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Catania

Berlino Quarter

Mina el Cerrejon
The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) is the most widely used spectral index for vegetation monitoring worldwide. It was introduced in 1973 by Rouse et al. at Texas A&M University as part of the ERTS-1 programme (Rouse, J.W. et al., 1974. "Monitoring vegetation systems in the Great Plains with ERTS", Third Earth Resources Technology Satellite-1 Symposium, NASA SP-351, pp. 309–317). The index exploits the contrast between near-infrared reflectance (NIR), which is strongly reflected by chlorophyll, and red reflectance (RED), which is strongly absorbed, to quantify the density and health of vegetation cover.
Values range from -1 to +1:
Formula:
NDVI = (NIR − RED) / (NIR + RED)
Implementation with Sentinel-2 (spatial resolution 10 m):
Preprocessing pipeline:
Analysis modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
normal | Mean NDVI value over the selected period |
range | Difference between seasonal maximum and minimum (phenological amplitude) |
delta | Difference in mean NDVI between two time periods |
| Code | Name | Provider | Type | Coverage | Resolution | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WRD_S2XXX_99 | ESA Sentinel-2 L2A | ESA/Copernicus | Multispectral raster | Global | 10 m | 2017-03-28 — present |
Documentation: Copernicus Sentinel-2 SR Harmonized
| Indicator | Unit | Range | Inverted |
|---|---|---|---|
ndvi | dimensionless | [-1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1] | No |
Inverted = No: a higher value indicates a better condition.
| Level | Thresholds | Ecological Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| E (Critical) | < 0.1 | No vegetation: water, bare soil, artificial surfaces or snow |
| D (Low) | 0.1 – 0.2 | Very sparse or severely stressed vegetation; arid or degraded soils |
| C (Moderate) | 0.2 – 0.5 | Sparse or moderately stressed vegetation; grasslands, early-stage crops |
| B (Good) | 0.5 – 0.8 | Dense and active vegetation; temperate forests, thriving croplands |
| A (Excellent) | > 0.8 | Very dense and fully healthy vegetation; tropical forests, closed canopy |
ndvi
NDVI measures vegetation health using the formula:
NDVI = (NIR − RED) / (NIR + RED)
where NIR = Band 8 (842 nm) and RED = Band 4 (665 nm) from Sentinel-2 (10 m resolution).
Preprocessing:
Modes: normal (mean), range (min-max), delta (difference between periods).