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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 VIP15 VI data product is provided twice monthly at 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 VIP15 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.

The VIP15 dataset includes two composites per month. The first composite is generated from day 1 to 15, and the second composite includes the remaining days of the month. This dataset consists of 24 files per year.

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
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
1981-01-01 to 2014-12-31
Temporal Resolution
15 Day
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
C2763268450-LPCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
816
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Vegetation Index ,
Plant Phenology ,
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 15Days Global 0.05Deg CMG [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MEASURES/VIP/VIP15.004 Date Accessed: 2026-02-15

File Naming Convention

VIP15.A2014350.004.2016170155847.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (VIP15) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2014350), the Data Product Version (004), and the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2016170155847), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

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 15Days BLUE reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Blue Reflectance N/A int16 -28672 -100 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days Composite Day of the Year Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Composite Day of the Year Day int16 -1 1 to 366 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days EVI2 Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days EVI2 EVI2 int16 -12000 -10000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days MIR reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Middle Infrared Reflectance N/A int16 -28672 -100 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days NDVI Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days NDVI NDVI int16 -12000 -10000 to 10000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days NIR reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Near Infrared Reflectance N/A int16 -28672 -100 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days Pixel Reliability Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Pixel Reliability Rank int8 -4 0 to 11 N/A
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days RED reflectance Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Red Reflectance N/A int16 -28672 -100 to 16000 0.0001
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days Relative Azimuth Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Relative Azimuth Angle Degree int16 0 -18000 to 18000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days Solar Zenith Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days Solar Zenith Angle Degree int16 0 1 to 18000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days View Zenith Angle Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days View Zenith Angle Degree int16 0 1 to 18000 0.01
CMG 0.05 Deg 15Days VI Quality Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) 0.05 Degree resolution 15 Days VI Quality Bit Field uint16 65535 0 to 65534 N/A
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