ABSTRACT
This chapter compares change detection analysis using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from satellite images, with the analysis of change based on the same images classified into land cover. The NDVI index has provided the researcher with a reliable method to measure vegetative biomass through the use of satellite imagery (Tucker, 1979) for nearly 20 years. NDVI can be used as a fast and convenient method for measuring temporal changes associated with vegetation (Lyon et al., 1998). This chapter will show that the NDVI change detection process can provide a cost-effective method of accurately targeting areas within a region that have undergone extensive human land use change.
