MODIS Terra Sensor Observation Geolocation Pointers

MODIS/Terra L2G Daytime Pointers provide the spatial relationship between each raw sensor observation and its corresponding 500-meter output grid cell. This product, designated MODPTHKM, is generated daily in near real-time and serves as critical geometric input for higher-level surface reflectance products. The data is produced by the LANCEMODIS organization for NASA's Earth Observing System.

Use Cases

• Aligning raw MODIS sensor observations to a standardized 500m geolocated grid using the stored geometric pointers.
• Filtering multiple observations per grid cell for Level-3 processing by examining the L2G pointer relationships.
• Generating MODIS Surface Reflectance products by utilizing the MODPTHKM files as a required geometric input.

Strengths

• Provides daily near real-time (NRT) updates for time-sensitive analysis.
• Offers a 500-meter spatial resolution grid for moderate-scale Earth observation.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample size are not publicly documented.
• The description lacks concrete metrics on data volume, temporal range, and geographic coverage.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata, LANCEMODIS organization.

Collection Method

Processed from MODIS/Terra sensor observations.

Time Range

Daily coverage.

Freshness

Daily near real-time (NRT).

Geography

Global coverage from the Terra satellite.