1. Overview
The Vegetation Indices tool computes per-pixel spectral indices from the loaded scene. Indices are mathematical combinations of specific spectral bands designed to highlight vegetation properties, soil conditions, moisture content, fire scars, and other surface characteristics.
Key points
- 29 indices available — from standard NDVI to advanced pigment and stress indices.
- Any colormap can be applied to the output index map.
- Works on any loaded data — satellite or lab hyperspectral.
- The formula for the selected index is always visible via the Show formula button.
2. What Vegetation Indices Do
1. Select an index. IDCubeCloud matches each required wavelength to the nearest available band in the loaded scene.
2. The index formula is applied to every pixel, producing a single-band map of index values.
3. The map appears in the viewer using the selected colormap.
3. Where to Find It
1. Load any dataset from My Files or the Satellite page.
2. Click Indices in the feature toolbar.
3. The Vegetation Index Parameters panel appears in the left sidebar.
4. Step by Step Workflow
Step 1 Load Data
Any loaded scene works. Satellite scenes (Sentinel-2 or Landsat) give the best results because their bands align with standard index definitions.
Step 2 Open Vegetation Indices
Click Indices in the feature toolbar.
Step 3 Select Index
Choose an index from the dropdown (e.g., NDVI — Normalized Difference Vegetation Index).
Step 4 Review the Formula (Optional)
Click Show formula to see the mathematical definition and which bands are required.
Step 5 Choose Colormap
Select a colormap for the output visualization. Defaults and recommended choices:
RdYlGn
Vegetation indices (red = low/stressed, green = healthy)
viridis
General-purpose perceptually uniform scale
coolwarm
Diverging indices (e.g., moisture, water)
gray
Inspecting spatial texture
Step 6 Compute
Click Compute [Index Name]. The index map appears in the main viewer.
5. Available Indices
Vegetation Health and Greenness
Index
Full Name
Formula
Primary Use
NDVI
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
(NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red)
Vegetation greenness and density
GNDVI
Green NDVI
(NIR − Green) / (NIR + Green)
Chlorophyll content (less saturation than NDVI)
EVI
Enhanced Vegetation Index
2.5 × (NIR − Red) / (NIR + 6×Red − 7.5×Blue + 1)
Canopy cover; reduces atmospheric effects
SAVI
Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index
1.5 × (NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red + 0.5)
Sparse vegetation on bright soils
MSAVI2
Modified SAVI 2
(2×NIR + 1 − √((2×NIR+1)² − 8×(NIR−Red))) / 2
Minimises soil noise without soil factor
OSAVI
Optimized SAVI
(NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red + 0.16)
Low/medium cover on variable soils
WDRVI
Wide Dynamic Range VI
(0.1×NIR − Red) / (0.1×NIR + Red)
High-biomass scenes where NDVI saturates
Red Edge and Chlorophyll
Index
Full Name
Formula
Primary Use
NDRE
Normalized Difference Red Edge
(NIR − RedEdge) / (NIR + RedEdge)
Chlorophyll estimation; less saturation than NDVI
RENDVI
Red Edge NDVI
(RE3 − RE1) / (RE3 + RE1)
Canopy structure, leaf area index
CI_RedEdge
Chlorophyll Index Red Edge
(NIR / RedEdge) − 1
Chlorophyll content estimation
CI_Green
Chlorophyll Index Green
(NIR / Green) − 1
Total chlorophyll; works without Red Edge bands
MCARI
Modified Chlorophyll Absorption
[(RE − Red) − 0.2×(RE − Green)] × (RE/Red)
Chlorophyll absorption depth
TCARI
Transformed CARI
3 × [(RE − Red) − 0.2×(RE − Green)×(RE/Red)]
Sensitive to chlorophyll content
TCARI_OSAVI
TCARI / OSAVI Ratio
TCARI / OSAVI
Reduces soil and canopy structure effects
Pigment and Stress Indices
Index
Full Name
Primary Use
CRI
Carotenoid Reflectance Index
Carotenoid pigment content
ARI
Anthocyanin Reflectance Index
Anthocyanin content (stressed/senescent vegetation)
PRI
Photochemical Reflectance Index
Photosynthetic efficiency, light use
SIPI
Structure Insensitive Pigment Index
Carotenoid-to-chlorophyll ratio
PSRI
Plant Senescence Reflectance Index
Senescence and fruit ripening
Water and Moisture
Index
Full Name
Primary Use
NDWI
Normalized Difference Water Index
Open water bodies
NDMI
Normalized Difference Moisture Index
Vegetation water content
NMDI
Normalized Multi-band Drought Index
Soil and vegetation drought stress
NDCI
Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index
Chlorophyll in water; uses Red Edge and Red bands
Soil and Land Cover
Index
Full Name
Primary Use
BSI
Bare Soil Index
Bare/exposed soil mapping
VARI
Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index
Fraction vegetation cover (visible bands)
GLI
Green Leaf Index
Green vegetation from RGB/visible bands
ExG
Excess Green Index
Vegetation extraction from visible channels
Fire and Geology
Index
Full Name
Primary Use
NBR
Normalized Burn Ratio
Fire scars, burn severity mapping
RATIO
Simple Ratio (SR)
Basic vegetation index; NIR / Red
6. Parameters Explained
Parameter
Description
Notes
Index selector
Choose the index to compute
29 options available
Show formula
Displays the formula and required bands
Use to verify band compatibility
Color
Colormap applied to the output index image
Default: RdYlGn
7. Output and Interpretation
Index
Healthy Vegetation
Stressed / Absent
NDWI
Positive (water body)
Negative (dry land)
NBR
Positive (unburned)
Strongly negative (burned)
Important: All indices assume surface reflectance input. Raw DN values will produce misleading results.
The example value ranges are approximate. Interpret an index in the context of its sensor, surface type, acquisition conditions, and preprocessing.
8. Known Limitations
Band availability
Indices requiring Red Edge bands (705–783 nm) only work with Sentinel-2 or hyperspectral data. Landsat does not have Red Edge bands.
Surface reflectance required
Satellite data (L2A/L2) already provides surface reflectance. Raw DN data will give incorrect index values.
Cloud pixels
Cloud-contaminated pixels produce anomalous values. Inspect the scene visually before interpreting index maps.
Saturated pixels
Dense, high-biomass canopies may cause NDVI saturation (values approaching 1.0). Use EVI or WDRVI for high-biomass scenes.
9. Common Use Cases
Use Case
Recommended Index
Colormap
Crop health monitoring
NDVI or EVI
RdYlGn
Chlorophyll estimation
NDRE or CI_RedEdge
viridis
Drought / water stress
NDMI or NMDI
coolwarm
Open water mapping
NDWI
coolwarm
Burn scar / fire mapping
NBR
coolwarm
Bare soil mapping
BSI
terrain
Vegetation density (sparse)
SAVI or MSAVI2
RdYlGn
Part of the IDCubeCloud User Documentation — see also: PCA Guide, Clustering Guide, Spectral Library Guide.
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