The Long-Term Data Record (LTDR) produces, validates, and distributes a global land surface climate data record (CDR) that uses both mature and well-tested algorithms in concert with the best-available polar-orbiting satellite data from past to the present. The CDR is critically important to studying global climate change. The LTDR project is unique in that it serves as a bridge that connects data derived from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the EOS Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) VIIRS missions. The LTDR draws from the following eight AVHRR missions: NOAA-7, NOAA-9, NOAA-11, NOAA-14, NOAA-16, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, and MetOp-B. Currently, the project generates a daily surface reflectance product as the fundamental climate data record (FCDR) and derives daily Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Leaf-Area Index/fraction of absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (LAI/fPAR) as two thematic CDRs (TCDR). LAI/fPAR was developed as an experimental product.

The NOAA-16 AVHRR Top-of-Atmosphere Reflectance Daily L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG, short-name N16_ AVH02C1 is generated from GIMMS Advanced Processing System (GAPS) BRDF-corrected Surface Reflectance product (AVH01C1). The N16_ AVH02C1 consist of Top-of-atmosphere reflectance for bands 1 and 2, data Quality flags, angles (solar zenith, view zenith, and relative azimuth), thermal data (thermal bands 3, 4 and 5), and additional data (scan time).