VJ143D23: Volumetric BRDF Parameter for VIIRS Band M10

NOAA-20 VIIRS satellite data provides a single volumetric model parameter for the 1.61 μm band, used with isotropic and geometric parameters to calculate surface reflectance and albedo. This daily product synthesizes 16 days of observations into a 30 arc-second global Climate Modeling Grid, temporally weighted to the ninth day. It is part of a 39-file suite covering multiple spectral bands, including the unique Day/Night Band.

Use Cases

• Deriving surface albedo for climate models based on the three BRDF model parameters.
• Analyzing land surface anisotropy and reflectance in the 1.61 μm shortwave infrared band.
• Incorporating temporally smoothed, global-scale data into climate simulation grids.
• Comparing BRDF characteristics across the full VIIRS spectral band suite, including the Day/Night Band.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second (1,000 meter) resolution.
• Data is produced daily using a 16-day composite, offering a temporally smoothed product.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA and Data.gov indicates established importance and curation.
• Algorithm benefits from documented improvements in calibration and geolocation accuracy.

Limitations

• Metadata for row count, file size, and specific columns is consistently missing across all sources.
• Each file contains only one data layer, requiring multiple files for a complete analysis.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Processed from NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor data.

Time Range

Daily production, using a rolling 16-day input window.

Freshness

2026-04 09

Geography

Global