A radar index — 0 compatible sensors — Last revised June 1, 2025
VVVHR
VV-VH Ratio
VV-VH Ratio - A spectral index for radar applications.
When to use
- Cloud-free vegetation monitoring in tropical regions
- Day/night observation for time-critical applications
- Forest biomass estimation in dense canopies
- Soil moisture retrieval at field-scale
- Crop type discrimination using polarimetric features
- radar
Limitations
- Speckle noise from coherent imaging requires multi-look or filter processing
- Topographic effects (foreshortening, layover, shadow) distort backscatter
- Soil moisture significantly affects backscatter independent of vegetation
- Calibration drift between acquisitions complicates time-series analysis
- Polarisation channels may not be available for all sensors
General Formula
VV SAR VV
VH SAR VH
Sensor-Specific Formulas
Most-used sensors — click to show code below
| Sensor | Provider | Formula | Band Mapping |
|---|
Code Examples
vvvhr_generic.py
VVVHR vs other radar indices
| Index | Name | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| QpRVI | Quad-Polarized Radar Vegetation Index | Alternative radar index — different band combination |
| RFDI | Radar Forest Degradation Index | Alternative radar index — different band combination |
| VDDPI | Vertical Dual De-Polarization Index | Alternative radar index — different band combination |
| VHVVD | VH-VV Difference | Alternative radar index — different band combination |
Related Radar Indices
References
https://doi.org/10.3390/app9040655
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