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Description
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission aims to characterize ecosystem structure and dynamics to enable radically improved quantification and understanding of the Earth’s carbon cycle and biodiversity. The GEDI instrument produces high resolution laser ranging observations of the 3-dimensional structure of the Earth. GEDI is attached to the International Space Station (ISS) and collects data globally between 51.6° N and 51.6° S latitudes at the highest resolution and densest sampling of any light detection and ranging (lidar) instrument in orbit to date. Each GEDI Version 2 granule encompasses one-fourth of an ISS orbit and includes georeferenced metadata to allow for spatial querying and subsetting.
The GEDI instrument was removed from the ISS and placed into storage on March 17, 2023. No data were acquired during the hibernation period from March 17, 2023, to April 24, 2024. GEDI has since been reinstalled on the ISS and resumed operations as of April 26, 2024.
The purpose of the GEDI Level 2A Geolocated Elevation and Height Metrics product (GEDI02_A) is to provide waveform interpretation and extracted products from each GEDI01_B received waveform, including ground elevation, canopy top height, and relative height (RH) metrics. The methodology for generating the GEDI02_A product datasets is adapted from the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) algorithm. The GEDI02_A product is provided in HDF5 format and has a spatial resolution (average footprint) of 25 meters.
The GEDI02_A data product contains 548 layers for each of the eight beams, including ground elevation, canopy top height, relative return energy metrics (e.g., canopy vertical structure), and many other interpreted products from the return waveforms. Additional information for the layers can be found in the GEDI Level 2A Dictionary.
Known Issues
Data acquisition gaps: GEDI data acquisitions were suspended on December 19, 2019 (2019 Day 353) and resumed on January 8, 2020 (2020 Day 8).
Incorrect Reference Ground Track (RGT) number in the filename for select GEDI files: GEDI Science Data Products for six orbits on August 7, 2020, and November 12, 2021, had the incorrect RGT number in the filename. There is no impact to the science data, but users should reference this document for the correct RGT numbers.
Known Issues: Section 8 of the User Guide provides additional information on known issues.
Version Description
The following changes and improvements were implemented for GEDI Version 2 data products: (1) Reduced granule size from one full ISS orbit (~7.99 GB) to four segments per orbit (~2.00 GB), (2) Modified file name to include segment number and dataset version, (3) Improved geolocation for orbital segments, (4) Added elevation from the SRTM digital elevation model for comparison, (5) Modified the method to predict an optimum algorithm setting group per laser shot, (6) Added additional land cover datasets related to phenology, urban infrastructure, and water persistence, (7) Added selected_mode_flag dataset to root beam group using selected algorithm, and (8) Removed shots when the laser is not firing.
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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Dubayah, R., Hofton, M., Blair, J., Armston, J., Tang, H., & Luthcke, S. (2021). GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/GEDI/GEDI02_A.002 Date Accessed: 2026-07-11
Dubayah, R., Hofton, M., Blair, J., Armston, J., Tang, H., & Luthcke, S. (2021). GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/GEDI/GEDI02_A.002 Date Accessed: 2026-07-11
Dubayah, Ralph, et al. “GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002.” NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2021, https://doi.org/10.5067/GEDI/GEDI02_A.002. Date Accessed: 2026-07-11
The file name begins with the Product Short Name (GEDI02_A), followed by the Julian Date and Time of Acquisition designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2024333190440), the Orbit Number starting with the letter O (O33777), the Sub-Orbit Granule Number (03), Track Number (T03689), the Positioning and Pointing Determination System type where 00 is predict, 01 rapid, 02 and higher is final (02), the Product Generation Executables Version (004), the Granule Production Version (02), the Version Number (V002), and the Data Format (h5).
The GitHub repository, hosted by NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, provides a range of materials for using LP DAAC data and tools.
Leite, Rodrigo V., Amaral, Cibele, Neigh, Christopher S. R., Cosenza, Diogo N., Klauberg, Carine, Hudak, Andrew T., Aragao, Luiz, Morton, Douglas C., Coffield, Shane, McCabe, Tempest, Silva, Carlos A.
Bourgoin, C., Ceccherini, G., Girardello, M., Vancutsem, C., Avitabile, V., Beck, P. S. A., Beuchle, R., Blanc, L., Duveiller, G., Migliavacca, M., Vieilledent, G., Cescatti, A., Achard, F.
Wang, Jianmin, Choi, Dennis H., LaRue, Elizabeth, Atkins, Jeff W., Foster, Jane R., Matthes, Jaclyn H., Fahey, Robert T., Fei, Songlin, Hardiman, Brady S.
