MODIS Terra Monthly Vegetation Indices at 1km Resolution

Monthly global vegetation data from February 2000 to present is provided by NASA's Terra satellite MODIS sensor at 1-kilometer spatial resolution. The dataset includes key indices like NDVI and EVI, along with surface reflectance bands and quality assurance layers, synthesized from 16-day composites. It is designed for monitoring vegetation conditions, land cover change, and supporting climate and biogeochemical process models.

Use Cases

• Modeling global biogeochemical cycles using the NDVI and EVI layers as inputs for primary production estimates.
• Monitoring agricultural drought and vegetation health trends over time with the monthly composite NDVI data.
• Analyzing land cover conversion and change by comparing time series of the red, NIR, blue, and mid-infrared reflectance bands.
• Characterizing canopy background variations and maintaining sensitivity in dense forests using the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI).
• Providing continuity for historical AVHRR NDVI time series applications with the MODIS NDVI product.

Strengths

• Provides long-term continuity with data from February 2000 to the present, enabling historical trend analysis.
• Includes multiple validated vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI) and four spectral reflectance bands for detailed analysis.
• Offers global coverage at a consistent 1km spatial resolution in a standardized sinusoidal projection.
• Data is processed with atmospheric corrections for aerosols, ozone, and molecular scattering to improve accuracy.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, dataset size, and total file counts are not provided across any source.
• One source lists a 'last updated' date of 2026-03-13, which is a future date and conflicts with standard metadata practices.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data is generated from the Terra satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, with monthly products created using a weighted temporal average of overlapping 16-day MOD13A2 composites.

Time Range

February 2000 to present

Freshness

2026-03 13 00:08:03.763699

Geography

Global