Original data for study: Rapid quantification of microalgae with hyperspectral camera and vegetation indices

Spectral cameras are traditionally used in remote sensing of microalgae but increasingly also in laboratory-scale applications to study and monitor algae biomass in cultures. Practical and cost-efficient protocols for collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data are currently needed. The purpose of this study was to test a commercial, easy-to-use hyperspectral camera to monitor the growth of different algae strains in liquid samples. Indices calculated from wavebands from transmission imaging were compared against algae abundance and wet biomass obtained from an electronic cell counter, chlorophyll a concentration and chlorophyll fluorescence. A ratio of selected wavebands containing near in…