VJ121IMG_NRT: VIIRS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Swath Data

NASA's VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity 6-Min L2 Swath 375m NRT product provides near-real-time thermal data at 375-meter spatial resolution. The VJ121 algorithm, based on the ASTER TES method, uses radiative transfer simulations to dynamically retrieve both temperature and spectral emissivity for each pixel. Detailed methodology is documented in an Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document and user guide.

Use Cases

• Monitoring urban heat island effects based on high-resolution land surface temperature retrievals.
• Improving weather and climate models by assimilating dynamic emissivity and temperature data.
• Assessing agricultural drought stress through thermal anomalies in vegetation.
• Validating land surface parameterizations in Earth system models using the TES-based algorithm.

Strengths

• Provides data at a high native spatial resolution of 375 meters.
• Algorithm is based on a peer-reviewed methodology (ASTER TES) with full radiative transfer simulations.
• Documentation includes a detailed Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document and user guide.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• The 'last updated' dates on Data.gov (2026-03-12 and 2026-04-09) are in the future, indicating potential metadata errors.
• Data format includes binary (BIN) files, which may require specialized software for access and analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the VIIRS sensor on the JPSS1 satellite, processed using the VJ121 algorithm.

Time Range

Near Real Time (NRT)

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:04:37.041012 (Data.gov), but this date is in the future.

Geography

Global swath coverage.