VNP43C1: Daily Global BRDF Model Parameters for Climate Modeling

Suomi NPP VIIRS satellite data provides 39 geospatial layers of BRDF model parameters (fiso, fvol, fgeo) for 13 spectral bands, including a Day/Night band. This daily, 0.05-degree climate modeling grid product is generated from a 16-day moving window of reflectance data to characterize surface anisotropy. Its parameters are foundational for deriving global albedo and nadir-adjusted reflectance products used in climate simulations.

Use Cases

• Producing albedo estimates for climate models based on the RossThick/Li-Sparse-Reciprocal BRDF model parameters.
• Generating Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) maps using the supplied fiso, fvol, and fgeo weighting parameters.
• Assessing surface anisotropy changes over time using the daily global 0.05-degree gridded data.
• Evaluating data quality for pixel-level analysis using the ancillary layers for uncertainty and quality.

Strengths

• Provides global daily coverage at a 0.05-degree (5,600-meter) resolution suitable for climate modeling grids.
• Contains 39 data layers, including parameters for 13 spectral bands and 5 ancillary quality layers.
• Derived from a sophisticated 16-day moving window retrieval that emphasizes data quality and temporal fitting.

Limitations

• The Version 1 product was decommissioned on July 31, 2025, per all sources, indicating it is a legacy dataset.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across any platform.
• Relies on inference from descriptions; the exact data structure and access methods are unclear.

Provenance

Source

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS satellite, processed by LPCLOUD.

Collection Method

Derived from the 30 arc-second CMG VNP43D Version 1 product suite using a multi-day temporal fitting algorithm.

Time Range

Daily generation, but specific date range of available data is not stated.

Freshness

Last updated metadata dates conflict: one source shows 2026-04-09, another shows 2025-02-01.

Geography

Global coverage.