2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

Land Surface Temperature Estimation… search

A PyQGIS plugin for Land Surface

20th May 2016
Temperature Estimation Using Landsat
User Manual
The Land Surface Temperature (LST) plugin has been developed for the purpose of
extracting LST from Thermal Infrared (TIR) imagery acquired from Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 7
ETM+ and Landsat 8 TIRS. The plug-in has an ability to convert Digital Numbers (DN) to
radiance, radiance to brightness temperature and to calculate Land Surface Emissivity (LSE).
1. Conversion of DNs to radiance
To convert the DNs to radiance, the user of the plugin has to select the sensor which
is to be used from the sensor type combo box i.e. Landsat TM/ETM/TIRS for Landsat
5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 respectively. The band number and gain combo box will
change according to the sensor selected. The gain combo box will be disabled
whenever Landsat TM or Landsat TIRS is selected. This is because these sensors do
not have high and low gain TIR bands. They will however be enabled when Landsat
ETM+ has been selected as the sensor in use. Figure 1 shows the application
interface for the conversion of DNs to radiance.

[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
wUSwUA1clS4/Vz7Gl4sWatI/AAAAAAAAMIk/AUiF_TeJfiEYYT8LC37vbQXLRpFObZG7QCLcB/s1600/1
.jpg]
Figure 1: Application interface for the conversion of DNs to Radiance

When converting the DNs to radiance using Landsat 8 TIRS, there is a need to
calibrate the radiance values. To do so, the offset calibration factor should be supplied

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 1/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

by the user.
The thermal band, the output raster and the metadata file can be specified by the
user by clicking on the browse button on the right hand side of each field (…). If the
user wants to add the result to the QGIS project in use, then the user has to check
the “Add to project” check box. To complete the process, the user has to click on the
calculate button.

2. Conversion of Radiance to Brightness Temperature

To convert the radiance obtained from step 1, the user will have to go to the
brightness temperature tab of the plugin. Through this tab, the user will specify the
sensor in use, the band number, the radiance raster and the output raster. The
brightness temperatures calculated here are measured in Kelvin. Figure 2 shows the
application’s interface for the conversion of radiance to brightness temperature.

[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSQx8HzvzPE/Vz7LjfuZmnI/AAAAAAAAMJc/k94P1cGVwQMeT-
nvTHexXPBHgj5YyonrwCLcB/s1600/Figure%2B2.png]
[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wp2TTmhKtUY/Vz7GtRSyN5I/AAAAAAAAMIo/a57tSavQ3-
g7B2OzKQW5Cf-KgKYfwDebwCLcB/s1600/2.jpg]
Figure 2: Application interface for brightness temperature calculation

3. Calculation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

The plug-in has an ability to calculate the NDVI of an area. To calculate the NDVI, the
user has to go to the NDVI tab of the plug-in. Through the tab, the user will browse for
the Red, the Near Infrared (NIR) band and the output save location of the NDVI
calculated by the plugin. To browse for the bands, the user will have to click on the
browse buttons which are located on the right hand side of the fields. Figure 3 shows
the application interface for the NDVI calculation.

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 2/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
Y9FEpwNRlho/Vz7IHrq6XzI/AAAAAAAAMI4/hpxOjOdAls8A4UcO1efNgIyWtXNZNbh0wCLcB/s1600/3.j
pg]
Figure 3: Application interface for NDVI calculation

4. Estimation of LSE
This plugin has the ability to estimate LSE using the NDVI based approach. The
plugin has two NDVI estimation algorithms. To estimate LSE, the user of the plugin
has to go to the “Land Surface Emissivity” tab of the plugin as it has been shown in
figure 4. The user will thereafter browse for the NDVI raster file and also specify the
save location of the output raster i.e. LSE file in order to estimate the LSE. To
complete the process, the user will click on the calculate button.

[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tgn-

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 3/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

WioXRj8/Vz7IMbT1zHI/AAAAAAAAMI8/VonUADDCSb4sxCrNvLZ3hy2gFFkIRWRCACLcB/s1600/4.jpg]
Figure 4: Application interface for LSE estimation

5. The Planck Function

In order for the user to make use of the Planck function in the plugin, the user has to
go to the “Land Surface Temperature Algorithms” tab. Through the interface, the user
will choose the sensor in use, the band number in use, browse for the brightness
temperature raster band, browse for the land surface emissivity file which has been
calculated in step 4 and select the location to save the output. Figure 5 shows the
application’s interface of the Planck function.

