Breakout Session II

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Breakout Session II Data Records andRelated
ObservationsLand Time Series Data Products
fromSystematic Satellite MissionsModerate
Resolution -AVHRR/SeaWiFS/MODIS/VIIRSin support
of CCE science

• Chris Justice (UMd) and Kamel Didan (UA)

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Breakout Summary 1

• Breakout Gave Exposure of Land ESDR/LTDR issues
  to a broader CCE science community
• Consensus that Science Quality Long Term
  records are needed
• But weak documentation of product requirements by
  science community (sensitivity of models to
  satellite inputs etc.)
• NASA could make an important contribution to
  improved definition of Land Product requirements
  - GCOS/GTOS Essential Climate Variables
• Continued communication needed between algorithm
  developers, data providers and science community
  on ESDR/LTDR development

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Breakout Summary 2

• Improved Processes needed for
• Interaction and feedback on products and
  suggested improvements
• P.I.s (and International Community) developing
  own versions of products appears to be the
  preferred approach would indicate need for
  further development and sharing of community
  validation data sets
• Moderate Resolution Land Portal initiative may
  provide an opportunity for improved communication
  (Friday pm Presentation)
• Advertising PI generated to the community
• Newsletter and product updates?
• Reviewing proposed algorithm changes (Initiating
  C6 planning at the MODIS / VIIRS ST Meeting,
  Baltimore, May 13-16 )
• Community Evaluation Period for Test Data Sets
  and Feedback
• Transitioning Collections - Ensuring Old
  Collection Continuity and Archive while New
  Collections are in process
• Implementing prescriptive measurement team
  funding for generation and stewardship of
  community products
• NASA / NOAA collaboration on Land CDR/ESDR
  generation (e.g. Asheville LST workshop)

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Breakout Summary 3

• No deviation from current ESDR list but Increased
  attention needed to improved products addressing
• Agriculture (cropland, crop type, cropping
  calendar, irrigation, management )
• High latitude regions e.g. Tundra vegetation
• Improved CMG products retaining fractional cover
  grids (VCF) - using higher resolution data
• Disturbance history e.g. Global Fire Records from
  1980 present (AVHRRgtMODIS)
• Standardized LAI and Phenology products
  (AVHRRgtMODIS)
• Consistent Continuous Fields product
  (AVHRRgtMODIS)
• Improved Global Forest Type and Extent at 250m
• Land Water Mask a previous recommendation
• Urban area change, LAI and phenology (30m)
• Further improvement and outreach needed on QA
  flags
• Recognize that global standard product algorithms
  can be improved regionally
• Allow for both global and customized regional
  products (e.g. DB community)

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Breakout Summary 4

• Areas Mentioned for R and D funding
• Multi-resolution synergies e.g. data blending,
  data fusion and associated product consistency
  
• Back-processing of AVHRR 1km and 4km using MODIS
  methods and QA (See Vermotes LCLUC Presentation
  - Friday am)
• AVHRR (am) and MODIS (pm) prototyping using METOP
  in advance of loss of Terra
• MODIS gt VIIRS
• VIIRS Instrument likely to be able to provide
  continuity of Land products from MODIS some
  issues need working e.g. on board aggregation
• VIIRS LAND ESDRs needed beyond the EDRs for
  Long Term Records
• Commitment needed for Land Continuity product
  generation and validation
• Need for overlap of MODIS Aqua with VIIRS for
  instrument and product intercomparison

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Slides Shown at the Breakout
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NASA Earth Science Obs.