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.
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/rh_a2
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/rh_a3
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/rh_a4
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/rh_a5
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/rh_a6
Relative height metrics at 1 % intervals using algorithm N (in cm)
cm
int16
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a1
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a2
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a3
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a4
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a5
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/sensitivity_a6
Maxmimum canopy cover, using algorithmN, that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform
N/A
float32
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/shot_number
Shot number
N/A
uint64
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/geolocation/stale_return_flag
Flag from digitizer indicating the real-time pulse detection algorithm did not detect a return signal above its detection threshold within the entire 10 km search window. The pulse location of the previous shot was used to select the telemetered waveform.
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/landsat_treecover
Tree cover in the year 2010, defined as canopy closure for all vegetation taller than 5m in height (Hansen et al.). Encoded as a percentage per output grid cell.
The percent UMD GLAD Landsat observations with classified surface water between 2018 and 2019. Values > 80 usually represent permanent water, while values < 10 represent permanent land.
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 100
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_off_doy
GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid leaf-off start day-of-year derived from the NPP VIIRS Global Land Surface Phenology Product.
N/A
int16
32767
1 to 365
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_off_flag
GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid flag derived from leaf_off_doy, leaf_on_doy and pft_class, indicating if the observation was recorded during leaf-off conditions in deciduous forests and woodlands. 1 = leaf-off and 0 = leaf-on.
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_on_cycle
Flag that indicates the vegetation growing cycle for leaf-on observations. Values are 0 (leaf-off conditions), 1 (cycle 1) or 2 (cycle 2).
N/A
uint8
255
1 to 2
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/leaf_on_doy
GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid leaf-on start day-of-year derived from the NPP VIIRS Global Land Surface Phenology Product.
N/A
int16
32767
1 to 365
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/modis_nonvegetated
Percent non-vegetated from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006
percent
float64
-9999
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/modis_nonvegetated_sd
Percent non-vegetated standard deviation from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006
percent
float64
-9999
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/modis_treecover
Percent tree cover from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006
percent
float64
-9999
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/modis_treecover_sd
Percent tree cover standard deviation from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006
percent
float64
-9999
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/pft_class
GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid Plant Functional Type (PFT) derived from the MODIS MCD12Q1v006 Product. Values follow the Land Cover Type 5 Classification scheme.
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 11
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/region_class
GEDI 1 km EASE 2.0 grid world continental regions (0: Water, 1: Europe, 2: North Asia, 5: South Asia, 3: Australasia, 4: Africa, 6: South America, 7: North America).
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 7
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/urban_focal_window_size
The focal window size used to calculate urban_proportion. Values are 3 (3x3 pixel window size) or 5 (5x5 pixel window size).
N/A
uint8
N/A
3 to 5
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/land_cover_data/urban_proportion
The percentage proportion of land area within a focal area surrounding each shot that is urban land cover. Urban land cover is derived from the DLR 12 m resolution TanDEM-X Global Urban Footprint Product.
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 100
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/latitude_bin0_error
Error in latitude of bin 0
degrees
float32
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/lat_highestreturn
Latitude of highest detected return
degrees
float64
N/A
-55 to 55
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/lat_lowestmode
Latitude of center of lowest mode
degrees
float64
N/A
-55 to 55
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/longitude_bin0_error
Error on longitude_bin0.
degrees
float32
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/lon_highestreturn
Longitude of highest detected return
degrees
float64
N/A
-180 to 180
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/lon_lowestmode
Longitude of center of lowest mode
degrees
float64
N/A
-180 to 180
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/master_frac
Master time, fractional part. master_int+master_frac is equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/geolocation/delta_time and /BEAMXXXX/geophys_corr/delta_time.
s
float64
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/master_int
Master time, integer part. Seconds since master_time_epoch. master_int+master_frac is equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/geolocation/delta_time and /BEAMXXXX/geophys_corr/delta_time.
s
uint32
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/mean_sea_surface
Mean sea surface height above the WGS84 ellipsoid, includes the geoid. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0 from DTU15.
m
float32
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/num_detectedmodes
Number of detected modes in rxwaveform
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 20
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/quality_flag
Flag simpilfying selection of most useful data
N/A
uint8
N/A
0 to 1
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/rh
Relative height metrics at 1 % interval
m
float32
N/A
-213 to 213
N/A
N/A
/BEAM0000/rx_1gaussfit/ancillary/mpfit_maxiters
Maximum number of iterations allowed for fitting the Gaussian/extended Gaussian to the rxwaveform
