Land Surface Data Access and Tools

NASA data provide key measurements of Earth’s land, allowing researchers to accurately understand its composition, processes, uses, and interactions. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Dataset	Geographic Region	Temporal Extent	Data Format	Potential Application Areas	Related Subtopics
ALOS PALSAR High Resolution Radiometric Terrain Corrected Product	Global	2006-03-23 to 2011-04-22		High-precision forest structure and biomass estimation Detailed wetland classification and monitoring Fine-scale surface deformation detection Terrain analysis in densely vegetated regions Resource exploration and geological mapping	erosion/ sedimentation, geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover, topography
ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 Level 1 ScanSAR Product	Global	2014-08-01 to Present		Wide-area monitoring of land surface changes Regional vegetation and forest monitoring Large wetland area mapping and monitoring Continental-scale land use change detection Regional soil moisture assessment	geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover, topography
ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003	Global Land	2000-03-01 to 2013-11-30	Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)	Detailed topographic analysis 3D visualization of landscapes Geological feature extraction Slope stability assessment	topography
ECOSTRESS Tiled Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Instantaneous L2 Global 70 m	Global Land	2018-07-09 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)	High-resolution urban heat island analysis Plant water stress monitoring	surface radiative properties, surface thermal properties
EMIT L2A Estimated Surface Reflectance and Uncertainty and Masks 60 m	Global Land	2022-08-09 to Present	NetCDF-4	Surface mineralogy mapping Geological exploration and resource assessment Soil composition analysis Environmental impact assessment Critical mineral identification Spectral library development for earth materials	land use/ land cover, soils
GEDI L2A Elevation and Height Metrics Data Global Footprint Level V002	Global Land	2019-04-04 to 2023-03-16 2024-04-04 to Present	HDF5	Terrain model refinement under vegetation	topography
Global Hydrologic Soil Groups (HYSOGs250m) for Curve Number-Based Runoff Modeling	Global	2017-01-01 to 2017-11-28	GeoTIFF	Erosion potential mapping	land use/ land cover, soils
HLS Landsat Operational Land Imager Surface Reflectance and TOA Brightness Daily Global 30m v2.0	Global	2013-04-11 to Present	Cloud Optimized GeoTiff (COG)	Land cover and land use change monitoring Harmonized time series analysis with Sentinel-2	land use/ land cover, surface radiative properties
MAIAC Daily V01	Global	2015-06-13 to Present	PNG	Land cover and land use change analysis through improved atmospheric correction	land use/ land cover
MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1 km SIN Grid	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Regional thermal environment monitoring Urban heat island effect studies Climate model validation for land surface processes Land surface process energy balance studies	surface radiative properties, surface thermal properties
MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250m SIN Grid V061	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Land cover change detection Time series analysis of surface conditions	land use/ land cover, surface radiative properties
NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Global 1 arc second V003	Global Land	2000-02-11 to 2000-02-21	HGT	Global terrain mapping and analysis Geomorphological research Land use planning in variable terrain Erosion potential modeling	land use/ land cover, topography
OPERA Radiometric Terrain Corrected SAR Backscatter from Sentinel-1 Static Layers validated product (Version 1)	Global	2014-04-03 to Present	GeoTIFF XML	Long-term land cover monitoring with consistent reference layers Base mapping for change detection applications Terrain-corrected imagery for accurate spatial analysis Reference data for calibration of other SAR products Foundation for machine learning training datasets Consistent backdrop for time-series analysis	geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover,
SENTINEL-1A_SLC	Global	2014-04-03 to Present		Interferometric analysis for surface deformation detection Coherence-based change detection Polarimetric analysis for target characterization Phase-based classification of land cover Development of advanced SAR processing algorithms Time-series analysis for subtle change detection	erosion/ sedimentation, geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover, landscapes, topography
SENTINEL-1B_SLC	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		High-resolution deformation mapping with interferometry Coherence analysis for subtle change detection Polarimetric target characterization Complex coherence analysis for vegetation structure Time-series analysis for seasonal change patterns	erosion/ sedimentation, geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover, landscapes, topography
Sentinel-1C Dual Polarization High Resolution Ground Range Detected Product	Global	2025-01-01 to Present	SAFE	Urban change detection and development monitoring Land cover classification with improved feature distinction	erosion/ sedimentation, geomorphic landforms and processes, land use/ land cover, topography
VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily L3 Global 1km SIN Grid Day V002	Global	2018-01-01 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Surface thermal condition monitoring Climate change impact studies on land surface Thermal anomaly detection Ground frost mapping and monitoring	surface radiative properties, surface thermal properties
VIIRS/NPP Moderate Resolution 6-Min L1B Swath 750 m	Global	2021-12-15 to Present	HDF5 NetCDF-4	Multispectral environmental monitoring Land surface characterization Input for higher-level algorithms Vegetation monitoring Surface temperature retrieval input	land use/ land cover, surface thermal properties

