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Description

The Terra and Aqua combined Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Cover Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) (MCD12C1) Version 6.1 data product provides a spatially aggregated and reprojected version of the tiled MCD12Q1 Version 6.1 data product. Maps of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), University of Maryland (UMD), and Leaf Area Index (LAI) classification schemes are provided at yearly intervals at 0.05 degree (5,600 meter) spatial resolution for the entire globe from 2001 to 2022. Additionally, sub-pixel proportions of each land cover class in each 0.05 degree pixel is provided along with the aggregated quality assessment information for each of the three land classification schemes.

Provided in each MCD12C1 Version 6.1 Hierarchical Data Format 4 (HDF4) file are layers for Majority Land Cover Type 1-3, Majority Land Cover Type 1-3 Assessment, and Majority Land Cover Type 1-3 Percent.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 Land Cover data products: (1) 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, and (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra ,
Aqua
Instruments
MODIS
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
5600 Meters x 5600 Meters
Geographic Region
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2001-01-01 to Present
Temporal Resolution
1 Year
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
MODIS Adaptive Processing System, Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS)
Concept ID
C2484078896-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
24
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Land Use/Land Cover Classification

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Friedl, M., & Sulla-Menashe, D. (2022). MODIS/Terra+Aqua Land Cover Type Yearly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD12C1.061 Date Accessed: 2025-12-14

File Naming Convention

MCD12C1.A2023001.061.2024251212901.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD12C1) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2023001), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2024251212901), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author
Identifying climate thresholds for dominant natural vegetation types at the global scale using machine learning—Average climate versus extremes Beigaite, R.
Effects of global greening phenomenon on water sustainability Liu, Y.
Evaluation of evapotranspiration estimation under cloud impacts over China using ground observations and multiple satellite optical and microwave measurements Wang, Y.
The increasing role of vegetation transpiration in soil moisture loss across china under global warming Li, M.
Revisiting dry season vegetation dynamics in the Amazon rainforest using different satellite vegetation datasets Xie, X.
A comparison of the impact of TROPOMI and OMI tropospheric NO2 on global chemical data assimilation Sekiya, T.
NIRVP—A robust structural proxy for sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis across scales Dechant, B.
Accuracy, stability, and continuity of AVHRR, SeaWiFS, MODIS, and VIIRS deep blue long-term land aerosol retrieval in Asia Su, X.
Global patterns and ecological implications of diurnal hysteretic response of ecosystem water consumption to vapor pressure deficit Xu, X.
Regional scale analysis of land cover dynamics in Kerala over last two decades through MODIS data and statistical techniques H, V.
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Variables

Variables are a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something. For example, temperature and pressure are variables of the atmosphere. Parameters and variables can be used interchangeably. Variable level attributes provide individual information for each variable.

The Name in this table is the variable name. Fill value indicates missing or undefined data points in a variable. Valid range is the range of values the variable can store. Scale factor is used to increase or decrease the size of an object and can be used to correct for distortion. For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
Land_Cover_Type_1_Percent Percent cover of each IGBP class at each pixel Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Land_Cover_Type_2_Percent Percent cover of each UMD class at each pixel Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Land_Cover_Type_3_Percent Percent cover of each LAI class at each pixel Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_1 Most likely IGBP class for each 0.05 degree pixel Class uint8 255 0 to 16 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_1_Assessment Majority IGBP class confidence Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_2 Most likely UMD class for each 0.05 degree pixel Class uint8 255 0 to 15 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_2_Assessment Majority UMD class confidence (filled with land/water mask) Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_3 Most likely LAI class for each 0.05 degree pixel Class uint8 255 0 to 10 N/A
Majority_Land_Cover_Type_3_Assessment Majority LAI class confidence (filled with land/water mask) Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
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