Download - MINUTES OF THE SECOND CEOS LAND SURFACE IMAGING …ceos.org/document_management/Virtual_Constellations/LSI/Meeting… · Wednesday – 20th July 2016 Session 1: Introduction Welcome,

LSI-VC-220th–22ndJuly2016LosAngeles,California,USAMinutesV1.0

Page1

MINUTESOFTHESECONDCEOSLANDSURFACEIMAGING

VIRTUALCONSTELLATIONMEETING(LSI-VC-2)

20th–22ndJuly2016LosAngeles,California,USA

Wednesday–20thJuly2016

Session1:IntroductionWelcome,Introduction,Objectives;RoundtableIntroductions

AdamLewis(GA),BiancaHoersch(ESA)andJennLacey(USGS)welcomedeveryonetothemeetingandgavesomeopeningstatements.AtSIT-31itwasclearthattheCEOScommunityhashighexpectationsfortheVC,howeveritwasalsonotedthatweshould“walkbeforetryingtorun”.WearedoingthisbytakingtheleadoftheCEOSARDdefinition,whichwillbecentraltomanyCEOSactivitiesincludingtheDataCubeandotherfuturedatadistributionarchitectures.PrioritiesforLSI-VC-2includediscussingtheneedforsubgroupstoprogressourmainworkthreads,advancingtheARDdefinition,andtodecidetheVC’slevelofinvolvementintheDataCubeinitiativesoftheSEO.BiancanotedthattheapproachtoAnalysisReadyData(ARD)appearstobegoinginadifferentdirectioninEurope,andLSI-VC-2isakeyopportunitytoensurethattheCEOSandEuropeanapproachesareconsistent.YvesCrevier(CSA)addedthatCSAisparticipatingtoensurethatSyntheticApertureRadar(SAR)iswellrepresentedinthedefinitiondocument.

JonathonRoss(GA,CEO)notedthatweareenteringaperiodwherealackofdataisnotthekeychallenge,itishowwearegoingtoworktogethertoputthatdatatowork.Onewayforwardisforeachagencytotakeitsownapproach,butitisnotclearthatwouldbedoingtherightthingbyusersand,byimplication,byagencieswhentheycomebacklookingforinvestmentinfuturemissions.

Lastyearwasabigyearwiththreemajorglobalagendasendorsed:TheSendaiFrameworkforDisasterRiskReduction,theParisClimateAgreement,andtheGlobalGoalsforSustainableDevelopment.ThroughtheworkofCEOS,eachoftheseagendasrecognisesthepotentiallycriticalrolethatsatelliteEarthobservationscanplayinachievingtheobjectivesandmonitoringprogress.

AparticularpointtonoteisthatintheKyotoStatement,allCEOSPrincipalsagreedthatinternationalspaceagencycooperationinsupportofthesethreekeyglobalagendaswouldbeapriorityfocus,andthatcollaboration,ratherthanmerecoordinationwillbecriticalifsatelliteEarthobservationsaretoliveuptothispotential.

Inthiscontext,itiskeytoremember:thisisnotjustabouthelpingsophisticatedscientists,thisiscriticallyabouthelpingcountrieswherethemoretechnicalbarriersweputinplacethemoretheywillcontinuetoquestionhowusefulsatelliteEarthobservationsreallyareinapracticalsense.ThatwascertainlywhatPrincipalshadinmindwhentheyagreedto‘reboot‘theLSI-VCattheKyotoPlenary.


Page2

BoththeCEOSChair,CSIRO,andtheSITChair,ESA,arelookingtothisgrouptoprovidesomeguidanceonhowwecanworktogether,inthelandremotesensingdomain,todothis.BoththeCEOSChairandSITChairarelookingtothisgrouptocomeupwithsolutionsonhowthetwobig,global,openlandimagingsystems–LandsatandSentinel-2–canworktogetherandsetanexample.

Theparticipantsintroducedthemselvesinatourdetable.

ReviewofLSI-VC-1ActionsandSubgroupStatus

MattSteventon(CEOSChairTeam)reviewedthestatusoftheactionsrecordedatLSI-VC-1.Henotedthattherewere19Actions–13ofwhichhavebeencompleted,2areinprogress,2areonhold,and2aretobeprogressedatLSI-VC-2.

Mattalsoreviewedthecurrentstatusofthethreesubgroups–Requirements(includingcarbon),ARD/DataCube,andWorkPlan/Timeline–notingthattheexistingmembershipissuggestedandbasedonindicatedinterests.Thethreesubgroupshavebeenproposedtodistributeworkload,engageVCmembersandincreaseparticipationintasks,andtocapitaliseonmembers’uniqueexperienceandperspectives.

Session2:CEOSLSIAnalysis-ReadyDataIntroduction,ReviewofARDDefinitionDocument

AdamLewis(GA)recalledthattheLSI-VCwastaskedwithprogressingtheCEOSdefinitionofAnalysisReadyData(ARD)forlandsurfaceimagingatCEOSSIT-31.ARDaresatellitedatathathavebeenprocessedtoaminimumsetofrequirementsandorganizedintoaformthatallowsimmediateanalysiswithoutadditionalusereffort.

ThedocumentwasfirstinitiatedbytheCEOSSystemsEngineeringOffice(SEO)andsinceSIT-31variousinputshavebeenreceivedfromLSI-VCmembers.Now,attheoccasionofLSI-VC-2,wehaveanear-finaldraftfordiscussionandconfirmation.AttheconclusionofthismeetingwewillhaveafinaldraftfordiscussionatCEOSSITTechnicalWorkshopinSeptember,afterwhichthedocumentwillbesubmittedtoCEOSPlenaryinNovember.Thisprocesswasagreed,howeverBrianKillough(NASA,SEO)notedthatendorsementatPlenaryisabigagencycommitment,implyingthatactionwillbetaken,sowemustbeconsiderateofthepositionofotheragencies.

AdamnotedthattheARDdefinitionissupposedtobesufficientlyhigh-levelandnon-specifictoallowapplicationtoallsensors.Thedefinitionisasetofguidelinesthatsensor-specificspecificationscanbewrittentofollow.

YvesCrevier(CSA)askedhowthedefinitionofARDisdifferenttotheterminologyusedbytheCEOSWGISSDataStewardshipInterestGrouptodefinedataprocessinglevels.BriannotedthattheterminologyusedtodefinedataprocessinglevelsisrelevanttothedefinitionofARD–accordingtothedefinitionsitshouldmeettheminimumrequirementsofLevel-2orhigher.


Page3

EuropeanPerspectiveonARD

BiancaHoersch(ESA)notedthatEuropeisconsideringalternativestothecentralised‘processandpush’methodofdatadistribution.ESA’sgoalistocreateanonlineworkingenvironmentthatallowsuserstoworkondata(includingfromothersourcessuchasinsitumeasurements)withoutdownloadingit,avoidinglargeinternettransfers.

ESAispursuingtheThematicExploitationPlatform(TEP)approach–adistributeddataprocessingsolutionthatwillbethebackboneofEurope’sEOstrategy.Therearecurrentlysixdomain-specificTEPs,howeverthereareplansforageneralTEPaswellasTEPsforR&D(e.g.EarthExplorers)andcommercialdata.FortheCopernicusmissionstheapproachisbeingagreedandpreparedwiththeEC.Formoreinformationseethepresentationfileathttp://ceos.org/meetings/lsi-vc-2/andalsohttps://tep.eo.esa.int

BiancaalsosharedESA’sperspectiveontheconceptof‘AnalysisReadyData’,notingthatthecoreoftheagency’sconcernrevolvesaroundthefactthatdifferentusers/applicationshavedifferentdefinitionsof‘analysis-ready’,andthereforeitisnotcorrecttosaythatdataprocessedtoanycertainlevelwillbe‘analysis-ready’forall.ESA/ECarealsowaryofagreeingtohostanotherdataset–citingthesignificantstorageandprocessingresourcesthatarerequiredtodoso.YvesCrevier(CSA)andSteveCovington(USGS)notedthattheARDdefinitiondocumentdoesn’truleoutthepossibilityofcreatingARDontheflyusingplatformssuchastheTEPs.