Land Surface Datasets

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Data Format
BOREAS TE-05 Surface Meteorological & Radiation Data	1	METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS	HUMIDITY SENSORS, THERMISTORS, THERMOCOUPLES, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR	1994-05-25 to 1994-09-08	N: 55.93 S: 53.62 E: -98.51 W: -106.19	ASCII
BOREAS TE-06 1994 Soil and Air Temperatures in the NSA	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	THERMOCOUPLES	1994-05-25 to 1994-10-08	N: 55.89 S: 55.89 E: -98.67 W: -98.67	ASCII
BOREAS TE-11 Surface Meteorological Data	1	METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS	NET RADIOMETERS, TEMPERATURE SENSORS, HUMIDITY SENSORS, WIND MONITOR, BAROMETERS, RAIN GAUGES, PYRANOMETERS, INFRARED THERMOMETERS, THERMOCOUPLES, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 53.92 S: 53.92 E: -104.69 W: -104.69	CSV
BOREAS TE-18, 30-m, Radiometrically Rectified Landsat TM Imagery	1	LANDSAT-5	TM	1984-06-22 to 1994-09-19	N: 56.25 S: 53.42 E: -97.23 W: -106.32	Binary
BOREAS TE-18 Geosail Canopy Reflectance Model	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1993-01-01 to 1996-12-31	N: 62 S: 48 E: -92 W: -111	ASCII
BOREAS TE-18 Landsat TM Maximum Likelihood Classification Image of the NSA	1	LANDSAT-5	TM	1988-08-20 to 1988-08-20	N: 56.31 S: 55.34 E: -97.02 W: -99.3	Binary
BOREAS TE-18 Landsat TM Maximum Likelihood Classification Image of the SSA	1	LANDSAT-5	TM	1990-08-06 to 1990-08-06	N: 54.44 S: 53.33 E: -104.28 W: -106.51	Binary
BOREAS TE-18 Landsat TM Physical Classification Image of the NSA	1	LANDSAT-5	TM	1995-06-21 to 1995-06-21	N: 56.26 S: 55.38 E: -97.24 W: -99.2	Binary
BOREAS TE-18 Landsat TM Physical Classification Image of the SSA	1	LANDSAT-5	TM	1994-09-02 to 1994-09-02	N: 54.44 S: 53.31 E: -104.19 W: -106.52	Binary
BOREAS TE-19 Ecosystem Carbon Balance Model	1	NOT APPLICABLE	NOT APPLICABLE	1968-01-01 to 1995-12-31	N: 60 S: 50 E: -94 W: -111	multiple
BOREAS TE-20 NSA Soil Lab Data	1	LABORATORY	PH METERS, AAS, SOIL PRESSURE PLATE, VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, BALANCE, CORING DEVICES	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 55.93 S: 55.88 E: -98.29 W: -98.67	ASCII
BOREAS TE-20 Soils Data over the NSA-MSA and Tower Sites in Raster Format	1	AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS	DIGITIZER	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 55.94 S: 55.87 E: -98.27 W: -98.68	multiple
BOREAS TE-20 Soils Data over the NSA-MSA and Tower Sites in Vector Format	1	AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS	DIGITIZER	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 56.06 S: 55.73 E: -98.09 W: -98.79	multiple
BOREAS TE-20 Supplementary Site Information For NSA Tower Sites	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	VISUAL OBSERVATIONS	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 55.88 S: 55.88 E: -98.48 W: -98.48	CSV
BOREAS TE-21 Daily Surface Meteorological Data	1	METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS	TEMPERATURE SENSORS, WIND MONITOR, HUMIDITY SENSORS, RAIN GAUGES, PYRANOMETERS, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR	1994-01-01 to 1994-12-31	N: 55.93 S: 53.63 E: -97.87 W: -106.2	ASCII
BOREAS TF-01 SSA-OA Soil Characteristics Data	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION, LABORATORY	VISUAL OBSERVATIONS, PHOTOSYNTHESIS CHAMBER, THERMOCOUPLES, TDR, BALANCE, GC-TCD	1994-02-02 to 1994-11-26	N: 53.63 S: 53.63 E: -106.2 W: -106.2	ASCII
