VJ143C2: Daily Global BRDF Model Parameters for Climate Grids

NOAA-20 VIIRS satellite data provides daily, global 0.05-degree climate modeling grid (CMG) parameters for the RossThick/Li-Sparse-Reciprocal Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model. The product contains 39 layers, including the three BRDF parameters (fiso, fvol, fgeo) for 13 spectral bands and four ancillary layers for quality, uncertainty, local solar noon, and input resolution. It is generated daily from a 16-day moving window of snow-free acquisitions, emphasizing the ninth day, and is foundational for deriving albedo and nadir-adjusted reflectance products.

Use Cases

• Inputting BRDF weighting parameters into climate simulation models based on the 0.05-degree global grid.
• Assessing pixel-level data quality for albedo studies using the provided ancillary quality and uncertainty layers.
• Producing Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) and Albedo products, as this dataset supplies the foundational model parameters.
• Analyzing temporal changes in surface anisotropy by utilizing the daily files generated from a 16-day moving window.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a consistent 0.05-degree (approx. 5.6 km) resolution suitable for climate models.
• Contains detailed per-pixel status information through four ancillary layers for uncertainty, quality, local solar noon, and input resolution.
• Derived from a multi-day (16-day) retrieval window to improve parameter stability, with a daily output cadence.

Limitations

• Metadata on specific column names, row counts, and file sizes is unavailable across all sources, limiting precise technical assessment.
• The dataset is restricted to snow-free land surfaces, excluding snow-covered areas from the retrieval.
• License information is inconsistently reported ('other-license-specified' vs. 'None'), requiring user verification.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from the 30 arc second CMG VJ143D Version 2 product suite, using NOAA-20 VIIRS satellite sensor data processed with temporal fitting and spatial smoothing.

Time Range

Daily generation from a 16-day moving window.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:06:07.601083

Geography

Global