VNP22Q2: Global Land Surface Phenology at 500m Resolution

VIIRS/NPP Land Cover Dynamics data provides 19 yearly metrics of vegetation growth cycles, including six phenological transition dates and growing season length, derived from satellite reflectance data. Its 500-meter spatial resolution supports detailed monitoring of up to two growing cycles per year across the global land surface. The dataset is specifically designed for comparison with the MODIS MCD12Q2 product, as noted in its user guide.

Use Cases

• Tracking shifts in growing season onset and length due to climate change based on phenological transition dates.
• Modeling carbon cycle dynamics using metrics for the rate of greenness increase and decrease.
• Assessing data reliability for phenology studies using the provided proportion of good quality (PGQ) confidence layers.
• Comparing vegetation phenology products by leveraging the dataset's documented relationship to the MCD12Q2 product.

Strengths

• Provides 19 distinct science data layers for a detailed phenological profile.
• Offers global coverage at a 500-meter spatial resolution, enabling regional to continental-scale analysis.
• Derived from VIIRS Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR), which suggests corrections for view-angle effects.

Limitations

• The Version 1 product was decommissioned on July 31, 2025, directing users to a newer version.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided in the available sources.
• Platform records show conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04-09 and 2022-12-31), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Derived from time series of the two-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) calculated from VIIRS NBAR data.

Time Range

Yearly intervals (specific start and end years not provided).

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:13:26.832038

Geography

Global land surface.