A dataset of 500 m annual MPDI data for the Weihe River Basin from 2000 to 2024

<p indent="0mm">Drought, as one of the primary meteorological disasters affecting agricultural production and ecological security, holds significant importance for regional water resource management through long-term dynamic monitoring. To address the practical needs of drought monitoring in the Wei River Basin, an improved vertical drought index (Modified Perpendicular Drought Index, MPDI) dataset, based on the traditional Perpendicular Drought Index (PDI), was constructed spanning a long-term time series from 2000 to 2024, using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. This dataset is based on the MOD09A1 surface reflectance product and has undergone standard preprocessing procedures, including cloud masking and projection transformation. It combines the calculation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and vegetation coverage (f_v) parameters, and incorporates a vegetation coverage factor into the traditional perpendicular drought index (PDI) model to generate annual drought monitoring products with a spatial resolution of <sc>500 m.</sc> To ensure data accuracy and consistency, this study implemented strict quality control measures during the dataset construction process, including cloud cover screening and filling, soil line equation fitting (R² ≥ 0.85), and correlation analysis with measured soil moisture observations. This dataset provides a reliable basis for assessing the frequency, intensity, and spatial expansion trends of drought events in the Wei River Basin, and can provide strong support for regional drought dynamic monitoring, refined water resource management, disaster risk assessment and related research.