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Description

The MOD13A3 Version 6 data product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023. Users are encouraged to use the MOD13A3 Version 6.1 data product.

The Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Vegetation Indices (MOD13A3) Version 6 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

  • 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
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 2023-01-31
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
C2763297270-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). MOD13A3 MODIS/Terra vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V006 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A3.006 Date Accessed: 2026-05-21

File Naming Convention

MOD13A3.A2002244.h00v10.006.2015151082733.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD13A3) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2002244), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h00v10), the Version of the data collection (006), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2015151082733), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

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Title Year Author Topic
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)
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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)
Population responses to environmental change: looking back, looking forward Entwisle, Barbara Infrastructure, Food Security, Conservation, Environmental Health Factors, Urbanization/Urban Sprawl, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Predicting Spatial Patterns of Sindbis Virus (SINV) Infection Risk in Uusitalo, Ruut, Siljander, Mika, Culverwell, C. Lorna, Hendrickx, Guy, Linden, Andreas, Dub, Timothee, Aalto, Juha, Sane, Jussi, Marsboom, Cedric, Suvanto, Maija T., Vajda, Andrea, Gregow, Hilppa, Korhonen, Essi M., Huhtamo, Eili, Pellikka, Petri, Vapalahti, Olli Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Emissivity, Land Surface Temperature
Potential and challenges of harmonizing 40 years of AVHRR dataThe timeline experience Dech, Stefan, Holzwarth, Stefanie, Asam, Sarah, Andresen, Thorsten, Bachmann, Martin, Boettcher, Martin, Dietz, Andreas, Eisfelder, Christina, Frey, Corinne, Gesell, Gerhard, Gessner, Ursula, Hirner, Andreas, Hofmann, Matthias, Kirches, Grit, Klein, Doris, Klein, Igor, Kraus, Tanja, Krause, Detmar, Plank, Simon, Popp, Thomas, Reinermann, Sophie, Reiners, Philipp, Roessler, Sebastian, Ruppert, Thomas, Scherbachenko, Alexander, Vignesh, Ranjitha, Wolfmueller, Meinhard, Zwenzner, Hendrik, Kuenzer, Claudia Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Prediction of maize yield at the city level in China using multi-source data Chen, Xinxin, Feng, Lan, Yao, Rui, Wu, Xiaojun, Sun, Jia, Gong, Wei 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)
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
Developing a temporally accurate air temperature dataset for Mainland China Yao, Rui, Wang, Lunche, Huang, Xin, Li, Long, Sun, Jia, Wu, Xiaojun, Jiang, Weixia 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)
Evaluation and comparison of Himawari-8 L2 V1.0, V2.1 and MODIS C6.1 aerosol products over Asia and the oceania regions Yang, Xingchuan, Zhao, Chuanfeng, Luo, Nana, Zhao, Wenji, Shi, Wenzhong, Yan, Xing Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Estimating PM2.5 concentrations in Yangtze River Delta region of China using random forest model and the Top-of-Atmosphere reflectance Yang, Lijuan, Xu, Hanqiu, Yu, Shaode Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
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)
Evaluation of temperature vegetation dryness index on drought monitoring over Eurasia Shi, Siqi, Yao, Fengmei, Zhang, Jiahua, Yang, Shanshan Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Impacts of vegetation anomalies and agricultural drought on wind erosion over Iran from 2000 to 2018 Ebrahimi-Khusfi, Zohre, Mirakbari, Maryam, Ebrahimi-Khusfi, Mohsen, Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi, Ruhollah Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Integrating computational methods to investigate the macroecology of microbiomes Mascarenhas, Rilquer, Ruziska, Flavia M., Moreira, Eduardo Freitas, Campos, Amanda B., Loiola, Miguel, Reis, Kaike, Trindade-Silva, Amaro E., Barbosa, Felipe A. S., Salles, Lucas, Menezes, Rafael, Veiga, Rafael, Coutinho, Felipe H., Dutilh, Bas E., Guimaraes, Paulo R., Assis, Ana Paula A., Ara, Anderson, Miranda, Jose G. V., Andrade, Roberto F. S., Vilela, Bruno, Meirelles, Pedro Milet Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Evapotranspiration, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Absorption, Radiative Forcing
Integrating remote sensing data with WRF model for improved 2-m temperature and humidity simulations in China Yan, Dongdong, Liu, Tianya, Dong, Wenjie, Liao, Xiaohan, Luo, Siqiong, Wu, Kai, Zhu, Xian, Zheng, Zhiyuan, Wen, Xiaohang Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Detecting hydrological droughts in ungauged areas from remotely sensed hydro-meteorological variables using rule-based models Rhee, Jinyoung, Park, Kyungwon, Lee, Seongkyu, Jang, Sangmin, Yoon, Sunkwon Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Evapotranspiration, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Latent Heat Flux
Downscaling daily air-temperature measurements in the Netherlands Dirksen, Marieke, Knap, Wouter H., Steeneveld, Gert-Jan, Holtslag, Albert A. M., Tank, Albert M. G. Klein Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Monitoring the detailed dynamics of regional thermal environment in a developing urban agglomeration Liu, Yue, Li, Hui, Gao, Peng, Zhong, Cheng Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
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