ORNL DAAC Data Release - Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI)

[ORNL - mtdonova]

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) published two new datasets for the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission.

GEDI L3 Gridded Land Surface Metrics, Version 3
This dataset provides GEDI Level 3 (L3) gridded mean canopy height, standard deviation of canopy height, mean ground elevation, standard deviation of ground elevation, and counts of laser footprints per 1-km x 1-km grid cells globally within -52 and 52 degrees latitude. The data files are in GeoTIFF format and include five variables: gridded canopy height and standard deviation, ground elevation and standard deviation, and laser footprint counts. The dataset covers GEDI footprints from the 19th through the 343rd mission weeks (2019-04-18 to 2025-07-09). These L3 gridded products were derived from Version 3 of the Level 2 (L2) geolocated laser footprint return profile metrics, which includes improved geolocation of the footprints as well as a modified method to predict an optimum algorithm setting group.
Dubayah, R. O., Luthcke, S. B., Sabaka, T. J., Nicholas, J. B., Preaux, S., & Hofton, M. A. (2026). GEDI L3 Gridded Land Surface Metrics, Version 3. ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2525

GEDI L4C Footprint Level Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 3
This dataset contains GEDI Level 4C (L4C) Version 3 predictions of the Waveform Structural Complexity Index (WSCI) and estimates of prediction intervals for each footprint estimate at 95% confidence. Footprint WSCI was derived from XGBoost regression models relating simulated GEDI Level 2A (L2A) waveform relative height (RH) metrics to a 3D structural complexity metric calculated from matched Airborne laser Scanning (ALS) point clouds. The footprints are reported for the period 2019-04-17 to 2025-07-09. The Version 3 GEDI04_C product is derived from the Version 3 GEDI02_A product. The WSCI models and methodology are unchanged from Version 2; the changes in this version are inherited from the GEDI L2A Version 3 update and from an updated quality-flag recipe that is consistent across the GEDI Level 2 and Level 4 footprint products. In particular, footprint predictions and ancillary outputs are provided for the four GEDI L2A algorithm setting groups retained in L2A Version 3 (setting groups 1, 2, 5, and 10; groups 3, 4, and 6 were removed), and a new quality flag (l4c_quality_flag_rel3) applies the Version 3 quality recipe while the Version 2 recipe is retained as l4c_quality_flag_rel2.
De Conto, T., Armston, J., & Dubayah, R. O. (2026). GEDI L4C Footprint Level Waveform Structural Complexity Index, Version 3. ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2520

You can access the data through NASA Earthdata Search and a variety of NASA Earthdata tools and services, including Earthdata Cloud, OPeNDAP, and Harmony. Tutorials on accessing GEDI Level 4 datasets are available at: https://ornldaac.github.io/gedi_tutorials.

More information on these datasets and others like it can be found on the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) landing page.