VNP43IA2: VIIRS/NPP BRDF and Albedo Quality at 500m

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS VNP43IA2 Version 2 is a daily, global satellite data product providing quality metrics for Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and albedo at a 500-meter resolution. It uses 16 days of VIIRS imagery data, weighted to the ninth day, and applies the RossThick/Li-Sparse-Reciprocal BRDF model to correct for surface anisotropic effects. The product's 11 Science Dataset layers support the continuity of MODIS BRDF/Albedo data and enable the calculation of black-sky and white-sky albedo.

Use Cases

• Assessing data quality for BRDF model inversions based on the provided band quality and valid observation day layers.
• Estimating instantaneous actual albedo (blue-sky albedo) using the black-sky and white-sky albedo layers with a polynomial.
• Classifying land cover and snow conditions for albedo studies using the land water type and snow BRDF albedo class flags.
• Correcting satellite imagery for directional reflectance effects to a common view geometry for consistent analysis.

Strengths

• Provides continuity with NASA's established MODIS BRDF/Albedo data product suite.
• Offers daily global coverage at a consistent 500-meter spatial resolution.
• Includes 11 specific Science Dataset layers for detailed quality assessment and albedo calculation.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as specific column names, dataset size, and row counts are not provided across any source.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.
• The temporal compositing method (16-day window weighted to day 9) may smooth over rapid surface changes.

Provenance

Source

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor.

Collection Method

Produced daily using a 16-day temporal composite of VIIRS data, processed with the RTLSR kernel-driven BRDF model.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:03:45.201101

Geography

Global