Hyperspectral Cal/Val Field Practicum
Reflectance-based, imaging spectrometer error budget field practicum in Nevada Railroad Valley Test Site, USA
July, 28 – Aug, 03 2017
Sponsored by the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Society, The Geoscience Spaceborne Imaging Spectroscopy Technical Committee
This course is part of a series of training sponsored by the IEEE GRSS as part of the Geoscience Imaging Spectroscopy Technical Committee’s Calibration And Validation Initiative in support spaceborne imaging spectroscopy missions. This training focused on the practical aspects of reflectance-based imaging spectroscopy error budget and demonstrated the complete chain of the process from the laboratory to the field.
The course started with attendees participating in a tour of the Remote Sensing Group laboratory facilities at the University of Arizona before a field deployment to the Railroad Valley Playa test site in Nevada, USA which has been used on a long term basis as a vicarious calibration site. The training activity included demonstrations of measurement protocols for surface and atmospheric parameters that minimize uncertainties and collection of data as part of the reflectance-based calibration for an on-orbit sensor. An emphasis was be placed on techniques and protocols suitable for calibration of imaging spectrometers.
The deployment included half a day at the UofA laboratory calibration facilities and three
days at the test sites. The first day at the test site consisted of demonstrations of typical data collections. Participants took part in setting up field references and collecting surface reflectance of a select area of the playa. A reflectance inter-comparison collectiona also took place at the site on day two along with a side trip to the Lunar Lake Playa for a discussion of the merits and impacts that different sites have on uncertainties. The third day had participants collecting data suitable for the reflectance-based calibration of an on-orbit sensor.
The main tutors/guides for this course are Dr Jeff Czapla-Myers (University of Arizona) and Dr Kurtis Thome (NASA Goddard).
Below are videos of some of the activities during this event:
- mp4 The University of Arizona Remote Sensing Group
- mp4 The University of Arizona’s BRDF Black Lab Tour
- mp4 The University of Arizona’s Sphere Lab Tour
- mp4 Fieldwork Briefing and Work Plan
- mp4 Introduction to Railroad Valley Playa calibration site and lecture at Lunar Lake Calibration Site
- mp4 Instrumentation at the Railroad Valley Playa calibration site
- mp4 Interviews with Participants
- mp4 Field Spectral Measurements for vicarious calibration
- mp4 Summary of Field Measurements for vicarious calibration
