CEOS VC/WG working day – Report on the
integrated ocean surface products discussion
Julia Figa-Saldaña, Hans Bonekamp
EUMETSAT
SIT Workshop Agenda Item 5
CEOS SIT Technical Workshop
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
What do we mean by integration of products?
In some domains, for example altimetry, there is a need to parameter and
product integration steps to better meet the user requirements. Generally these
steps are done when creating higher level products.
For Sea Surface Temperature (SST), the Group for High Resolution SST
(GHRSST) has guided the individual missions on how to produce L2P which
can easily be combined with those of other mission towards integrated usage
by providing standards on the format and the characterization of the
information content. These aspects have close links to cal/val work.
Some specific applications can trigger the need for a combination of single
parameter products into super-products, e.g. surface wind vectors and waves
for marine forecasting, SST and ocean color for fisheries, etc. Super-products
have often usability gaps, which may be filled or resolved by model data.
From the point of view of data accessibility, there are not many centralized
access points for integrated ocean products. The existing few are set-up by
single agencies, e.g., AVISO, PO.DAAC.
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
Identified topics for discussion
VC’s role and links to application-based groups
VC’s and WG-CV links to the science teams
One-stop-shopping
Missing VC or WG topics
Links to the modeling community
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
VC’s role and link to application-based groups
How to best liaise with the application-based groups to define
requirements for super-products and give them visibility at CEOS?
Through some of the CEOS working groups (e.g. WG-disasters) some of
these super-products are being considered and already developed, such
as flood monitoring products and tools.
A potential area where super-products could be explored by CEOS VCs
and WG collaboration was predicting and addressing coastal inundation
due to storm surge
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
VC’s and WG-CV links to the science teams
Understanding that most of the cal/val and product standards work is
done for individual parameters within the science teams, how can the
output best be adopted, harmonised and represented by the WG on
cal/val and the VCs?
The WG on cal/val is in itself compartmented in several sub-groups, but I
a general clear challenge to coordinate within CEOS the availability and
handling of in-situ variables – many of the data used is coming from
outside the CEOS community.
WG-CV reports that their efforts go from pre-launch activities to in-orbit
calibration and data harmonisation in orbit – individual topics and
relations with VCs have taken place on an ad-hoc basis
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
One-stop shopping
All CEOS data are in principle represented in the International Directory Network
(IDN) – (Action VC-1) … how does the IDN support one-stop-shopping for
different user groups and how can the VCs contribute?
IDN is just the first step! Ultimate goal is successful data discovery and access to
data, both by the users and by CEOS - the key is the metadata and format
standards and success in accessing content follows from that.
Data discovery tools on the IDN data collections are already available, i.e., the
CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC) based on OpenSearch, can search
the IDN for relevant data to a specific application area, user case or specific VC
in a transparent way.
Next push for IDN update (action VC-1) – recommending all VCs to use CWIC in
that process to check the completeness and accuracy in the description of our
own VC data set collections.
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
Missing VC or WG topics?
Is there a need for a Sea Ice VC (or WG), integrating different missions
(altimetry, scatterometry, dedicated missions, ..), and more in general,
are there any other such gaps for other important geophysical variables?
Support to the fact that CEOS needs to address/respond to the Arctic
issue in general, as sea ice is an already established variable, but the
satellite missions supporting it (e.g. SAR) are not addressed specifically
within any of the VCs – links to WMO Polar year?
Worry about having another VC or WG. In any case, there is a process
for VC creation which is bottom up and requires support / backing by the
user community.
Other gaps for ocean – it is necessary to address in CEOS the air-sea
interaction issue in a more integrated way.
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015
Links to the modelling community
How can the VC’s best support the representation of their geophysical
variables in modelling community fora such as GODAE/ETOOFS and
how can this be achieved?
Data providers are already represented in GODAE patrons group, but
there is a lack of awareness/visibility of what CEOS can do for this
community
It was proposed that a CEOS VCs presentation is given in the next
GODAE workshop in December , highlight CEOS VC/WG activities and
contributions.
SIT Tech. Workshop 2015
EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
17th-18th September 2015