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Description

The Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Vegetation Indices Monthly (MOD13A3) Version 6.1 data are provided monthly at 1 kilometer (km) spatial resolution as a gridded Level 3 product in the sinusoidal projection. In generating this monthly product, the algorithm ingests all the MOD13A2 products that overlap the month and employs a weighted temporal average.

The MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) complements NOAA's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) NDVI products and provides continuity for time series historical applications. MODIS also includes an Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) that minimizes canopy background variations and maintains sensitivity over dense vegetation conditions. The EVI uses the blue band to remove residual atmosphere contamination caused by smoke and sub-pixel thin clouds. The MODIS NDVI and EVI products are computed from surface reflectances corrected for molecular scattering, ozone absorption, and aerosols.

Vegetation indices are used for global monitoring of vegetation conditions and are used in products displaying land cover and land cover changes. These data may be used as input for modeling global biogeochemical and hydrologic processes as well as global and regional climate. Additional applications include characterizing land surface biophysical properties and processes, such as primary production and land cover conversion.

Provided along with the vegetation layers and the two quality assurance (QA) layers are reflectance bands 1 (red), 2 (near-infrared), 3 (blue), and 7 (mid-infrared), as well as three observation layers.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 vegetation indices data products: (1) Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 – 2017, and (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra
Instruments
MODIS
Projects
TERRA
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
1000 Meters x 1000 Meters
Spatial Reference System(s)
MODIS Sinusoidal Tiling System
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2000-02-01 to Present
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
C2327962326-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
92141
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Vegetation Index ,
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) ,
Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)

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. (2021). MODIS/Terra Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A3.061 Date Accessed: 2026-06-19

