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in print
Dr. Alan Belward
European Commission
Chair, WGCV
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) kindly hosted the 16th
meeting of the CEOS Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV)
in Bangalore from 21st to 23rd February 2000. The work of India's National
Resource Management System was introduced to the WGCV through technical
visits to ISRO facilities and an excellent technical session on ISRO's
applications research programme. Together
these provided a stimulating and informative framework for the meeting.
WGCV16 identified ways in which WGCV could support the ISRO led CEOS initiative
on education and training.
Dr George Joseph, President of ISPRS Technical Commission I and ISRO
Distinguished Professor at Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, opened
a special session on traceability*1 by raising issues of standardisation
and understanding. Discussion papers from the UK National Physical Laboratory
and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology followed. Wide-ranging
debate addressed questions
of legal responsibilities arising out of the use of remotely sensed
data, requirements for independent assessment, the value and necessity
of independent audit, current institutional framework and institutional
gaps, plus the costs to Agencies. A framework for a detailed report to
Plenary was drafted and will be elaborated at the next WGCV meeting.
Previous requests for assistance from the original IGOS pilot projects and two subsequent ad hoc meetings of the WGCV identified a clear need for improved international collaboration concerning the validation of land products derived from earth observing satellites. A new subgroup within the WGCV was proposed to the CEOS Plenary in Stockholm at the end of 1999 and received full support.
Discussion at WGCV16 acknowledged that land product validation is still in its infancy as there have been few operational products up to now, but highlighted potential overlap with the existing subgroup dealing with Infrared and Visible Optical Sensors (IVOS). A meeting to examine the issues surrounding the validation of land surface parameters, to identify areas of overlap, redundancy and gaps with the work of the existing IVOS sub group and to draw up a subsequent three-year work plan for presentation at WGCV17 was recommended.
ESA put forward Dr Yves-Louis Desnos as a nomination for the next Chair of WGCV. ISRO and CSIRO seconded the nomination and the ESA offer will be presented for consideration at the next CEOS Plenary.
WGCV17 will take place at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, from 23rd to 27th October 2000. NOAA will co-host the meeting with NIST.
*1: Traceability refers to an auditable route describing and confirming
the calibration chain and attributed accuracy back to an internationally
agreed reference, usually SI as maintained by a national standards laboratory.
Fifth Session of the Partners for an Integrated Global Observing
Strategy
(IGOS-P) - 7 June 2000
explore options for a permanent IGOS Secretariat. The details of these
issues will be further considered at the Sixth meeting of IGOS Partners
to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 7 and 8 November 2000 and hosted
by INPE. It was agreed that Dr. Marcio Barbosa, chairman of CEOS, would
serve as the Partners Chair during the last half of the year 2000 and that
Dr. Patricio Bernal, Incoming Chair of the G3OS Sponsors, would serve as
the Partners Chair during the first half of 2001.