CEOSCEOS coordinates civil spaceborne observations of the Earth. Participating
agencies strive to address critical scientific questions and to harmonise
satellite mission planning to address gaps and overlaps.

COMMITTEE ON EARTH
OBSERVATION SATELLITESCEOS has three primary objectives in pursuing this goal:• to optimise benefits of spaceborne Earth observations through cooperationof its Members in mission planning and in development of compatible data
products, formats, services, applications and policies;

Earth Observation Handbook• to serve as a focal point for international coordination of space-related
Earth observation activities;• to exchange policy and technical information to encourage complementarity
and compatibility of observation and data exchange systems.

Earth Observation Handbook
www.eohandbook.com© ESA 2005

www.eohandbook.com

CEOS Secretariat
Europe/Africa
ESA – European Space Agency
8-10, rue Mario Nikis
75738 Paris Cedex 15
France+33 1 5369 7707 (voice)+33 1 5369 7286 (fax)huw.hopkins@esa.int

EUMETSAT – European Organisation for the
Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Am Kavalleriesand 31
64295 Darmstadt
Germany+49 6151 807 603 (voice)+49 6151 807 555 (fax)dwilliams@eumetsat.deNorth and South America
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
300 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20546
USA+1 202 358 1622 (voice)+1 202 358 2798 (fax)

NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
1335 East-West Highway
20910-3226 Silver Spring, MD
USA+1 301 713-2024 (voice)+1 301 713-2032 (fax)

devon.carroll@nasa.gov
brent.smith@noaa.gov

Asia Pacific
MEXT/JAXA
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology / Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Earth Observation Research Center (EORC)
Harumi Triton Square X-tower 23F
1-8-10 Harumi, Chuoku, Tokyo, JAPAN+81 3 6221 9139 (voice)+81 3 6221 9180 (fax)ceos-jpn@jaxa.jp
ishida.chu@jaxa.jp

Researched and written by:

www.symbioscomms.com

Designed and produced by:www.beaucroft.co.uk

Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Part I: Global environmental issues & the role for Earth observations
1

What on Earth is going on?

2

2

Towards a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)

7

3

The important role of satellite Earth observations – and CEOS

14

4

Future challenges: from science to services

20

Part II: Case studies – information for societal benefit
5

Case studies

24

Disaster Mitigation

25

Human Health and Well-Being

31

Energy Resource Management

35

Climate Change

39

Water Resource Management

44

Weather Forecasting49

Conserving Ecosystems and Biodiversity

53

Sustainable Agriculture

57

Part III: Earth observation satellite capabilities & plans
6

Capabilities of Earth observation satellites

66

7

Earth observation plans: by measurement

82

8

Catalogue of satellite missions

123

9

Catalogue of satellite instruments

157

AnnexesA

Further information on CEOS

203

B

CEOS involvement in IGOS

207

C

Abbreviations

210

Foreword
2005 marks a milestone in this co-operation processwith the establishment of an international mechanism tomanage the implementation of a Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) – which
represents a political commitment to move toward
development of “a comprehensive, coordinated, andsustained Earth observation system”.
Such ambitions are inconceivable without the measurement
capabilities offered by the Earth observation satellite
programmes being planned by the world’s space agencies.
The major aim of CEOS is to achieve international
coordination in the planning of these programmes and to
maximise utilisation of their data – in order to effectively
address the most critical requirements.

It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Committee
on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), to present the2005 Edition of the CEOS Earth Observation Handbook,
prepared by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The report presents the main capabilities of satellite
Earth observations, their applications, and a systematic
overview of present and planned Earth observation
satellite missions and their instruments. It also explores
society’s increasing need for information on our planet.
As humanity exceeds the planet’s capacity to sustain us,
such information is playing a vital role inunderstanding, monitoring, managing and mitigating key
Earth System processes. This is true on a global scale,in support of improved global environmental
governance and the underlying conventions and treaties(such as the Kyoto Protocol), and on regional andnational scales, as countries adapt competitively toshrinking reserves of natural resources and to the basic
needs of expanding populations. Earth System
information may be considered as the essential
foundation for sustainable development policies aimed
at ensuring our continued health and prosperity.
The nature of climate change issues presents special
challenges in terms of the need for global informationand data on key planetary indicators – which canprovide the information required for governments andpolicy makers to make well-informed decisions.
Recognising that no single country can satisfy all of theobservational requirements which are necessary formonitoring of the Earth System, governments are taking
steps to harmonise and integrate their observing
networks and satellite observing systems to be able toaddress common problems of global concern.

I hope that the CEOS Earth Observation Handbook willcontinue to serve as a valuable reference source for avariety of readers, including those with needs in Earth
System research, and decision-makers in political andsocio-economic sectors. I further hope that it can help
improve optimisation of the overall observation
strategy, which is central to our future success.

Volker Liebig
Director of Earth Observation Programmes
European Space Agency

Introduction
The 2005 CEOS Earth Observation Handbook explores
society’s increasing need for information on our planet,
being the essential foundation for sustainable
development policies aimed at ensuring our continued
health and prosperity in the face of man-made climatechange, population growth, and degradation of our
natural environment.
It explains the important role of Earth observation
satellite programmes in fulfilling those informationneeds. It presents the current status and plans for future
Earth observation satellite programmes of governments
world-wide, through their national and regional space
agencies, and describes how the data and information
which they supply relate to some of society’s mostpressing needs for information on Earth Systemprocesses and our interaction with them.
The role of the Committee on Earth Observation
Satellites (CEOS), as the body with responsibility forco-ordination of government-funded satellite
programmes world-wide, is explained, including in
relation to plans now underway for implementation of a
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
It is hoped that this report will prove to be a valuable
source of information concerning the possible
application and value of the data and information from
Earth observation satellites. It should be of interest to awide range of groups: those with responsibility fornational/international development policy; those
responsible for programmes with requirements forobservations to enable understanding of ourenvironment and its processes; and those needing
information for decision-making in many socio-economic
sectors.
It is further hoped that this report will be of educational
value, helping to explain some of the techniques andtechnologies underlying satellite Earth observation andmaking the subject as accessible as possible to the layperson who would like to investigate further.
As an up-to-date and comprehensive compilation of
CEOS agency plans, the report provides a handy
reference source of information on current and future
civil Earth observation programmes. It also provides
details of points of contact within CEOS and lists
relevant internet information sources for those requiring
more information.
Part I of the Handbook discusses the Earth System andhighlights current concerns and trends (section 1). It
explains the ongoing development of the GEOSS(section 2) and the important role for satellite Earthobservations and for CEOS (section 3). Futurechallenges are discussed in section 4.

Part II presents a number of case studies (section 5) toillustrate the use of Earth observation satellites
supporting the provision of information for societal
benefit in key areas.
Part III of the Handbook summarises Earth observation
satellite capabilities and plans, including a descriptionof the various types of satellite missions andinstruments and their applications (section 6). For thoseinterested in particular measurements (e.g. of ‘ozone’ or‘ocean temperature’), section 7 provides details of 26
different parameters and the plans for their observation
during the coming decades. Sections 8 & 9 containcatalogues of satellite missions and instruments
respectively.
The annexes include:
A Further information on CEOSB CEOS involvement in IGOS
C Abbreviations

Part I: Global environmental issues& the role for Earth observations

1

1 What on Earth is going on?
1.1 Introduction
Parts II and III of this document explain the capabilities
and contribution of more than 150 satellites planned by
space agencies around the world over the next 15
years. The majority of these are dedicated to the studyof different aspects of the Earth System, and inparticular climate change science.
The planning and funding of these missions is the
responsibility of individual governments, based on theirstrategic assessments of national priorities and user
community needs.
Through the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites(CEOS), member agencies respond to the necessity forinternational cooperation and harmonisation in future
efforts, driven by a need for a common understandingof the state of our environment and future information
priorities. Coordination through CEOS is particularly
important given the lead times involved in planning andlaunching Earth observation satellite missions and theneed for timely information to anticipate the mostpressing environmental issues that will face future
generations. This section presents a brief discussion of
the context for these efforts, including:- a discussion of humankind’s impact on the Earth
System and the consequent global changes (in partbased upon the IGBP Science Report: ‘Global Change
and the Earth System: A planet under pressure’ (2001));- scientific predictions for the future, based on climatic
trends, and estimates of human population growthand consumption patterns (in part based upon the
Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ‘Climate Change 2001’);- the beginnings of global environmental governance:
the importance of Earth System science for thedevelopment of our understanding of global change
and mitigation of its effects, and the necessity forobservations of the Earth as baseline information for
future decision-making aimed at sustainable
development (in part based on ‘A Guide to World
Resources 2002-2004’ by UNDP, UNEP, World Bank,and the World Resources Institute).

1.2 Humankind’s interaction with nature
Not so long ago, our planet Earth seemed infinitely large in
its extent and capacity to support human life and lifestyles.
Distances seemed huge, news travelled slowly, and ourimaginations were fired by rare images of exotic peoples
and unspoilt and remote countries – abundant in natural
beauty and resources. In 2005, the Earth feels like a muchsmaller place. Modern communications and transportation
have shrunk distances, the daily news is a global bulletin,
and we communicate with, and consume and trade products
and services supplied by, people and countries from aroundthe globe – without so much as a second thought.

