MCD43D31: Daily Global BRDF/Albedo Quality Data at 1km Resolution

MCD43D31 Version 6 is a decommissioned NASA MODIS data product providing daily Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo quality information at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. The dataset is produced using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, weighted to the ninth day, and covers the entire globe as a Climate Modeling Grid. Users are directed to use the updated MCD43D31 Version 6.1 product instead.

Use Cases

• Filtering satellite-derived albedo data based on the BRDF quality flags mentioned in the description
• Assessing surface reflectance reliability for climate models using the global Climate Modeling Grid product
• Isolating high-quality full inversion results for specific MODIS spectral bands using the band-specific quality layers

Strengths

• Provides daily global coverage at a consistent 1,000-meter spatial resolution
• Includes both an overall BRDF quality layer and individual quality layers for MODIS spectral bands 1-7
• Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day acquisition period for a representative estimate

Limitations

• The dataset was officially decommissioned on July 31, 2023, and users are urged to avoid substantive use of this version
• Known issues in Collection 6, particularly over arid bright surfaces, may impact data quality
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Daily production, with data weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:24:10.591013; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global coverage as a Climate Modeling Grid.