MODIS Vegetation Index Products (NDVI and EVI)

Overview

MODIS vegetation indices, produced on 16-day intervals and at multiple spatial resolutions, provide consistent spatial and temporal comparisons of vegetation canopy greenness, a composite property of leaf area, chlorophyll and canopy structure. Two vegetation indices are derived from atmospherically-corrected reflectance in the red, near-infrared, and blue wavebands; the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which provides continuity with NOAA's AVHRR NDVI time series record for historical and climate applications, and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), which minimizes canopy-soil variations and improves sensitivity over dense vegetation conditions. The two products more effectively characterize the global range of vegetation states and processes.

The vegetation indices are retrieved from daily, atmosphere-corrected, bidirectional surface reflectance. The VI's use a MODIS-specific compositing method based on product quality assurance metrics to remove low quality pixels. From the remaining good quality VI values, a constrained view angle approach then selects a pixel to represent the compositing period (from the two highest NDVI values it selects the pixel that is closest-to-nadir). Because the MODIS sensors aboard Terra and Aqua satellites are identical, the VI algorithm generates each 16-day composite eight days apart (phased products) to permit a higher temporal resolution product by combining both data records. The MODIS VI product suite is now used successfully in all ecosystem, climate, and natural resources management studies and operational research as demonstrated by the ever increasing body of peer publications.



Product Information

•Product PI:

Kamel Didan

•Validated Stage: Stage 3

•PI Product Page URL

•User Guide Download

•ATBD



Product Details

Product Name Terra Prod ID/

DAAC Link Aqua Prod ID/

DAAC Link Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 250m MOD13Q1 MYD13Q1 Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 500m MOD13A1 MYD13A1 Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 1km MOD13A2 MYD13A2 Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG MOD13C1 MYD13C1 Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 1km MOD13A3 MYD13A3 Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG MOD13C2 MYD13C2

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