2

Until very recently in the history of Earth, humans andtheir activities have been an insignificant force in the
dynamics of the Earth System. From the start of theindustrial revolution more than 200 years ago,
developed nations have achieved ever greater
prosperity and higher living standards. Combined witha six-fold increase in the global human population
within those 200 years, these factors have resulted insignificantly increased resource consumption, evident inagriculture and food production, industrial
development, energy use and urbanisation.
Some facts are slow to be absorbed and accepted by ageneration unaccustomed to associating environmental
factors with lifestyle and consumer choices. But today
it is a reality that humankind has begun to match andeven exceed nature in terms of changing the biosphereand impacting other facets of Earth System functioning.
The magnitude, spatial scale, and pace of humaninduced changes to our atmosphere, oceans, geology,
chemistry, and biodiversity are unprecedented and areso pervasive and profound that they affect the Earth ona global scale in complex, interactive and acceleratingways. We now have the capacity to alter the Earth
System in ways that threaten the very processes andcomponents upon which humans depend – not simply
requiring some adjustments in society, but so farreaching in impact that human existence may beradically and irreversibly altered.
The speed of these changes is in the order of decades
to centuries, not the centuries-to-millenia pace ofcomparable change in the natural dynamics of the Earth
System. In other words, changes that normally happen
in geologic time are happening during the lifetime of ahuman being:- in a few generations humankind is in the process of
exhausting fossil fuel reserves that were generated
over several hundred million years;- human action has transformed almost half of the
Earth’s land surface with significant consequences forbiodiversity and climate;- more than half of all accessible freshwater is useddirectly or indirectly by humankind;- concentrations of several climatically important
greenhouse gases, in addition to CO2 and CH4, havesubstantially increased in the atmosphere;- coastal and marine habitats are being dramaticallyaltered; 50% of mangroves have been removed andwetlands have shrunk by one-half;- extinction rates are increasing sharply in marine andterrestrial ecosystems around the world;- the Earth is now in the midst of its first great
extinction event caused by the activities of a single
biological species (humankind).

1 What on Earth is going on?

In 2002, a report on the state of world resources(published by the UN Development and Environment
Programmes, World Bank, and World Resources
Institute) indicated an ‘overwhelming humandependence on rapidly deteriorating ecosystems’ – thesystems that support all life on Earth.

1.3 The Earth’s Signs

In brief, the ways in which we meet basic human needs(such as water, food, shelter, health, employment) of
the 6.4 billion people inhabiting the Earth at present,
have a critical impact on our environment – at all
scales. In particular, the affluence of the developed
world and our appetite for consumer goods forentertainment, for mobility, for communication and abroad range of goods and services, is placing significant
demands on global resources.

In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) was established to bring together the world’s
leading scientists to conduct rigorous surveys of thelatest technical and scientific literature on climatechange. The IPCC summarised the main effects of humanactivity on our climate as follows:

There is increasing evidence to suggest that thefunctioning of the Earth System is changing in response
to human activities. This ‘global change’ includes, but is
not limited to, climate change.

- the composition of the atmosphere has changed since
the industrial era, with increased concentrations ofgreenhouse gases due primarily to fossil-fuel burningand land-use change: since 1750, concentrations ofcarbon dioxide have increased by 31%, methane by
151% and nitrous oxide by 17%; it is believed that
present carbon dioxide concentrations are
unprecedented in the past 420,000 years;- land and oceans have warmed: global average surface
temperature has increased by about 0.6°C during the20th century;- globally, it is very likely that the 1990s were warmer
than at any time in the last 1000 years;- precipitation patterns have changed;- the frequency, persistence and magnitude of El Niño
events has increased;

Our Dependence and Impact
on Ecosystems
Annual value of global agricultural production$1.3 trillion

Percentage of global agricultural lands showing
soil degradation

65%

Population directly dependent on forests
for survival

350 million

Decline in global forest cover sincepre-agricultural times

50%

Population dependent primarily on fishfor protein

1 billion

fished at their biological limit

75%

UNEP

Percentage of global fisheries over-fished orPercentage of world population living inwater-stressed river basins

41%

Percentage of normal global river flow
extracted for human use

20%

Percentage of major river basins strongly ormoderately fragmented by dams

60%

Percentage of Earth’s total biologicalproductivity diverted to human use

40–50%

3

IPCC THIRD ASSESSMENT REPORT, TECHNICALSUMMARY OF WG1 REPORT- global average sea level has risen over the last century:
tide gauge data indicate a global average rise of 1020cm, attributed to thermal expansion of the oceans andmelting of the polar ice caps and glaciers.
The Earth's climate does vary naturally as a result ofinteractions between the ocean and the atmosphere,changes in the Earth's orbit, fluctuations in energy
received from the sun and volcanic eruptions. However,the best scientific knowledge and evidence available
suggests that the Earth System has recently moved welloutside the range of natural variability exhibited overat least the last half million years. The nature ofchanges now occurring simultaneously in the global
environment, their magnitudes and rates, areunprecedented in human history, and probably in thehistory of the planet.
The main human influence on global climate is likely tobe emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide (CO2) and methane. At present, about 6.5
billion tonnes of CO2 are emitted globally each year,
mostly through burning coal, oil and gas for energy.
Changes in land use mean a further net annual emissionof 1-2 billion tonnes of CO2. Increasing concentrationsof these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over thelast 200 years have trapped more energy in the lower
atmosphere, altering global climate.
The IPCC’s 2001 Third Assessment Report on thescientific basis for climate change reported that “anincreasing body of observations gives a collective
picture of a warming world and other changes in the
climate system”. The report concludes that “there is
new and stronger evidence that most of the warming
observed over the last 50 years is attributable tohuman activities”.

Variations in Earth’s surface temperature for the past 1000 years

1.4 Future Trends
In the summer of 2003, an extreme drought and heatwave hit Europe. This had enormous adverse social,economic and environmental effects, such as thepremature deaths of up to 30,000 vulnerable people(particularly the elderly), the destruction of large areasof forests by fire, and effects on water ecosystems andglaciers. It caused power cuts, transport restrictions
and decreased agricultural production. The losses are
estimated to exceed 13 billion euros. Global change, it
seems, is already with us, and the IPCC has predictedthat this trend will accelerate:- greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuel burning
are virtually certain to be the dominant influence on
trends in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrationsin the coming century;- assuming a ‘business as usual’ scenario in whichgreenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the global
average surface temperature is expected to rise
between 1.4oC and 5.8oC: this rate of warming is
without precedent in at least the last 10,000 years;- this warming is likely to have profound effects on
precipitation patterns and occurrence of extreme
weather events;

IGBP (GLOBAL CHANGE AND THE EARTH SYSTEM)- global mean sea-level is projected to rise by between
9cm and 88cm in the coming century: tens of millions
of people are projected to be at risk of being
displaced by sea level rise.
Increases in human population (estimated to increaseby 50% over the next 50 years), increases in resource
consumption by society, and changes in technology
and socio-political organisations, are expected toaccelerate these changes to our environment.

Recent human influence on the carbon cycle

4

The need to feed this expanding human population
requires that crop yields increase by over 2% annually
throughout the next three to four decades. Significant
land-use change is anticipated – resulting from
intensification of agriculture in areas that are alreadycropped, and conversion of forests and grasslands into

1 What on Earth is going on?
UNEP
UNEP

do not yet know where critical thresholds may lie. Nor
can we say if, when and how the increasing humanenterprise will propel the Earth System towards andacross the boundaries to different states of the global
environment. Scientists have proposed a number of‘tipping points’ – such as the North Atlantic Current,
the Asian monsoon, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, andthe forests of the Amazon basin – which, if subjected
to stress, could trigger large-scale, rapid and cascadingchanges across the entire planet.

1.5 Global environmental governance
Humanity is already ‘managing the planet’, but in an
unconnected and haphazard way driven ultimately by
individual and group needs and desires. The Earth
System is being pushed beyond its natural operating
domain and the global management challenges involvedin the achievement of a sustainable future areunprecedented.
UNITED NATIONS/PRB
IPCC

Widespread public awareness of the ‘environment’ dates
back to the 1960s and 1970s, born from concerns suchas air and water pollution, use of pesticides, anddisasters such as the first catastrophic oil spill from asupertanker. Many governments establishedenvironment ministries and environmental protection
agencies in the 1970s, leading to new consideration ofenvironmental issues and demands for environmental
information. Industry too became more environmentallyaware, with the realisation of new trends in consumer
behaviour and due to the introduction of new legislationand environmental regulations.
Environmental governance is a global endeavour,
however, and requires global solutions beyond the
mandate of individual governments. Over the last two
decades, the prospect that the global climate couldchange as a result of human influence has generated
widespread concern. An unprecedented co-operative
global response has developed as a result, including:

Climate models predict surface temperature rise in thenext century

cropping systems. Strong links between land cover andclimate (including in relation to exchange of greenhousegases, the radiation balance of the Earth surface, andexchange of heat between the land surface andatmosphere) suggest that land-use change may be oneof the most significant components of global change inthe coming century.
Significant uncertainties remain. Despite employing
sophisticated global computer models capable ofdetermining climate sensitivity to drivers such as
greenhouse gas concentrations or land-use change, we- international decision-making and policy measures:
Governments and national and regional agencies are
pursuing increased political and legal obligations toaddress Earth System-related topics of global concern.
Such obligations are often encapsulated withininternational treaties, whose signatories have explicit
requirements placed upon them;- collaboration in scientific research and assessment:
including the establishment of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 by the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP). The IPCC acts as thesource of technical advice to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
There are several examples of far-sightedness on thepart of governments as nations have struggled to5assemble a coherent system of global environmental
governance in response to increasing environmental
awareness: e.g. the Montreal Protocol (on protection of
the ozone layer) and the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There are in fact
500 or so international environmental agreements now
in effect, of which about 150 are global treaties. But
environmental trend indicators suggest that our
prodigious efforts at environmental diplomacy havelargely failed to make serious headway against theworld’s most pressing environmental challenges.

