Band Combinations and Wavelengths

Objects on the ground – buildings, vegetation, rock outcrops, water – reflect or interact with different wavelengths in different ways.

Multispectral data are composed of several different bandwidths of image data taken at the same time. Using these either alone or combined enables discrimination between many different cover and target types. Each image of Christchurch below is 20 x 20 km and has been resampled to 10-m pixels. Click images to enlarge.

Click to enlarge

Visible wavelengths .
Visible blue, green and red bandwidths combined to simulate natural colour.

Landsat 7 ETM bands 1,2,3
February 2000 data
Click to enlarge

Visible and near-infrared wavelengths.
Visible green and red, plus near infrared bandwidths combined to make a standard, false-colour composite image.

Spot data bands 1,2,3
© CNES 1996
Click to enlarge

Visible, near- infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths.

Landsat 7 ETM bands, 2,4,7
February 2000 data

Click to enlarge

Thermal wavelength.
Blue is coolest
White is warmest

Landsat 7 ETM band 6 colour-coded thermal data.
February 2000 data
Click to enlarge

Radar wavelengths.
L-band (23 cm).
Image data from JERS-1 (Japan Earth Resources - 1 Satellite).

Data courtesy of NASDA

Click to enlarge

Radar wavelengths.
C-band (5-6 cm) image data from Radarsat - 7

© CSA 1999

Remote sensing