Agriculture

In addition to our map offerings which help support agricultural, we also specifically target individual plant health using multispectral imagery.

With multispectral imaging a number of different indexes can be determined, each serving its own purpose. We use this imaging process to support agriculture and other vegetation-based practices. What is multispectral imagery you ask? It was originally developed for military target identification and reconnaissance. Early space-based imaging platforms incorporated multispectral imaging technology to map details of the Earth related to coastal boundaries, vegetation, and landforms. Multispectral imaging has also found use in document and painting analysis.

Our equipment captures the following 5 spectrums.


Red Edge (RE): 730 nm +/- 16 nm

Near-Infrared (NIR): 840 nm +/- 26 nm

Green (G): 560 nm +/- 16 nm

Red (R): 650 nm +/- 16 nm

Blue (B): 450 nm +/- 16 nm


NDVI Index

(NIR-R)/(NIR+R)

The most commonly used index created from multispectral images is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI. This particular index is the ratio for the difference between the near-infrared band and its reflectance value to the sum of near-infrared band and its reflectance value. It is the most commonly used indicator of the chlorophyll content in vegetation, providing information about the vegetations growth and nutrients. This index can be used to monitor vegetation growth status and vegetation coverage.

In the map example contained here we can see the NDVI index captured immediately after bud break at a local vineyard. This index can show stressed vines compared to surrounding vines. We look for patterns within the image that show high vigor and low vigor zones.

GNDVI Index
(NIR-G)/(NIR+G)

Users a green band instead of the res one used in NDVI. The green band represents the surface GNDVI, which is an indicator of green plant canopy coverage. GNDVI can show whether vegetation is short of water, lacks nutrients, or is suffering from a post-maturity biomass recession.

NDRE Index
(NIR-RE)/(NIR+RE)

Uses a red edge band instead of the red one used in NDVI. This red edge band is a spectral region in the transition zone from the red spectrum to the near-infrared spectrum. NDRE can be used for managing vegetation based on variables such as chlorophyll and sugar content.

LCI Index
(NIR-RE)/(NIR+R)

Leaf chlorophyll content is an important index for evaluating vegetation growth and yield. It is also an indicator for evaluating plant nutrient stress, disease, growth, and aging.

OSAVI Index
(NIR-R)/(NIR+R+0.16)

The Soil-Adjusted Vegetation index is based on NDVI and relevant observation data. This index is used for removing the impact of soil conditions on vegetation.