Imagery in Action

Exercise
Use imagery to locate areas of
interest
Section 1 Exercise 1
August 11, 2021
 Imagery in Action

Use imagery to locate areas of interest

Time to complete
40 minutes

Technical note
ArcGIS Online and the Landsat Explorer app are dynamic apps, so what you see may vary
slightly from the graphics included in this exercise.
Software requirements
An updated internet browser

Introduction
Imagery can be used in various ways in ArcGIS, from providing context to any location-based
study to being the focus of the study when making new discoveries or quantifying aspects of
the study area. When using imagery, or remote sensing data, in your study area, one of the
first steps to perform is to visually examine the data to discover any unique properties of a
desired feature or features within the remote sensing data. The potential to discover and
identify a feature in imagery is related to its collected characteristics from each imagery
dataset.
There are many different types of imagery, and each type has unique characteristics that can
be used to find certain desired features. The characteristics of each imagery dataset are
related to the type of sensor used to collect the imagery. Depending on the sensor, the
amount and type of characteristics measured of features within your study area can be very
different. The technical details of each type of sensor can be found in the metadata for each
dataset. Additional information about the imagery can include elements like the visible area,
the date of collection, or other technical aspects of the sensor.
Understanding these technical aspects of the imagery will improve your ability to find desired
features in your study area. Remote sensing data collects information about features and
presents this information as values in an image, which are stored as raster bands. The measure
of a single characteristic is recorded as an element in one of these raster bands. Individual
imagery datasets can contain many raster bands. You can combine and display these raster
bands as band combinations or band composites. These band combinations are used to
display the imagery data in a map depending on the visualization needs and characteristics.

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To learn more about how raster bands can be used to discover a desired feature, you will use
the Landsat imagery layer available from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. This imagery layer
is based on imagery from the Landsat program, which uses satellites to collect various raster
bands used to monitor the earth.
In this exercise, you will use the ArcGIS Landsat Explorer app to view the Landsat image layers
and explore various study areas. Additionally, you will learn about possible techniques to
discover desired features by manipulating different raster bands within the layer.

Exercise scenario
As a GIS analyst for a local government, you are tasked with beginning an assessment of how
much area would be impacted by revisions to the water policy in the area. To determine which
businesses will be most affected by any water policy changes, you will locate the areas that
have the most vegetation area and will require the most irrigation. Through the functionality in
the Landsat Explorer app, you will explore the area with satellite-based image services and
use the tools to locate the areas with the highest vegetation index values.

Step 1: Access your MOOC credentials

First, you will visit the MOOC home page to locate your course account user name and
password.

a On the MOOC home page, next to Dashboard, click Lessons.

b Under Lessons, locate your ArcGIS Account Information.

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This information is your course ArcGIS account user name and password. You will use these
credentials to download ArcGIS Pro and complete all the MOOC exercises. The user name for
this account ends with _iact (for example, jdoe_iact). You may want to write down the user
name and password for quick reference or you can always return to the Lessons tab to locate
your credentials.
Note: If you registered in the last few hours, your account may not be ready. Refresh the page
in an hour or so to determine if your account is available.

c Open a new web browser in private or incognito mode.

Note: To learn how to enable private browsing, go to https://links.esri.com/HowToBrowse
(https://www.howtogeek.com/269265/how-to-enable-private-browsing-on-any-web-browser).

d In the address bar, type www.arcgis.com and press Enter.

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e Click Sign In.

f Under ArcGIS Login, copy and paste or type your course ArcGIS user name and
password.

g Click Sign In.

The first time that you sign in, you may be asked to change your password and set a security
question.

h If necessary, follow the on-screen instructions to change your password.

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i Follow the on-screen instructions to set your security question.

Note: An automated email will be sent to the email address associated with the account
telling you that your account was recently modified. No action is required.
After you set your security question, you will see the home page of the MOOC organization.
You now have your MOOC account information and access to the MOOC organization.

j If you would like, bookmark the MOOC organization home page, and then keep your web
browser open.