BOREAS TF-01 SSA-OA Tower Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	PYRANOMETERS, Pyrgeometer, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, RAIN GAUGES, SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, SONIC ANEMOMETER, TDR, THERMOCOUPLES, DEWPOINT HYDROMETERS, NET RADIOMETERS, IRGA, SOIL MOISTURE PROBE, BAROMETERS	1996-02-02 to 1996-12-31	N: 53.63 S: 53.63 E: -106.2 W: -106.2	ASCII
BOREAS TF-01 SSA-OA Understory Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, ANEMOMETERS, HUMIDITY SENSORS, THERMOMETERS, THERMOCOUPLES, SOIL MOISTURE PROBE, INFRARED THERMOMETERS, BAROMETERS, SONIC ANEMOMETER, IRGA, SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, NET RADIOMETERS	1993-10-12 to 1994-12-31	N: 53.63 S: 53.63 E: -106.2 W: -106.2	ASCII
BOREAS TF-03 NSA-OBS Tower Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION, FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, NET RADIOMETERS, THERMOCOUPLES, RAIN GAUGES, EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES	1994-03-16 to 1996-10-31	N: 55.88 S: 55.88 E: -98.48 W: -98.48	ASCII
BOREAS TF-04 CO2 and CH4 Chamber Flux Data from the SSA	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION, LABORATORY	IR CO2 ANALYZER, GC-FID	1994-05-26 to 1995-03-21	N: 53.92 S: 53.88 E: -104.65 W: -104.69	ASCII
BOREAS TF-04 CO2 and CH4 Soil Profile Data from the SSA	1	LABORATORY, FIELD INVESTIGATION	BALANCE, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS, MASS SPECTROMETERS, IR CO2 ANALYZER, THERMOMETERS	1994-05-26 to 1995-03-21	N: 53.92 S: 53.88 E: -104.65 W: -104.69	ASCII
BOREAS TF-05 Tower Flux & Meteorological Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, WIND MONITOR, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, THERMOCOUPLES, HUMIDITY SENSORS, OZONE SENSOR, IR CO2 ANALYZER, NET RADIOMETERS, EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES	1994-05-23 to 1994-09-16	N: 53.92 S: 53.92 E: -104.69 W: -104.69	ASCII
BOREAS TF-06 SSA-YA Surface Energy Flux and Meteorological Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	NET RADIOMETERS, PYRANOMETERS, RAIN GAUGES, SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, SONIC ANEMOMETER, TEMPERATURE SENSORS, THERMOCOUPLES, WIND MONITOR, HYGROMETERS, HUMIDITY SENSORS, BAROMETERS	1994-07-19 to 1994-09-19	N: 53.66 S: 53.66 E: -105.32 W: -105.32	ASCII
BOREAS TF-08 NSA-OJP Tower Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	HYGROMETERS, IRGA, NET RADIOMETERS, Pyrgeometer, PYRHELIOMETERS, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, RAIN GAUGES, SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, SONIC ANEMOMETER, TEMPERATURE PROBES, SOIL MOISTURE PROBE, BAROMETERS, ANEMOMETERS	1994-05-24 to 1996-11-12	N: 55.93 S: 55.93 E: -98.62 W: -98.62	ASCII
BOREAS TF-09 SSA-OBS Tower Flux, Meteorological, and Soil Temperature Data	1	FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS	SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCER, IR CO2 ANALYZER, LICOR QUANTUM SENSOR, WIND MONITOR, RAIN GAUGES, TEMPERATURE PROBES, PYRANOMETERS, PSYCHROMETERS, NET RADIOMETERS, EDDY CORRELATION DEVICES	1994-05-23 to 1996-11-29	N: 53.99 S: 53.99 E: -105.12 W: -105.12	ASCII

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Land Surface Data Access and Tools

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