Data release associated with the journal article "Solar and sensor geometry, not vegetation response, drive satellite NDVI phenology in widespread ecosystems of the western United States"

This dataset supports the following publication: "Solar and sensor geometry, not vegetation response, drive satellite NDVI phenology in widespread ecosystems of the western United States" (DOI:10.1016/j.rse.2020.112013). The data release allows users to replicate, test, or further explore results. The dataset consists of 4 separate items based on the analysis approach used in the original publication 1) the 'Phenocam' dataset uses images from a phenocam in a pinyon juniper ecosystem in Grand Canyon National Park to determine phenological patterns of multiple plant species. The 'Phenocam' dataset consists of scripts and tabular data developed while performing analyses and includes the final NDVI values for all areas of interest (AOIs) described in the associated publication. 2) the 'SolarSensorAnalysis' dataset uses downloaded tabular MODIS data to explore relationships between NDVI and multiple solar and sensor angles. The 'SolarSensorAnalysis' dataset consists of download and analysis scripts in Google Earth Engine and R. The source MODIS data used in the analysis are too large to include but are provided through MODIS providers and can be accessed through Google Earth Engine using the included script. A csv file includes solar and sensor angle information for the MODIS pixel closest to the phenocam as well as for a sample of 100 randomly selected MODIS pixels within the GRCA-PJ ecosystem. 3) the 'WinterPeakExtent' dataset includes final geotiffs showing the temporal frequency extent and associated vegetation physiognomic types experiencing winter NDVI peaks in the western US. 4) the "SensorComparison" dataset contains the NDVI time series at the phenocam location from 4 other satellites as well as the code used to download these data.