At the international level, there is rhetoricalcommitment to the goals of sustainable development
and participatory decision-making. However, there is
far less commitment to localising these goals in national
policies and decision-making practices. There is afundamental reluctance in our societies to shoulder thedomestic political and financial costs to make global
environmental treaties enforceable.

1.6 Global science for global sustainability

Basic principles of good global environmental decisionmaking were pioneered at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992,
where 172 nations endorsed environmental governanceprinciples when they signed the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development, a charter of 27
principles meant to guide the world community towardsustainable development. The World Summit on
Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) reviewed
the progress of the previous 10 years and initiated newcommitments on: expanding access to water andsanitation, energy, improving agricultural yields,
managing toxic chemicals, protecting biodiversity andimproving ecosystem management - not only bygovernments, but also by NGOs, intergovernmentalorganizations and businesses, who launched over 300
voluntary initiatives. The problem in applying thesegood governance practices is not their novelty, but thefact that they profoundly challenge traditional
government institutions and economic practices.

Just as science and technology has given us the evidence
to measure the danger of climate change, so it can help us
find safety from it. Earth System science is the key toimplementing any approach towards good planetary
management, providing us with the necessary insights into
the feasibility, risks, trade-offs and timeliness of any
strategy considered.

The challenge is further complicated politically, by themismatch in timing between the environmental andpolitical/electoral impact, and by the fact that only
though international action – commonly agreed andcommonly implemented – can the problem be
addressed, since profound structural and economic reengineering will be involved for participating nations.
Disparities between developed and developing countries
will emerge and nations may seek competitive advantage
in the process. Such teething problems have all been
apparent in the definition and implementation of treaties
such as the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC which
imposes binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions by
developed countries relative to their 1990 levels.

This document discusses the need for observations ofplanet Earth and its environment and highlights theopportunities presented by Earth observation satellite
systems to produce information for decision-making.

One of the challenges is the difficulty of agreement on
specific targets, their enforcement and the financing ofthat enforcement. A more systemic problem is thatcurrent environmental agreements have arisen in an ad
hoc and largely uncoordinated fashion as each newenvironmental problem – acid rain, ozone depletion,
global warming – has entered the public
consciousness. They reflect a single-issue approach
toward environmental stewardship and have not sprungfrom an integrated perspective that sees the common
drivers of environmental decline.

The nature of climate change issues presents special
challenges in terms of the need for global information anddata on key planetary indicators, which can provide theinformation required for governments and policy makers tomake well-informed decisions. Recognising that no single
country can satisfy all of the observational requirementsthat are necessary for monitoring of the Earth System,
governments are taking steps to harmonise and integrate
their observing networks and satellite observing systems tobe able to address common problems of global concern.

If the best current scientific expertise is correct inpredicting the future impacts of human-induced climatechange and the likelihood that such changes are, if
anything, likely to accelerate with an expanding humanpopulation in the coming century – then such information
will become increasingly vital; providing an essential
foundation for the development of ethics of global
governance and strategies for sustainable Earth Systemmanagement that will define how humankind adapts infuture to the expected global change.

IPCC: www.ipcc.ch
Planet under pressure: www.igbp.kva.se
World Resources Institute: www.wri.org
World population: www.prb.org
UNEP: www.unep.org

6

2 Towards a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
2.1 Why observe the Earth?
An improved understanding of the Earth System – of its
weather, climate, oceans, land, geology, natural
resources, ecosystems, and natural and human-induced
hazards – is essential if we are to better predict andmitigate against the expected global changes and theimpacts on human civilisation.
Data collected and information created from Earthobservations constitute critical inputs to the explorationof sustainable management of the Earth – providing
evidence for informed decision-making, supporting thescience that underpins strategies for global
environmental governance, and for monitoring ourprogress on all geographical scales.
The significance of Earth observations in our future
decision-making processes is apparent in both:- the long term: where high-quality information must begathered continuously over many years in support ofvital climate studies to:- observe and characterise the current climate;- detect climate change, determine the rate of change
and assist in attributing the causes of change;- identify the climate changes resulting from humanactivities;- validate climate models and assist in prediction of
the future climate;- understand and quantify impacts of climate change
on human activities and natural systems.
- the short term: where better information on every-day
activities that support human existence will be a vital
component of the global strategy for adaptation to aworld with a rapidly increasing population, depleting
natural resources, and experiencing the possible
consequences of human-induced climate change;
regions, countries, and industries can all be expected
to be striving for improved efficiency and international
competitiveness in agricultural production, freshwater
management, land use management, atmosphericemissions control, natural resources exploration andmanagement – including forests and fossil fuels, aswell as in the prediction and mitigation of more
frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters.

forms, spanning data on population, demographics,
economics, and environmental indicators. Observationsof planet Earth itself, of man’s environment, might beregarded as the most important of all, as the context
for all decisions.
Earth observing systems help to provide data insupport of a wide range of information needs, on Earthparameters which are central to:- improved understanding: with a multitude of global
scale observations contributing to research into Earth
System processes;- evidence: Earth observations support the formulationof authoritative scientific advice – which is vital forgovernments when deciding to fund mitigation
measures in response to global change, to react toimpending crises in resource shortages, or toparticipate in agreements or conventions which require
costly changes in national consumption patterns;- monitoring and compliance: we might expect to see
increasing emphasis on international policy measuresand treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol emerging in
the future; Earth observations will play an essential
role in monitoring such agreements, ensuring thatcountries meet their legal obligations in relation tochallenges like reductions in fossil fuel emissions, or
pollution dumping.
The economic implications of such agreements can beenormous for countries and highly visible and public
measures to deter ‘cheating’ will be an important partof their success;- management and mitigation: in support of increased
efficiency in providing basic resources for future
generations and in predicting and countering the worst
effects of severe weather and natural disasters.
The beneficiaries will be a broad range of global user
communities, including: national, regional, and local
decision-makers; organisations responsible for the
implementation of international conventions andtreaties; business, industry, and service sectors;
scientists and educators; and, of course, every
inhabitant of planet Earth.

This information will be required on all scales – fromlocal to global. We can anticipate that it might be usedby intergovernmental bodies for decision-making andglobal governance to ensure sustainability, and also
more locally as countries, regions, and industries
compete for larger shares of smaller reserves of natural
resources in order to support their growing populations
and economic ambitions. Such information takes many7

2.2 The GEO Initiative
In what might be considered as a first step towards
establishment of the Earth observations component of a
far-sighted scheme for global environmental
governance, high-level officials from 33 countries, fromthe European Commission, and from 21 internationalorganisations involved in Earth observations, convenedin Washington DC, USA on 31st July 2003 to attend the‘First Earth Observation Summit’.
Recalling the urgent need expressed by the World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD –Johannesburg 2002) for coordinated observations
relating to the state of the Earth, these governments
and organisations adopted a Declaration signifying apolitical commitment to move toward development of“a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earthobservation system”.
The Summit established the ad hoc intergovernmental
Group on Earth Observations (GEO), co-chaired by theEuropean Commission, Japan, South Africa and the UnitedStates of America, and tasked it with the development of
an initial 10-Year Implementation Plan by February 2005.
The 2nd EO Summit (Tokyo, April 2004) developed a'Framework Document' to guide this process.
The Plan will define the operating principles, institutions
and commitments relating to the establishment of a
Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
The Group envisages that GEOSS will be:- comprehensive, by including observations andproducts gathered from all components required toserve the needs of participating members;- coordinated, in terms of leveraging resources ofindividual contributing members to accomplish thissystem, whose total capacity is greater than the sumof its parts;- sustained, by the collective and individual will andcapacity of participating members.
GEOSS will be a distributed system of systems, building
step-by-step on current cooperation efforts among
existing observing and processing systems within theirmandates, while encouraging and accommodating newcomponents. Participating members will determine ways
and means of their participation in GEOSS.
Nine topics were identified on which there wasagreement that clear societal benefits could be derived
from a coordinated global observation system:- reducing loss of life and property from natural andhuman-induced disasters;- understanding environmental factors affecting humanhealth and well being;- improving management of energy resources;

8- understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating, andadapting to climate variability and change;- improving water resource management through better
understanding of the water cycle;- improving weather information, forecasting, and warning;- improving the management and protection ofterrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems;- supporting sustainable agriculture and combating
desertification;- understanding, monitoring, and conserving
biodiversity.
It is anticipated that each societal benefit area will evolve
over time and that others may be added in due course.
The rationale for GEOSS is that collective action isneeded to bring operational observing systems in linewith the requirements for addressing a range of issuesof concern to society; and that we are currently notgetting full value from the substantial investment (ofthe order of tens of billions of euros per year in total)already made in Earth observation. This results fromthe lack of systematic implementation, coordination,
data exchange and attention to information systems
that meet user needs.
The global, comprehensive, integrated and sustained
effort outlined in the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation
Plan aims to address such shortcomings in thefollowing ways:- agreements on system interoperability and data
sharing: thereby increasing the number and type ofobservations available for analysis, as well as their
spatial and temporal coverage, while only marginally
increasing the cost of data provision. GEOSS provides
a mechanism through which partial or full data
sharing can be negotiated and a technical process bywhich it can be achieved;- collective optimisation of the observation strategy:
using cooperation to avoid redundancies in sampling,
and gaining synergies and cost savings by using
observational infrastructure for multiple purposes;- cooperative gap filling: for example, in overcoming
national difficulties in justifying certain observations
for local benefit, and ensuring monitoring of regions
outside the territory of individual nations (such as theopen oceans and Antarctica);

2 Towards a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)- commitments to observational adequacy andcontinuity: a fundamental commitment to continuationof observations at an acceptable level of accuracy andcoverage is essential for realisation of all the benefits
envisaged for GEOSS.
The ad hoc GEO process is scheduled to conclude its
work with the 3rd EO Summit, to be held in Brussels,
where it is expected that an international mechanism (tobe known as GEO - without the ad hoc) will beestablished to take forward an agreed 10-Year
Implementation Plan and to serve as a focus forcooperation efforts.

