In order to make proper use of the content in each data file the parameters must be correctly specified in any computer code.
Common Data Language (CDL) file specification are used for the 10 km Aerosol (04_L2) and 3 km Aerosol (04_3K) HDF product files. this includes all the Scientific Data Sets and their local attributes. This file specification document, written mainly in the network Common Data Form Language (CDL), defines HDF dimension names, dimension sizes, and declares attributes and arrays in terms of those dimensions. Array indexing is described in terms of the C programming language which is row dominant and begins at 0.
NASA's MODIS-atmos website provides a download of the complete file specification for both the 10 Km level 2 aerosol product and the 3 Km level 2 aerosol product.
Note that although we do our best to keep the file specifications updated the downloadable documents may have some omissions and/or errors.
The table below shows some of the CDL specifications for the MODIS 10 Km aerosol product and the equivalent specifications which should be used for the Dark Target VIIRS product.
|
MODIS |
VIIRS |
|
variables: |
|
|
group: geolocation_data |
|
|
Longitude |
longitude |
|
Latitude |
latitude |
|
Scan_Start_Time |
|
|
Solar_Zenith |
solar_zenith_angle |
|
Solar_Azimuth |
solar_azimuth_angle |
|
Sensor_Zenith |
sensor_zenith_angle |
|
Sensor_Azimuth |
sensor_azimuth_angle |
|
Scattering_Angle |
Scattering_Angle |
|
Glint_Angle |
|
|
group: geophysical_data |
|
|
Land_sea_Flag |
Land_Sea_Flag |
|
Aerosol_Cldmask_Land_Ocean |
Aerosol_Cldmask_Land_Ocean |
|
Cloud_Pixel_Distance_Land_Ocean |
Cloud_Pixel_Distance_Land_Ocean |
|
Land_Ocean_Quality_Flag |
Land_Ocean_Quality_Flag |
|
Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean |
Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean |
|
Image_Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean |
Image_Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean |
|
Average_Cloud_Pixel_Distance_Land_Ocean |
Average_Cloud_Pixel_Distance_Land_Ocean |
|
Aerosol_Type_Land |
Aerosol_Type_Land |
|
Fitting_Error_Land |
Fitting_Error_Land |
|
Surface_Reflectance_Land |
Surface_Reflectance_Land |
|
Corrected_Optical_Depth_Land |
Corrected_Optical_Depth_Land |
|
Corrected_Optical_Depth_Land_wav2p1 |
|
|
Optical_Depth_Ratio_Small_Land |
Optical_Depth_Ratio_Small_Land |
|
Number_Pixels_Used_Land |
Number_Pixels_Used_Land |
|
Mean_Reflectance_Land |
Mean_Reflectance_Land |
|
STD_Reflectance_Land |
STD_Reflectance_Land |
|
Mass_Concentration_Land |
Mass_Concentration_Land |
|
Aerosol_Cloud_Fraction_Land |
Aerosol_Cloud_Fraction_Land |
|
Quality_Assurance_Land |
|
|
Solution_Index_Ocean_Small |
|
|
Solution_Index_Ocean_Large |
|
|
Effective_Optical_Depth_Best_Ocean |
|
|
Effective_Optical_Depth_Average_Ocean |
Effective_Optical_Depth_Average_Ocean |
|
Optical_Depth_Small_Best_Ocean |
|
|
Optical_Depth_Small_Average_Ocean |
Optical_Depth_Small_Average_Ocean |
|
Optical_Depth_Large_Best_Ocean |
|
|
Optical_Depth_Large_Average_Ocean |
Optical_Depth_Large_Average_Ocean |
|
Mass_Concentration_Ocean |
Mass_Concentration_Ocean |
|
Aerosol_Cloud_Fraction_Ocean |
Aerosol_Cloud_Fraction_Ocean |
|
Effective_Radius_Ocean |
Effective_Radius_Ocean |
|
PSML003_Ocean |
PSML003_Ocean |
|
Asymmetry_Factor_Best_Ocean |
|
|
Asymmetry_Factor_Average_Ocean |
Asymmetry_Factor_Average_Ocean |
|
Backscattering_Ratio_Best_Ocean |
|
|
Backscattering_Ratio_Average_Ocean |
Backscattering_Ratio_Average_Ocean |
|
Angstrom_Exponent_1_Ocean |
Angstrom_Exponent_1_Ocean |
|
Angstrom_Exponent_2_Ocean |
Angstrom_Exponent_2_Ocean |
|
Least_Squares_Error_Ocean |
Least_Squares_Error_Ocean |
|
Optical_Depth_Ratio_Small_Ocean_0.55micron |
Optical_Depth_Ratio_Small_Ocean_0p55micron |
|
Optical_Depth_by_models_ocean |
Optical_Depth_By_Models_Ocean |
|
Number_Pixels_Used_Ocean |
Number_Pixels_Used_Ocean |
|
Mean_Reflectance_Ocean |
Mean_Reflectance_Ocean |
|
STD_Reflectance_Ocean |
STD_Reflectance_Ocean |
|
Quality_Assurance_Ocean |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Spectral_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Angstrom_Exponent_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Spectral_Single_Scattering_Albedo_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Spectral_Surface_Reflectance_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Spectral_TOA_Reflectance_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Number_Pixels_Used_550_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land_STD |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Cloud_Fraction_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land_QA_Flag |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Algorithm_Flag_Land |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land_Best_Estimate |
|
|
Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land_Estimated_Uncertainty |
|
|
AOD_550_Dark_Target_Deep_Blue_Combined |
|
|
AOD_550_Dark_Target_Deep_Blue_Combined_QA_Flag |
|
|
AOD_550_Dark_Target_Deep_Blue_Combined_Algorithm_Flag |
|
|
Glint_Angle |
|
|
Wind_Speed_Ncep_Ocean |
Wind_Speed_Ncep_Ocean |
|
Topographic_Altitude_Land |
Topographic_Altitude_Land |
|
Effective_Optical_Depth_0p55um_Ocean |
|
|
Error_Flag_Land_And_Ocean |