The flight sensors for the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) are now undergoing their final pre-launch characterization and calibration. The NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO) Data Products Division (NDPD) has generated the performance assessments for the Land Environmental Data Records (EDRs) of the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The VIIRS Land EDRs include the Land Surface Temperature (LST), Vegetation Index (VI), Surface Albedo, and Surface Type (ST). The EDR Assessments were developed by the NDPD and NPP Government Customers to collect and track algorithm development status and expected performance against contractual specifications and applicability to user missions.

This poster summarizes the land assessments and provides an overview of the NPP land data products. For each algorithm, the current best estimate, performance drivers, watch items, and mitigation strategies are presented. The NPP EDR Assessments are used to capture and communicate algorithm issues and expected performance to the Program stakeholders and will be updated as sensor testing and algorithm developments continue. Early predictions are that the VIIRS land products will perform at an equivalent quality as is currently obtained with the MODIS land products since the spectral, spatial, and radiometric characteristics of the VIIRS and MODIS are equivalent.