The First Earth Observation Summit

Declaration of the Earth Observation Summit
We, the participants in this Earth Observation Summit held in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2003:
Recalling the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg that called for strengthened
cooperation and coordination among global observing systems and research programmes for integrated global
observations;
Recalling also the outcome of the G-8 Summit held in Evian that called for strengthened international
cooperation on global observation of the environment;
Noting the vital importance of the mission of organizations engaged in Earth observation activities and theircontribution to national, regional and global needs;
Affirm the need for timely, quality, long-term, global information as a basis for sound decision making. In orderto monitor continuously the state of the Earth, to increase understanding of dynamic Earth processes, to enhance
prediction of the Earth System, and to further implement our environmental treaty obligations, we recognize theneed to support:(1) Improved coordination of strategies and systems for observations of the Earth and identification of measures
to minimize data gaps, with a view to moving toward a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earthobservation system or systems;(2) A coordinated effort to involve and assist developing countries in improving and sustaining theircontributions to observing systems, as well as their access to and effective utilization of observations, dataand products, and the related technologies by addressing capacity-building needs related to Earth observations;(3) The exchange of observations recorded from in situ, aircraft, and satellite networks, dedicated to the
purposes of this Declaration, in a full and open manner with minimum time delay and minimum cost,
recognizing relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation; and(4) Preparation of a 10-year Implementation Plan, building on existing systems and initiatives, with the
Framework being available by the Tokyo ministerial conference on Earth observations to be held during thesecond quarter of 2004, and the Plan being available by the ministerial conference to be hosted by theEuropean Union during the fourth quarter of 2004.
To effect these objectives, we establish an ad hoc Group on Earth Observations and commission the group toproceed, taking into account the existing activities aimed at developing a global observing strategy in addressing
the above. We invite other governments to join us in this initiative. We also invite the governing bodies ofinternational and regional organizations sponsoring existing Earth observing systems to endorse and support ouraction, and to facilitate participation of their experts in implementing this Declaration.
(Adopted 31 July 2003)

9

2.3 Existing observing systems
GEO Members
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
BelizeBrazilCameroon
CanadaCentral African Republic
Chile
China
Croatia
CyprusDenmark
Egypt
FinlandFranceGabon
Germany
GreeceGuinea-Bissau
India
Indonesia
Iran
IrelandIsraelItaly

Japan
Kazakhstan
LatviaLuxembourg
Mali
MexicoMoroccoMozambique
Nepal
Netherlands
New ZealandNigeria
NorwayPortugal
Republic of the Congo
Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
SwedenSwitzerland
ThailandUkraineUnited Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan

GEO Participating Organisations
IGBP
IGFA
IGOS-P
IISL
IOC
ISCGM
ISDR
POGO
UNCBD
UNCCD
UNEP
UNESCOUNFCCCUNOOSA
WCRP
WMOWorld Bank (IBRD)World Weather Watch
The best known of these networks may be the World
Weather Watch (WWW) of the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO). The WWW is a uniqueachievement in international cooperation, providing atruly world-wide operational system to which virtually
every country in the world contributes, every day of
every year, for the common benefit of humankind.
The Global Observing System (GOS) of the WWW which includes around 10,000 stations on land providing
observations near the Earth’s surface, at least every
three hours, of meteorological parameters such asatmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, airtemperature and relative humidity – ensures that every
country has all the information available to generate
weather analyses, forecasts and warnings on a day-today basis. The most obvious benefits of the GOS are
the safeguarding of life and property through theforecasting, detection and warning of severe weather
phenomena such as local storms, tornadoes, andtropical cyclones. GOS provides observational data
for agricultural management, aviation safety,

NOAA

ADIE
CCAD/SICA
CEOS
ECMWF
EEA
ESA
EUMETNETEUMETSAT
European Commission
FAO
FDSN
GCOS
GEO Secretariat
GOOS
GTOS
IAG
ICSU
IEEE

As a ‘system of systems’ GEOSS will encompass a
broad range of existing and planned networks ofsatellite-borne and Earth-based sensors, including
ocean buoys, weather stations and atmosphericradiosondes – providing important parameters relating
to land, ocean, and atmospheric processes. It has long
been recognised that the range of observations, manyof which are global, needed to understand and monitor
Earth System processes and to assess the impact ofhuman activities cannot be satisfied by a single
programme, agency, or country. The main Earthobserving networks are therefore typically international
collaborative programmes by nature, and include:

Operational weather satellites

10

2 Towards a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)

meteorology and climatology, including the study of
global change. These observations also provide aninternational database of upper air observations forresearch purposes.
22 Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) stations world-wide
supplement these observations with information onozone, other greenhouse gases, solar radiation, UV, andother atmospheric and meteorological parameters.
The Global Observing Systems
Within the last decade, the Global Observing System of
the World Weather Watch has been complemented by
the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the
Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) to produce
a set of Global Observing Systems integrating in-situ
and remotely sensed data from a range of international,
regional and national observing systems and networks,
with each focusing on a major component of the Earth
System. The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
has also been planned and initiated to integrate theobserving needs for climate purposes.
GOOS: GOOS is a permanent global system forobservations, modelling and analysis of marine andocean variables to support operational ocean services
worldwide. GOOS will provide accurate descriptions of
the present state of the oceans, including living
resources; continuous forecasts of the future conditionsof the sea; and the basis for forecasts of climatechange. GOOS is capitalising on existing ocean
observing systems, such as:- The TAO/TRITON array: comprises 70 moored buoys in
the Tropical Pacific Ocean, which since its completionin 1994 has enabled real-time collection of highquality oceanographic and surface meteorological data
for monitoring, forecasting, and understanding ofclimate swings associated with El Niño and La Niña.
Data and graphic displays from the TAO/TRITON arrayare updated every day, and the data are freely
available to the research community, operational
forecasting community, and the general public.
- The Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS): aninternational programme coordinated by theIntergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)for the establishment of high quality global andregional sea level networks for application to climate,oceanographic and coastal sea level research. The
main component of GLOSS is the 'Global Core
Network' (GCN) of 290 sea level stations around theworld for monitoring long term trends andaccelerations in global sea level.
There are numerous other contributors to GOOS, including:voluntary observing ships providing measurements ofupper ocean and meteorological parameters; the Global
Temperature and Salinity Profile Programme; and the
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

GTOS: GTOS is a programme for observations,modelling, and analysis of terrestrial ecosystems to
support sustainable development. GTOS facilitatesaccess to information on terrestrial ecosystems so that
researchers and policy makers can detect and manage
global and regional environmental change.
To achieve this GTOS is working towards theestablishment of a “system of networks", formed bylinking existing terrestrial monitoring sites andnetworks as well as planned satellite remote sensing
systems. Thematic networks have been established for
ecology, glaciers, and permafrost, and a hydrology
network is in progress.
Since the sustainable development of forest resources isregarded as one of the most pressing environmental
issues of our time, GTOS has established a panel on
Global Observations of Forest Cover and Land Cover
Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) which aims to improve thequality and availability of observations of forests atregional and global scales and to produce useful, timely
and validated information products from these data fora wide variety of users.
The Global Terrestrial Network (GT-Net) links theworld's terrestrial research networks together. It serves
as a framework for network managers to explore areasof common interest, harmonize research efforts andshare data, information and experience.
GCOS: GCOS was established in 1992 to ensure that theobservations and information needed to address
climate-related issues are obtained and made available
to all potential users. It is co-sponsored by WMO, theIOC, the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) and the International Council for Science (ICSU).
GCOS is intended to be a long-term, user-driven
operational system capable of providing thecomprehensive observations required for monitoring theclimate system, for detecting and attributing climatechange, for assessing the impacts of climate variability
and change, and for supporting research toward
improved understanding, modelling and prediction of
the climate system. It addresses the total climate system

11

including physical, chemical and biological properties,
and atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, cryospheric andterrestrial processes.
GCOS does not itself directly make observations nor
generate data products. It stimulates, encourages,
coordinates and otherwise facilitates the taking ofneeded observations by national or internationalorganisations in support of their own requirements aswell as of common goals. It provides an operationalframework for integrating, and enhancing as needed,
observational systems of participating countries andorganisations into a comprehensive system focussed on
the requirements for climate issues.
GCOS builds upon, and works in partnership with,other existing and developing observing systems suchas the Global Ocean Observing System, the Global
Terrestrial Observing System, and the Global Observing
System and Global Atmospheric Watch of the WMO.

on perceived priorities. The Ocean Theme was the first
IGOS Theme report to be approved and published – inJanuary 2001. Since then a number of other Themes
have been developed, or are in progress:- Global Carbon Cycle;- Geo-hazards;- Global Water Cycle;- Atmospheric Chemistry;- Coastal Zones/Coral Reefs;- Land;- Cryosphere.
The IGOS Themes represent a strong foundation ininternational cooperation for the future efforts of
GEOSS. Further information on IGOS-P and the IGOS
Themes is presented in annex B.

The Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership
The Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership(IGOS-P) was established in June 1998 by a formal
exchange of letters among the 13 founding Partners forthe definition, development and implementation of theIntegrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS). The
principal objectives of the IGOS are to address how welluser requirements are being met by the existing mix ofobservations, including those of the global observing
systems, and how they could be met in the future
through better integration and optimisation of remotesensing (especially space-based) and in-situ systems.
The IGOS serves as guidance to those responsible fordefining and implementing individual observing
systems. Implementation of the Strategy, like theestablishment and maintenance of the components ofan integrated global observing system, lies with those
governments and organisations that have made relevant
commitments, for example, within the governing
councils of the observing systems' sponsors.

GEO: earthobservations.org

To aid the development of the Strategy, the Partners
have adopted an incremental "Themes" approach based

World Weather Watch:www.wmo.ch/web/www/www.html
The Global Observing Systems:
www.gos.udel.edu
GCOS: www.wmo.ch/web/gcos/gcoshome.html
GOOS: ioc.unesco.org/goos
GTOS: www.fao.org/gtos
The IGOS Partnership: www.igospartners.org
Earth observation: www.esa.int/export/esaEO
earthobservatory.nasa.gov
The science of remote sensing:rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/start.html

12

2 Towards a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)A multitude of in-situ and space-based sensors contribute to Earth observations

IGOS Theme Reports

13

3 The important role of satellite Earth observations – and CEOS
NASA

3.1 Satellite Earth observations
Since the first TV images of the Earth from space weretransmitted by the TIROS-1 satellite back in 1960,
humankind has recognised the benefits of this uniqueand global perspective of our home planet. There are
currently 68 Earth observation satellite missions
operating, and around 100 more missions, carrying over
300 instruments, planned for operation during the next
15 years or so by the world’s civil space agencies. An
increasing number of commercial Earth observation
satellites, which are funded, launched, and operated byindustry, are also emerging to address important
spatial information markets.

impact of the El Niño, weather phenomena, natural
hazards, and extreme events such as floods anddroughts, vegetation cycles, the ozone hole, solar
fluctuations, changes in snow cover, sea ice and ice
sheets, ocean surface temperatures and biologicalactivity, coastal zones and algal blooms, deforestation,
forest fires, urban development, volcanic activity,
tectonic plate motion, and others. These various
observations are used extensively in real-time decisionmaking and in the strategic planning and managementof industrial, economic, and natural resources.
The proliferation of Earth observation satellites reflects
their unique abilities and benefits, such as:NASA- inherent wide area observation capability: offering
synoptic views of large-scale phenomena, and placing
in-situ measurements in the global context required
for the observation of many environmental andclimatic phenomena;- non-intrusive observations: allowing collection of data
to take place without compromising nationalsovereignty in the way that ground-based
measurements or airborne remote sensing might; thisis an advantage in the context of use withininternational environmental treaties;- uniformity: in that the same sensor may be used atmany different places in the world (some of which areinaccessible, making in-situ measurements infeasible);

Space-based remote sensing observations of theatmosphere-ocean-land system have evolved
substantially since the first operational weather satellite
systems were launched. Over the last decade Earthobservation satellites have proven their capabilities toaccurately monitor nearly all aspects of the total Earth
System on a global basis; a capability unmatched byground-based systems that are limited to land areasand cover only about 30% of the planetary surface.
Currently, satellite systems monitor the evolution and

14- rapid measurement capability: allowing sensors to betargeted at any point on Earth, including remote andhostile areas;- continuity: with single sensors or series of sensors
providing long time series of data suitable for climate
studies.
Present-day applications of satellite data are widespreadand cover research, operational and commercial
activities. On a global scale, space-based systems makea considerable contribution to the collection of datarequired for climate change research, in providing highquality, consistent, global datasets over long time
periods for use in understanding the climate system,
detection of potential anthropogenic change, validatingclimate models, and predicting future change.

3 The important role of satellite Earth observations – and CEOSEUMETSAT- hazard monitoring and disaster assessment schemes
are in place which incorporate satellite data toprovide wide area coverage of, amongst other things,
volcano plumes and areas stricken by drought orearthquake;- commercial fishing industries routinely utilise satellitederived fishing assessments to optimise theiroperations;- ocean wave and current information is used byoffshore exploration companies and shipping to
improve operational safety and route-planning;

KNMI/ESA- mapping and urban planning agencies exploit
satellite imagery for generation of maps and digital
elevation models.

3.2 CEOS
What is CEOS?
CEOS is the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites,
created in 1984 in response to a recommendation froma Panel of Experts on Remote Sensing from Space,under the aegis of the Economic Summit ofIndustrialised Nations Working Group on Growth,Technology and Employment.

Satellites are capable of obtaining global spatial
coverage, particularly over the vast expanses of theoceans, sparsely populated land areas (e.g. deserts,
mountains, forests, and polar regions), and the mid andupper troposphere and stratosphere. Satellites provide
unique measurements of solar output, the Earth’s
radiation budget, vegetation cover, ocean biomass
productivity, atmospheric ozone, stratospheric water
vapour and aerosols, greenhouse gas distributions, sealevel and ocean interior, ocean surface conditions andwinds, weather, and tropical precipitation, among others.
Earth observation satellite applications are not limited tometeorology, climate and environmental studies; Earthobservation satellites deliver information to a broad
range of sectors, providing significant economic,
societal, and humanitarian benefits as a result, including:

JAXA- agriculture and forestry services utilise satellite data
to provide, amongst other products, mapping
information, crop health statistics, yield predictions,
harvest optimisation, and estimated rainfall amount;

CEOS was established to provide coordination of the
Earth observations being provided by satellite missions– recognising that no single programme, agency, or
nation can hope to satisfy all of the observational
requirements which are necessary for improved
understanding of the Earth System. Since its
establishment, CEOS has provided a broad framework
for international coordination on spaceborne Earthobservation missions.

- resource mapping utilising very high resolution
satellite data, when combined with conventional
survey techniques, provides information needed tolocate both renewable and non-renewable resources,
such as mineral deposits, and a cost-effective meansof mapping large, sometimes inaccessible regions;15What does CEOS contribute?
CEOS strives to facilitate the necessary harmonisation
and achieve maximum cost-effectiveness for the total
set of space-based observation programmes of member
countries and agencies.
CEOS has established three primary objectives inpursuing this goal:- to optimise benefits of spaceborne Earth observations
through cooperation of its Members in mission
planning and in development of compatible data
products, formats, services, applications and policies;- to serve as a focal point for international coordinationof space-related Earth observation activities;- to exchange policy and technical information to
encourage complementarity and compatibility ofobservation and data exchange systems.
The work of CEOS spans the full range of activities
required for proper international coordination of Earthobservation programmes and maximum utilisation of
their data, and ranges from the development ofdetailed technical standards for data product exchange,
through to the establishment of high level interagency
agreements on common data principles for different
application areas – such as global climate change andenvironmental monitoring.
Who participates in CEOS?
CEOS membership comprises most of the world’s civil
agencies responsible for Earth observation satellite
programmes – amounting to 24 Members in 2005.
CEOS also has 20 Associates, comprising:- governmental organisations that are international or
national in nature and that are developing Earthobserving satellite programmes or significant
supporting ground facility programmes;

17th CEOS Plenary participants, Colorado Springs, November 2003

16

CEOS On-line- other existing satellite coordination groups andscientific or governmental bodies that areinternational in nature and currently have a significant
programmatic activity that supports CEOS objectives.
- The full list of Members and Associates is shown in
the tables on pages 18 and 19.
How does CEOS operate?
CEOS is managed by Plenary, at which CEOS Principals
meet annually. The CEOS Plenary determines policy,
reviews progress on the projects and activities being
undertaken, and sets the agenda of activities for theupcoming year. The Chair of CEOS rotates at theannual Plenary.
The work of CEOS is conducted within its various
working groups. Coordination throughout the year ismaintained through a permanent Secretariat maintainedby the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly with theEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of
Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) jointlywith the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) of the USA, and the Ministry of3 The important role of satellite Earth observations – and CEOS

ESA

JMA

NASA JPL/JAXA

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) jointly with the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA).
CEOS, IGOS-P and GEO
CEOS was one of the founding Partners that establishedthe Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership.
The principal objectives of the Integrated Global
Observing Strategy are to address how well user
requirements are being met by the existing mix ofobservations, including those of the global observing
systems, and how they could be met in the future
through better integration and optimisation of satellite
remote sensing and in-situ systems.
Strengthened links between space-based and Earthbased observing systems, and with scientific andenvironmental policy-making processes, provide
compelling motivation for CEOS to take an active role in
IGOS-P activities, and CEOS has embraced the conceptof an IGOS as a valuable initiative which perfectly
complements its own set of objectives.
JAXA/JAFIC

By working together, CEOS agencies are in a position toplan their Earth observation programmes with theminimum of unnecessary overlap and to devise joint
strategies for addressing serious gaps in theirobservation capabilities. As GEO evolves (see section2), CEOS expects to extend its efforts to support the
space observation aspects of its Implementation Plan fora global system of systems.
More information
Further information on the membership, structure,
activities, and achievements of CEOS is provided in
Annex A of this document.

