The Greenness of Calgary: A Community-Level Atlas (2025) — Part I: Northwest (Contrast Color Edition)

🌿 Calgary Greenness Atlas — NW Communities (Contrast Color Edition)

Calgary Greenness Atlas (Contrast Color Edition) is a unique geo-ecological atlas that reveals the distribution and condition of vegetation in the northwest sector of Calgary, based on Sentinel-2 satellite data. Built around the NDVI — the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, one of the key indicators of vegetation density and activity — this atlas combines spatial analysis with clear visual storytelling to provide an in-depth view of the city’s green structure and how it varies across communities.

🛰 Data and methodology:

The atlas is based on satellite data from the Sentinel-2 mission covering the period from mid-May to mid-September 2024 and 2025, capturing the peak of the vegetation season. Additional spatial layers come from OpenStreetMap, and community boundaries are sourced from the official City of Calgary Open Data Portal.

🌱 Features of the Contrast Color Edition:

This version uses the classic scientific NDVI color palette, ranging from black and red for bare surfaces to vibrant greens for dense vegetation. The high-contrast design makes patterns of vegetation distribution easier to distinguish at a glance and is ideal for presentations, lectures, publications, and public communication, where clarity and visual emphasis are essential. While it may appear less subtle than the Green Edition, this version is optimized for situations where precision, contrast, and visual impact are the top priorities.

📍 Communities covered (NW Calgary):

01B, 01F, 01K, 02E, 02F, Arbour Lake, Bowness, Brentwood, Charleswood, Citadel, Collingwood, Dalhousie, Edgemont, Greenwood/Greenbriar, Hamptons, Haskayne, Hawkwood, Montgomery, Nose Hill Park, Ranchlands, Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak, Royal Vista, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Tuscany, University District, University Heights, University of Calgary, Varsity.

📊 The atlas presents NDVI class distributions for each community, enabling quick assessment of vegetation density, comparison between neighborhoods, and application of these data for ecological monitoring, urban planning, and scientific research.