Comparasion of NDBI and NDVI as Indicators of Surface Urban Heat Island Effect in Landsat 8 Imagery: A Case Study of Iasi

This study compares the normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as indicators of surface urban heat island effects in Landsat-8 OLI imagery by investigating the relationships between the land surface temperature (LST), NDBI and NDVI. The urban heat island (UHI) represents the phenomenon of higher atmospheric and surface temperatures occurring in urban area or metropolitan area than in the surrounding rural areas due to urbanization. With the development of remote sensing technology, it has become an important approach to urban heat island research. Landsat data were used to estimate the LST, NDBI and NDVI from four seasons for Iasi municipality area. This paper indicates than there is a strong linear relationship between LST and NDBI, whereas the relationship between LST and NDVI varies by season. This paper suggests, NDBI is an accurate indicator of surface UHI effects and can be used as a complementary metric to the traditionally applied NDVI