Abstract
The Sentinel-2 constellation consists of two units MSI-A & MSI-B, which are Earth Observation (EO) optical missions developed and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the framework of the Copernicus programme of the European Commission.
The Copernicus Sentinel Optical Mission Performance Cluster (OPT-MPC) is responsible of the calibration, validation, and image quality of the user product. The inter-unit consistency of the radiometry measurements is critical for the mission as more Sentinel-2 platforms are planned in the future. In order to assess the validity and temporal stability of the radiometry measurements we use independent vicarious calibration methods for EO optical sensors, that are implemented in DIMITRI (Database for Imaging Multispectral Instruments and Tools for Radiometric Intercomparison) toolbox. The results of the validation show an excellent image quality and stable radiometric performance, which meets the mission requirements target. However, a small bias of 1.1% between the two sensors was observed in the VIS/NIR domain (see e.g. Alhammoud et al. 2021). Consequently, MSI-B measurements have been aligned with MSI-A by introducing a radiometric harmonisation factor on January 25th 2022 (PB04.00). Moreover, the OPT-MPC proposed to harmonize the sensors using MSI-A as reference for the new Collection 1 reprocessing campaign which is currently under preparation. This presentation provides a status of the Sentinel-2/MSI radiometric validation activities performed by the OPT-MPC. The results illustrate the expected improvement of the radiometric harmonisation between both units MSI-A & B. Furthermore, we present the results of cross-mission intercomparisons over desert PICS for MSI-A, MSI-B, OLI-1 and OLI- 2. The preliminary results show a good agreement between MSI/OLI to better than 2% while the OLI-1/OLI-2 agreement to better than 1% over VNIR bands. B. Alhammoud, C. Quang, V. Boccia and R. Q. Iannone, “Assessment of Copernicus Sentinel-2 Constellation After Five Years In-Orbit: Level-1C User-Products,” 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS, 2021, pp. 7759-7762, doi: 10.1109/IGARSS47720.2021.9554851
In-Orbit Radiometric Performance of Sentinel-2/MSI: Inter-comparison with LANDSAT8/OLI-1 and LANDSAT9/OLI-2 Over Desert PICS using DIMITRI-toolbox
The Sentinel-2 constellation consists of two units MSI-A & MSI-B, which are Earth Observation (EO) optical missions developed and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the framework of the Copernicus programme of the European Commission.
The Copernicus Sentinel Optical Mission Performance Cluster (OPT-MPC) is responsible of the calibration, validation, and image quality of the user product. The inter-unit consistency of the radiometry measurements is critical for the mission as more Sentinel-2 platforms are planned in the future. In order to assess the validity and temporal stability of the radiometry measurements we use independent vicarious calibration methods for EO optical sensors, that are implemented in DIMITRI (Database for Imaging Multispectral Instruments and Tools for Radiometric Intercomparison) toolbox. The results of the validation show an excellent image quality and stable radiometric performance, which meets the mission requirements target. However, a small bias of 1.1% between the two sensors was observed in the VIS/NIR domain (see e.g. Alhammoud et al. 2021). Consequently, MSI-B measurements have been aligned with MSI-A by introducing a radiometric harmonisation factor on January 25th 2022 (PB04.00). Moreover, the OPT-MPC proposed to harmonize the sensors using MSI-A as reference for the new Collection 1 reprocessing campaign which is currently under preparation. This presentation provides a status of the Sentinel-2/MSI radiometric validation activities performed by the OPT-MPC. The results illustrate the expected improvement of the radiometric harmonisation between both units MSI-A & B. Furthermore, we present the results of cross-mission intercomparisons over desert PICS for MSI-A, MSI-B, OLI-1 and OLI- 2. The preliminary results show a good agreement between MSI/OLI to better than 2% while the OLI-1/OLI-2 agreement to better than 1% over VNIR bands. B. Alhammoud, C. Quang, V. Boccia and R. Q. Iannone, “Assessment of Copernicus Sentinel-2 Constellation After Five Years In-Orbit: Level-1C User-Products,” 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS, 2021, pp. 7759-7762, doi: 10.1109/IGARSS47720.2021.9554851