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Full catalog/GEDI02_A
GEDI02_A·v002·dataset

Ground and tree-canopy height by laser (GEDI)

GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002
biosphere NASA LPCLOUD Level 2A HDF5
In plain English

What it measures. Detailed measurements of ground elevation, the height of treetops, and a set of 'relative height' metrics that describe the vertical shape of vegetation, recorded at individual laser footprints on the ground.

How it's made. Derived from the GEDI lidar instrument aboard the International Space Station, which fires laser pulses and interprets the returning waveforms; it covers the tropics and mid-latitudes (roughly 51.6 N to 51.6 S).

How & where you'd use it. Used to map forest height and 3D structure, improve estimates of how much carbon forests hold, and study biodiversity and ecosystems.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › PLANT PHENOLOGYBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › CANOPY CHARACTERISTICSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › VEGETATION COVERSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › LIDARLAND SURFACE › TOPOGRAPHYBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › CANOPY CHARACTERISTICS › VEGETATION HEIGHT

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2019-04-04 → 2023-03-16
  • Measured byISS (GEDI)
  • Processing levelLevel 2A
  • Spatial extent-180, -54, 180, 54
  • FormatsHDF5
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map vegetation, forests and biomass
  • Monitor ecosystem productivity and carbon
  • Support habitat and biodiversity studies
Official description

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation ([GEDI](https://gedi.umd.edu/)) 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 156 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](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/2236/GEDI_CORRECTED_RGT_FILENAMES.pptx) for the correct RGT numbers. * Known Issues: Section 8 of the User Guide provides additional information on known issues.

Get the data

gedi02_a_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="GEDI02_A",
    version="002",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LPCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.