MISR Level 3: Global Land Vegetation Parameters from Multi-Angle Satellite Data

Global land surface data from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument, providing a monthly statistical summary of vegetation parameters. The dataset includes average directional hemispherical reflectance (DHR), DHR for photosynthetically active radiation (DHR-PAR), fractional absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR), leaf area index (LAI), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Data collection for this version 2 product was completed in August 2007 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Modeling global vegetation health and productivity based on FPAR and LAI parameters.
• Analyzing land surface reflectance properties based on multi-angle DHR measurements.
• Monitoring seasonal and interannual changes in vegetation cover based on NDVI.
• Studying canopy structure and light absorption based on the suite of biophysical parameters.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a sophisticated instrument with nine cameras providing multiple view angles (0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees).
• Provides a consistent global summary of key biophysical parameters (DHR, FPAR, LAI, NDVI) for a defined period.
• Spectral measurements are captured in four bands centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm.

Limitations

• Primary data collection ended in August 2007, limiting temporal relevance for current conditions.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics and data structure must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial resolution are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from the MISR instrument's nine push-broom cameras.

Time Range

Coverage up to August 2007.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:10:17.490352; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global land coverage achieved in nine days.