Step 2: Explore ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World

In this step, you will access ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World to browse, filter, and discover
ready-to-use imagery.
ArcGIS Living Atlas is a large collection of geographic information from around the globe. It
includes imagery layers, apps, models, and stories that present user-created data products for
use in your analysis or to present findings of an analysis.

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a In a new web browser tab, browse to the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World website (https:/
/livingatlas.arcgis.com), and then near the top of the page, click the Browse tab.

In this view of ArcGIS Living Atlas, you will see a search field, multiple preconfigured
categories with drop-down options to consider, and a selection of some of the dynamic
layers. The options are based on different ways that you can explore the vast amount of data
within ArcGIS Living Atlas. Depending on your analysis, you can limit the search results in
various ways, including the type of content, date added to the atlas, and geographic region.
Note: Within the options on the web page, you will also see the ability to focus the search
results as Esri-only or Authoritative-only to restrict the results to the curated data sources.

b Near the top of the page, click the Imagery down arrow to see the options for types of
imagery layers.
1. What are the four preset options available for Imagery?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Each of these selections is based on some of the most popular types of imagery layers.
Imagery layers are online services presenting imagery data that can be used in desktop and
online applications. Many users will seek imagery from each of these popular choices. Also be
aware that some of the options are not mutually exclusive.

c In the Imagery drop-down list, check the Multispectral Imagery box and notice the
selections returned.

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Within these selections, there are satellite imagery layers, including Sentinel-2, Landsat, and
an aerial imagery layer NAIP.

d With the Multispectral Imagery option still checked, check the Temporal Imagery box.

e Notice that the Sentinel-2, NAIP, and Landsat imagery layers are still visible, indicating
that they contain multiple raster bands and have data from the past, as well.
While ArcGIS Living Atlas contains many different imagery services to explore, there are also
many other available datasets and applications to explore.

f With the two options still selected, in the search field, type apps and press Enter.
Two apps by Esri should appear at the top of the results, including the Landsat Explorer app.

g Point to the Landsat Explorer App thumbnail and click View Item Details.
On the item page that opens, you can see information about the app, including information
about the options that you use to display information in the app and use restrictions.
The web app can be used to access the Landsat imagery layers that are available in ArcGIS
Online. The web app is capable of displaying the Landsat data in various ways that you will
begin to explore in this exercise.

h Click View Application to open it in the browser.

Now you are ready to use the Landsat Explorer app to begin exploring your study area.

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Step 3: Discover how spectral information is reported

In this step, you will explore the Landsat Explorer app, view how spectral information is
expressed in the raster bands, and see some of the rendering possibilities to begin your
research.
The Landsat program was started in 1972 through a joint NASA/U.S. Geological Survey
program to launch a series of earth observation satellites and provide continuously acquired
images of the earth's land surface. The purpose of this project is to help land managers and
policy makers make informed decisions about natural resources and the environment.
For more information about the Landsat program, visit the USGS website on Landsat Missions
(https://links.esri.com/LandsatMissions | https://usgs.gov/core-science-systems/nli/landsat).
There have been multiple Landsat satellites in the program with more advanced sensors
capable of collecting more information with each generation. The information collected by
the sensor is reported as spectral bands of data based on their location and width on the
electromagnetic spectrum.
The current satellite is the Landsat 8 sensor, which collects nine spectral bands and thermal
bands. For more information on the specific wavelengths collected, visit the USGS website for
the Landsat 8 sensor (https://links.esri.com/USGSLandsat8 | https://usgs.gov/core-science-
systems/nli/landsat/landsat-8?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-
science_support_page_related_con.
These spectral bands are reported as raster bands when viewed in ArcGIS apps. There is a
raster band for each spectral band collected by the satellite.

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The spectral information is reported as raster bands.

These different raster bands can be combined in different ways, which is called rendering.
Each renderer uses a different combination of three individual bands to create a visualization
where certain features or aspects of the landscape are more visible.

Imagery is displayed in a combination of three bands. Which three bands are displayed depends on the chosen
rendering.

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The rendering options for each Landsat image depend on the metadata provided with each
Landsat image, which provides information on which of the 11 total bands are present in the
product.
Esri provides a series of Landsat image layers as dynamic imagery layers that provide
preconfigured visualizations of the different raster bands available from the Landsat Sensor.
These custom visualizations are called renderers.
Landsat Explorer lists the renderer being used for visualization at the top of the app near the
name and the date of the centermost Landsat image.
2. Which renderer is currently being used in the display?

