A global systematic review of the remote sensing vegetation indices

作者：Kai Yan, Si Gao, Si Gao, Guangjian Yan, Xuanlong Ma, Xiuzhi Chen, Peng Zhu, Jinhua Li, Sicong Gao, Sicong Gao, Jean‐Philippe Gastellu‐Etchegorry, Ranga B. Myneni, Qiao Wang · 发表于：International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jag.2025.104560 · 被引用次数：47 · 研究领域：Remote Sensing in Agriculture、Remote Sensing and Land Use、Land Use and Ecosystem Services

• A literature review of vegetation indices from a user perspective. • The bibliometric methodology adopted covering the period 1986 to 2023. • Reviewed definitions, current status, challenges, and motivations for vegetation indices adoption. • Combined global sensitivity analysis and computer simulation to discuss the applicability of VI. Vegetation indices (VIs), with the advantages of being easy to understand, simple form, and robust, have emerged as a pivotal and widespread tool for monitoring and assessing vegetation health and dynamics. Decades of research have produced numerous VIs, broadening their use and impact across various fields, but possibly overwhelming users with too many options. This study conducted a bibliometric review of VI-related literature in the web of science (WOS) database since 1986, examining current trends and issues in data sources, geographic areas, eco-functional areas, applications, and technical methods. It also analyzed the correlation among 86 VIs from global satellite data and assessed the sensitivity of 16 VIs to different parameters using radiative transfer model simulations at leaf and canopy scales. This review revealed that (1) VI research accelerated since 1986, particularly after 2012, largely due to the availability of earth-observing satellite data and new VIs. (2) The central concern of VI is its sensitivity to vegetation parameters, with recent interest in complex terrain effects. (3) VI is difficult to distinguish structural ...