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Full catalog/VNP13C2
VNP13C2·v002·dataset

How green the land is (Suomi-NPP, monthly, 5 km)

VIIRS/NPP Vegetation Indices Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V002
biosphere NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active HDF-EOS5
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly maps of how green and lush the land is, using three vegetation indices that gauge plant health and density, at about 5-km resolution worldwide.

How it's made. Computed from the Suomi-NPP VIIRS sensor by picking the best cloud-free reading for each spot over the month, designed to continue the long MODIS vegetation record.

How & where you'd use it. Used for monitoring crops, droughts, growing seasons, and long-term changes in vegetation across the planet.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › VEGETATION INDEX › NORMALIZED DIFFERENCE VEGETATION INDEX (NDVI)BIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › PLANT PHENOLOGYBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › VEGETATION INDEX › ENHANCED VEGETATION INDEX (EVI)

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

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

The NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Vegetation Indices (VNP13C2) Version 2 data product provides vegetation indices by a process of selecting the best available pixel over a monthly acquisition period at 0.05 degree (Deg) resolution. The VNP13 data products are designed after the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra and Aqua Vegetation Indices product suite to promote the continuity of the Earth Observation System (EOS) mission. The VNP13 algorithm process produces three vegetation indices: The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and the Enhanced Vegetation Index-2 (EVI2). NDVI is one of the longest continual remotely sensed time series observations, using both the red and near-infrared (NIR) bands. EVI is a slightly different vegetation index that is more sensitive to canopy cover, while NDVI is more sensitive to chlorophyll. EVI2 is a reformation of the standard 3-band EVI, using the red band and NIR band. This reformation addresses arising issues when comparing VIIRS EVI to other EVI models that do not include a blue band. EVI2 will eventually become the standard EVI. This product includes a total of 18 variables, including three Vegetation Indices layers, layers for the standard deviations of each Vegetation Index; NIR reflectance; three shortwave infrared (SWIR) reflectance; red, blue, and green reflectance; number of pixels, number of pixels used; pixel reliability; average sun angle, and a quality layer. Two low resolution browse images are also available for each VNP13C2 product: EVI and NDVI. Known Issues * Due to missing critical inputs, this product lacks coverage for tiles h33v07 and h18v14, which are located over water. * 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 the User Guide and ATBD.

Get the data

vnp13c2_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="VNP13C2",
    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.