MCD43D18: Daily Global BRDF Geometric Parameter for MODIS Band 6

Daily global data produced using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS observations at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. The MCD43D18 Version 6 product provides the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) geometric parameter for MODIS band 6, produced by NASA for use in climate simulation models. This version was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to the newer Version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Modeling land surface albedo for climate simulations based on the BRDF geometric parameter.
• Analyzing surface reflectance anisotropy for MODIS band 6 based on the provided isotropic, volumetric, and geometric parameters.
• Assessing land surface changes over time using daily, globally-covered data weighted to a central ninth day.
• Isolating high-quality data for science applications based on the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the user guide.

Strengths

• Global coverage at a 30 arc second (approximately 1,000 meter) spatial resolution.
• Data is produced daily using a 16-day observation window from two satellite platforms (Terra and Aqua MODIS).
• Improvements over previous versions include better high-latitude quality and use of L2G-lite surface reflectance as input.

Limitations

• The dataset is a decommissioned version (V006), with known issues impacting downstream products over arid bright surfaces; users are urged to use the corrected V6.1.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Each large file contains just one data layer, which may complicate multi-parameter analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Produced daily from 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data.

Time Range

Daily production; data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:24:45.428032; freshness should be verified as the dataset version is deprecated.

Geography

Global