VNP43DNBA1: Daily VIIRS BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters at 1km

NASA's Suomi NPP VIIRS sensor provides daily Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo model parameters at a 1-kilometer resolution. The product is generated using a 16-day rolling window of data, weighted to the ninth day, and employs the RossThick/Li-Sparse-Reciprocal kernel-driven model. These parameters enable researchers to correct surface reflectance for viewing geometry and calculate black-sky and white-sky albedo for land surface studies.

Use Cases

• Correcting directional reflectance to a common view geometry using the fiso, fvol, and fgeo BRDF model parameters.
• Calculating black-sky albedo at any solar illumination angle via polynomial application to the BRDF parameters.
• Estimating instantaneous blue-sky albedo by combining the provided black-sky and white-sky albedo layers.
• Promoting continuity in long-term albedo monitoring by extending the MODIS BRDF/Albedo data product suite.

Strengths

• Provides a daily, global product at 1km spatial resolution, enabling high-frequency surface monitoring.
• Uses a sophisticated, semi-empirical RTLSR BRDF model to characterize surface anisotropic effects.
• Designed for continuity with the established MODIS BRDF/Albedo product suite, supporting long-term studies.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license details are missing or inconsistent across platforms.
• The dataset's temporal coverage and the exact date of the last data update are not specified.
• Known issues exist and require external consultation of the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Produced daily from 16 days of Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band sensor data.

Time Range

Daily production; specific start date not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 20:58:42.058437

Geography

Global coverage on a 1km Sinusoidal (SIN) grid.