Demystifying normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for greenness exposure assessments and policy interventions in urban greening

Most nature and health research use the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for measuring greenness exposure. However, little is known about what NDVI measures in terms of vegetation types (e.g., canopy, grass coverage) within certain analysis zones (e.g., 500 m buffer). Additionally, exploration is needed to understand how to interpret changes in average NDVI (e.g., per 0.1 increments) exposure in relation to changes in vegetation amount and types. In this study, we aimed to explore what vegetation types and amounts best explain the average NDVI and how changes in average NDVI values indicate changes in different vegetation coverages. We used spatial modeling to sample mean NDVI and percentages of…

• ES
  European Space Agency
• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Award: NE/N013530/1
• AA
  Arts and Humanities Research Council
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/N013530/1, NE/N013530/1