17

Organisation

Country / Countries

ASI
BNSC

Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
British National Space Centre

CAST
CNES
CONAE

Chinese Academy of Space Technology
China
Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
FranceComisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales Argentina

CSA
CSIRO

Canadian Space Agency
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation

CanadaAustralia

DLR

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

GermanyEC

European Commission

ESA

European Space Agency

EUMETSAT

European Organisation for the Exploitationof Meteorological Satellites

INPE
ISRO
KARI
MEXT/JAXA

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
Indian Space Research Organsation
Korea Aerospace Research Institute
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology / Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
United Kingdom. (Luxembourg and Greece
anticipated to become full members during 2005.
Canada, Hungary and Czech Republic are
Cooperating States of ESA)
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom.
(plus 9 cooperating states: Slovak Republic,
Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Republic of Serbia andMontenegro, Slovenia, Romania, Czech
Republic and Latvia)
Brazil
India
Korea
Japan

NASA
NASRDA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Space Research andDevelopment Agency
NRSCC
National Remote Sensing Center of China
NSAU
National Space Agency of Ukraine
ROSHYDROMET Russian Federal Service for Hydro-meteorology
and Environment Monitoring
ROSKOSMOS
Russian Federal Space Agency
SNSB
USGS
CEOS Membership

18

Italy
United Kingdom

Swedish National Space Board
United States Geological Survey

United States of America
Nigeria
China
UkraineRussiaRussiaSwedenUnited States of America

3 The important role of satellite Earth observations – and CEOS

Organisation
CCRS

Canada Centre For Remote Sensing

Country / Countries
CanadaCRI
ESCAP

Crown Research InstituteEconomic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific

New Zealand
UN

FAO
GCOS
GISTDAGOOS
GTOS

Food and Agriculture Organization

UN

Global Climate Observing System
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency
Global Ocean Observing System
Global Terrestrial Observing System

International Programme
ThailandInternational ProgrammeInternational Programme

ICSU
IGBP
IOC
IOCCG
ISPRS
NRSC
OSTC
SAC/CSIRUNEP
UNOOSA
WCRP
WMOInternational Council for Science
International Geosphere-Biosphere ProgrammeInter-governmental Oceanographic Commission
International Ocean Colour Coordinating GroupInternational Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Norwegian Space Centre
Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs
Satellite Applications Centre/Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs
World Climate Research Programme
World Meteorological Organization

International ProgrammeInternational Programme
UNESCOInternational ProgrammeInternational Programme
NorwayBelgiumSouth Africa
UN
UN
UN
UN

CEOS Associates

CEOS: www.ceos.org

CEOS CD-ROM:
http://ceos.cnes.fr:8100/html/cd00.htm

Earth Observation Handbook: www.eohandbook.com
CEOS Newsletter:
www.ceos.org/pages/newsletter.html
CEOS Annual Report:
www.ceos.org/pages/annual_reports.html

CEOS Database:alto-stratus.wmo.ch/sat/stations/SatSystem.html
For CD-ROM copies of CEOS Database:dhinsman@wmo.int
IGOS Partnership: www.igospartners.org

CEOS Brochure:www.ceos.org/pdfs/CEOS_Bro2004e.pdf

19

4 Future challenges: from science to services
As humanity exceeds the planet’s capacity to sustain us,
the measurement capabilities offered by Earthobservation satellites will play an increasingly importantrole in understanding, monitoring, managing andmitigating key Earth System processes. This is true on a
global scale – in support of far-sighted attempts toimprove global environmental governance, and onregional and national scales – as countries adapt
competitively to shrinking reserves of natural resources,
and to the basic needs of expanding populations.
Without these capabilities we would have insufficient
information for future Earth System sciences studies,
which depend on data-intensive computer models, wewould have insufficient evidence with which to informour decision-making on policies aimed at sustainable
development, and we would have no way of checking
the effectiveness of our adaptation strategies in termsof the trends of key global environmental parameters.
Earth-based measurement systems alone cannot provide
the synoptic global picture which is required.
Around 170 Earth observation satellite missions (hostingover 340 different observing instruments) are being
funded by the world’s space agencies in the coming
years in response to the most pressing Earth System
information needs – as expressed by the international,
science, policy, and operational monitoring communities.
These missions also respond to more immediate needs inrelation to a variety of economic, social, andenvironmental concerns, including: weather services,
agricultural efficiency and yield optimisation, fisheries
management, mapping, hazard monitoring and disaster
response, ship routing and safety, national security,
pollution monitoring, resource exploration and protection,
urban planning, insurance business support, and others.
CEOS is recognised internationally as having the
responsibility for the coordination and planning ofgovernment-funded Earth observation satellite missions.
The scale of the information demand, and the scale of theplanned information supply (involving satellite
programmes of more than 30 countries), makes such
coordination an increasingly complex, but increasingly
essential undertaking if we are to maximise the transfer

of benefits to society and ensure supply of vital Earth
System information for current and future generations.
To achieve this goal, within the framework of the
proposed GEOSS, CEOS and its partners will face anumber of challenges:
Accelerating the transition from science-focusedmissions to operational services: Many Earthobservation satellite programmes, even those providing
vital information on long term climate indicators andtrends, are still derived from research projects – andas such lack access to continuity and stability infunding and staffing. Only by being seen to provide
operational, essential services to society – such as
those provided by satellite meteorology – can future
programmes ensure appropriate consideration ingovernment planning processes. This operational status,
whereby information is provided on a routine and longterm basis without interruption, is now being demanded
by a broader range of user groups, including those
involved in ocean monitoring, ozone and UV
monitoring, carbon cycle studies, pollution alerting, andfood security, amongst others.
Improved optimisation of the overall observation
strategy: Despite the best efforts of both the space andin-situ observations communities, the current observation
networks and future plans remain far from ideal. Largeparts of the globe are under-sampled; there issubstantial redundancy in some observations resulting
from lack of coordination; and entire topics of vitalinterest to society are missing crucial observations taken
on a sustained basis. The IGOS Partnership has
demonstrated that an integrated observation strategy isboth more effective and more efficient than stand-alone
strategies. More specific coordination will be essential in
the coming decades, linked to the early planning andfinancing processes of individual countries and agencies.
This coordination must include: mechanisms for

IGBP

Risk of human-induced desertification

20

4 Future challenges: from science to services

strengthened links between satellite and in-situ
observation systems; more multi-use Earth observation
systems, derived from co-ordination of requirements ofdifferent user communities in order to exploit efficiencies
in their synergies and commonalities; and creative
mechanisms for sharing costs and benefits so that all
countries – large or small, developed or developing –might contribute to, and participate in, a global
cooperative effort, in ways which, individually, manynations might otherwise be unable to achieve or justify.
Increased uptake and utilisation of Earth observation
data for maximum overall benefit: It is a fact that much
more data is collected than used by those who need it,
because it is hard or costly to access, or may be in aform that is difficult to interpret, compare with existingsources, or is of uncertain quality. CEOS has identified
improved data utilisation as a future priority for action,
including: enhancing data delivery systems to ensure
optimal access; new mechanisms and technical meansfor data sharing and exchange; improving our ability tocompare and integrate different data sources so as tomaximise their utility; provision of supporting
education, training and capacity building to guarantee
the necessary expertise for data exploitation.

Ensuring continuity of future observations: None of theabove actions are meaningful without a fundamental
commitment to continuation of observations at an
acceptable level of accuracy and coverage. The IPCC
predicts that, should the current decline inobservational networks continue, we may have lessinformation on the Earth System in future decades thanin the final decades of the 20th century. Recognising theneed for coordination of Earth observation satellite
programmes, CEOS will aim to ensure continuity,
consistency, and inter-comparability of the priority
measurements throughout the coming decades –consistent with the requirements of climate studies fortrend monitoring and change detection.

UNEP

Strengthening partnerships between observation planners
and global environmental governance frameworks:
International political will is a prerequisite to any
successful solution to global environmental issues whichspan political borders. Although international cooperation
on environmental issues is still in its infancy, progress on
major issues is being achieved. However, public concern
over man-made climate change will demand further
progress during the 21st century – especially on
managing fossil fuel emissions and the global carbon
cycle. Providing the information required by decisionmakers who represent our countries in the legal andpolitical processes that develop international policies, andby the agencies which monitor compliance and impact ofthese policies, must be a priority for future observation
programmes, including those of CEOS and its Members.
CEOS will therefore seek to strengthen partnerships with
relevant global environmental governance bodies as they
develop, including: those with responsibility for
implementation of the GEOSS 10-year Plan; thesecretariats of international treaties and conventions
relating to Earth’s environment and sustainable
development (such as the UNFCCC, and the UN
Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD); the IPCC,
recognised as the main source of assessment advice tothese bodies) – to ensure that future satellite missions
reflect their priorities for Earth System information.
The progress of the GEO initiative of the last two years
has elevated political awareness of, and participation in,international cooperation in the planning of future Earthobservations to meet society’s needs. CEOS has 20
years experience as an Earth observation international
coordination body and provides GEOSS with a readymade and proven mechanism for coordination of space
agencies and their programmes.

UNEP’s Living Planet Index – a measure of biodiversity changes indifferent ecosystems since 1970

21

Part II: Case studies – information
for societal benefit23

5 Case studies

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Contents

Part I highlighted a range of environmental issues andchallenges which face our ‘planet under pressure’ in the
21st century, including those arising from climate change
and expected increase in human population.

Within the GEOSS Implementation Plan, nine topics are
identified where clear societal benefits could be derived
from a coordinated global observation system:

This section highlights how Earth observation satellite
programmes support both the information needs of themain Earth System challenges and more immediateneeds for information in the social, economic, andenvironmental domains.

- reducing loss of life and property from natural andhuman-induced disasters;- understanding environmental factors affecting humanhealth and well being;- improving management of energy resources;- understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating, andadapting to climate variability and change;- improving water resource management through better
understanding of the water cycle;- improving weather information, forecasting,and
warning;- improving the management and protection ofterrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems;- supporting sustainable agriculture and combating
desertification;- understanding, monitoring, and conserving
biodiversity.
The potential role for Earth observations from satellites
in each of these areas is presented here in Part II. In
each case, the issues affecting society and theanticipated future consequences are discussed. (Notethat ecosystems and biodiversity are addressed
together in a single case study.) The need for
information and the role of Earth observation satellites
is explained, including an indication of future plans.