Page4

JonathonRoss(GA,CEO)notedthattheTEPsarecompletelydependentuponusershavingrobustconnectionstotheinternet,whichservesEuropeandEuropeanscientistswell,howeverthisarchitecturedoeslittletosupportdevelopingcountrieswithpoortelecommunicationsinfrastructure.JonathonalsonotedthatwhileTEPscouldactashostsforDataCubes,theremustbesomewaytointegratelargeamountsofdatafromothersourcessuchasLandsat,otherwisethekeyinteroperabilitybenefitsoftheDataCubeinfrastructurewillnotberealised.Datasovereigntyisanotherbigissueforcountries,andtheirunwillingnesstouseforeign-ownedTEPsisalikelyhurdle.

CanadianPerspectiveonARD

YvesCrevier(CSA)sharedhisperspectiveofhowARDappliesintheCanadiancontext.Radarsat-2offersalargevarietyofmodesandproductstosupportmanyadvancedapplications.Thesystemisdesignedinanàlacartefashiontosupportthecustomneedsofusers.

Yvesnotedthatacoherentarchiveofdatadoesnotexist,duetothelargeofferingofimagingmodes.Thereishoweveraprecedentcreatedinsupportofmarinesecuritystakeholders(MSSRmode)whichdemonstratesthepossibilityofdefiningaterrestrialARDproductinthefuture–inparticularfortheRadarsatConstellationMission(RCM).

TheRCMacquisitionstrategywillfollowasystematicstandardcoverageconcept,allowingcoherentthematicdatacollection(basedonrequirementsfromvarioususercommunities).ThissupportstheconceptofdefiningaSARARDproduct(perhapsabeta/gamma/sigmanought)thatcouldbesuppliedalongsidedataprocessingtoolboxesforthegenerationofhigherlevelproducts.

YvesnotedthatCSAconsidersorthorectificationpartofthehigher-levelproducts.BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)andSteveCovington(USGS)suggestedthatorthorectificationisanecessarycomponentofaSARARDproductinordertopromotetheproductionofsatellitedatathathavebeenprocessedtoaminimumsetofrequirementsandorganizedintoaformthatallowsimmediateanalysiswithoutadditionalusereffort.


Page5

ARDRequirementsandBenefits

AdamLewis(GA)presentedsomecontextandbackgroundinformationtoaidthediscussionaroundtheneedforARD.Hepresentedanexamplebasedontemperaturemeasurements,notingthatwhilethermometers(sensors)willalwaysvary,themeasurementsshouldbeconsistentandcomparable.Inordertodothisforremotelysensedmeasurements,weneedtoknow:location(forstackability),generalmetadata(wheredidthemeasurementcomefrom,i.e.whatinstrument/mission),andqualitymetadata(i.e.cloudimpact,landtype,missingdata,accuracy).TheconceptofARDaimstocapturealloftheserequirementsandremovebarrierstouse.

AdamnotedthatARDneednotexcludecommercialdata,asitisjustadefinitionthatproviderscanchoosetofollow.DatapolicyisadifferentpotentialbarriertodatausethatisnotwithinthescopeoftheARDdefinitiondocument.

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)notedthatsurfacereflectanceistheoptimumtargetforARD.Thealgorithmusedtoreachthispointisnotimportant,aslongasitiswelldocumented.Headdedthatthemajorityofusershehasinteractedwithwanttheabilitytoeasilyperformcloudmasking.Thisisacomputationallydifficultprocess,sodoingthecalculationsonceandstoringtheresults(asmetadataflags)isfavourable.Forthisreason,cloudmetadataisincludedintheARDdefinition(inthequalitymetadatasection).

ItwasagreedthatradardataisacrucialelementoflandsurfaceimagingandmustbeincludedintheCEOSARDdefinition.Thedocumentcurrentlyincludestworadar-specificrequirements:radiometriccorrectionfortopography(usingaDEM)andincidenceangle.AdamnotedtheprogressthatGAandUKSAhaverecentlymadeonimplementingaSARDataCubeusingorthorectifiedgamma-noughtfromALOS-1/2andSentinel-1viaaUKCatapultproject.

Action01AdamLewistosharetheCatapultreport:‘CollaborativeSyntheticApertureRadarSolutionsforAustralia’,alongwithanyothersupportingmaterials.

October2016

ItwasagreedthattheARDdefinitiondocumentshouldbeopenforfuturerevisions.

BiancaHoersch(ESA)notedESA’sissueswiththename‘AnalysisReadyData’–dataprocessedtothelevelspecifiedwillnotbe‘analysis-ready’forallusersandapplications.JennLacey(USGS)suggestedrevisingthenameifitiscausingissues.BiancasupportedthisideaandshenotedthatESAagreeswiththeutilityofadatasetthatispre-processedtoalevelsuchasthatspecifiedinthedocument.BiancanotedthattheESATEPswillfacilitatethegenerationofmanydifferentproducts,and‘CEOSARD’couldcertainlybeamongthem.

AdamreviewedthenextstepsfortheARDdefinitiondocument.OverthecourseofthismeetingwewillrevisethedefinitionandproduceafinaldraftforreviewbyallLSI-VCmembers.ThedefinitionwillbepresentedforinformationandreviewatSITTechnicalWorkshop,afterwhichitwillbepresentedtoCEOSPlenary.AtCEOSPlenaryLSI-VCwillaskCEOStoacceptthehigh-leveldefinitionofARDandtoinitiateabroaderCEOSstrategyforARD.


Page6

SteveLabahn(USGS)notedthatUSGSwillbeCEOSChairin2017,andoneoftheirgoalswillbetoencourageandtrackagencyadoptionofARD.Briansupportedthis,notingthattheproductionofARDwillnotonlyaidusersbutalsohelpagenciespromotetheuseoftheirdata.

LandProductCharacterizationSystem(LPCS)

KevinGallo(NOAA)presentedtheLandProductCharacterizationSystem(LPCS)–aweb-basedsystemforcomparativeanalysisofsatellitedataandthegenerationofhigherlevelproducts.TheLPCSallowsuserstoidentifyareasanddatesofinterestandwillreturnavailableimagesfromavarietyofdatasets.TheLPCSwilldisplayallrelevantbrowseimagesbasedontheuserinputandwillthengiveuserstheopportunitytodefineoutputproducts,suchassensorcomparisonanalyses(figures,tables,statistics)aswellashigherlevelproductssuchassurfacereflectance.TheLPCSperformsauto-registrationofdatatocommonmapprojectionsandoffersseveralresamplingoptions.LPCSalsooutputsthegeoregisteredimagesthathavebeenselectedforanalysis.

USGSisproducingECVsusingLandsatandNOAAwillalsoproduceECVsusingABI/GOES-RandVIIRS.ThereareseveralmutualproductsofinterestandtheLPCSwillbeacriticaltoolforcomparingtheproductsfromthesedistinctsources.

TheLPCSiscurrentlyoperatingacrosstwodifferentsystems–onefororderinganddownloadandasecondfordataprocessing.Thesesystemswillbeintegratedinthenearfuture.Newdatasets(VIIRS,ABI/GOES-R,Sentinel-2/3)willalsobeadded(currentlyonlyMODISandLandsat-8aresupported)alongwithnewanalysistools,asresourcesallow.


Page7

KevinclosedhispresentationbynotingthatLPCShasbeenacceptedastheCEOSLPVtoolbyWGCV.TheLPVteamrequestedtheadditionofMODISalbedoproductsandsomenewanalysistools,andtheintegrationhasbeeninitiated.

JohnDwyer(USGS)notedthatUSGSwilllikelyuseLPCSforlong-termqualityassuranceoftheLandsatsurfacereflectanceandsurfacetemperatureproducts.GregStensaas(USGS)reportedthatUSGSwillassesstheuserbaseandloadoncethesystembecomesoperationalandwillholdfurtherdiscussionsaroundhowthesystemisutilised.

KevinnotedthattheLPCSwillbepublicisedoncethemigrationtoasingleintegratedsystemiscomplete.

