The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Leaf Area Index (LAI)
and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) Version 1 data
product provides information about the vegetative canopy layer at 500 meter
resolution (VNP15A2H). The VIIRS sensor is located onboard the NOAA/NASA
joint Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. LAI
is an index that quantifies the one-sided leaf area of a canopy, while FPAR
is the fraction of incoming solar energy absorbed through photosynthesis at
400 to 700 nanometers. This product is intentionally designed after the
Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
LAI/FPAR operational algorithm to promote the continuity of the Earth
Observation System (EOS) mission.
0: Main (RT) method used, best result possible (no saturation)
1: Main (RT) method used with saturation. Good, very usable.
2: Main (RT) method failed due to bad geometry, empirical
algorithm used
3: Main (RT) method failed due to problems other than geometry,
empirical algorithm used
4: Pixel not produced at all, value couldn't be retrieved
Bit 3: DeadDetector
0: Both red and NIR detectors are fine
1: At least one band has dead detector
Bits 4-7: BiomeType
0: Water
1: Grasses/cereal crops
2: Shrubs
3: Broadleaf crops
4: Savanna
5: Evergreen broadleaf forest
6: Deciduous broadleaf forest
7: Evergreen needleleaf forest
8: Deciduous needleleaf forest
9: Non-vegetated
10: Urban
11: Unclassified
12: Filled Value
FparStdDev
meters
Standard deviation of FPAR
Lai
Area fraction
meters
Leaf Area Index
LaiStdDev
Area fraction
meters
Standard deviation for LAI
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
LP DAAC NASA data are freely accessible; however, when an author
publishes these data or works based on the data, it is requested that the
author cite the datasets within the text of the publication and include a
reference to them in the reference list.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) Version 1 data product provides information about the vegetative canopy layer at 500 meter resolution (VNP15A2H). The VIIRS sensor is located onboard the NOAA/NASA joint Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. …
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H dataset provides Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) data at 500m resolution.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThis dataset, derived from the VIIRS sensor on the Suomi NPP satellite, offers insights into vegetative canopy layers from 2012 to 2024.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe product is designed for continuity with the MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm from the Terra and Aqua missions.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eLAI quantifies one-sided leaf area of a canopy, while FPAR measures the fraction of solar energy absorbed for photosynthesis.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eData users are requested to cite the dataset appropriately in publications, following guidelines on the LP DAAC website.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The VIIRS dataset (VNP15A2H), available from 2012-01-17 to 2025-02-10, offers 8-day cadence data on the vegetative canopy. It includes Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) at 500-meter resolution. Provided by NASA LP DAAC, this data is accessible via Google Earth Engine with a provided code snippet and DOIs are provided for citation, such as [https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002](https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002).\n"],null,["Dataset Availability\n: 2012-01-17T00:00:00Z--2025-08-21T00:00:00Z\n\nDataset Provider\n:\n\n\n [NASA LP DAAC at the USGS EROS Center](https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002)\n\nCadence\n: 8 Days\n\nTags\n:\n[land](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/land) [nasa](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/nasa) [noaa](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/noaa) [surface](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/surface) [vegetation-indices](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/vegetation-indices) [viirs](/earth-engine/datasets/tags/viirs) \n\nDescription \nThe Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Leaf Area Index (LAI)\nand Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) Version 1 data\nproduct provides information about the vegetative canopy layer at 500 meter\nresolution (VNP15A2H). The VIIRS sensor is located onboard the NOAA/NASA\njoint Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. LAI\nis an index that quantifies the one-sided leaf area of a canopy, while FPAR\nis the fraction of incoming solar energy absorbed through photosynthesis at\n400 to 700 nanometers. This product is intentionally designed after the\nTerra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)\nLAI/FPAR operational algorithm to promote the continuity of the Earth\nObservation System (EOS) mission.