The Fourier-Adjusted, Sensor and Solar zenith angle corrected, Interpolated, Reconstructed (FASIR) adjusted Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data set and derived biophysical parameter fields were generated to provide a 17-year, satellite record of monthly changes in the photosynthetic activity of terrestrial vegetation. This multiple resolution (1/4, 1/2 and 1 degree in latitude and longitude) biophysical parameter data set contains essential variables for the calculation of photosynthesis, and the energy and water exchange between the Earth's surface (in particular of vegetation) and the lower boundary layer of the atmosphere. The Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) is related to the light absorption and the photosynthetic capacity of vegetation. It also serves as an intermediate variable to calculate vegetation cover fraction (Vcover), total Leaf Area Index (LAI_T), green leaf area index (LAI_G), roughness length (z0), zero plane displacement (d), and snow-free albedo. The biophysical parameters were derived assuming one canopy layer. The production of the FASIR NDVI data set and its associated biophysical parameters was funded by NASA's Land Surface Hydrology program and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) as a core component of the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative II Data Collection.

The Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data sets were generated to provide a 22-year satellite record of monthly changes in terrestrial vegetation. This data set contains three data files provided at spatial resolutions of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 degree in latitude and longitude with data from July 1981 through December 2002. New features include reduced NDVI variations arising from calibration, view geometry, volcanic aerosols, and other effects not related to actual vegetation change. In particular, NOAA-9 descending node data from September 1994 to January 1995, volcanic stratospheric aerosol correction for 1982-1984 and 1991-1994, and improved NDVI using empirical mode decomposition/reconstruction (EMD) to minimize effects of orbital drift. Global NDVI was generated to provide inputs for computing the time series of biophysical parameters contained in the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative II collection. NDVI is used in climate models and biogeochemical models to calculate photosynthesis, the exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the land surface, land-surface evapotranspiration and the absorption and release of energy by the land surface.

The objective of this study was to derive continuous fields of vegetation cover from multi-temporal Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data using all available bands and derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The continuous fields describe sub-pixel proportions of cover for tree, herbaceous, bare ground and water cover types. For tree cover, additional fields describing leaf longevity (evergreen and deciduous) and leaf morphology (broadleaf and needleleaf) were also generated. The modeling of carbon dynamics and climate require knowing tree characteristics such as these. These products were resampled and aggregated to 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 degree grids for the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) data initiative II. The data set describes the geographic distributions of three fundamental vegetation characteristics: tree, herbaceous and bare ground cover, plus a water layer. For tree cover, leaf longevity and morphology layers were produced.This data set is one of the products of the International Satellite Land-Surface Climatology Project, Initiative II (ISLSCP II) data collection which contains 50 global time series data sets for the ten-year period 1986 to 1995. Selected data sets span even longer periods. ISLSCP II is a consistent collection of data sets that were compiled from existing data sources and algorithms, and were designed to satisfy the needs of modelers and investigators of the global carbon, water and energy cycle. The data were acquired from a number of U.S. and international agencies, universities, and institutions. The global data sets were mapped at consistent spatial (1, 0.5 and 0.25 degrees) and temporal (monthly, with meteorological data at finer (e.g., 3-hour)) resolutions and reformatted into a common ASCII format. The data and documentation have undergone two peer reviews.ISLSCP is one of several projects of Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) [http://www.gewex.org/] and has the lead role in addressing land-atmosphere interactions -- process modeling, data retrieval algorithms, field experiment design and execution, and the development of global data sets.

The MOD13C1 Version 6.1 product provides a Vegetation Index (VI) value at a per pixel basis. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions. The Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) consists 3,600 rows and 7,200 columns of 5,600 meter (m) pixels. Global MOD13C1 data are cloud-free spatial composites of the gridded 16-day 1 kilometer MOD13A2 (https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A2.061) data, and are provided as a Level 3 product projected on a 0.05 degree (5,600 m) geographic CMG. The MOD13C1 has data fields for NDVI, EVI, VI QA, reflectance data, angular information, and spatial statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and number of used input pixels at the 0.05 degree CMG resolution. Validation at stage 3 (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODLAND_val.html) has been achieved for the MODIS Vegetation Index product suite. Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD13 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ValStatus.php?ProductID=MOD13). Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions * The Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 - 2017. * A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

The MOD13C2 Version 6.1 product provides a Vegetation Index (VI) value at a per pixel basis. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions. The Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) consists of 3,600 rows and 7,200 columns of 5,600 meter (m) pixels. In generating this monthly product, the algorithm ingests all the MOD13A2 (https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A2.061) products that overlap the month and employs a weighted temporal average. Global MOD13C1 data are cloud-free spatial composites and are provided as a Level 3 product projected on a 0.05 degree (5,600 m) geographic CMG. The MOD13C2 has data fields for the NDVI, EVI, VI QA, reflectance data, angular information, and spatial statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and number of used input pixels at the 0.05 degree CMG resolution. Validation at stage 3 (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODLAND_val.html) has been achieved for the MODIS Vegetation Index product suite. Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD13 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ValStatus.php?ProductID=MOD13). Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions * The Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 - 2017. * A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