JohnaskedwhethertheLPCScodebasemightbesharedviaGitHubtostimulatecollaborativedevelopment.Gregsupportedtheidea,notinghoweverthatthiswouldonlybeaconsiderationinthefuture.

AtmosphericCorrectionInter-comparisoneXercise

JeffMasek(NASA)introducedtheAtmosphericCorrectionInter-comparisoneXercise(ACIX)–anInternationalcollaborativeinitiativetointer-compareasetofatmosphericcorrection(AC)processorsforhighspatialresolutionopticalsensors(focusingonLandsat-8andSentinel-2).ThereareanumberofmethodsfortheACofopticaldata,andACIXaimstotakestockofthestrengths,weaknesses,commonalitiesanddifferencesof14ACprocessors,utilisingacommonintercomparisonprocedureandcollectionoftestsites.

The1stACIXworkshopwasheldinlateJune,duringwhichtheintercomparisonprotocolandproceduresweredefined,alongwiththedefinitionoftestregionsandtimeperiodsforqualityassessment.ResultsareexpectedbyOctober,withafinalanalysisreporttargetedformid-December.AfinalworkshopwillbeheldatESAESRINinQ12017.

Anumberoftestsiteshavebeenselectedacrossavarietyofbiomes.JonathonRoss(GA)askedwhetherthereareanygapsintheselectedtestsites.LeoLymburner(GA)notedthatasaltlakesitewasproposedduetotheconcernthathighlyreflectivesiteswereunderrepresented,howeveritwasnotincludedinthefinallist.


Page8

JeffalsogaveabriefstatusupdateontheMulti-SourceLandImaging(MuSLI)initiative–acollaborationbetweenNASAGSFC,ARC,andUMDtoproduceharmonizedLandsat/Sentinel-2(HLS)reflectanceproducts.Jeffnotedthatsampleproductsareexpectedinthenextfewweeks.TheseproductswillhavetheLandsat-8ACappliedaswellasaBRDFcorrection.Compositeimagesareyettobeproduced.BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)notedthattheMuSLIproductshavegreatpotentialforapplicationinaDataCube.

Action02 JeffMasektosharetheEARSeLpresentationontheharmonizedLandsat/Sentinel-2(HLS)processingsystem. COMPLETE

FutureDataAccessandAnalysisArchitecturesAdHocTeamReport

TomCecere(USGS)reportedthelatestontheCEOSFutureDataAccessandAnalysisArchitecturesAdHocTeam(FDA-AHT)andthereportbeingpreparedforpresentationatCEOSPlenary.TheFDA-AHTispreparingareporttoassessthepotentialofnewtechnologiesandapproachestothedistributionofsatellitedata–identifyingkeyissuesandopportunitiesandproposingaplanofactionforconsiderationbyCEOS.

TomnotedthatthisactivityisseparatetotheARDdefinitionbeingpreparedbyLSI-VCandwillnotpropagatethedefinition.TheFDAreportwillfocusondatadistributionarchitectures,andthesemayormaynotutilisesuchadefinition.

TheFDA-AHTstructurehasrecentlychanged,andtheteamiscurrentlyworkingtodeviserecommendationsforpresentationatCEOSPlenary.TheteamincludesrepresentativesfrommanyCEOSagencies,aswellastheSEOandWGISS,howeverTomnotedthatChineserepresentationisunfortunatelymissing.

AfinaldraftofthereportwillbereadybytheendofAugust,allowinga2-weekreviewperiodaheadofSITTechnicalWorkshop,duringwhichapre-Plenarydiscussionoftherecommendationsisplanned.

JonathonRoss(GA)notedthattheFDAreportistheinterfacebetweendata(inparticularARD)andthetechnicalsolutionsforitsdistributiontousers.

Session3:GapAnalysesandIncreasingtheVisibilityofLandSurfaceImagingDataHoldingsUSGSGapAnalysisToolsandProcesses/RequirementsCapabilities&AnalysisforEarthObservations(RCA-EO)

GregStensaas(USGS)introducedtheUSGSLandRemoteSensing(LRS)Programme’sRCA-EOinitiative.USGSispartneringwithU.S.FederalagenciestodocumentuserrequirementsforEarthobservationdataandthebenefitsthatthesedataprovidetoFederalprogrammes.RCA-EOwasestablishedtohelpUSGSandotheragenciestakebetteradvantageofU.S.andinternationalEarthobservationcapabilities,andtodeveloprequirements-driven,prioritizedinvestmentdecisionsfornewEOsystems,products,andservices.RCA-EOhasbeendevelopedinpartnershipwithNOAA,leveragingtheirlegacyeffortsfromthepast12years.

RCA-EOisbuiltupontheEarthObservationRequirementsEvaluationSystem(EORES)–arelationaldatabasesystemarchitecturethatstoresEOrequirementsandcapabilities,and


Page9

providesaweb-baseduserinterfaceallowinguserstodisplay,editandbrowseinformation;comparerequirementstocapabilities;assesstheabilityofobservingsystemstomeetFederalobjectives;andinformthedevelopmentofnewEOsystems.

GregnotedthatUSGSusesRCA-EOtoinputtotheU.SDecadalSurveyandNationalEarthObservationAssessment(whichinformstheNationalStrategyforCivilEarthObservations).EOrequirementsarededucedbylookingathigh-levelSBAsandapplicationsandthenassessingtechnicalrequirementsusingasensor/satelliteagnosticapproach:

FormoreinformationseethepresentationandtheRCA-EOwebsite:http://remotesensing.usgs.gov/rca-eo/


Page10

JennLacey(USGS)notedthatRCA-EOhasbeenextremelysuccessfulinallowingUSGSHQtoprovetheutilisationofLandsatacrossU.S.Federalagencies.

Gregnotedthattheemergenceofcommercialstart-upssuchasPlanetLabshaspresentednewchallengesaroundcapturingthecapabilitiesofEOsystems.

GregreportedthatananalysisofglobalrequirementshasalsobeenundertakenthroughasurveyoftheLandsatuserbaseandanalysesofuserregistrations.Henotedthatmoreresearchisrequiredtodiscernthebalancebetweenresearchandapplicationuse.

SteveCovington(USGS)notedthatRCA-EOisfocusedonmediumresolutionsatellitedata(driveninparticularbytheneedtodefinerequirementsforLandsat10),howeverthegoalistoserveasamoregeneralsourcetoinformU.S.decisionmakingprocessesandjustifybudgets.

JennremindedeveryonethatthepurposeofthissessionistoconsiderhowRCA-EOmightbeappliedtoCEOSgapanalysiseffortsaroundthevariousCEOSthematicstrategies.

GregnotedthattheRCA-EOteamisworkingwithESAandGAtoensureconsistencywiththeiruserrequirement/usagetrackingefforts.

RCA-EOisnotyetopentothepublic,andUSGSisstillconsideringwhatfunctionscouldbemadeavailableforpublicuse.AdamLewis(GA)askedwhetheradecoupledexternalinterfacecouldbesetuptofacilitatethecollectionofuserrequirements.Gregnotedthatitisapossibility.

GregreportedthatEOREShasthepotentialtoincludegeographicrequirements,butthisisanaspectofthedatabasethatisyettobeexplored.

MattSteventon(CEOSChairTeam)askedwhethertheEOASBAsarerankedintermsof‘importance’.GregreportedthattheindividualSBAteamsapplyweightingstothesub-itemswithintheSBA,whicharethenrankedonlywithintheirspecificSBA.

CEOSInformationSystemsandGapAnalyses

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)reviewed7CEOSinformationsystems/toolsandpresentedasummaryoftheirapplicabilitytocertainaspectsofgapanalyses:


Page11

TheSEOhastakenstockofthegapanalysisprocessandlookedathowthesesystemswouldbeleveraged.Brianpresentedanexampleforasinglerequirement(seebelow).Henotedthatperformingthisprocessonalargescalewouldrequirealotofresources,likelymakingitunfeasible.


Page12

BrianpresentedsomeclosingthoughtsforconsiderationbytheLSI-VC:

AdamLewis(GA)suggestedthatLSI-VCshouldn'tavoidincludingmeasurementgapsinitsscopeofwork,howeverweshouldbeawarethattheCEOSresponsewillbelong-term,ifany.Duetothelonglead-timesassociatedwithmissiondevelopment,Adamsupportedtheideaofongoingmeasurementassessmentssothatpotentialgapscanbeidentifiedbeforetheybecomeaproblem.

