Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Monthly NDVI data from the VIP30 product across the globe, July 2014.
View full-size imageThe NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) global datasets were created using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) N07, N09, N11, and N14 datasets (1981 - 1999) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra MOD09 surface reflectance data (2000 - 2014). The VIP Vegetation Index (VI) product was developed to provide consistent measurements of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and modified Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) spanning more than 30 years of data from multiple sensors. The EVI2 is a backward extension of AVHRR. Vegetation indices such as NDVI and EVI2 are useful for assessing the biophysical properties of the land surface, and are used to characterize vegetation phenology. Phenology tracks the seasonal life cycle of vegetation, and provides information on the biotic response to environmental changes.
The VIP30 VI data product is provided monthly at 0.05 degree (5600 meter (m)) spatial resolution in geographic (Lat/Lon) grid format. The data are stored in Hierarchical Data Format-Earth Observing System (HDF-EOS) file format. The VIP30 VI product contains 12 Science Datasets (SDS), which include the calculated VIs (NDVI and EVI2) as well as quality assurance/pixel reliability, the input Visible/Near Infrared (VNIR) surface reflectance data, and viewing geometry. The Blue and Middle Infrared (MIR) surface reflectance data are only available for the MODIS era (2000 - 2014). Gaps in the product are filled using long term mean VI records derived from the more than 30 year time series of data, and are indicated as gap-filled in the Pixel Reliability SDS.
The VIP30 dataset consists of 12 monthly composites annually representing each calendar month of the year.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Collection | MEaSUREs VIP |
| DOI | 10.5067/MEaSUREs/VIP/VIP30.004 |
| File Size | ~90 MB |
| Temporal Resolution | Monthly |
| Temporal Extent | 1981-01-01 to 2014-12-31 |
| Spatial Extent | Global |
| Coordinate System | Geographic Latitude and Longitude |
| Datum | World Geodetic System (WGS84) |
| File Format | HDF-EOS |
| Geographic Dimensions | Global |
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Number of Science Dataset (SDS) Layers | 12 |
| Columns/Rows | 7200 x 3600 |
| Pixel Size | 5600 m |
| SDS Name | Description | Units | Data Type | Fill Value | No Data Value | Valid Range | Scale Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly NDVI | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly NDVI | NDVI | 16-bit signed integer | -12000,-13000,-14000,-15000 | N/A | -10000 to 10000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly EVI2 | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly EVI2 | EVI2 | 16-bit signed integer | -12000,-13000,-14000,-15000 | N/A | -10000 to 10000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly VI Quality | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly VI Quality | Bit Field | 16-bit unsigned integer | 65535 | N/A | 0 to 65534 | N/A |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly Pixel Reliability¹ | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Pixel Reliability | Rank | 8-bit signed integer | -4 to -1 | N/A | 0 to 11 | N/A |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly Composite Day of the Year | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Composite Day of the Year | Day | 16-bit signed integer | -1 | N/A | 1 to 366 | N/A |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly RED reflectance | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Red Reflectance | N/A | 16-bit signed integer | -28672 | N/A | -100 to 16000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly NIR reflectance | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Near Infrared Reflectance | N/A | 16-bit signed integer | -28672 | N/A | -100 to 16000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly BLUE reflectance² | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Blue Reflectance | N/A | 16-bit signed integer | -28672 | N/A | -100 to 16000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly MIR reflectance² | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Middle Infrared Reflectance | N/A | 16-bit signed integer | -28672 | N/A | -100 to 16000 | 0.0001 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly Solar Zenith Angle | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Solar Zenith Angle | Degree | 16-bit signed integer | 0 | N/A | 0 to 18000 | 0.01 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly View Zenith Angle | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly View Zenith Angle | Degree | 16-bit signed integer | 0 | N/A | 0 to 18000 | 0.01 |
| CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly Relative Azimuth Angle³ | Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Monthly Relative Azimuth Angle | Degree | 16-bit signed integer | 0 | N/A | -18000 to 18000 | 0.01 |
¹Fill/No Data Value and Valid Range are listed in the Pixel Reliability table.
²BLUE and MIR SDS are only available for MODIS (2000-2014). The Middle Infrared reflectance data used for AVHRR was generated using a MODIS based model that correlates the Red and NIR with the MIR band. The model is then applied to AVHRR Red/NIR to generate false MIR reflectance data useful for image generation.
³The Relative Azimuth Angle is passed along from the input data.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| -12000 | No Data - High Latitude |
| -13000 | No Data |
| -14000 | Antarctica |
| -15000 | Water |
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Excellent |
| 1 | Good |
| 2 | Acceptable |
| 3 | Marginal |
| 4 | Pass |
| 5 | Questionable |
| 6 | Poor |
| 7 | Cloud Shadow |
| 8 | Snow |
| 9 | Cloud |
| 10 | Estimated |
| 11 | Long Term Average |
| -1 | No Data |
| -2 | No Data - High Latitude |
| -3 | Antarctica |
| -4 | Water |
See the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD) and User Guide Section 4.5 for Quality Assurance information.
The Relative Azimuth Angle (RAA) for the input MODIS data is computed based on absolute values of the finer resolution pixels resulting in positive values and has minor usefulness.
The RAA for the input AVHRR data contain values in the -360° to 360° range. The routine to restrict the values in the -180° to 180° range was accidentally missed and can be corrected using the following routine described in Section 4.2.1 of the User Guide and Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document:
SinRelativeAz=sin(RAA)
CosRelativeAz=cos(RAA)
Correct-RAA = atan2(SinRelativeAz,CosRelativeAz)