In this study, the remote sensing is applied to the examination of the relationship between desertification and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the context of northern Shaanxi Province. This relationship is also examined using spatial analysis methods. A strong negative correlation is found in the largest area desert, indicating that the relationship between desert and NDVI is not a simple linear one and that the correlation coefficient between NDVI and vegetation abundance is significant.The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was compared with other vegetation index-based methodologies. NDVI is a valuable first-cut indicator for such systems, although the analysis and interpretation of its relationship to desertification are complex and also based on the detailed analysis of its reiationship to ecological zone, vegetation type and season. Conclusions thus made would help to upgrade the methodology as an effective tool for early-warning desertification in the northern Shaanxi Province where a drought is a recurring threat. This methodology includes the integration of NDVI with other socio-economic and bio-physical indicators in GIS, the complementation of desert area data with satellite data, and the analysis of the relationship between NDVI and specific climatic zones, for each season and vegetation type.