MODIS/Aqua: Monthly Global Vegetation Indices at 0.05-Degree Resolution

The MODIS/Aqua Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V061 dataset provides global, cloud-free composites of vegetation health. It contains two primary vegetation layers—the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)—along with quality assurance, reflectance, and angular data fields. This Level 3 product is generated by NASA from the Aqua satellite's MODIS sensor, employing a weighted temporal average of daily observations.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global vegetation health and phenology based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) layers.
• Studying biomass changes in high-density regions based on the EVI's improved sensitivity.
• Conducting climate modeling and land surface analysis based on the 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) resolution.
• Performing temporal trend analysis of vegetation based on the weighted monthly composites derived from daily MYD13A2 products.

Strengths

• Provides two established vegetation indices (NDVI and EVI) with the EVI offering improved sensitivity in high biomass regions.
• Offers a standardized global grid at 0.05-degree (approximately 5,600-meter) resolution, facilitating large-scale analysis.
• Includes quality assurance (VI QA), reflectance data, and spatial statistics (mean, standard deviation) for each composite pixel.
• Version 6.1 incorporates calibration improvements, including response-versus-scan angle and polarization corrections.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific computational needs.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Generated from the Aqua satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, using a weighted temporal average of daily MYD13A2 products.

Time Range

Monthly composites; specific temporal coverage is not provided in the input.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:45:58.839316; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage projected on a 0.05-degree geographic Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).