A water index — 0 compatible sensors — Last revised June 1, 2025
LWVI-1

Leaf Water Vegetation Index 1

An index designed to estimate leaf water content using NIR wavelengths. This NDWI variant is particularly sensitive to changes in leaf water status and can help monitor plant water stress.

Used in crop monitoring, and water detection.

When to use

  • Permanent and seasonal water body delineation
  • Flood mapping and emergency response
  • Wetland inventory and change detection
  • Reservoir and lake water level monitoring
  • Coastal shoreline change analysis
  • Leaf water content estimation
  • Plant water stress monitoring

Limitations

  • Dark surfaces (shadows, asphalt, dark soils) can produce false positives
  • Suspended sediments and algae alter spectral response in shallow water
  • Mixed pixels at water boundaries reduce edge accuracy
  • Atmospheric correction quality directly impacts threshold selection
  • Sun glint over open water can saturate sensors and bias values

What the values mean

-1 Definitely not water
-0.3 Dry / built-up surface
0 Possible moisture / wet soil
0.3 Open water
0.6 Deep / clear water
Surface typeTypical LWVI-1
Built-up, asphalt-0.5 to -0.2
Bare soil, vegetation-0.2 to 0
Wet soil, flooded fields0 to 0.3
Open water, lakes0.3 to 0.7

General Formula

nir_893 893
nir_1094 1094

Sensor-Specific Formulas

Most-used sensors — click to show code below

SensorProviderFormulaBand Mapping

Code Examples

lwvi1_generic.py

LWVI-1 vs other water indices

IndexNameHow it differs
LSWILand Surface Water IndexAlternative water index — different band combination
LWVI-2Leaf Water Vegetation Index 2Alternative water index — different band combination
MNDWIModified Normalized Difference Water IndexRefined formulation for specific conditions
NDMINormalized Difference Moisture IndexAlternative water index — different band combination

Related Water Indices

LSWI
Land Surface Water Index
LWVI-2
Leaf Water Vegetation Index 2
MNDWI
Modified Normalized Difference Water Index
NDMI
Normalized Difference Moisture Index
NDWI
Normalized Difference Water Index
NDWI
Normalized Difference Water Index (McFeeters)
NWI
New Water Index
OSI
Oil Spill Index

References

Galvão et al. (2005). Discrimination of sugarcane varieties in Southeastern Brazil with EO-1 Hyperion data.

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