Aqua MODIS 250m Vegetation Indices with Quality Layers

MODIS/Aqua Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 250m SIN Grid V006 is a decommissioned NASA satellite product providing global vegetation data every 16 days. It offers two primary indices, NDVI and EVI, alongside reflectance bands and quality assurance layers at 250-meter spatial resolution. The dataset is generated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from Aqua satellite MODIS sensor observations.

Use Cases

• Monitoring agricultural drought and crop health by analyzing time-series trends in the NDVI and EVI layers.
• Assessing forest cover change and phenology using the 16-day composite NDVI values and associated quality flags.
• Modeling land surface processes by incorporating the provided MODIS reflectance bands (red, NIR, blue, mid-infrared).
• Validating regional vegetation models against the global, 250m resolution EVI data product.
• Identifying data quality issues in arid regions using the documented quality layers and known aerosol impact advisories.

Strengths

• Provides two complementary vegetation indices (NDVI and EVI) with improved sensitivity in high biomass areas.
• Offers a consistent global time-series at a 250-meter spatial resolution with 16-day temporal compositing.
• Includes multiple data layers for analysis, including four reflectance bands and four observation layers alongside the core indices.

Limitations

• Contains documented quality issues including unexpected missing data in annual last cycles, incorrect 'NoData' flags, and misassigned VI Usefulness bits.
• The product version (V006) was officially decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to use the updated V6.1 product.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and precise temporal coverage are not provided across the available sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Generated from Aqua satellite MODIS sensor observations, using a pixel-choosing algorithm based on low clouds, low view angle, and highest NDVI/EVI value over 16-day periods.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 23:44:16.158736

Geography

Global