[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
VYHmedeoqX8/Vz7IR1ZwJYI/AAAAAAAAMJA/sKw517DSSgkY8xuKPQGLbn8k4y-
eDDbFQCLcB/s1600/5.jpg]
Figure 5: Application interface for the Planck function

6. The Mono Window Algorithm (MWA)

The mono window algorithm is one of the LST extraction algorithms available in the
plugin. A user can access the MWA through the “Mono-Window Algorithm” tab which
is accessible through the “Land Surface Temperature Algorithms” tab. Through the
interface, the user will manage to calculate the LST by providing the Atmospheric
Transmittance, the Effective Mean Atmospheric Temperature, Specify the
atmospheric profile, browse for the brightness temperature raster file obtained from
step 2, browse for the LSE raster obtained from step 4 as well as browsing for the
output location of the calculated LST. Figure 5 shows the application’s interface of the
MWA. The effective mean atmospheric temperature and the brightness temperature
used in the algorithm is measured in Kelvin. The user has the ability to choose
whether the output raster should be in Celsius, Kelvin or Fahrenheit through the unit
combo box.

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 4/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OsGjdme9zDA/Vz7IVlAKH-
I/AAAAAAAAMJE/nUYDNcKWhjgT8KZteJddMUUxpVniqqhnACLcB/s1600/6.jpg]
Figure 6: Application interface for the Mono-Window Algorithm (MWA)

7. The Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE)

To make use of the RTE in the plugin, the user has to go to the “Radiative Transfer
Equation” tab which is accessible through the “Land Surface Temperature Algorithms
tab”. Before estimating the LST using the algorithm, the user has to select the sensor
in use, the band number, the upwelling radiance, down-welling radiance and the
atmospheric transmittance. The user also needs to browse for the Top-of-atmosphere
radiance obtained from step 1, the land surface emissivity obtained from step 4 and
browse for the output save location of the calculated LST. The user can also choose
the unit of measurement though the unit combo box available in the interface. Figure
7 shows the application’s interface of the RTE.

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 5/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--
oJlFx8BXXM/Vz7IZXu1eEI/AAAAAAAAMJI/ky3t8SPb0YIT7JU_Qd_3ZkA0vTGkqrvRwCLcB/s1600/7.jp
g]
Figure 7: Application interface for the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE)

8. The Single Channel Algorithm (SCA)

The plugin also allows its users to make use of the SCA. The algorithm is accessible
though the “Single Channel Algorithm” tab which is accessible though the “Land
Surface Temperature Algorithms” tab. To make use of the SCA, the user has to select
the sensor in use and the atmospheric water vapor (g/cm3). Through the interface,
the user should browse for the At-sensor radiance (obtained from step 1), brightness
temperature (Kelvin), the Land Surface Emissivity and specify the output save
location of the calculated LST. Figure 8 shows the application’s interface for the SCA.

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 6/7
2/26/2018 Land Surface Temperature Estimation Plugin User Manual

[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
qqG4u23Xeag/Vz7IeQ_LrtI/AAAAAAAAMJM/G27NaD5W9cccrEa6Gr8jhTyyfV06wuJ8ACLcB/s1600/8.j
pg]
Figure 8: Application interface for the Single Channel Algorithm (SCA)

You can site this plugin as indicated below.

MDPI and ACS Style

Isaya Ndossi, M.; Avdan, U. Application of Open Source Coding Technologies in the
Production of Land Surface Temperature (LST) Maps from Landsat: A PyQGIS
Plugin. Remote Sens. 2016, 8, 413.

AMA Style
Isaya Ndossi M, Avdan U. Application of Open Source Coding Technologies in the
Production of Land Surface Temperature (LST) Maps from Landsat: A PyQGIS
Plugin. Remote Sensing. 2016; 8(5):413.

Chicago/Turabian Style
Isaya Ndossi, Milton; Avdan, Ugur. 2016. "Application of Open Source Coding
Technologies in the Production of Land Surface Temperature (LST) Maps from
Landsat: A PyQGIS Plugin." Remote Sens. 8, no. 5: 413.
Posted 20th May 2016 by Milton

9 View comments

http://qgislstplugin.blogspot.hu/ 7/7