Data Set Characteristics
Area = ~ 10° x 10° lat/long
Image Dimensions = 2 (2400x2400 row/column)
Average File Size = 161 MB
Resolution = 500 meters
Projection = Sinusoidal
Data Format = HDF-EOS
Science Data Sets (SDSs) = 13
Product Description
The MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Surface Reflectance products are computed from bands 1-7 to provide an estimate of the surface spectral reflectance for each band as it would be measured at ground level in the absence of atmospheric scattering or absorption. A correction scheme identifies atmospheric gases, aerosols, and thin cirrus clouds.
The MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance 8-Day L3 Global 500m SIN Grid product, MOD09A1, is a composite of the previous 8 daily L2G Surface Reflectance products (MOD09GHK). The best observations during an 8-day period, as determined by overall pixel quality and observational coverage, are matched geographically according to corresponding 500m Pointer Files (MODPTHKM). Quality information for the MOD09A1 product is provided at three different levels of detail: for individual pixels, for each band and each resolution, and for the whole file.
The MOD09A1 image shown combines bands 1 (red), 4 (green) and 3 (blue) to display the eastern United States. A land/sea mask has been used to remove deep ocean water, which appears black in the image. Surface Reflectance data are generally used for land characterization research, and may be used to generate land-related products, or as input to global and regional climate models and surface energy balance models.
NOTE: These products are validated, meaning that product uncertainties are well defined over a range of representative conditions. Although there may be later improved versions, these data are ready for use in scientific publications.
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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS)
47914 252nd Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001