Determination the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the NH-38-2 Al-Najaf Plateau, Iraq with the Assistance of the Remote Sensing Technology

Abstract

Abstract The satellites and the data that is provided by are an effective way to distinguish the characteristics of agricultural crops, crops density, and the changes that affect the vegetation cover. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been widely used in conducting a quantitative assessment of plants that cover the surface of the earth, as it revealed many problems facing the agricultural environment, especially those located in arid or semi-arid areas. This study dealt with analyzing the vegetation cover of the plateau NH-38-2 located in Al-Najaf, Iraq by finding the NDVI using remote sensing technology and Geological Information System (GIS), in addition to finding its value for the study area. The study showed that the vegetation cover is largely non-existent and ranges between (0-1) as the region suffers from desertification, which requires the relevant authorities to rectify the matter by developing projects that will increase the vegetation cover as it helps to improve the environment. In addition, the study showed that there is an area that does not exceed 110 km2 that contains vegetation, which is a very small area compared to the total area under study, which is 15225 km2.