BriansupportstheGFOI/GEOGLAMmodelforLSI-VC,i.e.specificmeasurementrequirementassessmentsforpriorityCEOSinitiatives.


Page13

YvesCrevier(CSA)notedthatitwouldbeveryadvantageoustobeabletointegrateandharmonisetherequirementscomingfromvariouscommunitiesofpractice,suchthatCEOScouldidentifyacquisitionoverlapsandgaps,andeffectivelydetermineassociatedimpacts.

CEOSMIMDatabase

TomCecere(USGS)presentedsomepotentialimprovementstotheCEOSMIMDatabasethatcouldincreaseitsutilityforgapanalyses.Henotedinparticularthatthedatabaseonlyhasverycoarsesummariesofthespectralpropertiesofinstruments.Tomsuggestedthatmakingthespectralbandinformationmoreaccurateandmachine-readablewouldbeaveryworthwhileenhancement.

Tomalsonotedthattheinstrumentmeasurementparameters(selectablefromapre-definedmenu)areaddedmanuallyatthediscretionoftheMIMsurveyrespondent.Headdedthataccuracyinformationislackingformanyofthemeasurements.Hesuggestedthatthisisperhapsbecausehigher-levelproductaccuracyisnotbeingassessedontheagencyside.Heaskedwhethertheremightbeawaytoobjectivelyassignmeasurementparameters(andtheiraccuracies)toinstrumentsifmoredetailedspectralinformationwasavailable.

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)notedthattheMIMdatabaseisbuiltaroundtheideathatallinformationissuppliedbytheagenciesalone–thereisnoscopefortheESAMIMDatabaseteamtopresentinformationthatisdifferenttothatsuppliedbyanagency.

GregStensaas(USGS)suggestedthatauser-drivendeterminationofthemeasurementparametersmightbeapossibleapproach.HeaddedthatthiscoulddrawonsomeoftheRCA-EOwork.

YvesCrevier(CSA)suggestedthatLSI-VCcompilealistofenhancementsforconsiderationbytheESAMIMDatabaseteam.AdamLewis(GA)supportedthesuggestionandaddedthatweshouldrestricttheinitialscopetokeyLSImissions/instruments.

Action03

AdamLewistocommunicatetotheESAMIMDatabaseteam(perhapsviatheexpectedCEOSinformationsystemssurvey):LSI-VC’sunderstandingofthelimitationsoftheCEOSMIMDatabase,andtosharesuggestedtechnicalimprovementsforconsideration.

October2016

GEOGLAMRequirementsProcess

AlyssaWhitcraft(GEOGLAMSecretariat)presentedsomebackgroundontheGEOGLAMinitiative,notingtheobjectiveofGEOGLAMistostrengthenglobalagriculturalmonitoringbyimprovingaccesstoandutilizationofEarthobservations(space-basedlandobservations,agro-meteorology,andinsitumeasurements).ByprovidingcoordinatedEarthobservationsfromsatellitesandintegratingthemwithground-basedandotherinsitumeasurements,theinitiativewillcontributetogeneratingreliable,accurate,timelyandsustainedcropmonitoringinformationandproductionoutlooks.Theuniquecharacteristicsofcropmonitoring(e.g.,highobservationfrequencyrequirements,dynamicanddiversecropsystems,etc.)meanthatnosinglemissioniscapableofprovidingalloftherequiredmeasurements–acoordinatedstrategyisnecessary.ItisforthisreasonthattheCEOSad


Page14

hocWorkingGrouponGEOGLAMwasestablished,andin2012publishedacomprehensivetableofrequirements(shownbelow).

AlyssaclarifiedthatGEOGLAMdoesnotaimtoperformprecisionagriculturalmanagement,butrathertomonitorandreportonproduction/foodsupply.ShenotedthattherequirementstableincludesTIRunderoptical.SteveCovington(USGS)suggestedthatTIRbeincludedexplicitlyinfuturerevisions.Stevenotedthatobservationfrequencyiskey,ratherthansatelliterevisit,andhesuggestedthatLSI-VCkeepthisinmind(Alyssanotedthatinthetable,thisisdescribedas"Effectiveobservationfrequency(cloud-free)").

AlyssapresentedsomeresultsfromananalysiscarriedoutincollaborationwithCEOSSEOoftherevisitcapabilitiesofdifferentmissionconstellationsascomparedagainstthespatiallyexplicitGEOGLAMrequirements,whichaccountforusualcloudcover.Theresultsshowthatwhilenotallofthemoderate-resolution(10-100m)opticalrequirementsarebeingmetduetopersistentandpervasivecloudcover,itispossibletogetclosewithsufficientmissioncoordination.Theresultsalsodemonstratealevelofdiminishingreturnswiththeadditionoffurtheropticalmissions,andthatcoordinationofcloud-penetratingSARoveragriculturalareascould,inparticular,makealargedifferenceforGEOGLAM.


Page15

AdamLewis(GA)suggestedthatLSI-VCcouldlearnfromtheexperienceoftheCEOSadhocWorkingGrouponGEOGLAMandapplythesamerequirementsprocesstootherthematicareas.HeaddedthatLSI-VCshouldconsiderbothspaceandtimerequirements/capabilities.

SteveLabahn(USGS)notedthatonthe9thofJulyUSGSandUSDAenteredanagreementwithISROtoobtainAWiFScoveragefortheU.S.

LSI-VCRequirementsApproach

AdamLewis(GA)openedthediscussionsessionbyaskingwhatroleLSI-VCshouldplayinCEOSrequirementsanalysis.

JeffMasek(NASA)notedthatmediumresolutionlandsurfaceimagingissaturatedwiththeavailabilityofLandsat7,Landsat8andSentinel-2A;however,significantpotentialremainsaroundthecoordinationofSARacquisitions,giventhevarietyofimagingmodesanduniqueuserrequirements.

YvesCrevier(CSA)notedthattheCEOSadhocteamsplayacrucialroleinelicitingrequirementsfromthecommunitiesofpractice.

SteveCovington(USGS)notedthatboththeobservationalrequirementsandthedownstreamproduct/servicerequirementsshouldbeconsidered.Itisimportanttohaveanend-to-endperspective.

AdamsuggestedthatLSI-VCcouldplayaroleinbringingtogethertherequirements(usingacommonframework)andthenecessaryobservingcapabilities–suchasisdonebytheCEOS


Page16

adhocWorkingGrouponGEOGLAM.ItwasagreedthatLSI-VCshouldexploretheadoptionoftheapproachusedbytheCEOSadhocWorkingGrouponGEOGLAM.

Thursday–21stJuly2016

Session4:AgencyActivityReports CanadianSpaceAgency

YvesCrevier(CSA)reviewedtheactivitiesoftheCanadianSpaceAgency.HenotedthatwhileasystematicandcoherentobservationplanwasnotestablishedforRadarsat-1andRadarsat-2,theagencyhopestoachievethiswiththeRadarsatConstellationMission(RCM).HeaddedthatthechallengefacedbyCSAisthattherearealargenumberofusersandstakeholders,eachwiththeirownimagingrequirements.Thereishoweveranopportunitytoestablishnational-scale,long-term,andstandardizedinformationforeffectivemonitoringandmanagementacrossanumberofFederalagencies.

Yvessuggestedthatingeneral,theEOcommunityneedstogivemoreconsiderationtothepotentialofSARforterrestrialmonitoring,notinginparticularthatitwillalleviatemanyoftheissuesthatusershavewithopticaldata(e.g.cloudcover).InordertomakethemostofSAR,interoperabilityandcomplementaritywithopticaldatamustbeensured,andthedataneedstobeeasilyaccessible.Yvesnotedthat‘interoperability’and‘complementarity’areoftenmisusedintheSAR-opticalcontext,andhereferredeveryonetoWulderetal.(2015)forfurtherinformation.

