Multispectral Satellite Band & NDVI Calculator
Analyze planetary satellite feeds beyond visible light. Upload separate Sentinel-2 and Landsat spectral bands or single optical satellite crops to calculate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) in real time.
Spectral Band Directory & Remote Sensing Verification
The Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) aboard Sentinel-2A and 2B samples 13 spectral bands across the optical, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared spectrums. When conducting open-source investigation, select appropriate band combinations based on physical target characteristics:
| Band | Spectral Designation | Central Wavelength | Spatial Resolution | Primary Investigative Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | Blue | 490 nm | 10 meters | Atmospheric scattering, bathymetric water body depth. |
| Band 3 | Green | 560 nm | 10 meters | Vegetation green reflectance peak; NDWI water boundary mapping. |
| Band 4 | Red | 665 nm | 10 meters | Chlorophyll absorption minimum; primary denominator in NDVI. |
| Band 8 | Near-Infrared (NIR) | 842 nm | 10 meters | High plant cell wall reflectance; trench, road, and crater mapping. |
| Band 8A | Narrow NIR | 865 nm | 20 meters | Biomass estimation, vegetation red edge calibration. |
| Band 11 | Shortwave IR (SWIR-1) | 1610 nm | 20 meters | Soil moisture differentiation, cloud-vs-snow segregation. |
| Band 12 | Shortwave IR (SWIR-2) | 2190 nm | 20 meters | Penetration of smoke plumes, artillery burn scars, active wildfires. |
Multispectral Satellite Analysis for Journalists: Reading Sentinel-2, SWIR Burn Scars, and NDVI
Read our in-depth investigative monograph covering download procedures from Copernicus Browser, QGIS raster clipping, and radar SAR flood mapping.
Frequently Asked Questions: Satellite Remote Sensing in OSINT
How does NDVI reveal military trench fortifications and vehicle tracks?
Heavy tracked vehicles (tanks, IFVs) crush crop canopies and expose underlying mineral soil. Trench excavators dig down into subsoil layers, completely stripping vegetative biomass. When computed via (NIR - Red) / (NIR + Red), living crops return values between +0.50 and +0.85, whereas crushed tracks and excavated dirt trench parapets drop precipitously to between +0.05 and +0.18, producing an unmistakable linear signature even in low-contrast conditions.
What is the difference between Sentinel-2 and Landsat for verification?
Sentinel-2 (European Space Agency) offers 10-meter resolution across visible and NIR bands with a 5-day revisit rate at the equator. Landsat 8/9 (NASA/USGS) offers 30-meter resolution across reflective bands (with a 15-meter panchromatic sharpening band) and an 8-day constellation revisit rate. For localized building strikes or tactical fortifications, Sentinel-2's 10m pixels provide superior resolution; Landsat offers thermal infrared sensors (TIRS) with calibrated ground temperatures.
Where can researchers download raw multispectral band files?
Free raw L2A (Bottom-of-Atmosphere) and L1C (Top-of-Atmosphere) GeoTIFF or JPEG2000 bands can be exported directly from the Copernicus Sentinel Hub EO Browser, the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, and the USGS EarthExplorer.