Band Combinations and their utilities:

Satellite imagery: Landsat 8 and its Band Combinations.

Posted on 08 Dec 2016

In the current version of the VANE Language, we use images from the Landsat 8 satellite, which
captures the Earth’s entire surface every 16 days. The satellite makes hundreds of images, with
a unique name for each one (such as “LC81410552016219LGN00”) and a pixel size of 30
metres. Each image consists of 11 bands; the size of an uncompressed image is 2 GB.
Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) images
consist of nine spectral bands with a spatial resolution of 30 metres for Bands 1 to 7 and 9. New
Band 1 (ultra-blue) is useful for coastal and aerosol studies, and also new Band 9 is applicable
for cirrus cloud detection. The resolution of Band 8 (panchromatic) is 15 metres. Thermal Bands
10 and 11 provide more accurate surface temperatures and are collected at 100 metres. The
approximate scene size is 170 km north–south by 183 km east–west (106 by 114 miles).
By default, we get Bands 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, but it is possible to download any other bands.
Updated! We have combined our satellite imagery into one simple and fast Satellite Imagery API. Sa
(True and False colour, NDVI, EVI), historical data, etc. More information here!
Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) – launched
11 February 2013
 Wavelength Resolution
Bands (micrometres) (metres)
Band 1 – Coastal aerosol 0.43 – 0.45 30
Band 2 – Blue 0.45 – 0.51 30
Band 3 – Green 0.53 – 0.59 30
Band 4 – Red 0.64 – 0.67 30
Band 5 – Near Infrared (NIR) 0.85 – 0.88 30
Band 6 – SWIR 1 1.57 – 1.65 30
Band 7 – SWIR 2 2.11 – 2.29 30
Band 8 – Panchromatic 0.50 – 0.68 15
Band 9 – Cirrus 1.36 – 1.38 30
Band 10 – Thermal Infrared (TIRS) 1 10.60 – 11.19 100 * (30)
Band 11 – Thermal Infrared (TIRS) 2 11.50 – 12.51 100 * (30)

Let’s consider how these bands and their combinations can be used to display Landsat 8
images.
Bands 2, 3 and 4
The blue, green and red spectra combine together to create full-colour images.
One of the simplest operations is to generate an RGB map. Here an image consists of Bands 4-
3-2, which correspond to the well-known RGB colour model.
Image #1: France, a spot near Toulouse.

Band 5
Near Infrared (NIR) – this part of the spectrum is one of the most frequently used, as healthy
plants reflect it the most: the water in their leaves scatters the wavelengths back into the sky.
This information is useful for vegetation analysis. By matching this band with others, one can
get indexes such as NDVI, which provide more precise measurement of plant condition
compared with looking only at the visible greenness.
5, 4, 3 – Traditional Colour Infrared (CIR) image
Please note how the healthier vegetation appears more clearly in a brighter shade of red. This
band combination is often used for remote sensing of agricultural land, forest and wetlands.
Let’s look at image #1 in the 5-4-3 band combination.
Band 7 – The Shortwave Infrared (SWIR2)
Spectra Shortwave Infrared lets you clearly distinguish wet soil from dry soil, and also
differentiates the Earth’s structure: rocks and soils that can look almost similar in other bands
have a strong distinction in SWIR.   
We get the following picture if we take Image #2 and use infrared band 7 instead of red band 4:
5, 4, 3 – False colour image — "False colour" is a rendering using the NIR (near infrared) band
that is more useful for showing land cover and differentiating it from urban and farmland areas.
In these images, it is possible to pick out different types of vegetation. Also easily discernible is
the boundary between land and water, which enables changes in shorelines to be tracked.
Compare the image below, made in the essential RGB colours, with the ones that follow it:
And here is the 5-4-3 band combination:

https://owm.io/sql-viewer?
lat=60.9398&lon=59.2108&zoom=9&op=falsecolor&from=l8&tabActive=2
7, 5, 2 – False colour image
This band combination is convenient for monitoring agricultural crops, which are displayed in
bright green. Bare earth is shown in purple, while uncultivated vegetation appears in subtle
green.  
http://owm.io/sql-viewer?
lat=60.9358&lon=59.3948&zoom=9&select=b7,b5,b2&op=rgb&from=l8&tabActive=2
7, 5, 3 – False colour image 
This false colour image shows the land in orange and green colours, ice is depicted in beaming
purple, and water appears in blue. This band combination is similar to the 7-5-2 one, but the
former shows vegetation in brighter shades of green.   
Landsat 8  is an Earth observation satellite built, launched and operated by a
collaboration of NASA and USGS. Data survey is performed by two main sensors
which are adjusted into prescribed bands. The satellite operates in visible light,
near InfraRed; ShortWave InfraRed to Thermal (LongWave) infrared. The bands
are pre-set to 11 bands in total differed by the wavelength of their vision.