24

Disaster Mitigation
Human and economic losses due to natural disasters
continue to increase despite best efforts undertaken bycommunities, governments and international support
organisations. Data for 2003 from reinsurancecompanies report the occurrence of around 700‘disasters’, with over 50,000 people killed, almost fivetimes as many as in the previous year (11,000); such ahigh number of victims has only been recorded fourtimes since 1980. Economic losses rose to over US$60
billion (in 2002: US$55 billion). Swiss Re, the world's
second largest insurer, has estimated that the economic
costs associated with hazards resulting from global
warming alone could increase to US$150 billion eachyear in the coming decade.

Developing countries are disproportionately affected,
with their losses rising to about five times higher per
unit of GDP than for the rich countries, sometimes
exceeding years of hard-won and desperately needed
economic development. Natural disasters should berecognised as a major obstacle to sustainable
development.
The natural hazards which lead to these disasters withthe potential to create loss to humans and to theirwelfare include: floods, typhoons, tsunamis, hurricanes
and cyclones, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic
eruptions, landslides, subsidence, drought, and wildfires– coupled with a wide range of pollution and otherevents that are at least partially human induced, andsecondary disasters such as disease outbreaks that
commonly follow floods or earthquakes.

Economic and human impacts of disasters 1973-2002
UNISDR

A wide variation in the number and intensity of suchnatural hazards is normal and to be expected – but theevents of the last few decades suggest that there may
be an upward trend caused by human activities,
including growing numbers living in areas affected bydisasters. Many scientists believe that the recent
upsurge of weather-related natural disasters is the
product of increased global warming. There were threetimes as many great natural disasters in the 1990s as in
the 1960s, while disaster costs increased more thannine-fold in the same period. The reason for the upward
trend in loss of life and wealth is apparent; ninety percent of disaster victims worldwide live in developing
countries, where poverty and population pressures
force growing numbers of poor people to live in harm's
way – on flood plains, in earthquake-prone zones andon unstable hillsides.

Disaster mitigation information
Natural disasters cannot be prevented, but their socialand economic impacts can be reduced through effective
disaster management programmes. Disaster management
involves a series of information-intensive activities:- disaster knowledge and prevention: including activities
aimed at the avoidance or reduction of risks, throughthe evaluation of the characteristics of hazards, suchas their probability of occurrence, severity andlocation, as well as the vulnerability of life andproperty to such hazards;- disaster preparedness and forecasting: activities thatreflect the readiness of the public to cope with a
specific hazard; actions taken in response to an
ongoing or impending hazard; actions such as hazard
forecasting, warning and prediction;- emergency response, recovery and reconstruction:
activities undertaken immediately before and after the
onset of a hazard to reduce the effects of a disaster25

after it occurs; assessment of the extent and severityof the damage; relief measures such as delivering
food, health care and other sustenance; implementationof remedial and reconstruction measures.
Hazards are characterised by information on geology,
tectonics, seismicity, regimes of rivers and their waterbasins, amount & characteristics of fuel, local
meteorological conditions, terrain and topography.
Vulnerability depends highly on the location ofresidential areas and urban centres and assets such as
hospitals, schools, plants, road and utility networks,
and the likely effect of a given disaster.
Meteorological forecasts are essential to prediction andwarning of hurricanes, floods and fires. So far no reliableprediction system is available for earthquakes, althoughwarnings may be issued for volcanoes and tsunamis.
Evacuation plans and similar measures are triggeredaccordingly and their efficiency is conditioned heavily byavailable information on settlements, roads, etc.

scatterometer instruments and moisture or rainfall frommicrowave instruments, has improved these forecasts.
Forecasts and warnings for other severe storms utilise
products also derived from sequences of images fromgeostationary satellites. Flash flood forecasts are
improved with the integration of precipitation estimatesderived from analysis of cloud imagery, and severe
storm index sequences are utilised for warnings ofsevere storms such as tornadoes.
By allowing society time to prepare for or avoid animpending hazard, such forecasting and early warning
systems incorporating satellite data have dramaticallyreduced deaths, injuries, property damage and othereconomic losses.

MODIS, NASA

Disaster reduction and risk management has moved
rapidly up the policy agenda of affected governments
and the international community. This trend has led tothe adoption of the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (ISDR) by governments to promote
implementation of the recommendations emanating fromthe International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction(IDNDR, 1990-1999). The World Conference on Disaster
Reduction (WCDR), Kobe, Japan (January 2005) is amilestone event to increase the profile of disaster risk
reduction in development planning and practice.

The role of Earth observation satellites
Increasingly, data derived from Earth observation
satellites is being used to contribute to the information
requirements of different phases of disaster mitigation
programmes.
Weather satellites, have been used for more than 40
years to support forecasting of intensive weather
hazards such as tropical cyclones, severe storms, andflash flooding. Today, many countries operate weather
satellites, coordinating their activities to benefit aninternational user community through organisations
such as WMO. Derived products are produced routinely
several times per day, many of them focused onparticular hazard events. Tracking sequences of tropical
cyclone images from geostationary satellites as well as
storm intensities and atmospheric winds derived fromthese images provide information for forecasting landfall– where and when. Recent integration of experimental
products, such as ocean surface winds from

26

Tropical Storm Jeanne on 27th September, 2004

5 Case Studies – Disaster Mitigation

UNOSAT: UNOSAT is a consortium of UN agencies,
remote sensing service companies and space agencies,
and is supported by a number of CEOS Members andtheir national governments. UNOSAT’s objectives areto facilitate the planning and monitoring processes of
ESA

In recent years, Earth observation satellites havedemonstrated their utility in providing data for a wide
range of applications in disaster management. These
include the mapping and monitoring of hydrological andseismic hazards, variables affecting climate andweather, land use, the extent of damage due to volcanic
eruptions, oil spills, forest fires, the spread ofdesertification, and the forecasting of floods anddroughts. Information from satellites is often combinedwith other relevant data in geographic information
systems (GIS) in order to carry out risk assessment andhelp identify areas at risk.
Some of these capabilities are shown in the table overleaf.

International Charter on Space and Major Disasters: The
aim of this charter, initiated by the French (CNES) andEuropean (ESA) space agencies, is “to supply during
periods of crisis, to States or communities whose
population, activity or property are exposed to an
imminent risk, or are already victims, of natural or
technological disasters, data providing a basis forcritical information for the anticipation and managementof potential crises”. CSA (Canada), ISRO (India), and
CONAE (Argentina) are also party to the charter. Since
the Charter became operational on 1st November 2000,
authorised civil defence organisations may enlist
support from space by calling a telephone number, 24hours a day, 365 days a year. Rescue and civil defence
bodies of the country to which the participating
agencies belong are registered authorised users. Civil
protection authorities of other countries may also
submit requests by contacting their sister organisations
through existing cooperation mechanisms.
The Charter has proven to be a highly effective andpractical mechanism for delivering applications of Earthobservation satellite data to those in society in mostdire need. The Charter has been activated over 55 times
since its inception, and continues to support several
events monthly in response to calls for assistance fromcountries all around the globe.

The International Disasters Charter has been activated more than
55 times since November 2000 to supply Earth observation
satellite data to crisis-struck regions
ESA

Although Earth observation satellites have demonstrated
their considerable potential in supporting a range ofdisaster management activities, space agencies haverecognised that further steps are necessary to persuade
the disaster management community to assimilate these
new technologies into their operations. Further, to meetthe needs of such a diverse range of hazards and theiroften critical timescales for information, the space
agencies decided to pool the satellite resources ofdifferent countries more effectively for the benefit of theinternational community.

local authorities, local technicians, development
project managers and humanitarian field operators
working in coordination with or within the frameworkof UN activities, on issues such as disastermanagement, risk prevention, peace keeping
operations, post-conflict reconstruction, environmental
rehabilitation and social and economic development.
UNOSAT aims to encourage, facilitate, accelerate andexpand the use of accurate geographic information
derived from EO-satellite imagery by professionals
involved in achieving vulnerability reduction, crisis
management and recovery as well as sustainable
development at the local level.
RESPOND: RESPOND is an alliance of European andinternational organisations working with thehumanitarian community to improve access to maps,
satellite imagery, and geographic information. RESPOND
is a five-year staged programme providing: guaranteedaccess to global mapping; access to an archive of
detailed base mapping, imagery and thematic mapping;
and access to rapid assessment maps for major crisis.
RESPOND is one of the services initiated under the
GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security)

27

initiative of ESA and the European Commission. Since
2004, the RESPOND consortium has been collaboratively
producing products for the Sudan Darfur Crisis.
The reports of the CEOS Disaster Management Support
Group provide excellent references on the use of Earthobservation for disaster management:

Technically, we can expect to see future efforts aiming at
providing satellite-derived information more rapidly andat higher spatial resolutions, consistent with the needs ofmany disaster management applications. A number of
new capabilities can also be expected, including:

SERTIT- improved spatial and temporal resolution of storm
tracking from geostationary satellites, combined withnew atmospheric wind measurements (from planned
lidar instruments) and with ocean surface windmeasurements (from scatterometers), to provide moreaccurate early warning services;- operational tectonic strain-mapping and surface
deformation monitoring techniques in support ofearthquake and volcano warning systems;- more precise precipitation measurements andmodelling results as important inputs for flood
warnings;

SERTIT/ESA- a trend towards broad compatibility of satellitederived information with the GIS employed to aid
disaster management programmes.

