MCD43D36: Daily Global BRDF/Albedo Quality Data for MODIS Band 4

MCD43D36 Version 6.1 provides daily global quality information for MODIS band 4 observations at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. The dataset is produced by NASA using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS data, weighted to the ninth day of the retrieval period. It is designed as a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) product for use in climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Filtering high-quality land surface reflectance retrievals based on the valid observation quality flags described in the user guide.
• Assessing data quality for climate model inputs based on the daily, global coverage of MODIS band 4 observations.
• Improving the accuracy of albedo and BRDF models by isolating full inversion results using the band-specific quality information.

Strengths

• Data is produced daily with a 16-day rolling window, providing frequent global coverage.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements, including RVS, optical crosstalk, and polarization corrections.
• Spatial resolution is specified as 30 arc seconds (approximately 1,000 meters).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Each product file contains just one data layer, which may require combining multiple files for a complete analysis.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

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; data is temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day retrieval period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:23:50.443753; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.