MODIS/Terra: Daily Surface Reflectance at 250m Resolution

MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250m SIN Grid V061 provides atmospherically corrected surface spectral reflectance from Terra MODIS bands 1 and 2 at a 250-meter resolution. The dataset includes quality assurance layers and five observation layers, and is intended for use with the higher-level MOD09GA product. Version 6.1 incorporates calibration improvements for the period 2012-2017, including corrections for response-versus-scan angle, optical crosstalk, and polarization.

Use Cases

• Monitoring vegetation health and phenology based on corrected surface reflectance in the red and near-infrared bands.
• Assessing land cover and land use change using daily, atmospherically corrected imagery.
• Validating higher-level geophysical products by leveraging the included quality assurance (QA) layer.
• Studying surface albedo and radiative forcing using calibrated reflectance data corrected for aerosols and gases.

Strengths

• Data is atmospherically corrected for gases, aerosols, and Rayleigh scattering, improving accuracy for surface studies.
• Version 6.1 includes specific calibration improvements for Terra MODIS data from 2012 to 2017.
• Available under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license on at least two major platforms.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and last update date are missing from all provided sources.
• The dataset's intended use requires conjunction with the separate MOD09GA product for complete quality and viewing geometry information.
• Column names and a complete data dictionary are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, processed by LPCLOUD/NASA.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing with atmospheric correction and calibration processing.

Time Range

Calibration improvements specifically noted for 2012-2017; full temporal coverage is not specified.

Geography

Global coverage on a sinusoidal (SIN) grid.