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AdminVH Versions

What is the difference between the GC_Current and WF2025 options?

Development of NESDIS vegetation health products (VHPs) from the JPSS / VIIRS instruments requires a global land/water mask and a VHP climatology database. This database gives long term averages and maximum and minimum values of NDVI and thermal channel brightness temperatures (TBs).

The current operational VHPs and climatology database are based on a land/water mask that was in turn derived from an old data set called “GlobalCover” compiled before 2010. A new global land Water Surface Fraction (WF) dataset with 250m spatial resolution was generated from the newer VIIRS, MODIS, and other satellite observations in 2025 by the JPSS VIIRS Surface Type team. To account for recent year changes of ocean and lake coastlines and larger rivers, the VHP team derived a new land/water mask from the WF data set (called WF2025) and updated the VHP climatology database based on the new WF2025 land/water mask.

The current operational VHPs is temporarily called GC_Current while the experimental VHPs are listed as WF2025. Both versions are provided for many cases of the Province Weekly Mean plots although their differences may be minimal per our assessment.

AdminVH Options - User considerations