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Biosphere Data Access and Tools

NASA biosphere data range from surface reflectance data useful for measuring the greenness of vegetation to measurements of nighttime lights that disrupt the behaviors of wildlife. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Biosphere Data Tools

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Tool Description Services
AppEEARS The The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers users a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. Search and Discovery, Subsetting, Customization, Downloading, Visualization
Biomass Earthdata Dashboard Observe global forest biomass harmonization activity with the Biomass Earthdata Dashboard. Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization
CASEI The Catalog of Archived Suborbital Earth Science Investigations (CASEI) is a comprehensive inventory of contextual information for NASA's Earth Science airborne and field campaigns. Search and Discovery, Cataloging
Earthdata Search Earthdata Search enables data discovery, search, comparison, visualization, and access across NASA’s Earth science data holdings. Search and Discovery, Access, Cataloging, Cloud Computing, Downloading
FIRMS The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) provides access to satellite imagery, active fire/hotspots, and related products to identify the location, extent, and intensity of wildfire activity. Access, Visualization
Giovanni Giovanni is a web application for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing Earth science remote sensing data without downloading the data. Search and Discovery, Analysis, Access, Visualization, Downloading, Subsetting
OpenAltimetry OpenAltimetry is a map-based visualization tool for exploring surface elevation data across Earth over time. Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization
Panoply Panoply is a cross-platform application that plots geo-referenced and other arrays from netCDF, HDF, GRIB, and other datasets. Visualization, Customization, Reformatting, Subsetting, Comparison
POPGRID Viewer POPGRID Viewer explores the intercomparison of population counts and settlement mapping from leading global data sources. Comparison
STREAM STREAM is a rapid water quality monitoring tool that processes satellite imagery to create maps showing chlorophyll-a, Total Suspended Solids, and water clarity at 20-30 meter resolution. Processing
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VIIRS
Vegetation indices measure the amount of green vegetation over a given area and can be used to assess vegetation health. A commonly-used vegetation index is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which uses the difference between near-infrared (NIR) and red reflectance divided by their sum. NDVI values range from -1 to 1. Low values of NDVI generally correspond to barren areas of rock, sand, exposed soils, or snow, while higher NDVI values indicate greener vegetation, including forests, croplands, and wetlands.
VIIRS Vegetation Indices on Earthdata Search

Biosphere Datasets

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Dataset Platforms Instruments Temporal Extent Location Keywords Spatial Extent Data Format
ASTER Global Emissivity Dataset, 100 meter, HDF5 V003 Terra ASTER 2000-01-01 to 2008-12-31 GLOBAL N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 HDF5
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land and Vegetation Height Quick Look V007 ICESat-2 ATLAS 2025-06-01 GLOBAL N: 88 S: -88 E: 180 W: -180 HDF5
BASIN TCP Stable Isotope Composition of CO2 in Terrestrial Ecosystems FIELD INVESTIGATION, LABORATORY IRGA, MASS SPECTROMETERS 2001-06-05 to 2005-01-02 N: 45.2 S: 45.2 E: -68.73 W: -68.73 CSV
BigFoot Field Data for North American Sites, 1999-2003 FIELD INVESTIGATION IR CO2 ANALYZER, LICOR LEAF AREA METER, QUADRATS, BALANCE 1999-01-01 to 2003-12-31 N: 71.2719 S: 34.32 E: -72.25 W: -156.613 multiple
BigFoot GPP Surfaces for North and South American Sites, 2000-2004 FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS, FIELD INVESTIGATION EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES, BALANCE 2000-01-01 to 2004-12-31 N: 71.2719 S: -2.86 E: -54.96 W: -156.613 Shapefile
BigFoot Leaf Area Index Surfaces for North and South American Sites, 2000-2003 LANDSAT-7 ETM+ 2000-01-01 to 2003-12-31 N: 71.2719 S: -2.86 E: -54.96 W: -156.613 Shapefile
BIGFOOT Meteorological Data for North and South American Sites, 1991-2004 METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, PYRANOMETERS, RAIN GAUGES, THERMOMETERS 1991-01-01 to 2004-12-31 N: 71.2719 S: -2.8697 E: -54.96 W: -156.613 multiple
BigFoot NPP Surfaces for North and South American Sites, 2000-2004 FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS, FIELD INVESTIGATION EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES, BALANCE 2000-01-01 to 2004-12-31 N: 71.2719 S: -2.86 E: -54.96 W: -156.613 Text File
Biomass Allocation and Growth Data of Seeded Plants NOT APPLICABLE NOT APPLICABLE 1922-07-15 to 2003-07-15 N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 CSV
Biomass of Sacrificed Spruce/Aspen (SNF) FIELD INVESTIGATION BALANCE, STEEL MEASURING TAPE, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS 1983-08-01 to 1984-08-14 N: 48.1697 S: 47.6575 E: -91.7658 W: -92.5058 ASCII
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