Evolution of Validation Data Centres for Earth Observation Data Processing: Generic Environment for Cal/val analysis (GECA)

摘要

ESA is enhancing the EO Payload Data Ground Segment services to allow easy access to Earth Observation data and services from the Agency. To support Earth Observation mission performance, vicarious calibration and geophysical validation requires access to a database of independent geophysical measurements (e.g. from balloons, buoys and aircraft). Various agencies have set up mission-specific Validation Data Centres e.g. ESA's Envisat Validation data centre (EVDC) and NASA's Aura Validation data centre (AVDC). These data centres host the correlative data for multiple missions, facilitating inter-comparison with satellite products. The "collocation engine" hosted by some of these centres and available to users queries a database for correlative data suitable for comparison to a satellite product. The GECA project is an evolutionary contribution by ESA to the global cal/val community, in collaboration with CEOS. GECA will consist of two main parts. Firstly the GECA Validation Data Centre (GVDC) project, which will contribute to evolution of meta-data standards allowing greater agency collaboration and give cal/val analysts access to greater quantities of data, allowing more accurate collocations. Secondly, GECA will propose and implement the Quality Information and Action Protocol (QIAP). This is a new mechanism for management of quality information regarding data products. It will provide a mechanism to support users in application of corrective actions to EO data products after their dissemination.