Assess Burn Scars with Satellite Imagery
Calculate a burn index using imagery bands to measure fires in Montana. 2 hours
In the summer of 2015, wildfires raged through Glacier National Park in Montana. Following the fires, there was an effort to measure the burn scars to create a baseline for forest regeneration and vegetation succession. Using Landsat 8 imagery from before and after the fire, you'll calculate the damage using a Normalized Burn Index, then publish the data as a feature class to share with others.
Lesson plan
| Compare band combinations | Look at the imagery using different bands to make a qualitative assessment. | 45 minutes |
| Calculate the burn index | Quantitatively compare specific bands and create a burn scar feature from the results. | 1 hour 15 minutes |
Builds skills in
Data Collection & Management | Imagery & Remote Sensing
Focus industry
- Natural Resources
Requirements
- ArcGIS Pro (get a free trial)
- ArcGIS Spatial Analyst or ArcGIS Image Analyst
- Publisher or Administrator role in an ArcGIS Organization
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