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Description

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission aims to characterize ecosystem structure and dynamics to enable radically improved quantification and understanding of the Earth’s carbon cycle and biodiversity. The GEDI instrument produces high resolution laser ranging observations of the 3-dimensional structure of the Earth. GEDI is attached to the International Space Station (ISS) and collects data globally between 51.6° N and 51.6° S latitudes at the highest resolution and densest sampling of any light detection and ranging (lidar) instrument in orbit to date. Each GEDI Version 2 granule encompasses one-fourth of an ISS orbit and includes georeferenced metadata to allow for spatial querying and subsetting.

The GEDI instrument was removed from the ISS and placed into storage on March 17, 2023. No data were acquired during the hibernation period from March 17, 2023, to April 24, 2024. GEDI has since been reinstalled on the ISS and resumed operations as of April 26, 2024.

The purpose of the GEDI Level 2B Canopy Cover and Vertical Profile Metrics product (GEDI02_B) is to extract biophysical metrics from each GEDI waveform. These metrics are based on the directional gap probability profile derived from the L1B waveform. Metrics provided include canopy cover, Plant Area Index (PAI), Plant Area Volume Density (PAVD), and Foliage Height Diversity (FHD). The GEDI02_B product is provided in HDF5 format and has a spatial resolution (average footprint) of 25 meters.

The GEDI02_B data product contains 96 layers for each of the eight-beam ground transects (or laser footprints located on the land surface). Datasets provided include precise latitude, longitude, elevation, height, canopy cover, and vertical profile metrics. Additional information for the layers can be found in the GEDI Level 2B Data Dictionary.

Known Issues

  • Data acquisition gaps: GEDI data acquisitions were suspended on December 19, 2019 (2019 Day 353) and resumed on January 8, 2020 (2020 Day 8).
  • Incorrect Reference Ground Track (RGT) number in the filename for select GEDI files: GEDI Science Data Products for six orbits on August 7, 2020, and November 12, 2021, had the incorrect RGT number in the filename. There is no impact to the science data, but users should reference this document for the correct RGT numbers.
  • Known Issues: Section 8 of the User Guide provides additional information on known issues.

Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions

  • Metadata has been updated to include spatial coordinates.
  • Granule size has been reduced from one full ISS orbit (~1.19 GB) to four segments per orbit (~0.30 GB).
  • Filename has been updated to include segment number and version number.
  • Improved geolocation for an orbital segment.
  • Added elevation from the SRTM digital elevation model for comparison.
  • Modified the method to predict an optimum algorithm setting group per laser shot.
  • Added additional land cover datasets related to phenology, urban infrastructure, and water persistence.
  • Added selected_mode_flag dataset to root beam group using selected algorithm.
  • Removed shots when the laser is not firing.
  • Modified file name to include segment number and dataset version.

Version Description

Version 2

Product Summary

Platforms
ISS
Instruments
GEDI
Spatial Extent
N: 54 S: -54 E: 180 W: -180
Spatial Resolution
25 Meters x 25 Meters
Geographic Region
GLOBAL LAND
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2019-04-04 to 2023-03-16
2024-04-26 to Present
Temporal Resolution
Varies
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/GEDI)
Concept ID
C2142776747-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Processing Level
2B
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Canopy Characteristics,
Vegetation Cover,
Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM),
VIEWING GEOMETRY,
Terrain Elevation,
Lidar,
Topography,
VEGETATION HEIGHT

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Dubayah, R., Tang, H., Armston, J., Luthcke, S., Hofton, M., & Blair, J. (2021). GEDI L2B Canopy Cover and Vertical Profile Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/GEDI/GEDI02_B.002 Date Accessed: 2025-10-22

File Naming Convention

GEDI02_B_2024333221021_O33779_03_T07960_02_004_01_V002.h5

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (GEDI02_B), followed by the Julian Date and Time of Acquisition designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2024333221021), the Orbit Number starting with the letter O (O33779), the Sub-Orbit Granule Number (03), Track Number (T07960), the Positioning and Pointing Determination System type where 00 is predict, 01 rapid, 02 and higher is final (02), the Product Generation Executables Version (004), the Granule Production Version (01), the Version Number (V002), and the Data Format (h5).

