Aqua MODIS Vegetation Indices on a 0.05-Degree Climate Grid

MODIS/Aqua Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V006 provides global, cloud-free composites of vegetation data at a 0.05-degree resolution. The dataset includes two primary vegetation layers, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), along with quality assurance, reflectance, and spatial statistics fields. This Version 6 product was decommissioned by NASA in July 2023, with users directed to the updated Version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global vegetation health and phenology using the NDVI and EVI layers.
• Assessing biomass changes in high-density regions with the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI).
• Quality control and filtering of vegetation data using the provided VI QA (Quality Assurance) layer.
• Analyzing spatial variability of vegetation with included statistical fields like mean and standard deviation.
• Input for climate and ecological models requiring consistent, gridded global vegetation data on a 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).

Strengths

• Provides a standardized global grid with 3,600 rows and 7,200 columns, offering consistent spatial coverage.
• Includes two validated vegetation indices (NDVI and EVI) with the EVI offering improved sensitivity in high biomass areas.
• Data fields include quality assurance, angular information, and spatial statistics (mean, standard deviation, count) for reliability assessment.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData signals its established use and importance in the scientific community.

Limitations

• This specific Version 6 product is decommissioned and contains known issues, particularly with aerosol representation over arid surfaces.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03-12, while NASA EarthData lists 2023-02-25.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and precise temporal coverage are not provided across the sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from cloud-free spatial composites of the gridded 16-day 1-kilometer MYD13A2 data, projected onto a 0.05-degree geographic Climate Modeling Grid.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 (from Data.gov, though this date is likely erroneous for a decommissioned product; NASA EarthData lists 2023-02 25).

Geography

Global coverage on a 0.05-degree (approximately 5,600-meter) Climate Modeling Grid.