MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 1km and 500m SIN Grid V061

MOD09GA Version 6.1 provides atmospherically corrected surface spectral reflectance for Terra MODIS Bands 1-7 at 500-meter resolution, alongside ten 1-kilometer observation bands and geolocation flags. This dataset serves as foundational source data for numerous downstream MODIS land products, including vegetation indices and land cover classifications. Calibration improvements in Version 6.1 address response-versus-scan angle, optical crosstalk in infrared bands, and include a polarization correction for reflective solar bands.

Use Cases

• Generating vegetation indices like NDVI based on corrected surface reflectance bands.
• Monitoring land cover change using daily, atmospherically corrected spectral data.
• Validating higher-level land products that rely on MOD09GA as source input.
• Conducting time-series analysis of surface properties with calibrated, multi-band reflectance data.

Strengths

• Atmospherically corrected for gasses, aerosols, and Rayleigh scattering, enhancing data utility.
• Cross-platform availability on datagov, aws_open_data, and nasa_earthdata signals established importance.
• Version 6.1 includes specific calibration improvements for Terra MODIS data from 2012-2017.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size/row counts are not provided by any source, limiting structural understanding.
• License information conflicts between sources (CC-BY-4.0 vs 'other-license-specified').
• Known issues exist, requiring users to consult an external quality assessment website.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Satellite observation from the Terra MODIS instrument, processed to Level-2G surface reflectance.

Time Range

Covers period from at least 2012 onward, based on calibration updates.

Freshness

Last updated on datagov: 2026-04-10.

Geography

Global coverage on a sinusoidal (SIN) grid.