_______________________________________________________________________________

a To see more information about the renderer, from the left toolbar, click the Renderer
button .

b In the Choose Rendering window, click the Information button to see the band
combination and which features or studies it is recommended for.
3. What is the band combination for the renderer?

_______________________________________________________________________________

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Multispectral bands for

Landsat 8

Band Description
1 Coastal Aerosol
2 Blue
3 Green
4 Red
5 Near Infrared
6 Shortwave Infrared 1
7 Shortwave Infrared 2
8 Panchromatic
9 Cirrus
10 Thermal Infrared Sensor 1
11 Thermal Infrared Sensor 2

4. Based on the band information from the preceding table on Landsat 8 bands, what
are the names of the bands used in this renderer?

_______________________________________________________________________________

This combination of bands uses two spectral bands that are not visible to the human eye to
create a custom visualization to see vegetation easier.
5. What types of features is the renderer recommended for?

_______________________________________________________________________________

This renderer appears to be a good choice based on the study parameters. The vegetation
areas are clearly visible in the map. However, because you are just beginning the research,
you will consider other choices before deciding on the renderer to use.
The Landsat Explorer app opens with Redlands, California, in view. The mountains to the east
and the developed areas are visible in this spatial extent.

c In the Choose Rendering window, click the down arrow and choose Natural Color.

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The Natural Color renderer displays the Landsat as you would see the area overhead as if
viewing the area from a plane.

Depending on the size of your browser or the given day, as this is a live service
updated daily, the display may contain clouds. If the display is not satisfactory,
then consider resizing the browser display.

The Natural Color renderer includes the Red, Blue, and Green bands for display, which can
reveal clouds.
Note: If resizing the browser does not work, on the toolbar, use the Time Selector button
and choose the option to reduce the cloud cover.
Each Landsat image has a reported cloud cover value, so you can select which image will be
visible in that spatial extent by choosing the most current image that meets the criteria. A low
value in cloud cover is ideal because the value represents the percentage of area covered by
clouds.
Note: If you choose the time selector option, be advised that the view of the study area may
not be the most current.

d Change the renderer to Color Infrared.

This renderer will display healthy vegetation in shades of red using the Near Infrared band.

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Now that you have worked with a few of the different rendering options in the Landsat
Explorer app, you are ready to focus on the study area and start the process of researching
that area.

Step 4: Visualize the study area

In this step, you will begin the process of choosing the best visualization to find vegetation
around Paradise Valley, Arizona, with the Landsat Explorer app.

a If necessary, close the Choose Rendering window.

b In the Find A Place field, type Paradise Valley, AZ and press Enter.

The search results will list any variations of the location name, and a cyan outline will appear in
the center of the map to indicate the location.
6. Without panning the view within the map, are there any visible features that stand
out?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Because you left the renderer set to Color Infrared, the study area is visualized initially. The
other rendering options are available just as before, and you should consider them as you
look for the combination that will allow you to locate the vegetation areas.
In addition to the rendering options, you are also able to use the power of overlaying layers in
the Landsat Explorer app just like you can in other ArcGIS apps.

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c To see the available basemaps, in the upper-left corner of the map, click the Basemap
Gallery button .

d Choose the Imagery With Labels basemap.

While the basemap is only visible under the Landsat imagery layer, you can use one of the
layers to add some contextual information. For some studies, the imagery layer provides
context—in this case, the names of the locations will provide context to be sure that you are
in the desired location.

e If necessary, drag the map (click and hold the click) to reposition the area so that you can
see the Phoenix Mountains Park in the upper left of the visible area and Scottsdale in the
lower right.

f Survey the study area with the labels present.

7. Focusing on the vegetation areas on the map (darker red), what are some of the
common features of the areas?

_______________________________________________________________________________

g Change the renderer back to the Agriculture renderer, and then close the Search Result
pop-up in the map.

