GEDI L2B Product Data Dictionary

Dimension Variable Description
MT Number of shots
HT Number of height bins


Group: /
short_name (Attribute) GEDI_L2B ${DESCRIPTION}
Group: /METADATA/DatasetIdentification
abstract (Attribute) The GEDI L2B standard data product contains precise latitude, longitude, elevation, height, cover and vertical profile metrics for each laser footprint located on the land surface. ${DESCRIPTION}
characterSet (Attribute) utf8 ${DESCRIPTION}
creationDate (Attribute) File creation date
credit (Attribute) The software that generates the L2B product was implemented within the GEDI Science Data Processing System at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland in collaboration with the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland (UMD). ${DESCRIPTION}
fileName (Attribute) Original file name
language (Attribute) eng ${DESCRIPTION}
originatorOrganizationName (Attribute) UMD/GSFC GEDI-SDPS > GEDI Science Data Processing System ${DESCRIPTION}
PGEVersion (Attribute) Production software version ID
purpose (Attribute) The purpose of the L2B dataset is to extract biophysical metrics from each GEDI waveform. These metrics are based on the directional gap probability profile derived from the L1B waveform and include canopy cover, Plant Area Index (PAI), Plant Area Volume Density (PAVD) and Foliage Height Diversity (FHD). ${DESCRIPTION}
shortName (Attribute) GEDI_L2B ${DESCRIPTION}
spatialRepresentationType (Attribute) along-track ${DESCRIPTION}
status (Attribute) onGoing ${DESCRIPTION}
topicCategory (Attribute) geoscientificInformation ${DESCRIPTION}
uuid (Attribute) Universally unique identifier (UUID) for this file
VersionID (Attribute) Release data product version ID
Group: /BEAMXXXX
description (Attribute) "Coverage beam" or "Full power beam"
wp-l2-l2b_githash (Attribute) Git commit hash of the wp-l2-l2b software used to create the L2B file
wp-l2-l2b_version (Attribute) Version number of the wp-l2-l2b software used to create the L2B file
Label Datatype
(Dimensions)
long_name units
source
description
algorithmrun_flag UINT8
(MT)
L2B algorithm run flag -
The L2B algorithm is run if this flag is set to 1. This flag selects data which have sufficient waveform fidelity for L2B to run. 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/latitude_bin0 geolocation/longitude_bin0
beam UINT16
(MT)
Beam counter
L1B
Beam number (0-11) 0, 11 geolocation/delta_time
channel UINT8
(MT)
Channel counter
L1B
Channel number (0-7) 0, 7 geolocation/delta_time
cover FLOAT32
(MT)
Total cover -
Total canopy cover, defined as the percent of the ground covered by the vertical projection of canopy material 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
cover_z FLOAT32
(HT,MT)
Cover vertical profile -
Cumulative canopy cover from height (z) to ground (z=0) with a vertical step size of dZ, where cover(z > z_max) = 0 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
fhd_normal FLOAT32
(MT)
Foliage Height Diversity -
Foliage height diversity index calculated by vertical foliage profile normalized by total plant area index geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
master_frac FLOAT64
(MT)
Master time fractional seconds seconds
L1B
Master time, fractional part. master_int+master_frac is equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/geolocation/delta_time and /BEAMXXXX/geophys_corr/delta_time.
master_int UINT32
(MT)
Master time integer seconds seconds
L1B
Master time, integer part. Seconds since master_time_epoch. master_int+master_frac is equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/geolocation/delta_time and /BEAMXXXX/geophys_corr/delta_time.
