Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance
The first innovative Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite has been in operation for 10 years since its launch on 28 October 2011. The second VIIRS sensor aboard the first Join Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) sa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4212 |
| _version_ | 1797493396308230144 |
|---|---|
| author | Guoqing Lin Robert E. Wolfe Ping Zhang John J. Dellomo Bin Tan |
| author_facet | Guoqing Lin Robert E. Wolfe Ping Zhang John J. Dellomo Bin Tan |
| author_sort | Guoqing Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The first innovative Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite has been in operation for 10 years since its launch on 28 October 2011. The second VIIRS sensor aboard the first Join Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) satellite has been in operation for 4 years since its launch on 18 November 2017, which became NOAA-20. Well-geolocated and radiometrically calibrated Level-1 sensor data records (SDRs) from VIIRS are crucial to numerical weather prediction (NWP) and Level-2+ environmental data record (EDR) algorithms and products. The high quality of Level-2+ EDRs is a requirement for the continuity of NASA Earth science data records (ESDRs) and climate data records (CDRs), one of the two objectives of the SNPP mission and one of the three elements in the JPSS mission objective. The other objective of the SNPP mission is risk reduction for the follow-on JPSS missions. This paper summarizes the on-orbit geolocation calibration and validation (Cal/Val) activities for both VIIRS sensors onboard SNPP and NOAA-20 in the past 10 years. These activities include nominal geolocation Cal/Val activities, risk reduction activities, and improvements for the on-orbit VIIRS sensor operations. After these activities, sub-pixel geolocation accuracy is achieved. Nadir equivalent geolocation uncertainty is generally within 75 m (1-σ), or 20% imagery band pixels, in either the along-scan or along-track direction for both SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS sensors. The worst 16-day measured geolocation errors (radial, 3-σ) are 280 m and 267 m, respectively, in the latest SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS data collections, which are better than the required accuracy of 375 m (radial, 3-σ). The risk reduction activities also improved VIIRS builds for JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellites, and provide lessons learned for other VIIRS-like sensor builds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:19:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-da6d3d06c75048efa42a8af72c928c57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:19:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-da6d3d06c75048efa42a8af72c928c572023-11-23T14:02:50ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-08-011417421210.3390/rs14174212Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and PerformanceGuoqing Lin0Robert E. Wolfe1Ping Zhang2John J. Dellomo3Bin Tan4Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USASciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAScience Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD 20706, USAGlobal Science & Technology, Inc., 7501 Greenway Center Drive, Suite 1100, Greenbelt, MD 20770, USAScience Systems and Applications, Inc., 10210 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD 20706, USAThe first innovative Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite has been in operation for 10 years since its launch on 28 October 2011. The second VIIRS sensor aboard the first Join Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) satellite has been in operation for 4 years since its launch on 18 November 2017, which became NOAA-20. Well-geolocated and radiometrically calibrated Level-1 sensor data records (SDRs) from VIIRS are crucial to numerical weather prediction (NWP) and Level-2+ environmental data record (EDR) algorithms and products. The high quality of Level-2+ EDRs is a requirement for the continuity of NASA Earth science data records (ESDRs) and climate data records (CDRs), one of the two objectives of the SNPP mission and one of the three elements in the JPSS mission objective. The other objective of the SNPP mission is risk reduction for the follow-on JPSS missions. This paper summarizes the on-orbit geolocation calibration and validation (Cal/Val) activities for both VIIRS sensors onboard SNPP and NOAA-20 in the past 10 years. These activities include nominal geolocation Cal/Val activities, risk reduction activities, and improvements for the on-orbit VIIRS sensor operations. After these activities, sub-pixel geolocation accuracy is achieved. Nadir equivalent geolocation uncertainty is generally within 75 m (1-σ), or 20% imagery band pixels, in either the along-scan or along-track direction for both SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS sensors. The worst 16-day measured geolocation errors (radial, 3-σ) are 280 m and 267 m, respectively, in the latest SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS data collections, which are better than the required accuracy of 375 m (radial, 3-σ). The risk reduction activities also improved VIIRS builds for JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellites, and provide lessons learned for other VIIRS-like sensor builds.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4212VIIRSSNPPNOAA-20ephemerisattitudepointing |
| spellingShingle | Guoqing Lin Robert E. Wolfe Ping Zhang John J. Dellomo Bin Tan Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance Remote Sensing VIIRS SNPP NOAA-20 ephemeris attitude pointing |
| title | Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance |
| title_full | Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance |
| title_fullStr | Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance |
| title_short | Ten Years of VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Calibration and Performance |
| title_sort | ten years of viirs on orbit geolocation calibration and performance |
| topic | VIIRS SNPP NOAA-20 ephemeris attitude pointing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4212 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT guoqinglin tenyearsofviirsonorbitgeolocationcalibrationandperformance AT robertewolfe tenyearsofviirsonorbitgeolocationcalibrationandperformance AT pingzhang tenyearsofviirsonorbitgeolocationcalibrationandperformance AT johnjdellomo tenyearsofviirsonorbitgeolocationcalibrationandperformance AT bintan tenyearsofviirsonorbitgeolocationcalibrationandperformance |