MODIS MCD43A4.006

We regret to inform you that for the time being Sentinel Hub no longer has the latest MODIS data because the underlying data provider has ceased operations. Data from February 24, 2000 to February 10, 2023 remains accessible.

We hope to find a viable alternative and will notify of any updates.

About MODIS Data

MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a sensor aboard two satellites, Aqua and Terra. It images the earth in 36 different bands at 3 different resolutions (250 m for bands 1-2, 500 meter for bands 3-7 and 1 km for bands 8-36). More information on MODIS sensor is available on the NASA website. MODIS data comes in different products. The MCD43A4 V006 is a product used by Sentinel Hub, with daily global coverage, offering bands 1-7 in 500 meter resolution.

The MCD43A4 V006 is a Version 6 Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) - Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) dataset. As an NBAR product, it provides estimate of the surface spectral reflectance as it would be measured at ground level in absence of atmospheric scattering and absorbtion. Each pixel contains the best possible information available in a 16 day period as selected on the basis of high observation coverage, low view angle, the absence of clouds or cloud shadow, and aerosol loading.

Read here to learn more about MODIS V006, and to read about MCD43A4 product, visit here and here. For more on surface reflectance in MODIS, visit this NASA website. To see the list of all the available MODIS products (not supported by SH), visit this website.

Basic Facts in Sentinel Hub

The following information holds for the MODIS MCD43A4.006 data product in Sentinel Hub, and not for MODIS in general.

Accessing MODIS Data

To access data you need to send a POST request to our process API. The requested data will be returned as the response to your request. Each POST request can be tailored to get you exactly the data you require. To do this requires setting various parameters which depend on the datasource you are querying. This chapter will help you understand the parameters for MODIS data. For an overview of all API parameters see the API Reference.

Endpoint Locations

Data Type Identifier: modis

Use modis (previously MODIS) as the value of the input.data.type parameter in your API requests. This is mandatory and will ensure you to get MODIS data.

Filtering Options

This chapter will explain the input.data.dataFilter object of the MODIS process API.

mosaickingOrder

Sets the order of overlapping tiles from which the output result is mosaicked. The tiling is based on ESA's Product Dissemination Units for easier distribution.

Note that cloud coverage filtering, including leastCC mosaicking order, is not available for MODIS.

Processing Options

This chapter will explain the input.data.processing object of the MODIS process API.

Available Bands and Data

This chapter will explain the bands and data which can be set in the evalscript input object. Any string listed in the column Name can be an element of the input.bands array in your evalscript.

*dataMask has no source resolution as it is calculated for each output pixel.

Units

The data values for each band in your custom script are presented in the units as specified here. In case more than one unit is available for a given band, you may optionally set the value of input.units in your evalscript setup function to one of the values in the Sentinel Hub Units column. Doing so will present data in that unit. The Sentinel Hub units parameter combines the physical quantity and corresponding units of measurement values. As such, some names more closely resemble physical quantities, others resemble units of measurement.

The Source Format specifies how and with what precision the digital numbers (DN) from which the unit is derived are encoded. Bands requested in DN units contain exactly the pixel values of the source data. Note that resampling may produce interpolated values. DN is also used whenever a band is derived computationally (like dataMask); such bands can be identified by having DN units and N/A source format. DN values are typically not offered if they do not simply represent any physical quantity, in particular, when DN values require source-specific (i.e. non-global) conversion to physical quantities.

Values in non-DN units are computed from the source (DN) values with at least float32 precision. Note that the conversion might be nonlinear, therefore the full value range and quantization step size of such a band can be hard to predict. Band values in evalscripts always behave as floating point numbers, regardless of the actual precision.

The Typical Range indicates what values are common for a given band and unit, however outliers can be expected.

Scenes Object

scenes object stores metadata. An example of metadata available in scenes object for MODIS when mosaicking is ORBIT:

Properties of a scenes object can differ depending on the selected mosaicking and in which evalscript function the object is accessed. Working with metadata in evalscript user guide explains all details and provide examples.

Catalog API Capabilities

To access Modis MCD43AA.006 product metadata you need to send search request to our Catalog API. The requested metadata will be returned as JSON formatted response to your request.

Endpoint Locations

Collection identifier: modis

Distinct extension

• date