Near-Infrared (NIR) Imaging

Near-infrared (NIR) imaging captures electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of approximately 700 to 1100 nanometers, a region of the spectrum invisible to the human eye but strongly reflected by healthy vegetation and absorbed by water. NIR data is a standard component of most multispectral and hyperspectral sensors, from Landsat and Sentinel-2 to lightweight drone-mounted cameras. Why NIR mattersHealthy plant leaves contain a spongy mesophyll layer that strongly reflects NIR radiation while chlorophyll absorbs visible red light. This dramatic contrast between red absorption and NIR reflection is the basis of vegetation indices like NDVINDVIThe Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a widely used spectral index that quantifies vegetation health a... and EVI. Water strongly absorbs NIR, making it effective for delineating water bodies and wetlands. Soil reflectance in the NIR varies with moisture content and organic matter, providing information for soil mapping. ApplicationsNIR imaging is used in precision agriculturePrecision AgriculturePrecision Agriculture uses geospatial data, remote sensing, and IoT sensors to optimize farming practices at a sub-fi... for crop health monitoring and irrigation management, in forestry for canopy analysis and biomass estimation, in hydrology for mapping surface water extent, and in ecology for habitat classification. False-color composites displaying NIR as red provide immediate visual assessment of vegetation distribution and vigor. NIR imaging is fundamental to quantitative remote sensingRemote SensingRemote sensing is the science of collecting data about Earth's surface without direct physical contact, primarily usi... of vegetation and water. Its inclusion in virtually every Earth observation sensor underscores its importance for agricultural monitoring, environmental science, and natural resource management.