MODIS/Terra: Daily Global Surface Reflectance at 500m and 1km Resolution

Global daily surface reflectance data from the Terra MODIS satellite, corrected for atmospheric conditions. The dataset, produced by NASA, provides spectral reflectance for bands 1-7 at 500-meter resolution and includes 1-kilometer observation bands and geolocation flags. The original Version 6 product was decommissioned in July 2023, with users directed to the updated Version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Generating vegetation indices (e.g., NDVI) based on the corrected surface reflectance bands.
• Monitoring land surface changes based on daily, atmospherically corrected spectral data.
• Developing BRDF/Albedo models using the reflectance data as a primary input.
• Assessing aerosol impacts on surface observations using the quality assurance flags.

Strengths

• Data is atmospherically corrected for gasses, aerosols, and Rayleigh scattering.
• Provides reflectance at two spatial scales: 500-meter and 1-kilometer bands.
• Includes quality assurance bands and geolocation flags for data validation.

Limitations

• The described Version 6 product is decommissioned; users must migrate to the newer Version 6.1.
• Known issues include striping for specific bands in 2000 and potential incorrect aerosol flagging.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite observation from the Terra MODIS instrument.

Time Range

Coverage includes data from at least February 2000 onward, with corrections applied after November 1, -2000.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:36:45.303333; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global