num_detectedmodes UINT8
(MT)
num_detectedmodes
L2A
Number of detected modes in rxwaveform geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
omega FLOAT32
(MT)
Omega -
Foliage clumping index 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
pai FLOAT32
(MT)
Total Plant Area Index m2/m2
Total plant area index geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
pai_z FLOAT32
(HT,MT)
Plant Area Index profile m2/m2
Vertical PAI profile from canopy height (z) to ground (z=0) with a vertical step size of dZ, where cover(z > z_max) = 0 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
pavd_z FLOAT32
(HT,MT)
Plant Area Volume Density profile m2/m3
Vertical Plant Area Volume Density profile with a vertical step size of dZ geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
pgap_theta FLOAT32
(MT)
Total Pgap(theta) -
Estimated Pgap(theta) for the selected L2A algorithm 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
pgap_theta_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Total Pgap(theta) error -
Error of the estimated Pgap(theta) for the selected L2A algorithm 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
pgap_theta_z FLOAT32
Unlimited
Directional gap probability profile -
Directional gap probability profile (pgap_theta_z = DN / 10000) 0, 10000 -9999.0
l2a_quality_flag UINT8
(MT)
L2A quality flag -
L2A
Flag simplifying selection of most useful data 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
l2b_quality_flag UINT8
(MT)
L2B quality flag -
Flag simpilfying selection of most useful data for Level 2B 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
rg FLOAT32
(MT)
Selected R (ground) counts
Integral of the ground component in the RX waveform for the selected L2A processing version geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rh100 INT16
(MT)
RH100 cm
Height above ground of the received waveform signal start (rh[101] from L2A) -21300, 21300 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
rhog FLOAT32
(MT)
Rho (ground) counts
Volumetric scattering coefficient of the ground (reflectance x phase function) geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rhog_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Rho (ground) error counts
Error term in Rho (ground) geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rhov FLOAT32
(MT)
Rho (canopy) counts
Volumetric scattering coefficient of the canopy (reflectance x phase function) geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rhov_error FLOAT32
(MT)
rho (canopy) error counts
Error term in Rho (canopy) geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rossg FLOAT32
(MT)
Ross-G function -
Mean projection of unit leaf area on a plane perpendicular to the direction of the laser beam at view zenith angle theta 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rv FLOAT32
(MT)
Selected R (canopy) counts
Integral of the vegetation component in the RX waveform for the selected L2A processing version geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rx_range_highestreturn FLOAT64
(MT)
Range to signal start m
One-way range distance in m between the spacecraft and the top of canopy (defined by toploc) geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_highestreturn geolocation/lon_highestreturn -9999.0
rx_sample_count INT64
(MT)
RX sample count sample intervals
The number of sample intervals (elements) in each pgap_theta_z waveform. geolocation/delta_time
rx_sample_start_index INT64
(MT)
RX sample start index index (origin 1)
The index in the pgap_theta_z dataset of the first element of each waveform. The indices start at 1. geolocation/delta_time
selected_l2a_algorithm UINT8
(MT)
Selected L2A algorithm setting -
L2A
ID of algorithm selected as identifying the lowest non-noise mode 1, 6 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
selected_rg_algorithm UINT8
(MT)
Selected R (ground) algorithm
0 = L2B algorithm not run; 1 = algorithm 1 (successful); 2 = algorithm 1 (partial success - valid tx_eg parameters were unavailable); 3 = algorithm 2
sensitivity FLOAT32
(MT)
sensitivity
L2A
Maxmimum canopy cover that can be penetrated considering the SNR of the waveform 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
shot_number UINT64
(MT)
Shot number counter
L1B
Unique shot ID. geolocation/delta_time
stale_return_flag UINT8
(MT)
Stale return flag boolean
L0B
Indicates that a "stale" cue point from the coarse search algorithm is being used. 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time
surface_flag UINT8
(MT)
surface_flag -
L2A
Indicates elev_lowestmode is within 300m of DEM or MSS 0, 1 geolocation/delta_time geolocation/lat_lowestmode geolocation/lon_lowestmode
Group: /BEAMXXXX/ancillary
Label Datatype
(Dimensions)
long_name units
source
description
dz FLOAT64
1
Vertical profile resolution m
Vertical step size of foliage profile
l2a_alg_count INT64
1
L2A algorithm count
L2A
Number of candidate algorithms available in the corresponding GEDI L2A data product
maxheight_cuttoff FLOAT64
1
Maximum height cutoff m
The maximum height above ground value used for foliage profile calculation 0, 150
rg_eg_constraint_center_buffer INT32
1
Buffer on R (ground) center parameter ns
Buffer size (1 ns bins) used to constrain the center parameter in the exponentially modified Gaussian fit to R (ground)
rg_eg_mpfit_max_func_evals UINT16
1
Maximum number of function evaluations -
MPFIT maximum number of function evaluations
rg_eg_mpfit_maxiters UINT16
1
Maximum number of iterations -
MPFIT maximum number of iterations
rg_eg_mpfit_tolerance FLOAT64
1
Convergence criterium -
MPFIT convergence criterium
signal_search_buff FLOAT64
1
Signal search buffer ns
Buffer size (1 ns bins) used to extend above toploc and below botloc 0, 255
tx_noise_stddev_multiplier FLOAT64
1
Transmit waveform noise standard deviation multiplier -
Multiplier on the transmit waveform noise standard deviation used R (ground) estimation 0, 255
Group: /BEAMXXXX/geolocation
Label Datatype
(Dimensions)
long_name units
source
description
degrade_flag INT8
(MT)
Degrade flag flag
L1B
Greater than zero if the shot occurs during a degrade period, zero otherwise. 0, 1 delta_time
delta_time FLOAT64
(MT)
Delta time seconds since 2018-01-01
L1B
Transmit time of the shot, measured in seconds from the master_time_epoch. By adding the offset contained within /BEAMXXXX/ancillary/master_time_epoch to delta_time, the time in GPS seconds relative to the GPS epoch can be computed. Equivalent to /BEAMXXXX/master_int+/BEAMXXXX/master_frac.