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The vegetation areas are now a bright green and are clearly visible in this renderer, too.
You will consider the next steps in the research for this vegetation study. Now that you have
found two band combinations that reveal the vegetation in the Landsat Explorer app, you
have a good start to your research into the areas that will be most affected by any change of
the water policy in the area. These renderers have some similar raster bands used in the
display.
8. Using your knowledge about the two raster band combinations, which raster band
or bands are used in both renderers?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Note: Be sure to check the information about each renderer in the Choose Rendering window
or the item page for more information.
Now that you have tried different rendering options in Landsat Explorer, you are ready to
begin creating the report for your manager. However, you have just received information that
the requirements have changed and that you will need to create a shareable layer that
determines the size of the vegetation area that could be affected by the water policy.
In the next step, you will create a feature layer that will allow you to calculate the area of
vegetation areas in the study area.

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Step 5: Add a study area layer to the map

Now that you have identified the vegetation areas, you are ready to quantify the area
affected.

a In the map, zoom in closer to the McCormick Ranch Golf Club, slightly northwest of your
Paradise Valley location.

Note: To zoom in, you can use your mouse wheel or in the upper-left corner of the map, click
the Zoom In button .
This general area has been selected to provide a specific vegetation area calculation.
However, you have now been provided a specific study area that your management has
identified for the initial study. This layer is available in ArcGIS Online and can be added to the
Landsat Explorer app.

b In the top-right corner of the app, click Sign In, and then type your MOOC credentials
and click OK.

c On the toolbar, click the Add Data From ArcGIS Online button .
You will see a window with a list of available layers. These layers can be added to the app
from your organization in ArcGIS Online and are available to add context and enhance
analysis. You will add the study area layer to focus your analysis on a particular area.

d Click the My Organization down arrow and choose ArcGIS Online, as specified in the
following graphic.

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e In the search field, type potential area for water policy owner:esritrainingsvc and press
Enter.
Note: If you do not see the layer in the results, click Within Map to turn off the option as you
may be zoomed in too much.

f In the bottom-right corner of the result, click Add to add the layer to the map, and then
close the Add Data From ArcGIS Online window.

g If necessary, zoom out so that your map view is similar to the following graphic.

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The study area polygon should display in a cyan color in the app. The areas of high
vegetation are visible within the study area, but you will continue your research because you
have been asked to measure the area covered.

Step 6: Create a Vegetation Index

The Landsat Explorer app can display the bands in the Landsat imagery layer in different
ways. Some of those are band combinations where the different bands are reordered in the
display, but another way is by using band arithmetic to create a visualization. Band arithmetic
is where the values in the raster bands are added, multiplied, or divided to create a new
visualization.

a Update the renderer to Vegetation Index.

Hint: Renderer button > Vegetation Index

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The Vegetation Index is based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and is
used to measure and monitor the vigor of vegetation. The band arithmetic uses the Near
Infrared and Red raster bands and is calculated with the following formula:

• (Near Infrared - Red) / (Near Infrared + Red)

In the initial research, the Near Infrared band was used in both the Agriculture and Color
Infrared renderers and is vital in understanding vegetation identification. The values in this
index are listed on a scale range from 0 to 1.0. So, the greater values (green) indicate the
presence of rich vegetation in the area.
For more information about the calculation, go to ArcGIS Pro Help: NDVI function.

b Survey the results of the Vegetation Index within the study area.

c On the toolbar, click the Swipe tool .

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d In the middle of the map, drag the blue box from one side to the other to view the
basemap and consider the green high-value areas of the index with the underlying data.
The green areas identified in the Vegetation Index appear to correlate to the golf courses and
parks previously identified.

e On the toolbar, click the Swipe tool again to deactivate it.

To identify the areas of high vegetation in the study area, you will need to classify the areas
above a specified threshold to create a mask of areas that meet this criterion.

Step 7: Create a vegetation mask

Per a local expert, a vegetation value of 0.45 is considered to be relevant for this area. The
areas that are greater than 0.45 can be considered desirable vegetation areas, so you will use
that figure when creating the mask. You will create a mask that will be used to focus further
research into quantifying the areas that would be affected by the water policy.

a Change the renderer back to Natural Color.

