VIIRS/NPP Vegetation Indices: Monthly Global Composite

VNP13C2 Version 1 provided monthly, global vegetation indices at 0.05-degree resolution from the Suomi NPP satellite's VIIRS instrument. Its algorithm produced three primary indices—NDVI, EVI, and EVI2—alongside reflectance bands and quality layers. This dataset was designed to continue the MODIS legacy but has been officially decommissioned in favor of improved Version 2 products.

Use Cases

• Monitoring global vegetation health trends based on NDVI and EVI time series.
• Studying canopy cover and chlorophyll content using the complementary sensitivities of EVI and NDVI.
• Conducting continuity analysis with MODIS Terra and Aqua vegetation products.
• Assessing surface reflectance in red, NIR, and SWIR bands for land cover studies.

Strengths

• Provides a long-term, continual remotely sensed time series for vegetation monitoring.
• Offers three distinct vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, EVI2) with complementary sensitivities.
• Includes quality assurance layers such as standard deviations for each index and pixel count information.

Limitations

• This Version 1 product was decommissioned on April 8, 2025, and is no longer recommended for use.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from the sources.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without further details.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and NOAA, from the Suomi NPP satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), with best-pixel compositing over monthly periods.

Freshness

Last updated metadata on 2026-04-09, but the dataset itself is deprecated.

Geography

Global coverage at 0.05-degree resolution.