MODIS/Terra GPP: 8-Day Global Vegetation Productivity

MOD17A2H Version 6 is a decommissioned NASA MODIS data product providing global estimates of Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Photosynthesis (PSN). It offers cumulative 8-day composite values at a 500-meter pixel resolution, based on a radiation use efficiency model. The dataset is intended for modeling terrestrial energy, carbon, and water cycle processes.

Use Cases

• Modeling terrestrial carbon fluxes based on 8-day GPP composites.
• Analyzing global vegetation productivity trends using 500-meter resolution geospatial data.
• Calculating ecosystem maintenance respiration by comparing GPP and Net Photosynthesis (PSN) bands.
• Assessing data quality for ecological models using the included PSN Quality Control (QC) layer.

Strengths

• Provides data at a native 500-meter spatial resolution.
• Uses updated Biome Property look-up tables (BPLUT) and meteorological data from Version 6.
• Is available on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov), indicating established use.

Limitations

• The dataset was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, and users are directed to a newer version.
• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and exact file size are not provided in the sources.
• Platforms list conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04-10 and 2023-02-17), creating uncertainty about the provenance of the metadata.

Provenance

Source

NASA/MODIS Terra satellite, processed by LPCLOUD.

Collection Method

Generated from MODIS sensor data using a radiation use efficiency model.

Freshness

The dataset itself is deprecated (decommissioned July 2023), though metadata listings were updated as recently as 2026-04-10.

Geography

Global