Documents

SHOWING 1 OF 1

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author
The use of GEDI canopy structure for explaining variation in tree species richness in natural forests Marselis, S. M.
Global evaluation of the Ecosystem Demography model (ED v3.0) Ma, L.
Large scale multi-layer fuel load characterization in tropical savanna using GEDI spaceborne lidar data Leite, R. V.
SMOS L-VOD retrieved by Level 2 algorithm and its correlation with GEDI LIDAR products Vittucci, C.
Improved estimation of forest stand volume by the integration of GEDI LiDAR data and multi-sensor imagery in the Changbai Mountains Mixed forests Ecoregion (CMMFE), northeast China Chen, L.
Quality assessment of acquired gedi waveforms: Case study over france, Tunisia and French Guiana Fayad, I.
Assessment of GEDI's LiDAR data for the estimation of canopy heights and wood volume of eucalyptus plantations in Brazil Fayad, I.
GEDI elevation accuracy assessment: A case study of southwest Spain Quiros, E.
Mapping global forest canopy height through integration of GEDI and Landsat data Potapov, P.
Space lidar for archaeology? Reanalyzing GEDI data for detection of ancient Maya buildings Kokalj, Z
SHOWING 10 OF 22

Variables

Variables are a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something. For example, temperature and pressure are variables of the atmosphere. Parameters and variables can be used interchangeably. Variable level attributes provide individual information for each variable.

