VNP15A2H: LAI/FPAR 8-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid

  • The NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H dataset provides Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) data at 500m resolution.

  • This dataset, derived from the VIIRS sensor on the Suomi NPP satellite, offers insights into vegetative canopy layers from 2012 to 2024.

  • The product is designed for continuity with the MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm from the Terra and Aqua missions.

  • LAI quantifies one-sided leaf area of a canopy, while FPAR measures the fraction of solar energy absorbed for photosynthesis.

  • Data users are requested to cite the dataset appropriately in publications, following guidelines on the LP DAAC website.
NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H
Dataset Availability
2012-01-17T00:00:00Z–2025-09-22T00:00:00Z
Dataset Provider
Earth Engine Snippet
ee.ImageCollection("NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H")
Cadence
8 Days
Tags
land nasa noaa surface vegetation-indices viirs

Description

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.

Documentation:

Bands

Pixel Size
500 meters

Bands

Name Units Pixel Size Description
Fpar meters

Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation.
FparExtra_QC meters

Pass-through Quality Control (QC) for FPAR
FparLai_QC meters

Quality for LAI and FPAR
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.

Citations

Citations:

DOIs

Explore with Earth Engine

Code Editor (JavaScript)

var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H')
                  .filter(ee.Filter.date('2022-11-01', '2022-12-01'));

var visualization = {
  bands: ['Lai'],
  min: [0],
  max: [4],
  palette: [
    'a50026',
    'd73027',
    'f46d43',
    'fdae61',
    'fee08b',
    'ffffbf',
    'd9ef8b',
    'a6d96a',
    '66bd63',
    '1a9850',
    '006837',
  ]
};
Map.setCenter(41.2, 38.84, 3);
Map.addLayer(dataset, visualization, 'Leaf Area Index (LAI)');
Open in Code Editor
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. …
NASA/VIIRS/002/VNP15A2H, land,nasa,noaa,surface,vegetation-indices,viirs
2012-01-17T00:00:00Z/2025-09-22T00:00:00Z
-90 -180 90 180
Google Earth Engine