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Full catalog/VNP09H1
VNP09H1·v002·dataset

True surface color (VIIRS, Suomi-NPP, 8-day, 500 m)

VIIRS/NPP Surface Reflectance 8-Day L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V002
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active HDF-EOS5
In plain English

What it measures. The true color of the land surface with atmospheric haze removed, given for three imagery bands at roughly 500-meter detail, as the best cloud-free view over each 8-day window.

How it's made. Produced from the VIIRS instrument on Suomi-NPP by correcting for gases and aerosols in the air and selecting the clearest observation in each 8-day period.

How & where you'd use it. A foundational surface-color product used in mapping and as input for vegetation and land-cover studies.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › REFLECTANCE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2012-01-01 → ongoing
  • Measured bySuomi-NPP (VIIRS)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsHDF-EOS5
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

The 8-day Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Surface Reflectance (VNP09H1) Version 2 composite product provides an estimate of land surface reflectance from the NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) VIIRS sensor for three imagery bands (I1, I2, I3) at nominal 500 meter resolution (~463 meter). The 500 meter dataset is derived through resampling the native 375 meter VIIRS resolution in the L2 input product. The data are corrected for atmospheric conditions such as the effects of molecular gases, including ozone and water vapor, and for the effects of atmospheric aerosols. Each pixel represents the best possible Level 2G observation during an 8-day period, which is selected on the basis of high observation coverage, low sensor angle, the absence of clouds or cloud shadow, and aerosol loading. This product includes a total of five variables, including three reflectance bands, a state quality assurance (QA) layer, and a reflectance band quality layer. Known Issues * For complete information about known issues please refer to the [MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website](https://landweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/knownissue?sensor=VIIRS) and in Section 4.0 of the User Guide.

Get the data

vnp09h1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="VNP09H1",
    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.