI takes advantage of the

contrasting reflectance
properties of water and other
land cover types in the near-
infrared (NIR) and green bands
of the electromagnetic spectrum.

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How To Interpret NDWI Values
The resulting NDWI values range from -1 to 1
• Positive values (closer to 1) generally indicate the
presence of water.
The NDWI values correspond to
• Negative values (closer to -1) suggest the absence the following ranges:
of water and are often associated with land  0,2 – 1: Water surface
surfaces (soil and terrestrial vegetation).  0.0 – 0,2: Flooding, humidity
• Values of water bodies are larger than 0.5.  -0,3 – 0.0: Moderate drought,
non-aqueous surfaces
• Vegetation has much smaller values, which  -1 – -0.3: Drought, non-aqueous
results in distinguishing vegetation from water surfaces
bodies easier.
• Built-up features have positive values between 0
and 0.2.
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Applications of NDWI

1.Water Body Mapping: NDWI is effective for mapping and monitoring the extent
of water bodies, such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and ponds.
2.Wetland Detection: It can be used to identify wetland areas, where water content
plays a significant role in distinguishing wetland vegetation from surrounding
land cover.
3.Flood Monitoring: NDWI is useful for detecting and monitoring floods by
identifying changes in water extent over time.
4.Drought Assessment: By tracking variations in water content, NDWI can provide
insights into drought conditions and water stress in vegetation.
5.Land Cover Classification: NDWI is often incorporated into land cover
classification algorithms to improve the discrimination of water features.

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NDWI

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4. Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI)

• Is a modified version of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI),

designed to reduce the influence of soil reflectance on vegetation indices.

• NDVI is sensitive to soil brightness, and in areas with sparse vegetation or high
soil reflectance, it may not accurately represent vegetation conditions.

• SAVI aims to address this issue by introducing a soil adjustment factor.

• This is often used in arid regions where vegetative cover is low, and it outputs
values between -1.0 and 1.0.

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 Interpretation of SAVI values:
 Positive SAVI values
generally indicate the
presence of vegetation.
Where  Lower SAVI values may
suggest sparse vegetation or
L—The amount of green vegetation cover. (soil
areas with a higher proportion
adjustment factor, typically set to 0.5).
of soil.
NB: The value of L can be adjusted based on the
characteristics of the specific study area

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Applications of SAVI
1.Agricultural Monitoring: SAVI is used to assess vegetation health and vigor in
agricultural areas, especially where soil is visible between crops
2.Land Degradation Studies: SAVI helps in detecting and monitoring changes in
vegetation cover, which can be indicative of land degradation.
3.Ecosystem Health Assessment: SAVI is employed in ecological studies to evaluate the
health and condition of natural ecosystems.
4.Land Cover Mapping: SAVI is often used as a feature in land cover classification to
improve the discrimination of vegetation classes.

NB: while SAVI addresses some limitations of NDVI in certain situations, the choice
between NDVI and SAVI depends on the specific characteristics of the study area and
the goals of the remote sensing analysis.

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SAVI

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5. Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR)
• Is used to identify burned areas.

• And it is similar to a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), except that it uses
near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) portions of the electromagnetic
spectrum (Lopez, 1991; Key and Benson, 1995).

• NBR is most powerful as a tool to better understand fire extent and severity when used
after calculating the difference between pre and post fire conditions.

• This difference is best measured using data collected immediately before the fire and then
immediately after the fire.

• NBR is less effective if time has passed and vegetation regrowth / regeneration has begun
after the fire. 21
The resulting NBR values typically
range from -1 to 1:
 Positive values are associated
with healthy vegetation.
 Negative values often indicate
burned or stressed vegetation

Interpretation of NBR values:

 Positive NBR values (closer to 1): Typically represent healthy vegetation.
 Negative NBR values (closer to -1): Suggest the presence of burned or stressed
vegetation, as the reflectance in the SWIR band increases due to the absence of live
vegetation. 22
Applications of NBR
1.Fire Severity Assessment: NBR is used to assess the severity of fires by quantifying the
changes in vegetation cover before and after a fire event.
2.Burn Scar Mapping: NBR is effective for mapping the extent of burn scars and
identifying areas affected by wildfires.
3.Post-Fire Recovery Monitoring: NBR helps monitor vegetation recovery after a fire,
providing insights into ecosystem resilience.
4.Ecological Studies: NBR is employed in ecological studies to understand the impact of
fire on ecosystems and vegetation dynamics.

NB: NBR is often calculated using reflectance values from pre-fire and post-fire satellite
imagery to assess changes over time. Additionally, variations such as the Normalized
Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) can be used in conjunction with NBR to provide more
comprehensive information about the condition of vegetation, especially in post-fire scenarios.
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THANK YOU !!

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