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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 surface reflectance data from the 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 VIPPHEN data product is provided globally at 0.05 degree (5600 meters (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 VIPPHEN phenology product contains 26 Science Datasets (SDS) which include phenological metrics such as the start, peak, and end of season as well as the rate of greening and senescence. The product also provides the maximum, average, and background calculated VIs. The VIPPHEN SDS are based on the daily VIP product series and are calculated using a 3-year moving window average to smooth out noise in the data. A reliability SDS is included to provide context on the quality of the input data.
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.
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Didan, K., & Barreto, A. (2016). NASA MEaSUREs Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Phenology EVI2 Yearly Global 0.05Deg CMG [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MEASURES/VIP/VIPPHEN_EVI2.004 Date Accessed: 2026-04-30
Didan, Kamel, and Armando Barreto. “NASA MEaSUREs Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Phenology EVI2 Yearly Global 0.05Deg CMG.” NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2016. doi:10.5067/MEASURES/VIP/VIPPHEN_EVI2.004. Date Accessed: 2026-04-30
Didan, Kamel, and Armando Barreto. NASA MEaSUREs Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Phenology EVI2 Yearly Global 0.05Deg CMG. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2016, doi:10.5067/MEASURES/VIP/VIPPHEN_EVI2.004. Date Accessed: 2026-04-30
File Naming Convention
VIPPHEN_EVI2.A2014.004.2016180135415.hdf
The file name begins with the Product Short Name (VIPPHEN) followed by the Vegetation Index (EVI2), Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYY (A2014), the Data Product Version (004), and the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2016180135415), and the Data Format (hdf).
Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Plant Phenology, Plant Phenological Changes
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.