MODIS Terra Cloud Mask and Spectral Test Results at 250m and 1km

MODIS/Terra Cloud Mask and Spectral Test Results 5-Min L2 Swath 250m and 1km is a Level-2 satellite product providing global cloud detection and quality assurance parameters. The algorithm uses visible and infrared threshold tests to assign confidence levels for clear-sky observations, with cloud mask data stored at 1km resolution and ancillary geolocation data at 5km resolution. This dataset is produced by the MODIS Atmosphere team and hosted by LAADS.

Use Cases

• Generating global cloud cover maps using the 1-kilometer Cloud Mask and Quality Assurance Scientific Data Sets.
• Assessing scene quality and shadow presence for surface reflectance studies via ancillary spectral test parameters.
• Analyzing temporal cloud patterns by integrating the time and geolocation parameters stored at 5-kilometer resolution.
• Validating other satellite or model-based cloud products against the MODIS confidence-level flags.

Strengths

• Provides a detailed cloud mask with confidence levels derived from a series of visible and infrared spectral tests.
• Contains 9 distinct parameters, including cloud mask, quality assurance, time, geolocation, and viewing geometry.
• Offers multi-resolution data with core cloud parameters at 1km and ancillary data at 5km pixel resolution.

Limitations

• Cloud mask quality depends on radiometrically accurate input radiances, leading to holes where input data is poor.
• The 250-meter cloud mask flags are based solely on visible channel data, limiting detection in certain conditions.
• Conflicting license metadata exists between sources listing 'other-license-specified' and 'None'.

Provenance

Source

MODIS Atmosphere team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Collection Method

Data collected by the MODIS instrument aboard the Terra satellite and processed using a cloud mask algorithm.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-03-12 23:43:58.411339

Geography

Global