Abstract
Earth observation satellites like Sentinel-2 or Landsat 8 have already demonstrated the importance of a global coverage associated with high resolution (about 10 m) for regional and country scales applications. These applications, such as detailed land-cover mapping, agri-environment policies, water management, vegetation primary productivity and yield estimates, are crucial for defining global change mitigation or adaptation policies. To prepare the future earth observations systems, users raised one question about the increasing of the revisit period in order to limit the impact of cloud-coverage on the applications and to capture rapid phenomena. In this context, VENµS products offer an undeniable added value to explore the benefit of expanding the time rate of high resolution acquisition in visible and near infrared spectral bands.
VENµS is a joint space system venture of Israeli and French governments for Earth observation (EO). The scientific mission focuses on vegetation and land surface monitoring. VENµS was launched on August 1st, 2017. It provides 5 and 10 m resolution images in 12 shortwave spectral bands every two days over a set of 110 scientific sites, with constant viewing angle and overpass time. This article presents the objectives of the mission, its main characteristics and available products. A special focus is made on the in-orbit absolute calibration, based on vicarious techniques, including specific capabilities such as calibration using Moon images. The process of inter-calibration with Sentinel-2 through simultaneous nadir observation will be explained, and the results detailed.
VENµS data are freely available to everybody for peaceful and non-commercial uses on the French Theia land data center: http://www.theia-land.fr. Continuous observations will be performed all along the scientific mission duration, until mid-2020.
VENμS: Mission Specificities, Products Features and In-orbit Absolute Calibration
Earth observation satellites like Sentinel-2 or Landsat 8 have already demonstrated the importance of a global coverage associated with high resolution (about 10 m) for regional and country scales applications. These applications, such as detailed land-cover mapping, agri-environment policies, water management, vegetation primary productivity and yield estimates, are crucial for defining global change mitigation or adaptation policies. To prepare the future earth observations systems, users raised one question about the increasing of the revisit period in order to limit the impact of cloud-coverage on the applications and to capture rapid phenomena. In this context, VENµS products offer an undeniable added value to explore the benefit of expanding the time rate of high resolution acquisition in visible and near infrared spectral bands.
VENµS is a joint space system venture of Israeli and French governments for Earth observation (EO). The scientific mission focuses on vegetation and land surface monitoring. VENµS was launched on August 1st, 2017. It provides 5 and 10 m resolution images in 12 shortwave spectral bands every two days over a set of 110 scientific sites, with constant viewing angle and overpass time. This article presents the objectives of the mission, its main characteristics and available products. A special focus is made on the in-orbit absolute calibration, based on vicarious techniques, including specific capabilities such as calibration using Moon images. The process of inter-calibration with Sentinel-2 through simultaneous nadir observation will be explained, and the results detailed.
VENµS data are freely available to everybody for peaceful and non-commercial uses on the French Theia land data center: http://www.theia-land.fr. Continuous observations will be performed all along the scientific mission duration, until mid-2020.