ESA’s Generic Environment for
Calibration/validation Analysis (GECA)
Yasjka Meijer et al.
European Space Agency
Frascati, Italy
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA
GECA –
a Generic Environment for
Calibration and Validation Analysis
1. GECA Validation data Centre (GVDC)
– ESA’s Next Generation Validation Data
Centre (extending EVDC @ NILU)
2. Quality Information and Action Protocol:
QIAP
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Motivation for GECA, 1/2
Motivation:
• More and more missions to be validated:
– GMES Sentinels
– Earth Explorers (e.g., SMOS, Aeolus, EarthCARE)
– ESA – Third Party Missions
• Knowledge transfer from ERS-1&2 and ENVISAT (with
decreasing operational budget)
 more efficient validation necessary
 facilitate independent cal/val activities
• Longer ESA data records; exploitation for climate
science (CCI)
 high demand for inter-satellite calibration
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Motivation for GECA, 2/2
Why Generic?
– Most Cal/Val activities and needs are generic across
multiple EO domains
 Efficiency
(avoid island solutions with duplications, e.g. aux. data,
conversions, overlap calc., analysis tools )
– Use of standard interfaces and metadata standards
(GENESI-DR & GEOMS)
Expandability
Allowing easy addition of
- new correlative data centers
- EO satellite data
- analysis tools
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GVDC Objectives
• Harmonise correlative data standards
(via Generic EO Metadata Standard (GEOMS))
• Access to satellite data centres
(via GENESI-DR)
• Access to correlative data centres
(via Data Centre InterOperability (DCIO), OAI-PMH)
• Support collocation detection
(match satellite with correlative dataset)
• Support intercomparison (tools)
• Assist correlative data submitters
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Catalogue access
Collocation
Catalogue
Use case:
GECA
server
Find data
Collocation
tool
Correlative
Data
Catalogue
OAI-PMH
Harvest catalogue
metadata
Satellite
Data
Catalogue
Harvest catalogue
metadata
+?
MERIS
GOMOS
Correlative data - DCIO
GENESI-DR
AATSR
SAR
RA-2
MIPAS
ESA satellite data
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GOCE
Aeolus
Data access
Use case:
GECA server
Collocation
Catalogue
Get data
Data can be used
on server or
downloaded to
the user
Satellite
Overpass
Satellite Catalogue
Correlative
Data
Catalogue
Data
Catalogue
Data download
access
Child products
database
Agreements will allow
downloading from
DCIO databases
GENESI-DR provide
access details to ESA
data repositories
Overpass
IPF
+?
MERIS
GOMOS
Correlative data - DCIO
AATSR
SAR
RA-2
MIPAS
ESA satellite data
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GOCE
Aeolus
+?
MERIS
GOMOS
Correlative data - DCIO
AATSR
RA-2
SAR
MIPAS
GOCE
Aeolus
ESA satellite data – HTTP & direct FTP
OAI-PMH
GENESI-DR
Opportunities:
- New tools
- New DCIO partner
- More satellite data
GECA
database
server
tools
paired data
files
User 1:
User 2:
User 3:
tools
local
tools
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
tools
local
data
GECA sample screen
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA tools
Intercomparison Toolbox:
• Based on ‘best practice’ analysis functions
• Pre-processing functions bringing data into comparable state, e.g.,
– conversion of paired data to a common format
– inclusion of auxiliary data (e.g., meteorological parameters from ECMWF
– parameter conversion (e.g., partition wave spectra, air pressure to
altitude)
– comparison algorithms (e.g., cross associate partitions, area overlap
– regridding and smoothing of data
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA implementation
Implementation:
• GECA tools will be available online and as toolbox
• Expandable and open environment; opportunity to
include new missions, domains and tools
• In cloud-computing environment
• GECA is foreseen as portlets inside the CEOS Cal/Val
Portal: http://calvalportal.ceos.org/cvp/
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA project status
• Critical Design Review (CDR) passed
– development started in April 2010
• Initial system due in Q4/2010
– mainly for testing
• Full system due in first half of 2011
– operational for ERS-1/-2, ENVISAT, MODIS
– accessible for external users
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Conclusion
• GECA will offer a generic and
comprehensive validation environment
with many new functionalities supporting
the process of independent validation
• Subscribe to GECA mailing list with an
email to Yasjka.Meijer@esa.int
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Thank you!
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Backup slides
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA/GEOMS
GEOMS:
Generic EO Metadata Standard
– GEOMS is a dedicated metadata standard for
EO Cal/Val activities
– GEOMS has been established in collaboration with
AVDC (NASA), EVDC (NILU/ESA), ESA, BIRA and
NDACC
• Focus on atmosphere,
• now also broadened to other domains
– GECA will host data GEOMS (Generic EO Metadata
Standard) format
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
GECA/DCIO
DCIO: Data Centre Interoperability
• GECA will host correlative datasets
of multiple EO domains
– Requirement for interoperability between data centres
• Initiation of DCIO activity
– Access to wider range of correlative datasets
• Current DCIO partners: AVDC, EVDC, NDACC and Earlinet
• Prototypes are working for exchange of catalogue meta-data
• Metadata catalogue in GECA will allow data to be visible in peer
data centres
• Opportunity to join DCIO !
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010
Covered EO domains/instruments
Generic System approach
covering multiple EO
domains:
– Atmospheric Physics
– Ocean and Coast (waves,
colour, SST, etc.)
– Terrestrial (Land Cover, LST,
vegetation, etc.)
– Multi-spectral imagery
– Cryosphere (Land and Sea
Ice)
– Solid Earth (gravity, geoid,
etc.)
EO Domain
Atmospheric
Chemistry
Atmospheric
Physics
Ocean and Coast
(waves, colour,
currents, SST,
salinity, etc.)
Land
(cover, LST,
vegetation, etc.)
Multi-spectral
imagery
Land and Sea Ice
Solid Earth
(gravity, geoid,
geomagnetic field)
Satellite mission (instrument)
Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIA),
ERS-2 (GOME), Metop series
(GOME-2), Sentinel-4, -5 & -5p
EarthCARE (ATLID, BBR, CPR,
MSI), ADM-Aeolus (ALADIN)
Envisat (AATSR, MERIS, RA-2,
ASAR), ERS-2 (ATSR, RA-1, SAR),
Sentinel-1 (SAR),
Sentinel-3 (SLSTR, OLCI), GOCE,
SMOS (MIRAS)
Envisat (AATSR, MERIS, RA-2,
ASAR), ERS-2 (ATSR, RA-1, SAR),
Sentinel-1 (SAR), Sentinel-2
Sentinel-3 (SLSTR, OLCI), SMOS
Sentinel-2
Cryosat-II (SIRAL), Envisat (RA-2),
ERS-2 (RA-1)
Envisat (RA-2), ERS-2 (RA-1),
GOCE, SWARM
Y.J. Meijer, GECA, II GALION WS, 22-09-2010