Seeing More With Satellite Imagery Using Band Combinations, Ratios and Indices

This guide introduces multispectral satellite imaging for open-source research, explaining how band combinations, band ratios, and indices (like NDVI) can highlight features such as mining activity, pollution, and vegetation health; it illustrates these methods via case studies on kaolinite mining in Georgia, bauxite extraction and policy impacts in West Kalimantan, and vegetation loss in Yemen, and provides practical tips to avoid misinterpretation (e.g., cloud confusion, hidden features, and cautious conclusions).