Combined ASTER and MODIS Land Emissivity Monthly Global Dataset

NASA's CAMEL dataset provides monthly global land surface emissivity at a 0.05-degree resolution by merging ASTER and MODIS satellite data. It integrates high-resolution ASTER spectral data with MODIS's temporal coverage to create a high spectral resolution product. The dataset includes variables for emissivity, NDVI, snow fraction, and quality flags.

Use Cases

• Improving land surface temperature retrieval in atmospheric models using the CAMEL emissivity variable.
• Monitoring seasonal vegetation changes via the ASTER Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) column.
• Analyzing snow cover dynamics and its impact on surface emissivity using the MODIS-derived snow fraction data.
• Assessing data quality and reliability for specific regions using the CAMEL, ASTER, and Best Fit Emissivity (BFE) quality flags.
• Studying the spatial distribution of surface radiative properties using the georeferenced latitude and longitude data.

Strengths

• Data integrates two major satellite sources (ASTER GED V4 and MODIS UWIREMIS) to capitalize on their respective strengths in spectral detail and temporal coverage.
• Provides high spectral resolution (HSR) emissivity derived from 13 hinge points using a Principal Component regression method.
• Includes multiple quality assessment variables (CAMEL quality, ASTER quality, BFE quality) for data reliability checks.
• Dataset is part of NASA's MEaSUREs program, indicating a focus on creating long-term, research-quality Earth system data records.

Limitations

• The CAM5K30EM.001 version is explicitly decommissioned (as of March 14, 2019), directing users to a newer version.
• Key technical specifications like row count, file size, and exact column names are not provided across any platform.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata: datagov lists 2026-03-13, while nasa_earthdata lists 2017-01-02, creating uncertainty about provenance.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) MEaSUREs program, combining University of Wisconsin-Madison MODIS data and Jet Propulsion Laboratory ASTER data.

Collection Method

Integration involved adjusting ASTER GED V3 for vegetation/snow, aggregating to 5km resolution, merging spectral emissivities at 13 hinge points, and extending to high spectral resolution via Principal Component regression.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-13 18:19:14.979781

Geography

Global coverage at 0.05-degree (~5 kilometer) resolution.