File Naming Convention

MOD13A3.A2025152.h01v11.061.2025195144044.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD13A3) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025152), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h01v11), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025195144044), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Multiyear ndvi values as indicator of the relationship between spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics and environmental factors in the qaidam basin, china Lou, Junpeng, Xu, Guoyin, Wang, Zhongjing, Yang, Zhigang, Ni, Sanchuan Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Total Surface Precipitation Rate
Monitoring vegetation change and its potential drivers in inner mongolia from 2000 to 2019 Kang, Yao, Guo, Enliang, Wang, Yongfang, Bao, Yulong, Bao, Yuhai, Mandula, Naren RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Monitoring vegetation greenness in response to climate variation along the elevation gradient in the three-river source region of China Wang, Zhaoqi, Liu, Xiang, Wang, Hao, Zheng, Kai, Li, Honglin, Wang, Gaini, An, Zhifang Reflectance, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Quantifying diurnal and seasonal variation of surface urban heat island intensity and its associated determinants across different climatic zones over Indian cities Mohammad, Pir, Goswami, Ajanta Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Meteorological controls on daily variations of nighttime surface urban heat islands Lai, Jiameng, Zhan, Wenfeng, Voogt, James, Quan, Jinling, Huang, Fan, Zhou, Ji, Bechtel, Benjamin, Hu, Leiqiu, Wang, Kaicun, Cao, Chang, Lee, Xuhui Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
Spatial Distribution of Soil Moisture in Mongolia Using SMAP and MODIS Natsagdorj, Enkhjargal, Renchin, Tsolmon, Maeyer, Philippe De, Darkhijav, Bayanjargal Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Spatial and temporal changes in vegetation in the Ruoergai Region, China Guo, Yahui, Zeng, Jing, Wu, Wenxiang, Hu, Shunqiang, Liu, Guangxu, Wu, Linsheng, Bryant, Christopher Robin Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Spatial patterns of lower respiratory tract infections and their association with fine particulate matter Asri, Aji Kusumaning, Pan, Wen-Chi, Lee, Hsiao-Yun, Su, Huey-Jen, Wu, Chih-Da, Spengler, John D. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Simulation of vegetation cover based on the theory of ecohydrological optimality in the yongding river watershed, China Zhang, Yixuan, Zhao, Tingning, Shi, Changqing, Ma, Qiang Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Simulation and mapping of drought and soil erosion in Central Yunnan Province, China Yu, Yuanhe, Shen, Yuzhen, Wang, Jinliang, Wei, Yuchun, Liu, Zhiyuan Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Reconstructing 1-km-resolution high-quality PM2.5 data records from 2000 to 2018 in ChinaSpatiotemporal variations and policy implications Wei, Jing, Li, Zhanqing, Lyapustin, Alexei, Sun, Lin, Peng, Yiran, Xue, Wenhao, Su, Tianning, Cribb, Maureen Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Satellite-based monitoring of lake Urmia basin health with focus on its Janalipour, M., Abbaszadeh Tehrani, N., Shafri, H. Z. M., Salehi, S., Mohammadzadeh, A., Ghasemi, S. Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Satellite mapping of the thermal response of ecosystems of Northern Eurasia to climate change Saint Petersburg Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety RAS, Gornyy, V.I., Kiselev, A.V., Kritsuk, S.G., Latypov, I.Sh., Tronin, A.A. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Statistical estimation of next-day nighttime surface urban heat islands Lai, Jiameng, Zhan, Wenfeng, Quan, Jinling, Bechtel, Benjamin, Wang, Kaicun, Zhou, Ji, Huang, Fan, Chakraborty, Tirthankar, Liu, Zihan, Lee, Xuhui Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
The value of ASCAT soil moisture and MODIS snow cover data for calibrating a conceptual hydrologic model Tong, Rui, Parajka, Juraj, Salentinig, Andreas, Pfeil, Isabella, Komma, Jurgen, Szeles, Borbala, Kuban, Martin, Valent, Peter, Vreugdenhil, Mariette, Wagner, Wolfgang, Bloschl, Gunter Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
The value of water isotope data on improving process understanding in a glacierized catchment on the Tibetan Plateau Nan, Yi, Tian, Lide, He, Zhihua, Tian, Fuqiang, Shao, Lili Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Surface urban heat islands dynamics in response to LULC and vegetation across South Asia (2000-2019) Hassan, Talha, Zhang, Jiahua, Prodhan, Foyez Ahmed, Pangali Sharma, Til Prasad, Bashir, Barjeece RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Topographical Relief Maps, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of net primary productivity and response to Wang, Yahui, Dai, Erfu, Wu, Chunsheng Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Spatiotemporal patterns and driving forces of remotely sensed urban agglomeration heat islands in South China Geng, Shoubao, Yang, Long, Sun, Zhongyu, Wang, Zhihui, Qian, Junxi, Jiang, Chong, Wen, Meili Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Albedo, Anisotropy, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Spatiotemporal dynamics and exposure analysis of daily PM2.5 using a remote sensing-based machine learning model and multi-time meteorological parameters Chen, Binjie, Lin, Yi, Deng, Jinsong, Li, Zheyu, Dong, Li, Huang, Yibo, Wang, Ke Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Using long-term earth observation data to reveal the factors contributing to the early 2020 desert locust upsurge and the resulting vegetation loss Wang, Lei, Zhuo, Wen, Pei, Zhifang, Tong, Xingyuan, Han, Wei, Fang, Shibo Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
A multi-resolution air temperature model for France from MODIS and Landsat thermal data Hough, Ian, Just, Allan C., Zhou, Bin, Dorman, Michael, Lepeule, Johanna, Kloog, Itai Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
A satellite-based spatio-temporal machine learning model to reconstruct daily PM2. 5 concentrations across Great Britain Schneider, Rochelle, Vicedo-Cabrera, Ana, Sera, Francesco, Masselot, Pierre, Stafoggia, Massimo, de Hoogh, Kees, Kloog, Itai, Reis, Stefan, Vieno, Massimo, Gasparrini, Antonio Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
A quantile approach for retrieving the "Core Urban-Suburban-Rural" (USR) structure based on nighttime light Huang, Yaohuan, Wu, Chengbin, Chen, Mingxing, Yang, Jie, Ren, Hongyan Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Reflectance, Total Surface Water
An inversion model for estimating the negative air ion concentration using MODIS images of the Daxing'anling region Yue, Cui, Yuxin, Zhao, Nan, Zhang, Dongyou, Zhang, Jiangning, Yang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
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