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Description

The MOD13A2 Version 6 data product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023. Users are encouraged to use the MOD13A2 Version 6.1 data product.

The MOD13A2 Version 6 product provides Vegetation Index (VI) values at a per pixel basis at 1 kilometer (km) spatial resolution. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions. The algorithm for this product chooses the best available pixel value from all the acquisitions from the 16 day period. The criteria used is low clouds, low view angle and the highest NDVI/EVI value.

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 four observation layers.

Known Issues

  • The following issues have been detected:

    • Unexpected missing data in the last cycles of each year.
    • Incorrect instances of "NoData" and spikes in NDVI values.
    • VI Usefulness Bits are not correctly assigned.

  • For instances where the VI Quality (bits 0-1) is flagged as good and the VI Usefulness (bits 2-5) indicates the same pixels have the lowest usefulness score, users are advised to disregard the usefulness score.

  • The incorrect representation of the aerosol quantities (low, average, high) in the Collection 6 MOD09 surface reflectance products may have impacted MOD13 Vegetation Index data products particularly over arid bright surfaces.

  • Corrections were implemented in Collection 6.1 reprocessing.

  • For complete information about known issues please refer to the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6 vegetation index data products: (1) The 16-day composite VI is generated using the two 8-day composite surface reflectance granules (MOD09A1) in the 16-day period, (2) This surface reflectance input is based on the minimum blue compositing approach used to generate the 8-day surface reflectance product, (3) The product format is consistent with the Version 5 product generated using the Level 2 gridded daily surface reflectance product, and (4) A frequently updated long-term global Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) Average Vegetation Index product database is used to fill the gaps in the CMG product suite.

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
2000-02-18 to 2023-02-17
Temporal Resolution
16 Day
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
C2763297266-LPCLOUD
Data State
DEPRECATED
Number of Files/Granules
0
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. (2015). MOD13A2 MODIS/Terra Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V006 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A2.006 Date Accessed: 2026-07-04

File Naming Convention

MOD13A2.A2002257.h09v09.006.2015151080839.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD13A2) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2002257), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h09v09), the Version of the data collection (006), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2015151080839), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

