Exercise: Building the Surface Temperature Model for Landsat 8 in ArcGIS Model Builder

Ayse Kilic, 11/28/2016

GOAL: The purpose of this exercise is to build a very simple model that calculates surface temperature using Band 10 of Landsat 8 satellite data. You will start by adding data and tool such as 'Raster Calculator' to ModelBuilder windowto estimate the processes including spectral radiance, SAVI (Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index), LAI (Leaf Area Index), and Emissivity.Once you construct individual processes, you can connect them to complete your model as following.

The surface temperature is computed using the following modified Plank equation:

where: Ts is surface temperature (K), Rc is the corrected thermal radiance from the surface and K1 and K2 are constants for Landsat 8 image. Units for Rc must be the same as those for K1 (W/m2/sr/μm).

The intermediate equations for this model and its parameters are contained in the Exercise 6 document (NDVI and EEFLUX based ET from Landsat 8).

PART A. Steps to create a model in Model Builder:

  1. From the ArcMap title bar, select the model maker icon:

  1. The model builder screen should open

  1. You can insert 'variables' by selecting "Insert" and "Create Variable" and "Variant" or "Double" (for double precision).

  1. You can insert raster (remote sensing images) by selecting "Insert" Tab and "Add Data or Tool" and then searching for and selecting your data.

Similarly, you can use (+) icon on the Model Builder menu to add your data.

  1. You can search for the tools/models to do geoprocessing or make a calculation. In ArcMap, click Geoprocessing tab and click "Search for Tools". This opens a Search window that you can dock anywhere in ArcMap.

Navigate the desired toolbox under System Toolboxes or use a keyword in Search window.

Similarly, you can insert a 'calculation' by dragging the RasterCalculator from the Toolbox menu over into the Model Builder window

  1. You can change the 'label' on the object by right-clicking on the object and selecting "Rename"
  1. You can make the file or variable show up in the 'menu screen' when you run the model by right=clicking on the object and selecting "Model Parameter"

You can assign a value to the variable object by double clicking on it and entering the value. The item will turn blue in color

  1. When you double click on the raster calculator, you will have access to the various layers that are open in the ArcMap table of contents and in the model builder window.
  2. When you enter the formula in the raster calculator and save it, the connection lines will appear between objects and calculation.
  3. Save the model in a toolbox. You can create the toolbox, first and place it in your own folder.