Enhanced vegetation index
The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) is like a magic number that helps us understand how healthy and green plants are. You know how healthy plants are important for us and the environment, right? The EVI helps us figure out how much of an area is covered in healthy plants from space.
Now, imagine that you are playing a game where you have to find as many green things as possible in a huge garden. You start off by looking at the plants, right? But what if the plants are too far apart from each other or too small for you to see properly? You need a way to figure out where all the green is.
The EVI is like a special pair of glasses that helps you see the greenness of plants even when they're small or far away. It works by looking at the colors of light reflected by plants. Leaves of healthy plants reflect a lot of green light, and also some blue and red light. But unhealthy plants, like those that are dry or sick, won't reflect as much green light.
Scientists use fancy instruments on satellites to measure the amount of green, blue, and red light that gets reflected from the Earth's surface. They use some complicated math using these measurements to calculate the EVI. The EVI gives them a number that tells them how bright and healthy the plants are in that area.
So, when you hear scientists talking about the EVI, they are basically talking about how green, healthy, and lush an area is with plants. It's an important number because it helps us monitor plant growth, look out for plant diseases, and keep an eye on how well farmers are doing with their crops.
Now, imagine that you are playing a game where you have to find as many green things as possible in a huge garden. You start off by looking at the plants, right? But what if the plants are too far apart from each other or too small for you to see properly? You need a way to figure out where all the green is.
The EVI is like a special pair of glasses that helps you see the greenness of plants even when they're small or far away. It works by looking at the colors of light reflected by plants. Leaves of healthy plants reflect a lot of green light, and also some blue and red light. But unhealthy plants, like those that are dry or sick, won't reflect as much green light.
Scientists use fancy instruments on satellites to measure the amount of green, blue, and red light that gets reflected from the Earth's surface. They use some complicated math using these measurements to calculate the EVI. The EVI gives them a number that tells them how bright and healthy the plants are in that area.
So, when you hear scientists talking about the EVI, they are basically talking about how green, healthy, and lush an area is with plants. It's an important number because it helps us monitor plant growth, look out for plant diseases, and keep an eye on how well farmers are doing with their crops.