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Description

The MOD13C2 Version 6 data product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023. Users are encouraged to use the MOD13C2 Version 6.1 data product.

The MOD13C2 Version 6 product provides a Vegetation Index (VI) value at a per pixel basis. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions.

The Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) consists of 3,600 rows and 7,200 columns of 5,600 meter (m) pixels. In generating this monthly product, the algorithm ingests all the MOD13A2 products that overlap the month and employs a weighted temporal average. Global MOD13C1 data are cloud-free spatial composites and are provided as a Level 3 product projected on a 0.05 degree (5,600 m) geographic CMG. The MOD13C2 has data fields for the NDVI, EVI, VI QA, reflectance data, angular information, and spatial statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and number of used input pixels at the 0.05 degree CMG resolution.

Known Issues

  • The incorrect representation of the aerosol quantities (low, average, high) in the Collection 6 MOD09 surface reflectance products may have impacted MOD13 Vegetation Index data products particularly over arid bright surfaces.
  • Corrections were implemented in Collection 6.1 reprocessing.
  • For complete information about known issues please refer to the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions

  • The 16-day composite VI is generated using the two 8-day composite surface reflectance granules (MOD09A1) in the 16-day period.
  • This surface reflectance input is based on the minimum blue compositing approach used to generate the 8-day surface reflectance product.
  • The product format is consistent with the Version 5 product generated using the Level 2 gridded daily surface reflectance product.
  • A frequently updated long-term global CMG Average Vegetation Index product database is used to fill the gaps in the CMG product suite.

Version Description

The MOD13C2 Version 6 data product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023. Users are encouraged to use the MOD13C2 Version 6.1 data product (https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13C2.061).

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra
Instruments
MODIS
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
5600 Meters x 5600 Meters
Spatial Reference System(s)
MODIS Climate Modeling Grid (CMG)
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2000-02-01 to 2023-01-31
Temporal Resolution
1 Month
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
MODIS Adaptive Processing System, Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS)
Concept ID
C2763297287-LPCLOUD
Data State
DEPRECATED
Number of Files/Granules
0
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Vegetation Index ,
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

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

Didan, K. (2015). MOD13C2 MODIS/Terra Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V006 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13C2.006 Date Accessed: 2026-02-28

Documents

Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly EVI std dev Standard deviation computed from input EVI pixels EVI int16 -3000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly NDVI 16 day NDVI NDVI int16 -3000 -2000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly number of 1km pix used Number of 1 km input pixels used Number uint8 255 0 to 36 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly #1km pix +-30deg VZ Number of 1km pixels used with VZ angle less than + or - 30 degs Number uint8 255 0 to 36 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly Avg sun zen angle Sun zenith angle of VI Pixel Degree int16 -10000 -9000 to 9000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly blue reflectance Surface Reflectance Band 3 N/A int16 -1000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly EVI 16 day EVI EVI int16 -3000 -2000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly MIR reflectance Surface Reflectance Band 7 N/A int16 -1000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly NDVI std dev Standard deviation computed from input NDVI pixels NDVI int16 -3000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly NIR reflectance Surface Reflectance Band 2 N/A int16 -1000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly pixel reliabilty Quality reliability of VI pixel Rank int8 -1 0 to 4 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly red reflectance Surface Reflectance Band 1 N/A int16 -1000 0 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg Monthly VI Quality VI quality indicators Bit Field uint16 65535 0 to 65534 N/A
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