Skip to main content

Description

The NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo Quality product (VJ143D40) is produced daily using 16 days of data at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day, which is reflected in the file name. The VJ143D product suite is provided in a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG), which covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models. Due to the large file size, each VJ143D product contains just one data layer for each of the parameters included in the VJ143MA2 product. VJ143D40 through VJ143D53 are the 30 arc second BRDF/Albedo Quality values, the Local Solar Noon values, the Valid Observations of the moderate resolution bands (M1 through M5, M7, M8, M10, and M11) plus the Day/Night Band (DNB), the Snow Status, and the Uncertainty. Details regarding methodology are available on the VJ143MA2 product page and in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).

VJ143D40 consists of BRDF/Albedo quality information representing the overall quality of each pixel for VIIRS moderate resolution bands M1 through M5, M7, M8, M10, M11, and DNB.

Known Issues

Version Description

NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) VIIRS data products, designated as "VJ1", were introduced in VIIRS Version 2.

Product Summary

Platforms
NOAA-20
Instruments
VIIRS
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
1000 Meters x 1000 Meters
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2018-01-05 to Present
Temporal Resolution
1 Day
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMASS-B/SFE) ,
Land Science Investigator-led Processing System, Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/LandSIPS)
Concept ID
C2841296651-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
2953
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Albedo ,
Anisotropy ,
Reflectance

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

Schaaf, C., Wang, Z., Erb, A., & Paynter, I. (2025). VIIRS/JPSS1 BRDF/Albedo Quality Daily L3 Global 30ArcSec CMG V002 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VJ143D40.002 Date Accessed: 2026-02-14

File Naming Convention

VJ143D40.A2025215.002.2025223144106.h5

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (VJ143D40) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025215), the Version of the data collection (002), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025223144106), and the Data Format (h5).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

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
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_DNB BRDF/Albedo Quality for Day/Night Band (0.5 - 0.9 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M1 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M1 (0.402 - 0.422 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M2 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M2 (0.436 - 0.454 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M3 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M3 (0.478 - 0.498 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M4 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M4 (0.545 - 0.565 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M5 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M5 (0.662 - 0.682 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M7 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M7 (0.846 - 0.885 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M8 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M8 (1.230 - 1.250 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M10 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M10 (1.580 - 1.640 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Quality_M11 BRDF/Albedo Quality for Band M11 (2.225 - 2.275 μm) N/A uint8 255 0 to 3 N/A
You're viewing 10 of 10