Identifying Version Numbers
Depending on the Order Data method you use, the version number will appear differently at the end of the product name.
If you order the data from Earthdata Search, the product name will be appended by a version number. The version is specified as a 3-digit alphanumeric code beginning with the letter 'V' (V001 indicates Version 1).
AMSR-E/AMSR2 Unified L2B Half-Orbit 25 km EASE-Grid Surface Soil Moisture V001.
If you order data from the Data Pool HTTPS directory, the version number is written at the end of the data set short name:
AU_Land.002.
Product Maturity Codes
AMSR-E/AMSR2 Unified data file/granule names include a product maturity code (such as B01, T02, or V03) to indicate which version of the algorithm was used to produce the data. The product maturity code includes both a maturity level (P, R, B, T, or V) and a two-digit iteration number, such as B02 in the following file name:
AMSR_U2_L2_Land_B02_201805292336_A.he5
All AMSR-E/AMSR2 Unified products are currently at the Beta (B) maturity level. Table 1 describes each product maturity level.
Table 1. Description of Product Maturity Levels
| Level |
Description |
|---|
| P |
Preliminary - refers to non-standard, near-real-time data available from NSIDC. These data are only available for a limited time until the corresponding standard product is ingested at NSIDC. |
| R |
Near-Real-Time - refers to near-real-time data produced and distributed via the NASA Land Atmosphere Near-real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) data system. |
| B |
Beta - indicates a developing algorithm with updates anticipated. |
| T |
Transitional - period between beta and validated where the product is past the beta stage, but not quite ready for validation. This is where the algorithm matures and stabilizes. |
| V |
Validated - products are upgraded to Validated once the algorithm is verified by the algorithm team and validated by the validation teams. Validated products have an associated validation stage. Refer to Table 2 for a description of the stages. |
Validation Stage
Additionally, a stage (1, 2, or 3) may be appended to the product maturity code of Validated, such as V09-Stage3. Table 2 describes each validation stage.
Table 2. Description of Validation Stages
| Validation Stage |
Description |
|---|
| Stage1 |
Product accuracy is estimated using a small number of independent measurements obtained from selected locations, time periods, and ground-truth/field program efforts. |
| Stage2 |
Product accuracy is assessed over a widely distributed set of locations and time periods via several ground-truth and validation efforts. |
| Stage3 |
Product accuracy is assessed, and the uncertainties in the product are well established via independent measurements made in a systematic and statistically robust way that represents global conditions. |
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