DATA PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Defining Suitability in Mixed Agropastoral Societies: A Case Study from Bactria in Northern Afghanistan Plekhov, Daniel, Levine, Evan I. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Detecting regional GPP variations with statistically downscaled solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) based on GOME-2 and MODIS data Hu, Shi, Mo, Xingguo Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Detecting vegetation change in the pearl river delta region based on time series segmentation and residual trend analysis (TSS-RESTREND) and MODIS NDVI Ruan, Zhu, Kuang, Yaoqiu, He, Yeyu, Zhen, Wei, Ding, Song Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Deep learning-based air temperature mapping by fusing remote sensing, station, simulation and socioeconomic data Shen, Huanfeng, Jiang, Yun, Li, Tongwen, Cheng, Qing, Zeng, Chao, Zhang, Liangpei Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Enhanced regional terrestrial carbon uptake over Korea revealed by Yun, Jeongmin, Jeong, Sujong, Ho, ChangHoi, Park, Hoonyoung, Liu, Junjie, Lee, Haeyoung, Sitch, Stephen, Friedlingstein, Pierre, Lienert, Sebastian, Lombardozzi, Danica, Haverd, Vanessa, Jain, Atual, Zaehle, Sonke, Kato, Etsushi, Tian, Hanqin, Vuichard, Nicolas, Wiltshire, Andy, Zeng, Ning Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Carbonaceous Aerosols, Nitrogen Oxides, Particulates, Hydrogen Cyanide, Emissions, Non-methane Hydrocarbons/Volatile Organic Compounds, Particulate Matter, Fire Occurrence, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds
Environmental and biophysical controls of evapotranspiration from Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (Caatinga) in the Brazilian Semiarid Marques, Thiago V., Mendes, Keila, Mutti, Pedro, Medeiros, Salomao, Silva, Lindenberg, Perez-Marin, Aldrin M., Campos, Suany, Lucio, Paulo S., Lima, Kellen, dos Reis, Jean, Ramos, Tarsila M., da Silva, Daniel F., Oliveira, Cristiano P., Costa, Gabriel B., Antonino, Antonio C.D., Menezes, Romulo S.C., Santos e Silva, Claudio M., Bezerra, Bergson Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A spatial downscaling method for SMAP soil moisture through visible and Hu, Fengmin, Wei, Zushuai, Zhang, Wen, Dorjee, Donyu, Meng, Lingkui Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Precipitation, Precipitation Amount, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Rain, RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Reflectance, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Accelerated continentalscale snowmelt and ecohydrological impacts in the four largest Siberian river basins in response to spring warming Suzuki, Kazuyoshi, Hiyama, Tetsuya, Matsuo, Koji, Ichii, Kazuhito, Iijima, Yoshihiro, Yamazaki, Dai Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
An evapotranspiration model self-calibrated from remotely sensed surface soil moisture, land surface temperature and vegetation cover fractionApplication to disaggregated SMOS and MODIS data Ait Hssaine, Bouchra, Merlin, Olivier, Ezzahar, Jamal, Ojha, Nitu, Er-Raki, Salah, Khabba, Said Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
An Integrated Approach for Detection and Prediction of Greening Zhou, Lei, Wang, Siyu, Du, Mingyi, Yang, Jianhua, Zhu, Yinuo, Wu, Jianjun Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
An artificial intelligence approach to predict gross primary productivity in the forests of South Korea using satellite remote sensing data Lee, Bora, Kim, Nari, Kim, Eun-Sook, Jang, Keunchang, Kang, Minseok, Lim, Jong-Hwan, Cho, Jaeil, Lee, Yangwon Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Assessing the Influence of Tourism-Driven Activities on Environmental Chu, Lixia, Oloo, Francis, Chen, Bin, Xie, Miaomiao, Blaschke, Thomas Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of drought in an arid region of northwest china WEI, W., PANG, S.F., XIE, B.B., ZHOU, J.J., ZHOU, L. Reflectance, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Assessing agricultural vulnerability to drought in a heterogeneous environmentA remote sensing-based approach Faridatul, Mst Ilme, Ahmed, Bayes Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Anthropogenic forcing exacerbating the urban heat islands in India Raj, Sarath, Paul, Saikat Kumar, Chakraborty, Arun, Kuttippurath, Jayanarayanan Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Total Surface Precipitation Rate, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Analyzing the occurrence of floods and droughts in connection with climate change in Punjab province, Pakistan Ali, Syeda Maria, Khalid, Bushra, Akhter, Asma, Islam, Aneeza, Adnan, Shahzada Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
An Assessment of the Hydrological Trends Using Synergistic Approaches of Li, Wenzhao, El-Askary, Hesham, Thomas, Rejoice, Tiwari, Surya Prakash, Manikandan, Karuppasamy P., Piechota, Thomas, Struppa, Daniele 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, Photosynthesis, Primary Production
Carrying capacity for vegetation across northern China drylands Zhang, Jutao, Zhang, Yuqing, Qin, Shugao, Wu, Bin, Ding, Guodong, Wu, Xiuqin, Gao, Yan, Zhu, Yakun Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Climate changeVegetation and phenological phase dynamics Li, Yang, Qin, Yaochen, Ma, Liqun, Pan, Ziwu Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Combining optical, fluorescence, thermal satellite, and environmental data to predict county-level maize yield in China using machine learning approaches Zhang, Liangliang, Zhang, Zhao, Luo, Yuchuan, Cao, Juan, Tao, Fulu Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Compared performances of SMOS-IC soil moisture and vegetation optical depth retrievals based on Tau-Omega and Two-Stream microwave emission models Li, Xiaojun, Al-Yaari, A., Schwank, M., Fan, Lei, Frappart, F., Swenson, J., Wigneron, J.-P. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Fracture aquifers identification in the Zou basin (West Africa) using remote sensing and GIS Oussou, Francis E., Yalo, Nicaise, Ndehedehe, Christopher E., Oloukoi, Joseph, Alassane, Abdoukarim, Boukari, Moussa, Gbewezoun, Vinel H. G. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Feasibility of using MODIS products to simulate sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) in Boreal Forests Guo, Meng, Li, Jing, Huang, Shubo, Wen, Lixiang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Estimating spatio-temporal air temperature in London (UK) using machine learning and earth observation satellite data dos Santos, Rochelle Schneider Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Estimating Regional Soil Moisture Distribution Based on NDVI and Land Bai, Xiao, Zhang, Lanhui, He, Chansheng, Zhu, Yi Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
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