Reevaluating the traditional maximum NDVI compositing methodology: the normalized difference blue index

In developing a compositing methodology specifically designed for the humid tropics, targeting the removal of cloud and haze effected pixels, a new method was devised, maximum Normalized Difference Blue Index (NDBI). This method uses the blue band in place of the red band of the normal NDVI equation. The NDBI technique provided a compositing result with considerably less speckle (noise) than the maximum NDVI composite product. The maximum NDBI result also had less variation present within a given vegetation type, allowing one to distinguish more easily between different vegetation classes. This clarity between vegetation types is an essential property of the final composite product, as it will be used for vegetation and land use classification.