VJ203MOD_NRT: JPSS-2 VIIRS Terrain-Corrected Geolocation Swaths

750-meter resolution geolocation data from the NOAA-21 (JPSS-2) satellite's VIIRS instrument provides geodetic latitude, longitude, surface height, and solar/sensor viewing angles for each pixel. This Level 1 product is a fundamental input for generating higher-level VIIRS Moderate-resolution (M-band) data products. On-orbit validation corrected initial geolocation errors, achieving a reported uncertainty within 75 meters (1-sigma) in both along-scan and along-track directions.

Use Cases

• Precise georeferencing of VIIRS M-band imagery based on terrain-corrected latitude and longitude.
• Atmospheric correction modeling using solar zenith and azimuth angles.
• Land/water classification and masking based on the included land/water flag.
• Sensor geometry analysis for radiometric correction using sensor zenith and azimuth angles.
• Quality control and filtering of downstream products using the pixel-level quality flag.

Strengths

• Provides high-precision geolocation with reported post-correction uncertainty within 75 meters (1-sigma).
• Includes terrain correction using a digital terrain model, Earth ellipsoid, and geoid.
• Contains essential viewing geometry parameters (solar and sensor angles) for each pixel.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates established importance and accessibility.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing: specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.
• Data descriptions are identical across platforms, suggesting potential syndication without platform-specific enhancements.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from the Joint Polar.orbiting Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2/NOAA-21) platform ephemeris, attitude data, VIIRS sensor geometry, and digital terrain models.

Time Range

Near Real Time (NRT)

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:45:50.871873

Geography

Global swath coverage from the polar-orbiting JPSS-2 satellite.