Characterization of Surface Reflectance
Although Landsat measures seven wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, only three measurements may be displayed in a color image. Three measurements are commonly used when viewing Landsat imagery: infrared, red, and green.
A commonly used false color scheme
for viewing this type of Landsat data is
to make ALL the energies false color.
The images on the right use this
color scheme.
Satellite Measurement |
Computer Color |
Near Infrared |
Red |
Red |
Green |
Green |
Blue |
Materials
Download the FalseColor software see a brief tutorial.
Use the four satellite images on the right.
What To Do...
Use the FalseColor program to rank the intensities of reflected infrared, red, and green light from the list of surfaces.
5 = maximum reflected values,
0 = no reflected light.
Surface
Cover |
Infrared |
Red |
Green |
Color in Landsat Image |
| Forest |
|
|
|
|
| Lawns |
|
|
|
|
| Crops |
|
|
|
|
| Water |
|
|
|
|
| Snow |
|
|
|
|
| Cloud |
|
|
|
|
| Rock/Soil |
|
|
|
|
| Buildings |
|
|
|
|
| Paved Roads |
|
|
|
|
Suggestion: Change the way you display the satellite data to see how much each set of reflectance measurements is contributing to the combined intensities within the image.
Go to Using Analysis Tools
Back to Remote Sensing Investigations
|
Download the following images by right-clicking on each image and saving to your computer.
Mt. St. Helens, a volcano in Washington State, in 1973. Image from USGS Earthshots.
Rondonia, a tropical rain forest in Brazil in 1975. Image from USGS EarthShots.
Great Salt Lake, Utah in 1987. Image from USGS Earthshots.
Orlando, Florida in 1986. Image from USGS Earthshots.
|