One of the sensors – Operational Land Imager (OLI) uses 9 bands in the
spectrum of visible light and Near Infrared. The second sensor – Thermal
InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) operates in the range of the Infrared frequencies –
Longwave InfraRed Light. The satellite provides images with a moderate
resolution which varies in different bands from 15 m per pixel in the most accurate
to 100 m in the LongWave Infrared where accuracy is not vital.

While monitoring the land cover it is possible to select one or several bands in
order to create a clearer picture due to the specific needs for different kinds of
researches it is possible to use False Color Images for enhancing the visual
appearance of the data. The opportunity given is to substitute the true color of the
image with the color required.

Band 2, 3 and 4 (Blue, Green and Red filters respectively) all together these
filters are creating a true color band combination or normal RGB picture of the
visible light. The basic aim of these filters is to create a visual map of the area.
The picture seen below is a normal satellite mapping photo.
Bands 4, 3, 2 – agricultural farms around Munster, Germany. Dark Green in the picture
indicates woods, greens are the healthy plantations, pale yellow or pale green are
recently harvested fields, brown and yellow are unhealthy plants or just planted fields.
The band is also used for urban researches.

Band 8 is panchromatic or, basically, black and white is collecting as many

specters as possible in one channel which helps it to make sharper images than
any other band. Due to the sensor sees more light its resolution is 15 m per pixel
compared to 30 m in others. When more precise pictures are required for the
research it is possible to sharpen the photo by adding the band into the
combination.
Band 8 image of the agricultural fields in Saudi Arabia.

Band 5 (Near InfraRed) – is very important in terms of ecological monitoring as

the Near InfraRed is the spectrum reflected from water contained in plants.
Combination of bands 3, 4, 5 is used to monitor plants and forests more precisely
than simply monitoring the greenness picture. This band combination is also
useful for drainage and soils monitoring during the crops studies.

Bands 5,4,3 where 5 is false colored to the scarlet, band 4 is green and band 3 is blue.  
Vegetations near Munster, Germany are more visible in the spectrum rather than in
standard RGB. The red color indicates plantations, however, woods are reflected in
green.

Band 1 (Deep Blue/Violet) –the sensor band in this operation mode is able to
collect deep blue color and as a result, helps to monitor coasts as well as to
distinguish the dust particles or smoke in the air.

Tianjin, China port image taken in band 1. Greynes of the picture indicates sea depth.
The deeper color is the deeper sea level. In the middle of the scene, there are several
shipyards. 

Bands 6 and 7 use different parts of shortwave infrared and are helpful in terms of
monitoring rocks and soils. As the spectrum is almost fully absorbed by water it
easily reflects the water sources when analyzing the image. These bands are also
employed for ecological and geological researches due to their properties. The
geological band combinations allow specifying the areas of interest for future
geological study.
Picture of band 7, 6, 4 Munster, Germany. Green color indicates the vegetation. The
dark-blue or black highlights water sources. Towns and urban areas are spread within
white to cyan to purple ranges. In case the image indicates red this would mean the
sensor has taken the picture of the volcano, forest fire or solar panel field which as was
mentioned above are reflecting or radiating the whole spectrum of IR.  

Band 9 is the “blindest” of the Landsat bands yet is no less interesting. This band
covers a very narrow range of frequencies and taken the most of them are
absorbed by the atmosphere anything in this band seen brightly is considered to
be above the atmosphere. As the Earth is not visible in the spectrum, this band
aims to identify clouds and helps to filter them off when required.
Band 9 Image of the desert to the west of Fayum, Egypt.

Band 10 and 11 are Thermal InfraRed bands and they can see heat. Unlike
meteorological stations which can monitor the air temperature, these bands
combination reflects the temperature mapping of the ground surface which is
usually hotter than the air. This thermal bands combination are the most
inaccurate ones due to heat dispersion (the pixel resolution is only 100 meters),
but they proceed more information in false coloring. This feature is used for soil
moisture and evapotranspiration assessment and therefore for water application
rate defining.
Band 10 and 11 combination with the ability to see the heat dispersion around
Fukushima, Japan. The darker the color, the hotter the temperature in the area is. The
line between the white and grey in the center of the image is the shoreline