\n\nDocumentation:\n\n- [User's Guide](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/126/VNP15_User_Guide.pdf)\n\n- [Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD)](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/125/VNP15_ATBD.pdf)\n\n- [General Documentation](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/vnp15a2hv002/)\n\n- [Land Product Quality Assessment website](https://landweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/browse?sensor=VIIRS&sat=SNPP)\n\nBands\n\n\n**Pixel Size**\n\n500 meters\n\n**Bands**\n\n| Name | Units | Pixel Size | Description |\n|----------------|---------------|------------|--------------------------------------------------|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|\n| `Fpar` | | meters | Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation. |\n| `FparExtra_QC` | | meters | Pass-through Quality Control (QC) for FPAR |\n| Bitmask for FparExtra_QC - Bits 0-1: Cloud detection and confidence - 0: Confident clear - 1: Probably clear - 2: Probably cloudy - 3: Confident cloudy - Bit 2: Cloud shadow - 0: No cloud shadow - 1: Shadow - Bit 3: Thin cirrus - 0: No - 1: Yes - Bits 4-5: Aerosol quantity - 0: Climatology - 1: Low - 2: Average - 3: High - Bit 6: Snow/Ice - 0: No - 1: Yes ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||\n| `FparLai_QC` | | meters | Quality for LAI and FPAR |\n| Bitmask for FparLai_QC - Bits 0-2: SCF_QC - 0: Main (RT) method used, best result possible (no saturation) - 1: Main (RT) method used with saturation. Good, very usable. - 2: Main (RT) method failed due to bad geometry, empirical algorithm used - 3: Main (RT) method failed due to problems other than geometry, empirical algorithm used - 4: Pixel not produced at all, value couldn't be retrieved - Bit 3: DeadDetector - 0: Both red and NIR detectors are fine - 1: At least one band has dead detector - Bits 4-7: BiomeType - 0: Water - 1: Grasses/cereal crops - 2: Shrubs - 3: Broadleaf crops - 4: Savanna - 5: Evergreen broadleaf forest - 6: Deciduous broadleaf forest - 7: Evergreen needleleaf forest - 8: Deciduous needleleaf forest - 9: Non-vegetated - 10: Urban - 11: Unclassified - 12: Filled Value ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||\n| `FparStdDev` | | meters | Standard deviation of FPAR |\n| `Lai` | Area fraction | meters | Leaf Area Index |\n| `LaiStdDev` | Area fraction | meters | Standard deviation for LAI |\n\nTerms of Use\n\n**Terms of Use**\n\nLP DAAC NASA data are freely accessible; however, when an author\npublishes these data or works based on the data, it is requested that the\nauthor cite the datasets within the text of the publication and include a\nreference to them in the reference list.\n\nCitations \nCitations:\n\n- Please visit [LP DAAC 'Citing Our Data' page](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/citing_our_data)\n for information on citing LP DAAC datasets.\n\nDOIs\n\n- \u003chttps://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002\u003e\n\nExplore with Earth Engine **Important:** Earth Engine is a platform for petabyte-scale scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets, both for public benefit and for business and government users. Earth Engine is free to use for research, education, and nonprofit use. To get started, please [register for Earth Engine access.](https://console.cloud.google.com/earth-engine)\n\nCode Editor (JavaScript) \n\n```javascript\nvar dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H')\n .filter(ee.Filter.date('2022-11-01', '2022-12-01'));\n\nvar visualization = {\n bands: ['Lai'],\n min: [0],\n max: [4],\n palette: [\n 'a50026',\n 'd73027',\n 'f46d43',\n 'fdae61',\n 'fee08b',\n 'ffffbf',\n 'd9ef8b',\n 'a6d96a',\n '66bd63',\n '1a9850',\n '006837',\n ]\n};\nMap.setCenter(41.2, 38.84, 3);\nMap.addLayer(dataset, visualization, 'Leaf Area Index (LAI)');\n```\n[Open in Code Editor](https://code.earthengine.google.com/?scriptPath=Examples:Datasets/NASA/NASA_VIIRS_002_VNP15A2H) \n[VNP15A2H: LAI/FPAR 8-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid](/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_VIIRS_002_VNP15A2H) \nThe Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) Version 1 data product provides information about the vegetative canopy layer at 500 meter resolution (VNP15A2H). The VIIRS sensor is located onboard the NOAA/NASA joint Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. ... \nNASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H, land,nasa,noaa,surface,vegetation-indices,viirs \n2012-01-17T00:00:00Z/2025-08-21T00:00:00Z \n-90 -180 90 180 \nGoogle Earth Engine \nhttps://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets\n\n- [https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002](https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002)\n- [https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP15A2H.002](https://doi.org/https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/NASA_VIIRS_002_VNP15A2H)"]]