TheRadarsatprogrammewasdevelopedtoempowerCanadianindustry,howeverthisalsoresultedinaverystringentspacepolicyactthatcomplicatestheavailabilityandaccessibilityofdata.InadditiontosupportingscientificactivitiesandupstreamR&D,CSAisaimingtodemonstratethevalueofbuildinganinformationindustrytoprovidepullforfuturemissions.YvesclosedbypresentingsomeotherCSApriorities,includingfocusareasrelatedtolandsurfaceimaging:

AdamLewis(GA)notedthatGeoscienceAustraliaandCSIROestablishedaSAR-basedDataCubeusingALOS,ALOS-2,andSentinel-1.Unfortunately,Radarsat-2wasexcludedduetocomplicationswiththedatapolicy.Yvesnotedthatonewayaroundtherestrictionsofthedatapolicyistodistributehigherlevelinformationproducts.YvesandAdamacknowledgedthatthebiggesthurdletothefullexploitationofRadarsatisthedatapolicy.ThedatapolicyforRCMisunknownatthisstage.


Page17

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)hasbeenworkingwithIanJarvis(AgricultureandAgri-FoodCanada,AAFC)tosetupaRadarsat-basedDataCubeforJECAM,howevertheyarehavingtroublefindingaserver.NASAisunabletohostforeignrestricteddatasetsandAAFCarenotabletopurchasecloudhostingdirectly.

EuropeanSpaceAgency/Europe

BiancaHoersch(ESA)reviewedthemajorEOactivitiesofESA,includingtheircontributionstoCopernicusaswellastheEarthExplorermissions.Biomass(aP-bandradarmission)andFLEX(vegetationfluorescencemission)havebeenselectedasthenexttwoEarthExplorers.

BiancanotedthatSentiel-1AisperformingnominalroutineoperationsandSentinel-2Ahasjustpasseditsfirstannualoperationsreview.Itisoperatinganaverageof14.2minutesperorbit(83%capacity)andacquiringoverEurope,AfricaandGreenlandsystematically.Sentinel-2BisscheduledforanearlyMarch2017launch(launcherandlocationTBC).TheSentinel-3Acommissioningphaseconcludedsuccessfullylastweek.

BiancareportedthatonceSentinel-1Bisfullyoperational,dailyproductionisexpectedtoincreasethree-foldto10TBby2017.Pass-throughoperations(real-timetransmission)willberampedupoverEurope,whichshouldimproveproducttimeliness(currently4-5hoursafteracquisition).

ItwasnotedthatSentinel-1acquisitionsegmentsareavailableonlineat:https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-1/observation-scenario/acquisition-segments

JonathonRoss(GA)askedwhetherthereisanyindicationthatpartnersoutsideofEuropemightbeabletoundertakedirectpass-throughoperationsviaEuropeanDataRelaySatellite(EDRS).Therewasnoconclusiveanswer,howeveritisunlikelyatthisstage.

BiancareportedthefollowingSentinel-2missionoutlook:

BiancaconfirmedthatSentinel-2Level-2A(surfacereflectance)productswillbegeneratedsystematicallyfollowingasummer2016pilotprojectandatmosphericcorrectionalgorithmstudy(separatetoACIX).TheSentinelToolboxwillremainavailableforusersthatwishtoperformtheirownprocessing.


Page18

Action04BiancaHoerschtoinformtheLSI-VCabouttheschedulefor:

a) themigrationtoSentinel-2tiles;and,b) thereprocessingoftheexistingarchive.

COMPLETETileswillbeavailablein

SeptemberandthefirstCommissioningPhasereprocessingwillbedonebytheendoftheyear.

BiancanotedthataSentinel-2ValidationTeam(S2VT)meetingisplannedforNovember.Sheaddedthatitisanopenmeeting.

BiancaclosedbynotingsomedatadistributionstatisticsandshepresentedthefollowingaccessoptionsforCopernicusdata:

KristiKline(USGS)notedthatUSGShasidentifiedhighlatencyontheencryptionlayeroftheCopernicusdatahubs,andthismightbecausingthedownloadissuestheyareexperiencing.ShesuggestedthatESAconsiderencryptingonlytheheaders(thepracticeatUSGS).BiancaacknowledgedtheissueandnotedthatESAhopestheswitchtotileswillalsohelpreducelatency.

UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey

JennLacey(USGS)presentedanoverviewofthecurrentstatusofLandsatoperationsandUSGSactivities.ShereportedthatLandsat7end-of-missionplanningisunderway,anditsorbitalaltitudewillbelowered8kmtomaximiseitspotentialforoverlapwithLandsat9,resultinginanewmeanlocaltimeof09:15.Landsat7hasalsobeenselectedastheprimecandidateforNASA’son-orbitservicingandrefuelingtrial,howeveranyextendedoperationsarereliantupontheidentificationoffunding.

Action05JennLaceytoshareBrianSauer’sLandsatScienceTeammeetingpresentationrelatedtodatacollectionmanagement.

COMPLETE


Page19

GeneFosnight(USGS)reportedthatLandsat8isperforminganaverageof684.8acquisitionsperday,includingaround12highlyoff-nadirAntarcticandArcticacquisitionstosupportspecialrequests.HeaddedthatnightcoveragesofLandsat8arefocusedoncalibrationsitesandvolcanoes.

NASA

JeffMasek(NASA)presentedanoverviewofNASA’sEarthsciencemissionportfolio,notingthattheNASA-ISROSARMission(NISAR,dualL+Sband)inparticularisapotentiallyimportantmissionfromtheLSI-VCperspective.TheobjectiveofNISARistounderstand:theresponseoficesheetstoclimatechangeandtheinteractionofseaiceandclimate;thedynamicsofcarbonstorageanduptakeinwooded,agricultural,wetland,andpermafrostsystems;and,thelikelihoodofearthquakes,volcaniceruptions,andlandslides.Jeffnotedthatalldatawillbemadeavailablefreelyandopenly,consistentwiththelong-standingNASAEarthScienceopendatapolicy.NISARistheSARcomponentofthecancelledDESDynImission,withtheGEDIlaseraltimeter(ontheISS)beingtheotherhalf.FortechnicaldetailsseethepresentationontheLSI-VC-2meetingpage:http://ceos.org/meetings/lsi-vc-2/

GEDIwillbeusedtomeasureforeststructureandbiomassinthetropicswithupto80%accuracyin500m2cells.JeffnotedthatthemissionisplannedtobeoperatingatthesametimeasNISARandBIOMASS,andthispresentsagoodopportunityforcoordinationintheGFOIcontext.HeaddedthatGEDIisnowa2-yearmissioninordertoproduceaglobalbiomassassessment.

JeffnotedthattheECOSTRESSmission(alsoontheISS)aimstocollect1-years’worthofdata–notnecessarilyover1calendaryear.

JeffreportedthatLandsat9isarebuildofLandsat8withanumberofenhancements.OLI-2isessentiallyunchanged,howeverTIRSwillbesubstantiallyrebuilttomakeitaClassBinstrument(5-yeardesignlife).Therebuildwillincludeothertechnicalupgradestoaddressthestraylightissueinband11andtofixthesceneselectmirrorencoderelectronics.Thetargetforlaunchiscurrentlythe15thofDecember2020.


Page20

GeoscienceAustralia

AdamLewis(GA)presentedanupdateonGA’sactivities.HenotedthatGAisincreasingitscooperationwithUSGSandEurope(inparticulararoundtheCopernicusdatahub).DevelopmentoftheAustralianGeoscienceDataCube(AGDC)continues,withversion2nowreleasedasopensourceonGitHub.ChrisHolden(BostonUniversity)andBrianKillough(NASA,SEO)areusingAGDCv2andBrianhasimplementedGA’sWaterObservationsfromSpace(WOfS)algorithm.

Action06JonathonRosstoinvestigatewhethertheSARWOfSalgorithmdevelopedthroughtheAustralia-UKCatapultprojectcanbeshared.

COMPLETECannotbeshared

GAiscurrentlyreprocessingtheirentireLandsatarchivetomeettheneedsofAGDCv2andtheyarealsoaddingtheabilitytoingestSentinel-2data.GAisdevelopinganewcollectionmanagementsystemwithsmartversioningtoavoidunnecessaryreprocessinginthefuture.