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You will use this renderer to allow the masked areas to appear clearly.

b On the toolbar, click the Mask button to view the Mask window.
The Vegetation Index is the default choice. The entire visible area of the app will be shown.
The initial mask value is 0.5 and you will see an area covered at the top.
To normalize the figure, you will use the study area polygon to focus the area covered
calculation.

c At the bottom of the Mask window, check the Define Areas Of Interest box, and then
move your pointer into the map near one of the study area corners.
A MapTip appears that says Click To Start Drawing.

d Click in the map around the study area as closely as possible, double-clicking to finish
your drawing.
Note: If you click the edge of the study area polygon, a pop-up will appear, indicating
information about the polygon feature layer.

e In the Mask window, click Apply.

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The results will then be refined to only appear within the area of interest—in this case, the
study area—and the value for area covered will change. It should be around 3.500 square
kilometers.
To complete the mask creation, you will need to adjust the mask value. Currently, it is 0.5, but
the local experts have determined that a value of 0.45 is appropriate.

f Using the Mask slider, adjust the value of the mask to 0.45.

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Note: Setting the value can be performed by dragging the slider along the axis or clicking the
plus (+) or minus (-) buttons for fine-tuning.

When adjusting the value, it may take a moment for the values in the map to
redraw.

The mask has been updated and now has an area-covered value of around 4.85 square
kilometers. The values for the mask cover the vegetation areas in the study area well.

Step 8: Create a vegetation study area layer for further analysis

Now you are ready to create the layer that you will use for further research into the study on
vegetation areas that would be most affected by changes in the water policy.

a At the bottom of the Mask window, click the color wheel down arrow, choose a blue
color, and then click Apply, if necessary.

b On the toolbar, click the Save Top Layer To ArcGIS Online button .

c In the Save Result dialog box, for Title, type NDVI Mask For Water Policy_<your
initials>.
You will add your initials to distinguish your layer from others.

d For Tags, add ImageryInAction, MOOC, and then click Submit.

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e If prompted, sign in using your MOOC credentials.

You will now return to your MOOC organization tab and view your saved content.

f At the top of the web browser, click the Imagery In Action tab to view the MOOC
organization home page.
Note: If you closed the organization home page, perform the following actions:

1. Open a new web browser tab, and then browse to www.arcgis.com to sign in to
ArcGIS Online.
2. Click Sign In, click ArcGIS Login, if necessary, and then type your MOOC user name
and password and click Sign In.

g At the top of the Imagery In Action organization home page, click Content.

h If necessary, under Folders, click the folder that matches your user name to see your layer
item listed.

i Click your NDVI Mask For Water Policy layer to open its item page.

j Click Open In Map Viewer Classic to see the output in a web map.

The mask value is shown as an imagery layer overlaid on the basemap.

You have successfully identified some of the areas that have the most vegetation and will
most likely be affected by a change to water policy in the area. Using ArcGIS, you accessed

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dynamic image services, explored different visualizations, and created preliminary analysis
products to set up future investigations and analyses.

k When you are finished, close any open web browser tabs or windows, including the
Landsat Explorer app.

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Answers to Exercise Questions

1. What are the four preset options available for Imagery?

The options include Basemap Imagery, Multispectral Imagery, Temporal Imagery, and
Event Imagery.

2. Which renderer is currently being used in the display?

The Agriculture renderer is indicated.

3. What is the band combination for the renderer?

The band combination is 6,5,2.

4. Based on the band information from the preceding table on Landsat 8 bands, what are the
names of the bands used in this renderer?
Shortwave Infrared 1, Near Infrared, and Blue are the names of the bands.

5. What types of features is the renderer recommended for?

It is recommended for agricultural studies where the vigorous vegetation appears a
darker green.

6. Without panning the view within the map, are there any visible features that stand out?
Some darker red areas appear to be vegetation.

7. Focusing on the vegetation areas on the map (darker red), what are some of the common
features of the areas?
They are parks, golf courses, or reservations.

8. Using your knowledge about the two raster band combinations, which raster band or bands
are used in both renderers?
The Near Infrared band is used in both renderers.

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