VIIRS/NPP Downward Shortwave Radiation Daily L3 Global 1km SIN Grid V002

The VNP18A1 Version 2 is a NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Downward Shortwave Radiation (DSR) gridded Level 3 product. It is produced at 1 kilometer pixel resolution at daily intervals. DSR is the incident solar radiation over land surfaces in the shortwave spectrum (300-4,000 nanometers) and is a significant variable in land surface models (LSMs), receiving increased attention due to its importance for the management and operation of solar energy systems.

The VNP18 algorithm adapts the narrowband look-up table (LUT) approach to estimate DSR. The LUTs consider different types of loadings of aerosols and clouds at a variety of illumination and viewing geometry. The Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD) is forthcoming and will provide additional details regarding the methodology used to create the data.

Provided in the VNP18A1 product are variables for instantaneous total, direct, and diffuse DSR, as well as 3-hour DSR, daily mean DSR, and a quality variable.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated June 23, 2026, 01:29 (UTC)
Created June 3, 2026, 00:24 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
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harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/VIIRS/VNP18A1.002
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-06-15T22:16:01Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher LP DAAC;NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/LandSIPS
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 72d1ec3ef8929a49e1b0b0129498fefe82b26e9188298e590f99c6f373274268
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": -180, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 90, "EastBoundingCoordinate": 180, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": -90}]]
temporal 2012-01-19/2026-06-15
theme {"Earth Science"}