VJ202DNB: VIIRS Day/Night Band Satellite Radiance Swaths

The VIIRS/JPSS2 Day/Night Band 6-Min L1B Swath 750 m V2.1 dataset provides calibrated radiance measurements from the NOAA-21 satellite's panchromatic Day-Night band (DNB). Its spectral wavelength ranges from 0.5 to 0.9 micrometers, capturing a large dynamic range from low lunar illumination to bright daylight at a spatial resolution of 750 meters. The data is processed to Level-1B, with reprocessing updates focused on reflective solar bands.

Use Cases

• Mapping urban development and energy use based on night-time light emissions.
• Studying atmospheric composition and cloud properties using reflected lunar light.
• Monitoring natural disasters like wildfires or gas flares that emit light at night.
• Calibrating and validating other low-light satellite sensors.

Strengths

• Provides calibrated radiance data from a major operational satellite platform (NOAA-21/JPSS-2).
• Offers a consistent 750-meter spatial resolution across the entire sensor swath.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA Earthdata indicates established importance and accessibility.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without details, requiring user investigation.
• Documentation is referenced via an external link, which may be a barrier to immediate understanding.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the VIIRS instrument on the Joint Polar-orbiting Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2/NOAA-21) platform.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to Data.gov entries.

Geography

Global coverage, determined by the satellite's polar orbit.