{"id":1280,"date":"2014-07-23T10:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T15:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gisgeography.com\/?p=1280"},"modified":"2025-03-26T17:53:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T22:53:18","slug":"multispectral-vs-hyperspectral-imagery-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gisgeography.com\/multispectral-vs-hyperspectral-imagery-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Multispectral vs Hyperspectral Imagery Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"EM<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The main difference between multispectral and hyperspectral is the number of bands<\/strong> and how narrow the bands are<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multispectral imagery generally refers to 3 to 10 bands<\/strong>. Each band has a descriptive title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we will explore the differences between these types of imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also hope to provide you with an intuition about the EM spectrum and the different types of sensors with these capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What are the Differences Between Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The main difference between multispectral and hyperspectral is the number and the spectra of electromagnetic radiation that each band contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the channels below include red, green, blue, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Multispectral<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Hyperspectral imagery consists of much narrower bands (10-20 nm). A hyperspectral image could have hundreds or thousands of bands<\/strong>. In general, they don’t have descriptive channel names.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hyperspectral<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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What is Multispectral Imagery?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An example of a multispectral sensor is Landsat-8<\/a>. For example, Landsat-8 produces 11 images with the following bands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n