digital_elevation_model FLOAT32
(MT)
Digital elevation model meters
L1B
Digital elevation model height above the WGS84 ellipsoid. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0 from the TandemX 90m product. -962, 10038 delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 delta_time -999999.0
elev_highestreturn FLOAT32
(MT)
elev_highestreturn m
L2A
elevation of highest detected return relative to reference ellipsoid -1000, 25000 delta_time lat_highestreturn lon_highestreturn
elev_lowestmode FLOAT32
(MT)
elev_lowestmode m
L2A
elevation of center of lowest mode relative to reference ellipsoid -1000, 25000 delta_time lat_lowestmode lon_lowestmode
elevation_bin0 FLOAT64
(MT)
Elevation (first bin) m
Elevation of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 -9999.0
elevation_bin0_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Elevation (first bin) error m
Error in elevation of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 -9999.0
elevation_lastbin FLOAT64
(MT)
Elevation (last bin) m
Elevation of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_lastbin longitude_lastbin -9999.0
elevation_lastbin_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Elevation (last bin) error m
Error in elevation of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_lastbin longitude_lastbin -9999.0
height_bin0 FLOAT32
(MT)
Height (first bin) m
Height of the first bin of the pgap_theta_z, relative to the ground. delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 -9999.0
height_lastbin FLOAT32
(MT)
Height (last bin) m
Height of the last bin of the pgap_theta_z, relative to the ground. delta_time latitude_lastbin longitude_lastbin -9999.0
lat_highestreturn FLOAT64
(MT)
lat_highestreturn degrees
L2A
Latitude of highest detected return -55, 55 delta_time lon_highestreturn
lat_lowestmode FLOAT64
(MT)
lat_lowestmode degrees
L2A
Latitude of center of lowest mode -55, 55 delta_time lon_lowestmode
latitude_bin0 FLOAT64
(MT)
Latitude (first bin) degrees
Latitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time longitude_bin0 -9999.0
latitude_bin0_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Latitude (first bin) error
Error in latitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time longitude_bin0 -9999.0
latitude_lastbin FLOAT64
(MT)
Latitude (first bin) degrees
Latitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time longitude_bin0 -9999.0
latitude_lastbin_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Latitude (first bin) error
Error in latitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time longitude_bin0 -9999.0
local_beam_azimuth FLOAT32
(MT)
Local beam azimuth radians
L1B
Azimuth of the unit pointing vector for the laser in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from North and positive towards East. -180, 180 delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 delta_time
local_beam_elevation FLOAT32
(MT)
Local beam elevation radians
L1B
Elevation of the unit pointing vector for the laser in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from East-North plane and positive towards Up. 1.39626340159546, 1.57079632679490 delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 delta_time
lon_highestreturn FLOAT64
(MT)
lon_highestreturn degrees
L2A
Longitude of highest detected return -180, 180 delta_time lat_highestreturn
lon_lowestmode FLOAT64
(MT)
lon_lowestmode degrees
L2A
Longitude of center of lowest mode -180, 180 delta_time lat_lowestmode
longitude_bin0 FLOAT64
(MT)
Longitude (first bin) degrees
Longitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 -9999.0
longitude_bin0_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Longitude (first bin) error degrees
Error in longitude of first bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 -9999.0
longitude_lastbin FLOAT64
(MT)
Longitude (first bin) degrees
Longitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 -9999.0
longitude_lastbin_error FLOAT32
(MT)
Longitude (first bin) error degrees
Error in longitude of last bin of the pgap_theta_z, interpolated from L1B waveform coordinate delta_time latitude_bin0 -9999.0
shot_number UINT64
(MT)
Shot number counter
L1B
Unique shot ID. delta_time
solar_azimuth FLOAT32
(MT)
Solar azimuth degrees
L1B
The azimuth of the sun position vector from the laser bounce point position in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from North and is positive towards East. -180, 180 delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 delta_time
solar_elevation FLOAT32
(MT)
Solar elevation degrees
L1B
The elevation of the sun position vector from the laser bounce point position in the local ENU frame. The angle is measured from the East-North plane and is positive Up. -90, 90 delta_time latitude_bin0 longitude_bin0 delta_time
Group: /BEAMXXXX/land_cover_data
Label Datatype
(Dimensions)
long_name units
source
description
landsat_treecover FLOAT64
(MT)
Landsat tree canopy cover percent
L2A
