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CEOS Cal Val Test Site - Railroad Valley Playa, USA - Instrumented Site

Entry ID: CEOS_CalVal_Test_Site-Railroad_Valley_Playa-USA

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Summary

Abstract: On the background of these requirements for sensor calibration, intercalibration and product validation, the subgroup on Calibration and Validation of the Committee on Earth Observing System (CEOS) formulated the following recommendation during the plenary session held in China at the end of 2004, with the goal of setting-up and operating an internet based system to provide sensor data, protocols ... and guidelines for these purposes:

Background:

Reference Datasets are required to support the understanding of climate change and quality assure operational services by Earth Observing satellites. The data from different sensors and the resulting synergistic data products require a high level of accuracy that can only be obtained through continuous traceable calibration and validation activities.
Requirement:

Initiate an activity to document a reference methodology to predict Top of Atmosphere (TOA) radiance for which currently flying and planned wide swath sensors can be intercompared, i.e. define a standard for traceability. Also create and maintain a fully accessible web page containing, on an instrument basis, links to all instrument characteristics needed for intercomparisons as specified above, ideally in a common format. In addition, create and maintain a database (e.g. SADE) of instrument data for specific vicarious calibration sites, including site characteristics, in a common format. Each agency is responsible for providing data for their instruments in this common format. Recommendation : The required activities described above should be supported for an implementation period of two years and a maintenance period over two subsequent years. The CEOS should encourage a member agency to accept the lead role in supporting this activity. CEOS should request all member agencies to support this activity by providing appropriate information and data in a timely manner.

Instrumented Sites:
Railroad Valley Playa, USA is one of eight instrumented sites that are CEOS Reference Test Sites. The CEOS instrumented sites are provisionally being called LANDNET. These instrumented sites are primarily used for field campaigns to obtain radiometric gain, and these sites can serve as a focus for international efforts, facilitating traceability and inter-comparison to evaluate biases of in-flight and future instruments in a harmonized manner. In the longer-term it is anticipated that these sites will all be fully automated and provide surface and atmospheric measurements to the WWW in an autonomous manner reducing some of the cost of a manned campaign, at present three can operate in this manner.

Purpose: To facilitate and coordinate calibration and validation data over the Railroad Valley Playa, USA test site.

Related URL

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) Test Sites.

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 38.6

S: 38.4

E: -115.6

W: -115.8

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1972-08-09

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > NEVADA

Science Keywords

LAND SURFACE > LAND TEMPERATURE

LAND SURFACE > LAND USE/LAND COVER

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

IMAGERY/BASE MAPS/EARTH COVER

Instrument

AATSR > Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer

ATSR > Along Track Scanning Radiometer and Microwave Sounder

Ancillary Keywords

Lists and Indices of Disaster Information

Periodicals and Listserves of the Natural Hazards

On-line Library Database

Service Provider

UCO/NHC > Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado

Service Organization URL: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/

Service Provider Personnel
Name: DIANE SMITH Phone: (303) 492-6818 Fax: (303) 492-2151 Email: Diane.Smith at Colorado.EDU Contact Address: Natural Hazards Center University of Colorado 482 UCB City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0482 Country: USA