Each imagery layer shows your crop in a different way, and each works best at a different point in the season. Use this table to pick the layers to turn on for your subscription and to read them on the map. Planet and Sentinel-2 subscriptions include the same layers.
| Action | Where | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Choose which layers load for your subscription | Web | Enterprise Administrator |
| View imagery layers | Web and mobile | Enterprise Administrator, Agronomist, Technician+, Technician, Soil Sampler, Operator |
For every role and what it can do, see Breakdown of user permissions.
Layers
| Layer | What it shows | Best time in the season | Use it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| True color (Visible spectrum) | The field as your eye would see it from above | Any time | Get a baseline, and spot standing water, hail or wind damage, weed patches, and equipment tracks |
| MSAVI (Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index) | Plant vigor, with bare-soil glare corrected out | Emergence through early canopy, while there's still a lot of soil showing | Check stand establishment and early-season vigor |
| NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) | Plant vigor and biomass, based on how much near-infrared light the plants reflect and how much red light they absorb | Canopy development through mid-season. Loses detail once the canopy closes | Find thin or stressed areas, and build zones from in-season vigor |
| GNDVI (Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) | Chlorophyll levels, using green light in place of red | Mid to late season | Track nitrogen status and crop greenness |
| NDRE (Normalized Difference Red Edge) | Chlorophyll levels in a dense canopy, using red-edge light | Mid to late season, after NDVI stops showing differences | Track nitrogen status and late-season crop health |
| Red-edge band | Red-edge reflectance on its own | Mid to late season | Look for nitrogen deficiency and late-season stress |
| Red band | Red reflectance on its own. Healthy plants absorb red light, so lower values mean more chlorophyll | Mid-season | Check crop health between canopy development and maturity |
Dynamic layers
Each index layer also comes in a Dynamic version, such as Dynamic NDVI images. ⚠️ CONFIRM — one-line definition of what Dynamic changes.
Metrics
Each layer has a separate metrics toggle, such as NDRE metrics. Turn it on to track that index over time in Analytics. See FarmQA Analytics: creating a new metric.
Notes
- Sentinel-2 records its red-edge bands at 20 m, so Sentinel-2 NDRE and red-edge layers show less detail than its 10 m layers.
- Planet 4-band high-resolution imagery doesn't include NDRE or red-edge band layers. ⚠️ CONFIRM — keep this note only if customers can buy 4-band imagery.