The Name in this table is the variable name. Fill value indicates missing or undefined data points in a variable. Valid range is the range of values the variable can store. Scale factor is used to increase or decrease the size of an object and can be used to correct for distortion. For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
/BEAM0000/algorithmrun_flag The L2B algorithm is run if this flag is set to 1. This flag selects data which have sufficient waveform fidelity for L2B to run. N/A uint8 N/A N/A to 1 N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/dz Vertical step size of foliage profile m float64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/l2a_alg_count Number of candidate algorithms available in the corresponding GEDI L2A data product N/A int64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/maxheight_cuttoff The maximum height above ground value used for foliage profile calculation m float64 N/A N/A to 150 N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/rg_eg_constraint_center_buffer Buffer size (1 ns bins) used to constrain the center parameter in the exponentially modified Gaussian fit to R (ground) ns int32 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/rg_eg_mpfit_maxiters MPFIT maximum number of iterations N/A uint16 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/rg_eg_mpfit_max_func_evals MPFIT maximum number of function evaluations N/A uint16 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/rg_eg_mpfit_tolerance MPFIT convergence criterium N/A float64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/signal_search_buff Buffer size (1 ns bins) used to extend above toploc and below botloc ns float64 N/A N/A to 255 N/A
/BEAM0000/ancillary/tx_noise_stddev_multiplier Multiplier on the transmit waveform noise standard deviation used R (ground) estimation N/A float64 N/A N/A to 255 N/A
/BEAM0000/beam Beam number (0-11) counter uint16 N/A N/A to 11 N/A
/BEAM0000/channel Channel number (0-7) counter uint8 N/A N/A to 7 N/A
/BEAM0000/cover Total canopy cover, defined as the percent of the ground covered by the vertical projection of canopy material N/A float32 -9999 -9999 to 1 N/A
/BEAM0000/cover_z Cumulative canopy cover from height (z) to ground (z=0) with a vertical step size of dZ, where cover(z > z_max) = 0 N/A float32 -9999 -9999 to 1 N/A
/BEAM0000/delta_time Transmit time of the shot, measured in seconds from the master_time_epoch. By adding the offset contained within /BEAMXXXX/ancillary/master_time_epoch to delta_time, the time in GPS seconds relative to the GPS epoch can be computed. Equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/master_int+/BEAMXXXX/master_frac. seconds since 2018-01-01 float64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/fhd_normal Foliage height diversity index calculated by vertical foliage profile normalized by total plant area index N/A float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/degrade_flag Non-zero values indicate the shot occured during a degraded period. A non-zero tens digit indicates degraded attitude, a non-zero ones digit indicates a degraded trajectory. 3X=ADF CHU solution unavailable (ST-2); 4X=Platform attitude; 5X=Poor solution (filter covariance large); 6X=Data outage (platform attitude gap also); 7X=ST 1+2 unavailable (similar boresight FOV); 8X=ST 1+2+3 unavailable; 9X=ST 1+2+3 and ISS unavailable; X1=Maneuver; X2=GPS data gap; X3=ST blinding; X4=Other; X5=GPS receiver clock drift; X6=X5+X1; X7=X5+X2; X8=X5+X3; X9=X5+X4. flag int8 N/A N/A to 99 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/delta_time Transmit time of the shot, measured in seconds from the master_time_epoch. By adding the offset contained within /BEAMXXXX/ancillary/master_time_epoch to delta_time, the time in GPS seconds relative to the GPS epoch can be computed. Equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/master_int+/BEAMXXXX/master_frac. seconds since 2018-01-01 float64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/digital_elevation_model Digital elevation model height above the WGS84 ellipsoid. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0 from the TandemX 90m product. meters float32 -999999 -999999 to 10038 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elevation_bin0 Elevation of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate m float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elevation_bin0_error Error in elevation of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate m float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elevation_lastbin Elevation of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate m float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elevation_lastbin_error Error in elevation of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate m float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elev_highestreturn elevation of highest detected return relative to reference ellipsoid m float32 N/A N/A to 25000 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/elev_lowestmode elevation of center of lowest mode relative to reference ellipsoid m float32 N/A N/A to 25000 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/height_bin0 Height of the first bin of the pgap_theta_z, relative to the ground. m float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/height_lastbin Height of the last bin of the pgap_theta_z, relative to the ground. m float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/latitude_bin0 Latitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/latitude_bin0_error Error in latitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/latitude_lastbin Latitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/latitude_lastbin_error Error in latitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/lat_highestreturn Latitude of highest detected return degrees float64 N/A N/A to 55 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/lat_lowestmode Latitude of center of lowest mode degrees float64 N/A N/A to 55 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/local_beam_azimuth Azimuth of the unit pointing vector for the laser in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from North and positive towards East. radians float32 N/A N/A to 180 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/local_beam_elevation Elevation of the unit pointing vector for the laser in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from East-North plane and positive towards Up. radians float32 N/A N/A to 1.5707963705063 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/longitude_bin0 Longitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/longitude_bin0_error Error in longitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/longitude_lastbin Longitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/longitude_lastbin_error Error in longitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate degrees float32 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/lon_highestreturn Longitude of highest detected return degrees float64 N/A N/A to 180 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/lon_lowestmode Longitude of center of lowest mode degrees float64 N/A N/A to 180 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/shot_number Unique shot ID. counter uint64 N/A N/A N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/solar_azimuth The azimuth of the sun position vector from the laser bounce point position in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from North and is positive towards East. degrees float32 N/A N/A to 180 N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/solar_elevation The elevation of the sun position vector from the laser bounce point position in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from the East-North plane and is positive Up. degrees float32 N/A N/A to 90 N/A
/BEAM0000/l2a_quality_flag Flag simplifying selection of most useful data N/A uint8 N/A N/A to 1 N/A
/BEAM0000/l2b_quality_flag Flag simpilfying selection of most useful data for Level 2B N/A uint8 N/A N/A to 1 N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/landsat_treecover Tree cover in the year 2010, defined as canopy closure for all vegetation taller than 5m in height (Hansen et al.). Encoded as a percentage per output grid cell. percent float64 -9999 -9999 N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/landsat_water_persistence The percent UMD GLAD Landsat observations with classified surface water between 2018 and 2019. Values > 80 usually represent permanent water, while values < 10 represent permanent land. N/A uint8 N/A N/A to 100 N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_off_doy GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid leaf-off start day-of-year derived from the NPP VIIRS Global Land Surface Phenology Product. N/A int16 32767 32767 to 365 N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_off_flag GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid flag derived from leaf_off_doy, leaf_on_doy and pft_class, indicating if the observation was recorded during leaf-off conditions in deciduous forests and woodlands. 1 = leaf-off and 0 = leaf-on. N/A uint8 N/A N/A to 1 N/A
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