The MOD13A2 Version 6.1 product provides Vegetation Index (VI) values at a per pixel basis at 1 kilometer (km) spatial resolution. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions. The algorithm for this product chooses the best available pixel value from all the acquisitions from the 16 day period. The criteria used is low clouds, low view angle and the highest NDVI/EVI value. Provided along with the vegetation layers and the two quality assurance (QA) layers are reflectance bands 1 (red), 2 (near-infrared), 3 (blue), and 7 (mid-infrared), as well as four observation layers. Validation at stage 3 (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODLAND_val.html) has been achieved for the MODIS Vegetation Index product suite. Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD13 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ValStatus.php?ProductID=MOD13). Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions * The Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 - 2017. * A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) (https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/competitive-programs/measures) Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) global datasets were created using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) N07, N09, N11, and N14 datasets (1981 - 1999) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra MOD09 surface reflectance data (2000 - 2014). The VIP Vegetation Index (VI) product was developed to provide consistent measurements of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and modified Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) spanning more than 30 years of data from multiple sensors. The EVI2 is a backward extension of AVHRR. Vegetation indices such as NDVI and EVI2 are useful for assessing the biophysical properties of the land surface, and are used to characterize vegetation phenology. Phenology tracks the seasonal life cycle of vegetation, and provides information on the biotic response to environmental changes. The VIP30 VI data product is provided monthly at 0.05 degree (5600 meter (m)) spatial resolution in geographic (Lat/Lon) grid format. The data are stored in Hierarchical Data Format-Earth Observing System (HDF-EOS) file format. The VIP30 VI product contains 12 Science Datasets (SDS), which include the calculated VIs (NDVI and EVI2) as well as quality assurance/pixel reliability, the input Visible/Near Infrared (VNIR) surface reflectance data, and viewing geometry. The Blue and Middle Infrared (MIR) surface reflectance data are only available for the MODIS era (2000 - 2014). Gaps in the product are filled using long term mean VI records derived from the more than 30 year time series of data, and are indicated as gap-filled in the Pixel Reliability SDS. The VIP30 dataset consists of 12 monthly composites annually representing each calendar month of the year.

The MOD13A1 Version 6.1 product provides Vegetation Index (VI) values at a per pixel basis at 500 meter (m) spatial resolution. There are two primary vegetation layers. The first is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is referred to as the continuity index to the existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA-AVHRR) derived NDVI. The second vegetation layer is the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which has improved sensitivity over high biomass regions. The algorithm for this product chooses the best available pixel value from all the acquisitions from the 16 day period. The criteria used is low clouds, low view angle, and the highest NDVI/EVI value. Provided along with the vegetation layers and two quality assurance (QA) layers are reflectance bands 1 (red), 2 (near-infrared), 3 (blue), and 7 (mid-infrared), as well as four observation layers. Validation at stage 3 (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODLAND_val.html) has been achieved for the MODIS Vegetation Index product suite. Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD13 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site (https://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ValStatus.php?ProductID=MOD13). Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions * The Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 - 2017. * A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) (https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/competitive-programs/measures) Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) global datasets were created using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) N07, N09, N11, and N14 datasets (1981 - 1999) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra MOD09 surface reflectance data (2000 - 2014). The VIP Vegetation Index (VI) product was developed to provide consistent measurements of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and modified Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) spanning more than 30 years of data from multiple sensors. The EVI2 is a backward extension of AVHRR. Vegetation indices such as NDVI and EVI2 are useful for assessing the biophysical properties of the land surface, and are used to characterize vegetation phenology. Phenology tracks the seasonal life cycle of vegetation, and provides information on the biotic response to environmental changes. The VIP30 VI data product is provided monthly at 0.05 degree (5600 meter (m)) spatial resolution in geographic (Lat/Lon) grid format. The data are stored in Hierarchical Data Format-Earth Observing System (HDF-EOS) file format. The VIP30 VI product contains 12 Science Datasets (SDS), which include the calculated VIs (NDVI and EVI2) as well as quality assurance/pixel reliability, the input Visible/Near Infrared (VNIR) surface reflectance data, and viewing geometry. The Blue and Middle Infrared (MIR) surface reflectance data are only available for the MODIS era (2000 - 2014). Gaps in the product are filled using long term mean VI records derived from the more than 30 year time series of data, and are indicated as gap-filled in the Pixel Reliability SDS. The VIP30 dataset consists of 12 monthly composites annually representing each calendar month of the year.

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs (https://earthdata.nasa.gov/community/community-data-system-programs/measures-projects)) Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) Version 1 data product (VCF5KYR) provides global fractional vegetation cover at 0.05 degree (5,600 meter) spatial resolution at yearly intervals from 1982 to 2016. The VCF5KYR data product is derived from a bagged linear model algorithm using Long Term Data Record Version 4 (LTDR V4) data compiled from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) observations. Fractional vegetation cover (FVC) is the ratio of the area of the vertical projection of green vegetation above ground to the total area, capturing the horizontal distribution and density of vegetation on the Earth’s surface. FVC is a primary means for measuring global forest cover change and is a key parameter for a variety of environmental and climate-related applications, including carbon land surface models and biomass measurements. The three bands included in each VCF5KYR Version 1 GeoTIFF are: percent of tree cover, non-tree vegetation, and bare ground. A water mask was applied with all pure water pixels (defined as ≥ 95% water coverage) set to zero. Data from years 1994 and 2000 were excluded due to lack of data in the LTDR V4. Known Issues * Known issues, including constraints and limitations, are provided on page 10 of the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).