VIIRS BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters for Near-Infrared Band

Daily global data provides the volumetric (VJ143D32) and geometric (VJ143D33) model parameters for the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo of the VIIRS Near-Infrared broadband (0.865 μm). Each product is generated using a 16-day rolling composite at 1,000-meter resolution on a global Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). These parameters, alongside the isotropic parameter, are used to derive surface reflectance and albedo values for climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface albedo for climate simulations based on the BRDF model parameters.
• Analyzing temporal changes in land surface reflectance in the near-infrared spectrum.
• Deriving anisotropic reflectance properties for vegetation and land cover studies.
• Assimilating surface radiative property data into Earth system models using the global Climate Modeling Grid.

Strengths

• Provides a daily, global product with a consistent 30 arc-second (1,000m) resolution.
• Incorporates algorithm improvements from the S-NPP VIIRS V002 version, including improved calibration and geolocation.
• Part of a larger, well-documented product suite (VJ143D01-VJ143D39) covering multiple spectral bands.

Limitations

• Metadata for size, row count, and specific columns is unavailable across all sources.
• Known issues exist and require users to consult an external website for complete information.
• Each file contains only a single data layer due to large file sizes, requiring multiple files for a complete parameter set.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from NOAA-20 VIIRS sensor data using a documented BRDF/Albedo algorithm.

Time Range

Daily production using a rolling 16-day composite window.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to datagov platform entries.

Geography

Global coverage on a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).