In this section, we’ll look at how land features appear in the different products. But first, see if you can answer the following questions based on what you’ve learned about the channels and RGBs so far.
Which products are useful for looking at vegetation in daytime?
The correct answers are a, b, d.
Land features, such as deserts, vegetation, and mountains, show up clearly on visible and infrared imagery and the RGB products made from them, like the natural colour RGB. Atmospheric moisture typically prevents water vapour channels from detecting the ground surface.
Which products are used if you want to find deserts at night?
The correct answers are b, e.
Since the visible channel is not useful at night, the natural colour RGB cannot be used. That leaves IR imagery and night microphysics RGB, which is made from IR channels. Water vapour imagery is generally not useful for seeing surface features at any time of day.
Which product is best for distinguishing snow and low clouds?
The correct answer is d.
Features look realistic in the natural colour RGB except for snow, which is cyan helping you distinguish it from clouds.
Let’s look more in depth at how different land features appear in the various products.