Ocean Color Radiometry – Virtual Constellation Update for 23 January 2015
Co-Leads:
Paula Bontempi (NASA)
Paul DiGiacomo (NOAA)
Peter Regner (ESA)
The IOCCG Executive Committee, including many members to the OCR-VC, met in
session the last week of October 2014. There were key topics on the agenda, including the
implementation of the INSITU-OCR. Discussion will continue on this topic at the next IOCCG
meeting in Paris, 3-5 March 2015.
Actions:
1. Review progress made since the CEOS Plenary in Tromsø with regard to the action items
relevant to your WG:
We did not identify any specific actions for the OCR-VC from the CEOS Plenary, as per the
minutes. However, one action that the co-leads believe could be relevant and worthy of
discussion for the OCR-VC includes:
28-06 - SIT Chair in conjunction with the relevant WGs and VCs, to determine by SIT-30
whether appropriate implementation arrangements are in place for all actions associated with the
CEOS Strategy for Carbon Observations from Space
While well written, the CEOS Strategy for Carbon Observations from Space does not
contain a lot of material regarding aquatic or ocean carbon. However, given the OCR-VC
members’ scientific interests that span inland, coastal and global waters, the document may still
be relevant for IOCCG/OCR-VC. The co-leads can take the action to share the Carbon report
with the IOCCG and consider whether OCR-VC needs to respond to action 28-06.
2. To review progress with respect to WGISS action items in the Work Plan 2014-2016 & 20152017 (see below):
OCR-VC action items:
VC-1: List of Relevant Datasets from
VCs
Q4 2014
OCR-VC is not clear whether the preferred response is to list data sets currently fully publicly
available from historical and current polar and geo ocean color satellites (information easily
attainable from the IOCCG web pages on Sensors, e.g.,
http://www.ioccg.org/sensors_ioccg.html), or whether the OCR-VC should circulate the action to
allow time for each member agency within the OCR-VC/IOCCG to respond with a link to a web
site for actually obtaining data. For example:
NASA Level-3:
Aqua-MODIS, CZCS, SeaWiFS, Terra-MODIS, Suomi NPP VIIRS http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi/l3
Certainly feedback is welcome on which approach best suits CEOS.
VC-6: Vision and plan for an essential OCR-Virtual Constellation space segment (Polar and
GEO)
Q4 2016
A listing of current and planned ocean color sensors (Polar and GEO) can be found here:
Current - http://www.ioccg.org/sensors/current.html
Planned - http://www.ioccg.org/sensors/scheduled.html
VC-7: Catalog of Cal/Val infrastructure and
activities
Q2 2015
In 2014, IOCCG undertook a relevant "agency mapping" exercise spreadsheet that included
consideration of international agency assets and resources for cal/val. The writing team for the
INSITU-OCR has compiled a spreadsheet containing all the INSITU-OCR
recommendations. The recommendations are grouped into four different color-coded categories
based on NASA's "lessons learned" from the SIMBIOS program:
i) Space sensor radiometric calibration, characterization and temporal stability;
ii) Development and assessment of satellite products;
iii) In situ data generation and handling;
iv) Information management and support;
As a first step towards implementation of the INSITU-OCR by IOCCG member agencies, the
IOCCG asked that each agency indicate on the spreadsheet their potential area of contribution to
INSITU-OCR implementation, either in the form of resources for new inter-agency activities, or
as in-kind contributions based on existing/planned agency activities. Examples of suggested new
activities include contribution to a central Project Office (or a regional Project Office),
development of new community software platforms (e.g. satellite or in situ processors),
instrument pools, placing existing in situ data into open space, supporting specific working
groups or task forces, etc.
Upon all IOCCG member agencies agreeing, OCR-VC will circulate the spreadsheet portion on
"i", space sensor radiometric calibration, characterization, and temporal stability. Additionally,
the IOCCG will likely ask the members at the upcoming March IOCCG Meeting to provide an
agency-based list of infrastructure and assets. IOCCG/OCR-VC is considering in situ protocols
and data handling as well, such as described in the recent Sentinel-3 Validation Team meeting in
December 2014.
