The researcher’s complete guide to NDVI and PRI
NDVI and PRI: theory, methods, and application
Modern technology makes it possible to sample spectral vegetation indices such as NDVI and PRI across a range of scales both in space and in time, from satellites sampling the entire earth’s surface to handheld small sensors that measure individual plants or even leaves.
What are NDVI and PRI?
NDVI and PRI are both spectral vegetation indices derived from measurements of relatively narrow wavelengths of reflected light (10 to 50 nanometers) in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is useful for measuring various properties in plant canopies. NDVI stands for the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and PRI stands for the Photochemical Reflectance Index.
There are many types of spectral vegetation indices, however, this article and the webinar below focus on the theory, methods and application of NDVI and PRI as they are two of the most commonly used (see webinar).
NDVI is especially useful for measuring plant canopy structural properties such as leaf area index, light interception and even biomass and growth, whereas PRI is more useful for getting at functional properties of plant canopies such as light use efficiency. Recent literature shows that PRI is also useful for measuring foliar pigments.
Understanding canopy radiation interactions
To understand where NDVI and PRI come from, it’s important to learn about canopy-radiation interactions. There are three primary fates for electromagnetic radiation as it interacts with plant canopies.