Tree cover in the year 2010, defined as canopy closure for all vegetation taller than 5m in height (Hansen et al.). Encoded as a percentage per output grid cell. ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
modis_nonvegetated FLOAT64
(MT)
MODIS non-vegetated percent
L2A
Percent non-vegetated from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
modis_nonvegetated_sd FLOAT64
(MT)
MODIS non-vegetated standard deviation percent
L2A
Percent non-vegetated standard deviation from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
modis_treecover FLOAT64
(MT)
MODIS tree cover percent
L2A
Percent tree cover from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
modis_treecover_sd FLOAT64
(MT)
MODIS tree cover standard deviation percent
L2A
Percent tree cover standard deviation from MODIS data. Interpolated at latitude_bin0 and longitude_bin0. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD44B.006 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
Group: /BEAMXXXX/rx_processing
Label Datatype
(Dimensions)
long_name units
source
description
algorithmrun_flag_aN UINT8
(MT)
L2B algorithm run flag -
For each L2A algorithm, the L2B algorithm is run if this flag is set to 1. This flag selects data which have sufficient waveform fidelity for L2B to run. 0, 1 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/latitude_bin0 ../geolocation/longitude_bin0
pgap_theta_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
Total Pgap(theta) -
Estimated Pgap(theta) from ground finding algorithm for each L2A processing version 0, 1 -9999.0
pgap_theta_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
Total Pgap(theta) error -
Uncertainty of Pgap(theta) caused by ground finding algorithm for each L2A processing version ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) counts
Integral of the ground component in the RX waveform for each L2A processing version ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_amplitude_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian amplitude counts
Amplitude of the extended Gaussian fit to the ground of RX waveform. ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_amplitude_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian amplitude error counts
Error in rg_eg_amplitude ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_center_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian center ns
Center of the extended Gaussian fit to the ground of RX waveform. ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_center_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian center error ns
Error in rg_eg_center ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_chisq_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian Chi Square -
Chi square of R (ground) fit ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_flag_aN INT8
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian flag -
Extended Gaussian fit status flag. 1=convergence in chi2 value, 2=convergence in parameter value, 3=convergence in chi2 and parameter values, 4=convergence in orthogonality, 5=maximum number of iterations reached, 6=ftol too small (no further improvement), 7=xtol too small (no further improvement), 8=gtol too small (no further improvement). 0, 255 ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode
rg_eg_gamma_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian Gamma -
Gamma value of the extended Gaussian fit to the ground of RX waveform. ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_gamma_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian Gamma error -
Error in rg_eg_gamma ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_niter_aN UINT8
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian number of iterations -
Number of iterations to converge extended Gaussian fit to RX waveform ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode
rg_eg_sigma_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian sigma ns
Sigma value of the extended Gaussian fit to the ground of RX waveform. ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_eg_sigma_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) exponentially modified Gaussian sigma error ns
Error in rg_eg_sigma ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rg_error_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (ground) error counts
Error of the integral of the ground component in the RX waveform for each L2A processing version ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rv_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
R (canopy) counts
Integral of the vegetation component in the RX waveform for each L2A processing version ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/lat_lowestmode ../geolocation/lon_lowestmode -9999.0
rx_energy_aN FLOAT32
(MT)
Received waveform energy counts
Received waveform energy between toploc and botloc with noise removed ../geolocation/delta_time ../geolocation/latitude_bin0 ../geolocation/longitude_bin0 -9999.0
shot_number UINT64
(MT)
Shot number counter
L1B
Unique shot ID. ../geolocation/delta_time