AdamclosedhispresentationwithanumberofDataCubedemonstrations,includinganAustralia-widetidallevelvariationproduct.FormoredetailsseethepresentationontheLSI-VC-2meetingpage:http://ceos.org/meetings/lsi-vc-2/

BriannotedhisrecentvisittotheWorldBankandtheirinterestinapplyingtheDataCube–inparticularforAfricaandthePacificIslands.ThetidallevelvariationalgorithmwouldlikelybeveryusefulforthePacificIslands.


Page21

Action07

BrianKilloughtosendBiancaHoerschandJonathonRossthelistofPacificIslandsofinteresttotheWorldBankregardingDataCubedevelopment.BiancaHoerschtocheckacquisitionpossibilitieswithSentinel-2.

COMPLETEAllprioritiesaddedwithinS2plan

Session5:LSI-VCActivitiesinSupportoftheCEOSStrategyforCarbonObservationsfromSpaceReviewofCEOSCarbonCommitments(CARB-08)

MattSteventon(CEOSChairTeam)reviewedthehistoryoftheCEOSStrategyforCarbonObservationsfromSpace:

JonathonRoss(GA)notedthatthecarbonactionassignments(tospecificCEOSgroups)wereendorsedatthe28thCEOSPlenaryandthatMarkDowell(EC)hasbeenassignedtooverseeimplementationoftheCEOSCarbonStrategy.

Adiscussionwasheldaroundthe4actionsspecificallyassignedtoLSI-VC:− CARB-08-02:TherelevantCEOSVCsandCEOSWGClimatewillacttoincludeIGCOprioritiesforcontinuity

carbon-relatedobservationsofthelandsurfacefromspaceintheirrespectiveactivitiestocoordinatetheVCsandclimate-relatedmeasurements.2017-Q4

− CARB-08-03:CEOSAgencieswithhistoricalmoderate-resolution(~250m-1km)satellitedatarecordswillstrivetoensurethesedataarepubliclyavailableandusedtocreatethemoderate-resolution(~250m-1km)recordsoflandpropertiesoverthehistoricalsatelliterecordthatareusefulforcarbonscience.TheywillcoordinatetheireffortswithrelevantCEOSWGsandVCs.2017-Q4

− CARB-08-04:CEOSAgencieswithhistoricalmedium-resolution(~30m-100m)satellitedatarecordswillstrivetoensurethesedataarepubliclyavailableandusedtocreatethemedium-resolutionrecordsoflandpropertiesoverthehistoricalsatelliterecordthatareusefulforcarbonscience.TheywillcoordinatetheireffortswithrelevantCEOSWGsandVCs.2017-Q4

− CARB-08-06:IndividualCEOSAgencieswithinterestsinand/ormandatesfordeveloping1)satellitestoobservewetlandsandinlandwatersand2)wetlandandinlandwaterdataproductswillcoordinatetheireffortsinconsultationwithrelevantCEOSWGsandVCs.2016-Q2


Page22

ForCARB-08-02itwasagreedthatLSI-VCshouldreviewthedocument:IntegratedGlobalCarbonObservationTheme:AStrategytoRealizeaCoordinatedSystemofIntegratedGlobalCarbonCycleObservations,todeterminewhetheritistheappropriateresource.TheendproductmightbeatableofIGCOprioritieswithamappingtothecapabilities–similartotheGEOGLAMexample.TheLSI-VCwillalsoconsideraresponsetoMarkDowellwithfurtherquestionsontheintentofthisaction.

Action08AdamLewistocoordinateLSI-VCactionon‘CARB-08-02:InclusionofIGCOcontinuityprioritiesinVCandWGClimateactivities’.BriantosendAdamtheIGCOdocument.

October2016

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)presentedtheoutputsthattheSEOgeneratedinresponsetoCARB-08-03andCARB-08-04.TheSEOhasdevelopedalistofmoderateandmediumresolutionsatellitedatarecordsmeasuringlandpropertiesrelevanttocarbonscienceanddescribedtheirdatapolicies,measurementtype,domain,timeofrecord,resolutionandotherrelevantproductdetails.

TheLSI-VCLeadsthankedBrianandtheSEOfortheireffort.ItwasagreedthatonceBrianmakesafewfinalupdates,thetablesshouldbecirculatedforLSI-VCreviewandfeedback,beforetransmissiontoMarkDowell.LSI-VCmighthavearoletoplayinpromptingactionfromCEOSagenciesinresponsetoCARB-08-03andCARB-08-04,howeverthesetablesareconsideredtobetheextentofLSI-VC’sactionfornow.


Page23

Action09

BrianKilloughtomakesomefinaladjustmentstotheSEO’sCARB-08-03andCARB-08-04responsesandtocirculatethespreadsheetstoLSI-VCmembersforreviewandsubmissiontoMarkDowell.

October2016

ItwasnotedthatCARB-08-06iscurrentlydueinQ22016,anditwasagreedthatthisdatemustbechanged.ItisalsonecessarytoassessthepotentialoverlapwiththeCEOSWaterStrategy.

Action10LSI-VCLeadstoensurethattheduedateforCARB-08-06ischangedandtoassessthepotentialoverlapwiththeCEOSWaterStrategy.

SITTW

Itwasnotedthatweareexpectedtoreportourcarbonactionstatusbeforethe2016SITTechnicalWorkshop.Theindicationtodatehasbeenthatwewilljustreportbackshowinggoodprogressandthatwehaveanideaofthenextsteps–itisnotexpectedthatallofthecarbonactionswillbecompletebythistime.

Action11LeadstoensurethatallfouroftheLSI-VCCARB-08actionsareupdated/deferredtobytheendofAugustinpreparationforSITTechnicalWorkshop.

SITTW

Action12JonathonRoss/MattSteventontosharethefullCARB-08actionspreadsheet,whichincludesdetailsofthesupportingCEOSentitiesforeachaction.

SITTW

SDCGforGFOIandtheLinkagestotheCEOSCarbonStrategyandLSI-VC

GeneFosnight(USGS)reviewedtheaimoftheGlobalForestObservationsInitiative(GFOI)andtheroleoftheCEOSSpaceDataCoordinationComponent.GFOIseekstofosterforestmonitoringandassessmentthatisrobust,reliable,andachievableatreasonablecost,andsupportsplanningfornationaldevelopmentprioritiesincludingclimatechangemitigationandadaptation.FacilitationofforestobservationsinsupportofnationalforestmonitoringsystemsisafundamentalobjectiveforGFOI.CEOShastakenontheleadershipofthespacedatacomponenttosupportsupplyofdatatoparticipatingcountries.


Page24

WiththelaunchofLandsat8andSentinel-1and-2,theSDCG’sbaseline,coordinatedglobaldataacquisitionstrategyiswellcovered.FocushasnowshiftedtoElement2(acoordinatedstrategyfornationaldataacquisitions)aswellasElement3(datasupplyinsupportofGFOIR&Dactivities).

AcurrentfocusfortheSDCGistheGlobalDataFlowsStudy.Thisdocumentconsidersthebarrierstoeffectiveuseofsatellitedatainimplementingmeasurement,reportingandverificationwithinnationalforestmonitoringsystemsinsupportofREDD+,andevaluatesdifferentsolutionsforreducingorremovingthesebarriersandensuringefficientglobalflowsofthedata.


Page25

GenenotedthatmanycountriesareusingtheUniversityofMaryland/MattHansenglobalforestproductsastheir‘AnalysisReadyData’,howeverthisdatasetisnotsuitedforcountry-levelreporting.

ItwasnotedthatGFOIandGEOGLAMareevolvinginparallel.Theyarefacingthesamechallengesandissuesrelatedtodatadistributionandthecollaborationwehaveseenisverypositive.

