VNP43MA2: VIIRS BRDF and Albedo Quality at 1km Resolution

NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP VIIRS VNP43MA2 Version 2 product provides Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo quality data at a 1-kilometer resolution. It is produced daily using a 16-day temporal window weighted to the ninth day, providing quality and observation-day information for nine VIIRS moderate resolution bands and three broadbands. The dataset uses the RTLSR kernel-driven BRDF model to reconstruct surface anisotropic effects and supports the continuity of NASA's MODIS BRDF/Albedo product suite.

Use Cases

• Assessing data quality for surface reflectance corrections based on the 23 Science Dataset layers.
• Modeling black-sky albedo at any solar angle using the provided BRDF model parameters.
• Estimating instantaneous actual (blue-sky) albedo by combining black-sky and white-sky albedo layers.
• Monitoring land surface changes over time using the daily, 16-day composite product.
• Classifying land cover and snow conditions using the included land water type and snow BRDF albedo class flags.

Strengths

• Provides a specific 1-kilometer spatial resolution for global coverage.
• Contains 23 distinct Science Dataset layers for detailed quality assessment.
• Designed for continuity with the established NASA MODIS BRDF/Albedo data suite.
• Uses a documented, semi-empirical RTLSR BRDF model based on peer-reviewed methodology.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• The 'last updated' date of 2026-04-09 appears to be a future date, indicating a potential metadata error or placeholder value.
• Documentation and access details are implied but not explicitly confirmed in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor data aboard the Suomi NPP satellite.

Time Range

Daily production using a rolling 16-day data window.

Freshness

2026-04 09 21:16:32.390833

Geography

Global