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An overview of sensor calibration inter-comparison and applications

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Abstract

Long-term climate data records (CDR) are often constructed using observations made by multiple Earth observing sensors over a broad range of spectra and a large scale in both time and space. These sensors can be of the same or different types operated on the same or different platforms. They can be developed and built with different technologies and are likely operated over different time spans. It has been known that the uncertainty of climate models and data records depends not only on the calibration quality (accuracy and stability) of individual sensors, but also on their calibration consistency across instruments and platforms. Therefore, sensor calibration inter-comparison and validation have become increasingly demanding and will continue to play an important role for a better understanding of the science product quality. This paper provides an overview of different methodologies, which have been successfully applied for sensor calibration inter-comparison. Specific examples using different sensors, including MODIS, AVHRR, and ETM+, are presented to illustrate the implementation of these methodologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Sciences Exploration Directorate, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Xiaoxiong (Jack) Xiong

  2. NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Research and Applications, Camp Springs, MD, 20746, USA

    Changyong Cao

  3. SGT, Inc., U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Sioux Falls, SD, 57198, USA

    Gyanesh Chander

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  1. Xiaoxiong (Jack) Xiong
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  2. Changyong Cao
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  3. Gyanesh Chander
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Correspondence to Xiaoxiong (Jack) Xiong.

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Xiong, X.(., Cao, C. & Chander, G. An overview of sensor calibration inter-comparison and applications. Front. Earth Sci. China 4, 237–252 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-010-0002-z

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