Discussion:LSI-VCStrategyforRequirements(includingcarbon)

AdamLewis(GA)askedwhetherthereisanopportunityforLSI-VCtoapplythelessonslearnedandapproachesdevelopedthroughGFOIandGEOGLAMtonewthematicareassuchaswater.BrianKillough(NASA,SEO),AlyssaWhitcraft(GEOGLAMSecretariat)andGeneFosnight(USGS)supportedthis,notingthattheGEOGLAMapproachtomappingrequirementsandcapabilitiesisexemplary.Itwasagreedthattherewouldbegreatutilityinastandard‘CEOSapproach’torequirementsandcapabilitiesanalysis,whichusestheGEOGLAMrequirementsmatrixasabasis.

TomCecere(USGS)suggestedthatthemoreLSI-VCcandotoformaliseanapproachtorequirement-capabilityanalysis,thebetterwecanguidethenecessaryinputfromthematiccommunitiesofpractice.

Action13

BrianKillough,JennLaceyandBiancaHoerschtoinitiateaplanforLSI-VCtoestablishthe‘CEOSapproach’torequirements/capabilityanalysis–applyingtheproceduresthathavebeendevelopedinGEOGLAMandSDCG,inparticularthe‘requirementsmatrix’.

LSI-VC-3

Session6:DataCubeActivitiesSEOFDAActivities–CEOSDataCube&3-YearWorkPlan

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)presentedsomeoftheCEOSSEO’srecentactivitiesrelatedtotheDataCube.Inparticular,henotedthecustommosaictoolaswellastheSEO’simplementationofGA’sWaterObservationsfromSpace(WOfS)algorithm(inPython)andtherecentdemonstrationtoTheWorldBank,whichwasreceivedverypositively.

Action14

AdamLewisandBrianKilloughtoexplorethepossibilityofsettingupasmallDataCubeoverAustraliaforvalidationoftheSEO’simplementationoftheWOfSalgorithmbycomparingtheresultstoGA’s.

Q32017


Page26

BriannotedthatWOfShasgreatpotentialtoinformsustainablebuildingdecisionsbasedonhistoricalfloodextents,andTheWorldBankisveryinterestedinapplyingtheDataCubeandWOfStotheareasurroundingLakeChadinAfrica.

TheSEOisinvolvedintwoin-countryimplementationsoftheDataCube–withColombiaandKenya.TheColombianteamwishtoapplytheDataCubeforwatermanagementandforestryapplications,andtheyareshowinggreatprogress.KenyaareinvestigatingtheapplicationoftheDataCubeforforestrypurposes,andwhiletheirprogressisabitslower,Brianhopesthattheywillacceleratein2017.

BrianalsopresentedtheCEOSDataCube3-YearWorkPlan:


Page27

TheWorkPlanoutcomescover5keyareas(refertothepresentationforfulldetails):coretechnology,datapreparationandformatting,userrequirementsandengagement,prototypes,andcapacitybuilding.

BrianpresentedthefollowingclosingthoughtsforconsiderationbyLSI-VC:

Action15 LSI-VCmemberstoprovidefeedbackontheCEOSDataCube3-YearWorkPlan. October2016

BriannotedthattheSEOiswholly-responsiblefortheCEOSDataCube.OnlyLSI-VCisactivelyengaged–mostlythroughtheARDdefinition–andBrianwouldliketoseefurtherpullandinputfromotherCEOSgroups.Headdedthatitwouldbeidealtohaveinputfromothercountries(e.g.China).

TomCecere(USGS)suggestedthatLSI-VCisnottheforumforDataCubedevelopment,howeverLSI-VChasakeyroletoplayindefiningARDandthereforemustremainawareofthelatestdevelopments.BriannotedthattheremightberoomforanappropriatelyscopedCEOSDataCubeadhocteamtoserveastheforumfordevelopment(involvingWGISS,LSI-VC,etc.),thoughthisremainsjustanideafornow.

Action16 BrianKilloughtoinvestigatetheCNESSPOT-5DataCubewithStevenHosford. October2016

BiancaHoersch(ESA)notedthatthePROBA-V/SentinelteamsareinvestigatingmethodologiesforcombiningSentinel-2andSentinel-3datatomitigatethelossofthePROBA-V/Vegetationdataset(expectedtoreachEOLinMay2018atthelatest).BriansuggestedthattheDataCubecouldbeagoodplatformforcombiningthedatasets.


Page28

Session7:Long-termLSI-VCStrategyandVisionDiscussion:LSI-VC—IsThereaBigObjective?

AdamLewis(GA)openedthediscussionsessionbyaskinghowwegetoutofa‘reactive’mode,andrecalledthekeyelementsoftheLSI-VCmission:

− TomaximisethevaluederivedfromCEOSagencylandsurfaceimagingassetsandactivitiesbyprovidinganoverarchingcoordinationrole;and,

− TofacilitatecoordinatedandoptimisedlandsurfaceimagingcontributionsfromCEOSagenciestoenableaccesstofundamentalmeasurementproductsinsupportofrequirementslinkedtoCEOSpriorities.Theseprioritiesaretypicallyderivedfromkeystakeholders,suchasUNprogramsandGEO.

Adamnotedthatactivitiestoachievethismissionareexpectedin:synthesisofrequirements,coordinationofmissions,consistencyofproducts,andpromotionofuse.Adamalsonotedthatwhilespecialworkinggroups(e.g.SDCG/GFOI,GEOGLAM)haveexpertise,thereisnorecognisedcommonCEOSapproachandnomechanismtosummarisetheconsolidatedrequirementsandcapabilities.TheworkofSDCG/GFOIandGEOGLAMprovideskeyconceptssuchastheobservationrequirementsmatrix,andthevariousCEOSinformationsystemsarekeytoolsthatwillfacilitatethiswork.AdamaskedwhetherthereareothercommonconceptsthatLSI-VCcouldapplytootherthematicareassuchaswater.

BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)supportedtheidea,notingthathehasbeeninvolvedintheprocessanumberoftimesanditwouldbeidealtoformalisetherequirementsmatrixprocesstohelpnewinitiativescommunicatetheirneeds.

Action17 BrianKilloughandAlyssaWhitcrafttoaddthespecificationtabletotheCARD4Lspecificationdocument. COMPLETE

MattSteventon(CEOSChairTeam)suggestedthatLSI-VCcouldactastheinterfacebetweenthecommunitiesofpractice(providingtherequirements)andCEOSagencies(thosewiththecapabilities).LSI-VChasaroletoplayasthecentral‘voice’,preventingagenciesbeingoverwhelmedbynumerousandperhapsconflictingrequests.HeaskedhowLSI-VCmightcommunicatetherequirements–inanadhocmannerorperhapsviaperiodicreporting?

JeffMasek(NASA)andAlyssaWhitcraft(GEOGLAMSecretariat)soughtclarificationonthescopeofLSI-VC’swork.ItwasagreedthatLSI-VCshouldnotstrayintoimplementationorrequirementsgathering,ratherjustprovideauniformprocessforcollectingrequirementsfromthematiccommunitiesofpracticeandmatchingtherequirementstoCEOScapabilities.

AlyssaaskedaboutthepotentialfuturedisbandingtheCEOSadhocWorkingGroupforGEOGLAM.JonathonRoss(GA,CEO)suggestedthattheCEOSadhocWorkingGroupforGEOGLAMwouldexistalongsideLSI-VC(astheexpertsthatmaintaintherequirements)untilsuchatimethattherequirementsreachasemisteadystate,afterwhichtheadhocWGcouldberepresentedbyafewrepresentativesontheLSI-VC.

TomCecere(USGS)askedhowLSI-VCmightencouragemoreagenciestomaketheirdatasetsopenandfree.HesupportedtheideaofengagingmoreagenciesinLSI-VC–


Page29

particularlythosewithoutfreeandopendatapolicies.JennLacey(USGS)supportedthisideaaswell,howevertheLSI-VCwasunsurethatthiswouldbeaproductivecourseofaction.

YvesCrevier(CSA)suggestedthatLSI-VCshouldaimtounderstandthestateofinteroperabilityandcomplementaritybetweendatasetsandpromotefurtheractionaroundthis.HealsosuggestedthatLSI-VCcouldinitiateinteroperability/complementaritypilots.

JennsuggestedthattheLSI-VCreferbacktotheImplementationPlanendorsedatthe2015CEOSPlenarytohelpguideitswork.

