VIIRS/NPP Daily Global BRDF and Albedo Quality at 1 km Resolution

Daily global data from 2012 to present provides BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) and Albedo quality metrics at a 1 km resolution. The dataset, produced by NASA's LANCEMODIS team using the VIIRS/NPP sensor, contains 23 Science Dataset layers derived from a 16-day rolling window of observations. It employs the RTLSR BRDF model to correct surface reflectance and compute black-sky and white-sky albedo.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface energy balance by using the black-sky albedo (BSA) and white-sky albedo (WSA) layers.
• Correcting satellite imagery for anisotropic effects using the BRDF model parameters and quality flags.
• Monitoring snow cover dynamics and land-water classification via the snow BRDF albedo class flag and land water type class flag.
• Assessing data quality for specific spectral bands (M1-M5, M7-M8, M10-M11) using the BRDF/Albedo band quality layer.
• Estimating instantaneous actual (blue-sky) albedo by combining the BSA and WSA layers with a simple polynomial.

Strengths

• Provides 23 distinct Science Dataset layers for detailed analysis of surface properties.
• Uses a validated, semi-empirical RTLSR BRDF model described in a public Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document.
• Offers daily near-real-time (NRT) global coverage at 1 km spatial resolution.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and detailed column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on license details, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None'.

Provenance

Source

NASA LANCEMODIS, derived from the VIIRS/NPP satellite sensor.

Collection Method

Produced daily using a 16-day rolling window of VIIRS data and the RTLSR kernel-driven BRDF model.

Time Range

2012 to present (implied by NRT production and VIIRS/NPP mission).

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:19:16.841176

Geography

Global coverage on a 1 km SIN Grid.