Townshend, John: University of Maryland (Project Lead)
Project Funding:
2011 - 2014
NRA: 2009 NASA: The Science of Terra and Aqua
Funded by NASA
Abstract:
The MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (MOD44B) is an annual characterization of ground cover represented as three fractional components: percent tree cover, percent non-tree vegetation, and percent bare at a spatial resolution of 250 m. The software which derives these products from 16-day composites of daily MODIS satellite imagery is currently running in the MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with distribution of user products via the Land Processes DAAC (LP-DAAC). The VCF product has been adopted by a significant and growing segment of the earth science community, including use in biophysical modeling, hydrology, fire ecology, habitat studies, and agricultural monitoring. This proposal seeks funds to maintain operation of the products and provide modest refinements. Maintenance activities proposed include: 1) maintaining MOD44C production code to accommodate changes in upstream input data, primarily the surface reflectance product; 2) installing software for the additional descriptive components of VCF, namely leaf type and leaf longevity; 3) using Aqua data to address very cloudy areas; and 4) providing enhanced quality layers in the output product. Funding is also requested for modest enhancements to include: 1) implementation of BRDF correction in the input data product (MOD44C) to incrementally improve product quality, especially in the tropics; and 2) stratification of the VCF predictive model using both geographic and ecoregion input variables. Attention is also given to providing error and uncertainty analysis on a per-pixel basis. Membership is requested on the Land Measurements Team.
2015 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)
- Accelerated Deforestation in the Humid Tropics from the 1990s to the 2000s
-- (Do-Hyung Kim, Joseph O. Sexton, John R. Townshend)
[abstract]
2011 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)
- The Abundance, Distribution and Dynamics of Arctic Lakes in North America
-- (Mark Carroll, Tatiana Loboda, John R. Townshend, Robert Sohlberg, Charlene DiMiceli)
[abstract]
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):
