1. Slide: 1 27 th CEOS Plenary |Montréal | 5 - 6 November 2013 Agenda item 31 Satish Srivastava (CSA,WGCV Chair), Albrecht von Bargen (DLR, WGCV Vice Chair), Eric Arsenault (CSA,WGCV Secretariat), Niall Origo (NPL/UKSA, QA4EO Secretariat) CEOS PLENARY WGCV Report and Proposal

2. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 2 Accomplishments –WGCV CEOS-26 Action Items, GEO actions, Collaboration with VCs –Meetings: WGCV-36 and Joint ASAR 2013/CEOS SAR Cal/Val workshop –QA4EO For Information to CEOS –LandNET –Intercomparison of ECV Retrieval Algorithms Request for Decision –WGCV organised multi-agency Cal/Val campaign proposals WGCV Report: Outline

3. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 3 CEOS-26 Action Items: –Action 26-11: GEO Water Cycle Strategy Report: Draft section on Cal/Val for this report was written by Dr. Eric Wood (Princeton U.) and it was provided to Osamu Ochiai and others (Reported at SEC-172, January 2013). –Action 26-24: WGCV Subgroup Leadership Roles to be Staffed: At SEC-172 WGCV agreed to work internally on staffing and it was successful. GEO Actions: IN-02-C1_3 (QA4EO), and IN-02-C1_5 (Enabling Data and Information Interoperability and Harmonization in CEOS and GEO) –Progress has been made and reported in CEOS-GEO Action Tracking System. VCs and WGCV collaboration: –Engagement made and continues with VCs for their Cal/Val needs as suggested at SIT-28 VCs and WGs Side Meeting on March 11, 2013. WGCV-36 Plenary: Held in Shanghai, May 2013. Presentations were made by SST, AC, LSI and PC and potential collaborations were discussed. ASAR/CEOS-SAR: Joint Advanced SAR (ASAR) 2013/CEOS SAR Cal/Val Workshop was held at CSA in Montreal, Oct 15-18, 2013. WGCV Report

4. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 How to proceed with QA4EO Request from CEOS-SIT Chair Telecon with WGCV (May 2013) Selected approach: 1.Short-term examples addressing “stakeholders”  Presentation of showcase at SIT Tech. Workshop, Sep 2013 2.Reassess (lessons learnt) and extend to showcase  Work in progress; scheduled for WGCV February 2014 3.Reassess the first example cases (lessons learnt)  Work in progress; scheduled for WGCV February 2014 4.Extend the showcase repository to address the science and data product provider community by selecting case by case from the shop list, ideally covering all “compartments”: level 1, atmosphere, terrestrial, ocean  Work in progress (see also QA4EO website) 5.Calibration infrastructure and comparison campaigns follow and promote QA4EO principles and best practices:  Work in progress (see LandNET, SST projects etc)

5. Secretariat supported by: UKSA & NPL CCM Website: (http://www.QA4EO.org) Brought up-to-date with current web page etiquette Inclusion of new links to other international committees Comprehensive repository of QA4EO-related information Dynamic interface Case studies: Case studies have been prioritised in order to demonstrate the application of QA4EO Many are already online with more to come Involves close work and collaboration with authors Promotes Cal/Val and its benefits in general

6. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 6 For Information to CEOS LandNET: A Network of Calibration Sites As presented at SIT Workshop in Sept 2013: WGCV-IVOS is moving forward in the implementation of LandNET – network of automated instrumented bright surface reflectance targets First step: to initiate a pilot project to prototype LandNET Prototype project: a 3 (possibly 4) sites ‘network’ based on existing agencies experience Implementation of a Working Group: ESA, CAS, CNES, NASA, NPL First meeting: Jan. 2014 at ESA/ESTEC Initial main objective: to provide Traceable calibration reference measurements for Sentinel 2, Landsat 8 and similar Calendar objective: to be ready for the Sentinel 2 launch WGCV encourages other agencies to join the effort, provide sat data & propose new sites in the framework of LandNET

7. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 7 For Information to CEOS Intercomparison of ECV Retrieval Algorithms EC-JRC is inviting agencies to indicate their interest in an intercomparison exercise of ECV retrieval algorithms over land (following QA4EO principles). The controlled evaluation of “retrieval algorithms” delivering ECV products over land will yield reliable info on the: 1) absolute biases & uncertainties of these products; 2) compliance of the products with pre-defined quality objectives, and; 3) nature of biases between products from different sensors/agencies. The EC-JRC is asking for input from space agencies on: 1)relevant instrument/orbit characteristics, 2)info on any auxiliary data needs required to run the ECV retrievals, and 3)info on image data format for the ingestion of the simulated Top-Of- Atmosphere (TOA) data into ECV retrieval processing chain. With this info the EC-JRC will simulate TOA data for specific instruments in a format suitable for ingestion into existing ECV retrieval processing chains and perform the intercomparison.

8. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 8 Project 1: SST Comparison Campaign Proposal Cal/Val sensor comparison campaign in support of SST and LST measurements from space (support action for VC-SST and WGC) (follows similar highly successful Tuz Golu campaign for surface reflectance and Miami 3 (2009) for SST (10 global participants) using QA4EO guidelines Proposal 4 th of ~5 yearly (‘Miami’ 1,2,3) WGCV comparisons for radiometers including black bodies  Phase1 (2014): Laboratory based vs. SI traceable standards (radiometers and black bodies) (Land and Ocean applications)  Phase 2A (2014 – 2017): Series of ship/ocean based radiometer campaigns  Phase 2B (2015 – 2017): Field-based calibration of radiometers Participation open to all Background  Essential Climate Variables Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) are both dependent on global satellite observations of surface emitted thermal radiation –Heritage long-time series of data from multiple sensors exists –New sensors soon to be launched e.g. Sentinel 3, JPSS-1  International comparisons are essential to provide confidence in data, test innovation and facilitate capacity building and training

9. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 9 Project 1: SST Comparison Campaign Proposal (continued) ESA have offered to provide funding to support the organisation, logistics and analysis of the comparison (initially for Phase 1 and 2A) Subject to: CEOS member agencies indicating their willingness to support the participation (travel/subsistence ~2 wks to UK) and instruments transport of appropriate Cal/Val teams from their region of influence. For Phase 2A, this will require radiometers to be deployed on ships for a few months (no cost for ship but for radiometer transport). For Phase 2B resource exists for planning of calibration campaign (CEOS WGCV- IVOS and LPV) CEOS member agency (ies) sought to provide resource to host one or more field sites based comparisons Benefits to CEOS agencies: Knowledge to remove and correct instrument biases enabling harmonised global satellite Cal/Val Potential to learn and improve from peer interactions

10. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 10 Project 2: SST (pilot) ‘Operational Validation Project’ Proposal Background: For SST validation (Operational and Climate) require network of high performance drifting Ocean Buoys for continuous monitoring of Ocean Temps, in addition to Ship borne radiometers analogous to ‘test-sites’ such as Aeronet and new LandNET Key part of strategy to bridge ‘data gaps’ between sensors for climate White paper drafted by VC-SST, GHRSST, WGCV-IVOS detailing background available Existing networks not sufficient in number for necessary coverage Request to agencies Agency (or group of) to provide resources to launch a set of high performance well-calibrated SI traceable drifting Ocean Buoys as an initial demonstration pilot project. Buoys can be built nationally to meet community defined specification Agencies to allocate resources to continue and where possible extend number of ocean borne radiometer cruises for SST validation - independent of specific satellite missions to facilitate improved management of ‘data gaps’ between missions for Climate.

11. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 11 Decision Requested from Plenary WGCV requests following decisions from CEOS Plenary Approval to proceed with Phase 1 and 2A for Project 1: SST Comparison Campaign. A detailed plan for Phase 2B will be developed and presented at SIT-29 in April, 2014 Approval to proceed with detailed planning of Project 2: SST (pilot) Operational Validation Project that will be presented at SIT 29 in April, 2014

12. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 12 Backup Slides

13. Slide: 13 27 th CEOS Plenary |Montréal | 5 - 6 November 2013 From: WGCV (IVOS & LPV) on behalf of: VC-SST, GHRSST, WG-Climate CEOS WGCV organised multi-agency comparison project to ensure international consistency in post-launch Cal/Val of satellite derived Earth surface temperatures for climate data records REQUESTS CEOS AGENCY: ENDORSEMENT & RESOURCES

14. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 14 Background/Drivers for Project 1: SST (& LST) Comparison campaign Background: All sensors require as a minimum- post-launch verification of performance of both L1 and L2 products (as appropriate) Calibration of most optical sensors drifts in time Long-term data continuity and operational services require sensor to sensor interoperability & bias removal – particularly critical for Climate Data Key CEOS role is to facilitate international harmonisation where possible through shared resources/infrastructure Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) are key climate sensitive parameters (differing level of maturity) both dependent on global satellite observations of surface emitted thermal radiation Heritage long-time series of data from multiple sensors exists New sensors soon to be launched e.g. Sentinel 3, JPSS-1 Accuracy requirements becoming more challenging Priority goal of VC-SST, GHRSST, ISSI Study Group & Key Case study for WG-Climate International comparisons are essential to provide confidence in data, test innovation and facilitate capacity building and training

15. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 15 Project 1: SST Comparison campaign- outline tasks (Phase 1 / Laboratory-based) Comparison will be 4 th in series of ~5 yearly CEOS comparisons (‘Miami’ 1,2,3) of Ocean Brightness Temperature post-launch Cal/Val instrumentation Laboratory based comparisons and SI Traceability (via NPL/NIST) Ocean (extend to Land) view based comparison of ‘validation product’ Transparent, independent analysis enabling unequivocal harmonisation Open global invitation to participate in one or both phases Phase 1: Laboratory ‘radiometric comparison’:(prob. Host: NPL in UK (2014)): Compare ‘field instrumentation and lab BB calibrators’ (Land & Ocean applications) to each other and to SI Traceable primary Reference standards Ideally include satellite sensor pre-flight black bodies (if possible) Controlled but varied environmental conditions Result / Benefit to CEOS agencies Knowledge of (and ability to correct) any instrument biases Ability to remove any instrument variances from (Phase 2) SI traceable uncertainties for all participant instrumentation Potential to learn and improve from peer interactions Confidence to use wide range of validation data for satellite sensors

16. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 16 Project 1: SST Comparison campaign - outline tasks (Phase 2 / field-based) Phase 2: Field comparison of validation parameter Two independent activities (Land and Ocean) also timescales and maturity Phase 2A: Ocean (Can start 2014) Seek to compare Radiometers under ‘operational conditions’ e.g. sea state and for range of ocean Temperatures Dedicated research cruise with ALL (or large number) of radiometers simultaneously would be very expensive and logistically very difficult Comparison will be a series of ‘Bi-laterals’ pairs of radiometers on ships of opportunity/existing hosts - capacity for extra radiometer usually possible Allows continuous build-up of knowledge of radiometers with results continually updated on to CEOS Cal/Val web portal. Phase 2B: Land (needs additional planning within LPV/IVOS to identify suitable targets & protocol) (planning 2014, comparison 2015) Likely to follow campaign style with simultaneous co-location of participants on a few representative sites Requires attention to infrared emissivity Also significant learning exercise due to relative immaturity of measurement Benefits to CEOS agencies (in addition to those of Phase 1) Confidence in strategies to link across observational data gaps

17. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 17 Request for Endorsement and Resources Successful comparisons require: Detailed planning, clear agreed protocols, broad community participation A community accepted ‘ideally independent’ organisation to ‘pilot’ the comparison and analysis Confidence that appropriate participants will have resource to take part Community experts (Ocean & Land) welcome opportunity for such an exercise: - Value and success of previous ‘Miami 1,2,3’ (3 rd had ten participants) indicative of importance – each comparison has evolved in scope Request to agencies Endorsement, & in so doing, provide a commitment to resource participation from appropriate ‘Cal/Val teams’ in their sphere of influence/dependence Phase 1 (~two weeks attendance in UK plus transportation of instrumentation (Land and Ocean teams) Phase 2A (deployment {mounting on ship, operation/analysis of data etc} for ~ 3 – 6 month cruise. Phase 2B (TBC, likely ~one week attendance at each of two test sites and transportation costs). Resource to support ‘pilot’ for overall organisational logistics and analysis ESA have offered to provide some resource - Contributions from other agencies welcomed particularly for future Phase 2 activities.

18. 27 th CEOS Plenary Montréal, Canada 5-6 November, 2013 18 Project 2: SST (pilot) operational validation project Background: For SST validation (Operational and Climate) require network of high performance drifting Ocean Buoys for continuous monitoring of Ocean Temps, in addition to Ship borne radiometers Key part of strategy to bridge ‘data gaps’ between sensors for climate White paper drafted by VC-SST, GHRSST, WGCV-IVOS detailing background available Existing networks not sufficient in number for necessary coverage Request to agencies Agency (or group of) to provide resources (~$300k) to launch a set of high performance well-calibrated SI traceable drifting Ocean Buoys as an initial demonstration pilot project. Buoys can be commissioned from National suppliers to a community agreed specification Agencies to allocate resources to continue and where possible extend number of ocean borne radiometer cruises for SST validation - independent of specific satellite missions to facilitate improved management of ‘data gaps’ between missions for Climate.