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Vegetation indices measure the amount of green vegetation over a given area and can be used to assess vegetation health. NASA’s Earth-observing satellites collect several different vegetation indices, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR).

NDVI values range from -1 to 1, and represent the difference between near-infrared (NIR) and red reflectance divided by their sum. Low values of NDVI generally correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, exposed soils, or snow, while higher NDVI values indicate greener vegetation, including forests, croplands, and wetlands. EVI is similar to NDVI, but it minimizes canopy-soil variations and improves sensitivity over dense vegetation conditions.

LAI is the amount of leaf area in an ecosystem; more specifically, it is the one-sided green leaf area per unit ground area in broadleaf canopies, and is one-half of the total needle surface area per unit ground area in coniferous canopies. FPAR is the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (400-700 nm) absorbed by green vegetation. Both of these measurements are used for calculating surface photosynthesis, evapotranspiration, and net primary production, which in turn are used to calculate terrestrial energy, carbon, water cycle processes, and biogeochemistry of vegetation. 

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Discover and Visualize Vegetation Index Data
NASA data help us understand Earth's changing systems in more detail than ever before, and visualizations bring these data to life, making Earth science concepts accessible, beautiful, and impactful.
Data visualization is a powerful tool for analysis, trend and pattern recognition, and communication. Our resources help you find world-class data visualizations to complement and enhance your research. We also have tools and tutorials to help you translate vegetation index data into compelling visuals.
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This image combines NDVI data from the Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 satellites to show the health of vegetation in South Florida. The area on the left is primarily red and represents bare soil. The right side of the image is mostly green and indicates healthy, growing vegetation.
This image combines NDVI data from the Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 satellites to show the health of vegetation in South Florida. The area on the left is primarily red and represents bare soil. The right side of the image is mostly green and indicates healthy, growing vegetation.

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