ItwasagreedthatthefinalsessionofLSI-VC-2wouldbeusedtostepthroughtheLSI-VCImplementationPlan,assessourprogress,anddetailthespecifictasksforeachactivityarea.ItwasalsoagreedthatwewouldreviewthelatestdraftoftheARDdefinitiondocumentasagroup.

LSI-VC-3

HostingoptionsforLSI-VC-3werediscussedbriefly.ItwasnotedthatESAESRINwillhosttheWorldCover2017conference(http://worldcover2017.esa.int/)fromthe14thtothe16thofMarch2017,andBiancasuggestedthatLSI-VC-3couldbeheldtheweekafter,onMarch20thand21st.Ifthisispossible,AlyssawillattempttoscheduleaGEOGLAMmeetingforthefollowingtwodays–March22ndand23rd.

Action18 BiancaHoerschtoexplorethepossibilityofESAESRINhostingLSI-VC-3fromMarch20th–21st.

COMPLETEConfirmed

(roomsDandE)

Friday–22ndJuly2016

Session8:Wrap-upandCloseReviewoftheARDDefinitionDocument

TheLSI-VCreviewedandeditedthelatestversionoftheARDdefinitiondocument.Anumberofchangesandclarificationsweremade(seethechangetrackedversionfordetails).Inparticular,theLSI-VCaddedclarificationaroundtheterm‘analysis-ready’,changed‘ARD’to‘CARD4L’(CEOSAnalysisReadyDataforLand),andsplitthedocumentintotwoparts(thehigh-leveldefinitionandtheexamplespecifications).

Action19 BrianKilloughtocirculatebothoftheCARD4Ldocuments(high-leveldefinitionandexamplespecifications)forreview. COMPLETE


Page30

Action20

AdamLewistodraftthetaskandpotentialmembershipofaradarteamtoprogresstheexamplespecificationsofSARCARD4L.MembershipshouldincludeJAXA,ESA(BiancaisPOC),CSA(PaulBriandhasconfirmed),NASA,andUKSA.Theteamshouldstartwiththegamma-noughtspecification,anditwasnotedthatthehigh-leveldefinitionisoutsideofscope.

October2016

LSI-VCImplementationPlanReview

JennLacey(USGS)askedwhetherwerequireaWorkPlan.BrianKillough(NASA,SEO)andJonathonRoss(GA,CEO)suggestedthatwehaveashort,informalstatementofwork(preferablydotpoints)tohelpguideourefforts.

Followingthissuggestion,theLSI-VCreviewedtheImplementationPlanobjectives/deliverablesandassignedtasksforeach.Thefollowingisasummaryofthe

decidedtasks.

Phase1Activities(2015-2016)

Objective/Deliverable Tasks

Identifygapsin/opportunitiesforacquisition-planninginsupportoftheCEOSCarbonStrategy.

1. LSI-VCwillcreateageneraltemplateandframeworkforrequirementandcapabilityassessment,basedontheGEOGLAMrequirements‘matrix’example.

2. ThisapproachtorequirementandcapabilityassessmentwillbetestedbyapplyingittotheCEOSCarbonStrategy(inconsultationwithWGClimate/MarkDowell,wherenecessary),usingCEOSinformationsystemsandRCA-EOtoaidtheprocesswhereverpossible.

3. TheframeworkwillbetweakedbasedontheexperienceandsharedwiththeCEOScommunityforfeedbackandrevisions.

4. LSI-VCwilladopttheframeworkfortheassessmentofallfuturerequirementsthatarepresentedtoCEOS.Theframework/templatewillbesharedwithallcommunitiesofpracticethatapproachCEOStoensurethattheirsubmissionsalignwiththerequirementsofLSI-VC.

DefineintercomparableAnalysis-ReadyData(ARD)productswithinthecontextoflandsurfaceimaging.

1. BrianwillcirculatethelatestversionoftheCARD4Ldefinition(updatedduringLSI-VC-2)totheLSI-VCLeadsforreviewanddistributiontoLSI-VCmembers.

2. ThedefinitionwillbesharedwithCEOSatthe2016SITTechnicalWorkshop.

3. Atthe2016Plenary,CEOSwillbeaskedtoendorsetheCARD4Ldefinition,alongwithadecisiontodevelopastrategyforimplementingCARD4LwithinCEOS.Thespecificationdocumentwillnotbesubmittedforendorsement,butperhapssharedintheformofa


Page31

presentation.

Increasethevisibilityoflandsurfaceimagingdataholdings.

1. Nospecificactionrequired.2. Therequirement/capabilityanalysisprocesswillbeshared

withWGISS.

EngageintheimplementationoftrialDataCubes.

1. LSI-VCwillprovidefeedbackontheCEOSDataCube3-YearWorkPlan.

2. FacilitatetheengagementofCEOSagenciesintheDataCubeeffortandtrackthestatusofagencycontributions.

Performascopingstudyforglobaldataflowsforlongtimeseriesoflandsurfaceimagingdata.

1. LSI-VCwillreviewtheGlobalDataFlowsStudybeingpreparedbytheSDCGforGFOI.



Pilotapproachestoconductingintegratedassessmentsofgaps/opportunitiesinassetusage.

1. Nospecificactionrequired–coveredunderPhase1taskdescription.

DeveloparoadmapfortheroutineproductionofintercomparableARD.

1. LSI-VCwillworkwithUSGSas2017CEOSChairtoimplementastrategyfortheadoptionofCARD4LwithinCEOS.

AssesslessonslearnedfromDataCubeimplementations(includingAustralianGeoscienceDataCube,etc.)andglobaldataflowsstudies.

1. Nospecificactionrequiredatpresent.

Pilotlargedatasetdistributioncoveringthreeregions.


Establishingenhancedcollaborationonwetlandsandinlandwaterwaymonitoring.

1. LSI-VCLeadswillupdatetheduedateofCARB-08-06withMarkDowell(EC).


Page32



Continuetodevelopapproachesforintegratedassessmentsofgaps/opportunitiesinassetusage.

1. Nospecificactionrequired–coveredunderPhase1taskdescription.

BeginimplementingstepstowardtheroutineproductionofintercomparableARD.


Establishingenhancedcollaborationonwetlandsandinlandwaterwaymonitoring.


ItwasagreedthattheLSI-VCImplementationPlanshouldberevisedaheadofCEOSPlenary.JennLacey(USGS)offeredtoleadtheeffort.

Action21 JennLaceytocoordinateanupdateoftheLSI-VCImplementationPlanaheadofCEOSPlenary. LSI-VC-3

Finally,itwasdecidedthatthesubgroupsarenotnecessaryandthecompositionofLSI-VCmembershipisacceptable.

ActionReviewandClosingRemarks

MattSteventon(CEOSChairTeam)reviewedtheactionsnotedduringLSI-VC-2,andsomecollaborativeeditsweremadetotherecord.Somefurtheractionswerenotedduringtheclosingsession.

Action22MattSteventontospeakwiththeESASITChairteamtotryandhavetheGEOGLAMSITTWsidemeetingmovedtoTuesday,inparallelwiththeVC/WGDay.

CLOSEDNotnecessaryasthereisnooverlaponMonday

Action23 MattSteventontoensurethatallshareablepresentationsareontheLSI-VC-2website. COMPLETE

TheLSI-VCCo-Leadsthankedeveryoneforattendingandclosedthemeeting.


Page33

APPENDIXA

LSI-VC-2Attendees

Organisation NameCEOSChairTeam MattSteventonCSA YvesCrevier

ESA BiancaHoerschGA AdamLewisGA JonathonRossGA LeoLymburnerGEOGLAMSecretariat AlyssaWhitcraftNASA DavidJarrett*NASA JeffMasekNASA,SEO BrianKilloughNOAA KevinGallo*USGS BrianSauerUSGSEROS DavidHairUSGSEROS GeneFosnightUSGSEROS GregStensaasUSGSEROS JennLaceyUSGSEROS JohnDwyerUSGSEROS KristiKlineUSGSHQ,Aerospace SteveCovingtonUSGSEROS SteveLabahnUSGSHQ TomCecere

*Remoteparticipant