• Utilize NASAs remote sensing assets for GC
  Research and Applications
• Satellite Sensing Systems
• Data processing and management expertise
• NASA Earth Observation Satellite Systems
  (simplistic breakdown)
• Experimental Observations (process studies and
  engineering concept testing)
• MISR, Hyperion
• Systematic Observations (regular time series
  observations)
• MODIS, Landsat 7, ASTER
• NASA isnt an operational agency (NOAA, USGS)
• Need to transition proven research systems to the
  operational domain
• NASAs evolving role in long-term observations
  needed for Global Change Research
• Science Quality Observations Terminology
• NOAA (NRC) Climate Data Records (as distinct from
  Applications - EDRs)
• NASA Earth Science Data Records (i.e. not just
  climate data)
• Long Term Data Records e.g. AVHRR gtMODIS (Tucker
  et al, Masuoka/Vermote et al)
• International efforts by IGOS to define
  Observation needs for Climate
• Essential Climate Variables ( GCOS/GTOS)
• Efforts by US CCSP Observations group to define
  climate data needs

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Primary Moderate Resolution Systems

• US
• AVHRR 1981 -
• MODIS 2000 -
• SeaWiFS 1997 -
• International
• SPOT VGT
• ATSR, AATSR
• METOP ( EUMETSAT - 1km global AVHRR)
• MERIS
• GLI
• IRS
• Future Systems
• US VIIRS (2010)
• S-GLI

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What Long Term Data Records are needed to meet
the CCE science needs?
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ESDR Whitepaper - Template

• a. Product Rationale (science, applications)
  what are the science questions or applications
  drivers that the product will be used to address,
  why is the product important to the Focus Area,
  which user communities need the product?
• b. Product Requirements - what are the
  documented or implied requirements for the
  product, what accuracy, precision, uncertainty is
  needed for the product?
• c. Product Description what is the proposed
  spatial resolution and temporal frequency of the
  product, what is the proposed length of record,
  what is relationship to other products
• d. Approach to generating the product
• i) Heritage products
• ii) Algorithm (brief description)
• iii) Product inputs/traceability
• iii) Validation
• e. Intended Data sources which instruments will
  be used, what in-situ data if any is needed
• f. Necessary Supporting Activities

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Posted in 2006
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What are the Product Accuracy Requirements for
the ESDRs?

• These aspects are not well developed in our
  discipline?
• Spatial, Temporal, Locational Accuracy
• Thematic accuracy error bars
• Consistency over time and Length of Record
• Accuracy requirements vary by topic
• Can we come up with classes of users
• We need a more quantitative approach than best
  available
• How does the satellite data quality affect the
  model output NPP ?
• What is the process by which these requirements
  can be developed?
• Jointly by science users and Data Providers

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Previous and Current Process

• Pathfinder process (AVHRR) review, production,
  review
• EOS Standard Products
• Algorithm TBD reviewed
• Data sets generated (inc. some AM/PM combined)
• Validated (accuracy assessment)
• Independent data sets
• Products distributed
• Algorithms refined and reprocessed by Collection
• Suggest greater science community participation
  in collection planning and testing is needed
• What is the Process?

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Current Process

• VIIRS
• EDRs DOD/NWS Applications Products being
  developed by NGST
• Science Team little influence on changing EDRs
• Science Team evaluating the EDRs and prototyping
  VIIRS Land ESDRs
• Commitment needed for NASA Land ESDRs
• First stage what can we get from the VIIRS
• How do we extend the AVHRR/MODIS LTDRecords
• Commitment needed for VIIRS Land product
  validation

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• Some General Observations and Lessons
• Clouds always a problem for land observations and
  associated data sets ( tropics) cloud masks
• Spot VGT clouds
• Land Water Masks need improvement
• Consistency between Land products needed
• Limited support for reprocessing old data e.g.
  improving consistency of AVHRR with newer
  systems, Gap filling
• Needed to extend the MODIS records back (1km
  global to 92)
• Same will be needed for MODIS and VIIRS
• Community awareness needed
• Land Data Assimilation still early days still
  relying on products
• Very little fusion of moderate data from
  international systems
• Need to start preparing for AVHRR (METOP)
  replacing Terra MODIS for AM/PM products
• What can be done to improve the LTDRecords by
  synergy with high resolution and field
  observations?