<p>I have layer stacked Landsat 8 image, how can I calculate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalized_difference_water_index" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Normalized difference water index</a> (NDWI) from it? </p>

<p>I would have been able to calculate it easily using the raster calculator, if I had the green and NIR bands individually.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T07:11:48.500Z
I'm not sure, but you might not be explaining clearly enough the exact nature of the "stacked Landsat 8 image" that you do have. Landsat 8 does have both green and near infrared channels ([bands 3 and 5 respectively](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsat_8#Sensors)); what channels are present in your image(s)?
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T18:36:48.927Z
the stacked landsat 8 image has bands 1-5 in it. How can the raster calculator use bands 3 and 5 from the stacked image to calculate NDWI? I can do it easily as i mentioned earlier if I had the individual bands.
Chayan Lahiri
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-24T02:51:52.227Z
Thanks for the reply. Is your question something like "I have bands 1 and 5 and I want to do a calculation that requires bands 3 and 5, how can I do it?" Is it possible that "you can't" might be the answer? I think that the more details you edit back into the original question (not just in comments) the more likely others can help. I'm no expert on this topic.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-25T11:09:11.550Z
Please indicate which software you are using.
Aaron
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-25T15:34:56.533Z
Something is lost in translation here. Does your file have bands 1 *through* 5 or 1 *and* 5.
Gabriel
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-25T16:22:23.653Z
I am using arcgis 10.5.1 and the image (landsat 8) has bands 1,2,3,4,5 stacked.
Chayan Lahiri
<remote-sensing>
NDWI from Landsat 8
Chayan Lahiri
# NDWI from Landsat 8

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-23)

I have layer stacked Landsat 8 image, how can I calculate [Normalized difference water index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalized_difference_water_index) (NDWI) from it?

I would have been able to calculate it easily using the raster calculator, if I had the green and NIR bands individually.

**Tags:** remote-sensing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm not sure, but you might not be explaining clearly enough the exact nature of the "stacked Landsat 8 image" that you do have. Landsat 8 does have both green and near infrared channels ([bands 3 and 5 respectively](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsat_8#Sensors)); what channels are present in your image(s)?  
> **username_0**: the stacked landsat 8 image has bands 1-5 in it. How can the raster calculator use bands 3 and 5 from the stacked image to calculate NDWI? I can do it easily as i mentioned earlier if I had the individual bands.  
> **username_1**: Thanks for the reply. Is your question something like "I have bands 1 and 5 and I want to do a calculation that requires bands 3 and 5, how can I do it?" Is it possible that "you can't" might be the answer? I think that the more details you edit back into the original question (not just in comments) the more likely others can help. I'm no expert on this topic.  
> **username_2**: Please indicate which software you are using.  
> **username_3**: Something is lost in translation here. Does your file have bands 1 *through* 5 or 1 *and* 5.  
> **username_0**: I am using arcgis 10.5.1 and the image (landsat 8) has bands 1,2,3,4,5 stacked.  

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