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Description

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) global datasets were created using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) N07, N09, N11, and N14 datasets (1981 - 1999) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra MOD09 surface reflectance data (2000 - 2014). The VIP Vegetation Index (VI) product was developed to provide consistent measurements of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and modified Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) spanning more than 30 years of data from multiple sensors. The EVI2 is a backward extension of AVHRR. Vegetation indices such as NDVI and EVI2 are useful for assessing the biophysical properties of the land surface, and are used to characterize vegetation phenology. Phenology tracks the seasonal life cycle of vegetation, and provides information on the biotic response to environmental changes.

The VIP07 VI data product is a composite of seven daily images with 0.05 degree (5600 meter (m)) spatial resolution in geographic (Lat/Lon) grid format. The data are stored in Hierarchical Data Format-Earth Observing System (HDF-EOS) file format. The VIP07 VI product contains 12 Science Datasets (SDS), which include the calculated VIs (NDVI and EVI2) as well as quality assurance/pixel reliability, the input Visible/Near Infrared (VNIR) surface reflectance data, and viewing geometry. The Blue and Middle Infrared (MIR) surface reflectance data are only available for the MODIS era (2000 - 2014). Gaps in the daily product are filled using long term mean VI records derived from the more than 30 year time series of data, and are indicated as gap-filled in the Pixel Reliability SDS. A low resolution browse image showing NDVI as a color map is also available.

Known Issues

  • The Relative Azimuth Angle (RAA) for the input MODIS data is computed based on absolute values of the finer resolution pixels resulting in positive values and has minor usefulness.
  • The RAA for the input AVHRR data contain values in the -360° to 360° range. The routine to restrict the values in the -180° to 180° range was accidentally missed and can be corrected using the following routine described in Section 4.2.1 of the User Guide and Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document:
    • SinRelativeAz=sin(RAA)
    • CosRelativeAz=cos(RAA)
    • Correct-RAA = atan2(SinRelativeAz,CosRelativeAz)

Product Summary

Platforms
NOAA-7,
NOAA-9,
NOAA-11,
NOAA-14,
Terra
Instruments
AVHRR,
MODIS
Spatial Extent
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180
Spatial Resolution
5600 Meters x 5600 Meters
Geographic Region
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
1981-01-01 to 2014-12-31
Temporal Resolution
1 Week
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
Vegetation Index and Phenology Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona (UAZ/ECE/VIP)
Concept ID
C2763268449-LPCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Vegetation Index,
Plant Phenology,
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI),
Plant Phenological Changes

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., & Barreto, A. (2016). NASA MEaSUREs Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Vegetation Indices 7Days Global 0.05Deg CMG [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MEASURES/VIP/VIP07.004 Date Accessed: 2025-11-02

File Naming Convention

VIP07.A2014358.004.2016170190749.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (VIP07) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2014358), the Data Product Version (004), and the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2016170190749), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

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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
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days BLUE reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Blue Reflectance (Band 3) N/A int16 -28672 -28672 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days Composite Day of the Year Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution Composite Day of the Year Day int16 -1 -1 to 366 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days EVI2 Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Modified EVI2 EVI2 int16 -12000 -12000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days EVI2 VI Quality Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days VI Quality Bit Field uint16 65535 65535 to 65534 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days MIR reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Middle Infrared Reflectance (Band 7) N/A int16 -28672 -28672 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days NDVI Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days NDVI NDVI int16 -12000 -12000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days NIR reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Near Infrared Reflectance (Band 2) N/A int16 -28672 -28672 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days Pixel Reliability Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Pixel Reliability Rank int8 -4 -4 to 11 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days RED reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Red Reflectance (Band 1) N/A int16 -28672 -28672 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days Relative Azimuth Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Relative Azimuth Angle Degree int16 0 0 to 18000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days Solar Zenith Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days Solar Zenith Angle Degree int16 0 0 to 18000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg 7Days View Zenith Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 7 Days View Zenith Angle Degree int16 0 0 to 18000 0.01
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