VC-8: Action Plan for GEO Blue Planet
Components
Q1 2015
The components to the GEO Blue Planet task are drawn from the new Blue Planet structure as
per the GEO Work Plan:
http://www.earthobservations.org/docshow.php?id=129 that calls out:
C1: Sustained Ocean Observations;
C2: Sustained Ecosystems and Food Security;
C3: Ocean Forecasting;
C4: Services for the Coastal Zone;
C5: Climate and Carbon;
C6: Developing Capacity and Societal Awareness.
IOCCG/OCR-VC agencies make significant contribution to C1, C2, C4, C5 and C6. For
example, C1 is most certainly coordinated through the IOCCG and the agency bilaterals that go
on outside of the IOCCG. For the OCR-VC, each member space agency provides data that may
be used to meet C3. Speaking only for NASA, which is a basic research agency, I can say that
the agency invests in C3 via global modeling and forecasting go on, but it isn't within the NASA
mission to do operational prediction (as it is for agencies such as NOAA), so overall the response
in support of the Blue Planet task is likely rather broad and varied among the OCR-VC agencies.
The same could like be said for C4, management (e.g., NASA as an agency supports data,
research, models that can be used in this capacity but management is not within NASA's
mission). C5 is clearly a very big focus for the OCR-VC agencies, as the ocean plays a large
role in carbon cycling and climate. To sum: the OCR-VC agencies are fully in support of the
GEO Blue Planet Components. While the mission of each of the supporting VC agencies is to
provide resources, such as satellite data, that could be used to support all four components, the
agencies are limited in the extent of their support of each component by their agency missions.
For example, while NASA is a basic research agency, NASA satellite data can certainly be used
in support of C4, Applications to sustainable fishery and aquaculture management. ESA is in a
similar position as NASA: as a R&D Agency ESA builds and launches EO satellites and
provides data to the user communities including operational and scientific entities to make best
use of this data for their research and monitoring obligations and applications.
VC-9: Implementation of the International Network for Sensor InTercomparison and
Uncertainty Assessment for Ocean Colour Radiometry (INSITUOCR)
Q1 2015
At the IOCCG Executive Committee meeting in October 2014, the IOCCG Chairman reported
that most of the agencies had completed the mapping exercise, which could be used to identify
agencies that had resources to put into INSITU-OCR, as well as gaps in infrastructure that
agencies could collectively address. It was noted that there were not enough examples of inter-
agency collaboration. Furthermore, not all agencies had included their long-term plans on the
spreadsheet. Agencies were requested to submit to the IOCCG Chair a short list of actual gaps
for existing/upcoming missions, a list of priorities from their perspective, as well as areas where
they need help, e.g., a need for more validation sites. Once the OCR-VC has this information
compiled, this information can then be presented to CEOS SIT via the OCR-VC Chairs.
Action E24/6: All agencies to submit to Stewart Bernard (IOCCG Chair, South Africa) a list of
gaps and priorities, as well as areas where they need help, to be conveyed to CEOS SIT.
Establishing pilot investments and projects to take the OCR-VC forward is a very high priority.
It was agreed that two key initiatives could serve as a pilot to take forwards:
i)
NASA has released and selected the vicarious calibration instrumentation competition for
PACE, as a contribution to INSITU-OCR, and
ii)
all agencies could contribute towards the “protocols activity” (NASA has proposed
establishing a small committee to help catalogue and share information regarding in situ
instrumentation (for calibration and validation) protocols. The IOCCG could host a website to
disseminate all relevant lists and information (currently being developed by NASA at:
oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cms/ioccg_proto_main). The general idea is to enable communication
about the refinement of in situ measurement protocols and to reduce redundancy in efforts,
filling in gaps, and better targeting opportunities and key players. This activity could be seen as
an early contribution to INSITU OCR). These examples could be presented as a framework to
give some idea of multi-agency collaboration.
Also, ESA is planning to launch an open tender action this spring addressing the need for
improved OCR in-situ instrumentation and community consensus protocols for instrument
calibration and vicarious adjustments as well as establishing traceability to metrological
institutes.
VC-10: Recommend the creation of a GEO Water Quality of
Practice
Q2 2015
Paul DiGiacomo will provide a real-time update of this action tomorrow.