Suomi-NPP VIIRS: Global Vegetation and Sea Surface Temperature

Suomi-NPP VIIRS Global Mapped Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Data provides satellite-derived Earth observation data from the VIIRS instrument. The dataset includes vegetation indices and sea surface temperature retrieved with a triple-window thermal-infrared algorithm for improved atmospheric correction. VIIRS is the successor to MODIS, offering 22 spectral bands at moderate and image resolutions.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global vegetation health based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.
• Analyzing sea surface temperature patterns using the triple-window SST algorithm for improved accuracy.
• Tracking environmental changes over time using the instrument's time-series data collection.
• Conducting geospatial analysis of land and ocean phenomena using the 750m and 375m resolution bands.

Strengths

• Data originates from the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite, a successor to the widely-used MODIS sensor.
• The sea surface temperature product uses a triple-window algorithm combining three atmospheric windows to better correct for water-vapor effects.
• The instrument provides 22 spectral bands with spatial resolutions of 375m and 750m at nadir.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided on any platform.
• One platform lists a last updated date in the future (2026-04-09), which is likely an error and creates uncertainty about data freshness.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi-NPP spacecraft.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:53:56.967378

Geography

Global