DLR
USGS

Satellite imagery of flood extent is increasingly used to target
response operations: examples are shown for Sudan/Darfur,
August 2004 and for the River Elbe, August 2002

Future challenges
There are a number of obstacles to the increased use of
Earth observation satellite data in disaster mitigation
applications – both institutional and technical.
Institutionally, it is recognised that there must be
greater cooperation between satellite-operating
agencies, between these agencies and the commercial
sector, and between all data providers and the disastermanagement community. This cooperation is essential if
we are to achieve the scale and speed of response
which is required to face diverse and time-criticaldisasters. In order to promote wider acceptance and useof space systems by disaster management users, thespace and services communities must create theappropriate tools and continue to promote a mutual
understanding and dialogue between the disastermanagement and space sectors.

Interferometric SAR techniques may be used to monitor fault
motions and strain. 9 Volcanic Ash Advisory centres world-wide
use ash cloud data from satellites to ensure aviation safety.

UN International Strategy for Disaster reduction:www.unisdr.org
Disasters Charter: www.disasterscharter.org
UNOSAT: www.unosat.org
RESPOND: www.respond.eu.com
CEOS DMSG information server: disaster.ceos.org

28

5 Case Studies – Disaster Mitigation

HazardUse of EO satellites

Hurricanes & tornadoes

Weather satellites are used extensively for detection and tracking of storms
and contribute effectively to the forecasting capability. Recent satellite
missions providing more detailed and frequent measurements of sea surface
wind speed and tropical rainfall mapping have significantly improved
forecasts.

Volcanic eruptions & earthquakes

In-situ systems and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites provide
valuable information on seismic and volcanic activity. EO satellites provide
complementary data in support of disaster mitigation and response:interferometry techniques of radar sensors are used to monitor fault
motions and strain, and signs of Earth surface deformation and topographic
changes. Very high resolution sensors are used to map damage assessment,
direct response efforts, and aid reconstruction planning.
Satellite data is the primary information source employed by the 9 Volcanic
Ash Advisory Centres operational world-wide which issue volcanic ash cloud
warnings, an essential information source for international aviation safety.

Wildfires

A number of satellites now contribute routinely to each stage of wildfire
hazard management world-wide, including: fire risk mapping using land
cover and fire fuel assessments, moisture data, digital elevation maps, andmeteorological information – all derived from satellite; fire detection andearly warning; fire monitoring and mapping; burned area assessment.

Oil spills

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is used as the basis for ocean
surveillance systems for oil slick detection, to provide enforcement andmonitoring capabilities to deter pollution dumping. The SAR data isprocessed within 1-2 hours of the satellite overpass and used by pollution
control authorities to cue aircraft surveillance. Surveillance systems are
currently operational in Norway, and Denmark, and under trial in the
Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
SAR data and optical data are also used to develop information in supportof major coastal oil spills, to assist in mapping pollution extent andmanaging the response.

Drought

Currently, multichannel and multi-sensor data sources from geostationary
satellites and polar orbiting satellites are used routionely for determining
key monitoring parameters such as: precipitation intensity, amount, andcoverage, atmospheric moisture and winds. Instruments with spectral bands
capable of measuring vegetative biomass are also used operationally fordrought monitoring. The Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) in Africa, forexample, exploits operational use of satellite technology to reduce theincidence of famine in sub-Saharan Africa by monitoring the agricultural
growing season. Monitoring is carried out through “greenness maps”
derived every 10 days from the AVHRR instrument, and from rainfall
estimates.

FloodsEarth observation satellites are used for the development of flood impact
prediction maps, contributing measurements of landscape topography, landuse, and surface wetness for use in hydrological models. Weather satellites
provide key information on rainfall predictions to assist flood event
forecasting. Since optical observations are hampered by the presence ofclouds, SAR missions (which can achieve regular observation of the earth’s
surface, even in the presence of thick cloud cover) are frequently used toprovide near real-time data acquisitions in support of flood extent mapping.

29

NASA GSFC

US firefighters and land managers are using
NASA’s MODIS data to combat wildfires

A crippled tanker carrying around 67,000 tonsof oil split in half off the northwest coast of
Spain on Nov. 19 2002, threatening one of theworst environmental disasters in history.
Within the framework of the International
Disasters Charter ESA provided satellite
images almost daily since 17 November
from its ERS and Envisat spacecraft insupport of relief efforts.

STOP PRESS: December 2004 Tsunami
The recent tragedy striking the coastlines of the Indian Ocean has
highlighted the benefits of international cooperation in Earth
Observation for the management of disaster relief, while
demonstrating the scope for improved cooperation in the future.
Immediately after the first tsunami struck in the Eastern Indian Ocean
the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters was invokedby three different agencies. India activated the Charter for access todata over its own territory, the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs
activated in relation to Indonesia and Thailand while the French Civil
Protection Agency opened the Charter for the case of Sri Lanka.
As a result, data have been acquired from many satellite sources
since immediately after the event, including ESA’s Envisat, ERS and
Proba satellites, the French SPOT series, Canada’s Radarsat, the
USGS Landsat and India’s IRS series together with very highresolution data from the IKONOS and Quickbird series supported
through the German Space Agency DLR and NASA respectively.
Satellite data from before the disaster have also made a major
contribution by providing a historical analysis baseline. All data havegiven to the relief agencies in the field, with higher-level derived
information being developed and made available by image
processing and value-adding agencies. The main benefit of the data
has been to allow an immediate assessment of the extent of thedamage in those areas where local information is either impossible
or difficult to access, and to give a more general overview of theaffected areas.

30

This Envisat ASAR multitemporal composite image
highlights coastal destruction - including damaged
coral reefs - on North Sentinel Island, part of theAndaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The colourin the image comes from combining two separate
ASAR images acquired on different dates in orderto highlight differences between them. The yellow(combining red and green) is matched to a 3 June
2004 acquisition while the blue is matched to a
post-tsunami acquisition on 30 December 2004.

Human Health and Well-Being
Part of the improvement in human life expectancy
achieved during the last century may be attributed toour improved understanding of environmental influenceson our health and well-being. Contributing factors
include improved sanitation, cleaner water and air, andmore effective understanding of (and control of) the
sources and means of transmission of disease.

Current health-related applications of satellite data include:- detection of environmental factors associated withdisease-vector habitats and human transmission risk;- monitoring of air and water quality measures.
Examples of these applications are discussed below.

The GEOSS Implementation Plan (described in Section 2)
outlines a vision for Earth observing systems to make asignificant contribution to continued improvements inhuman health in both developed and developing
countries, through implementation of a system of
remote sensing and in-situ observations integrated
through assimilation and modelling tools with census
data on health. The outputs would identify
environmental conditions, health hazards, and at risk
populations, and establish epidemiological associations
between measurable environmental parameters, chronic
and infectious diseases, and health conditions.
Environmental datasets can be powerful tools in supportof research, epidemiology, health care planning anddelivery, and public health alerts. For example, by
linking weather and air quality data, air quality
forecasts can help protect those at risk from air
pollution episodes – such as asthmatics and theelderly. And by connecting the environmental
requirements of pathogens with weather and other data,
it is possible to predict outbreaks of infectious diseases
such as malaria, and to reduce the impact and/or
severity of the outbreak. Remotely sensed land-use data
can support monitoring of water quality and allow
communities to better target in-situ water quality
monitoring and remedial efforts. Better UV-B
measurements and warning systems will help contributeto reductions in the incidence of skin cancer andcataracts around the world.
Such observations, delivered in a sustained and timely
fashion, can bring a focus to predictive andpreventative aspects of health, particularly with respect
to environmental hazards such as pollutants. At a global
level, the availability of remotely sensed and in-situ
environmental data offers promise of powerful new
tools for the discovery of early indicators of healthhazards – alerting the community and providing time
for hazard avoidance or disease mitigation.

The role of Earth observation satellites
Earth observation satellite data has the potential tosupply information on a range of important healthrelated parameters. These measurements are ofparticular value: where alternative in-situ measurement
networks are not available in support of public healthprogrammes (notably in many developing countries),and for wide-area monitoring as the basis forforecasting and alerting services.

ESA’s HUMAN project
supplies satellite data to
Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF) in Nicaragua.
Aid workers are using
imagery of crowded slums toanalyse infections by Chagas
disease on a house by housebasis and to implement
effective control andmonitoring programmes on
the ground.

Disease Early Warning Systems
Since the 1970s, researchers have been studying thepotential of Earth observation satellite data in geographic
information systems (GIS) for disease early warning
primarily in ‘landscape epidemiology’ applications.
Landscape epidemiology involves the identification ofgeographical areas where disease is transmitted. By
knowing the vegetation and geologic conditions
necessary for the maintenance of specific pathogens innature, one can use the landscape to identify thespatial and temporal distribution of disease risk. Key
environmental elements, including elevation,
temperature, rainfall, and humidity, can influence thepresence, development, activity, and longevity ofpathogens, vectors, reservoirs of infection, and theirinteractions with humans.

31

Most of these studies have focused on the derivation ofvegetation cover, landscape structure, and water bodies.
These factors are important because the distribution ofvegetation types integrates the combined impact ofrainfall, temperature, humidity, topographic effects, soil,
water availability, and human activities. Nearly all vectorborne diseases are linked to the vegetated environment
during some aspect of their transmission cycle.

It is not only landscape parameters that are of value inthis context. Links have been established between
outbreaks of cholera in India and Bangladesh and oceanic
conditions in the Bay of Bengal – including anomalies insea surface height, temperature, and concentrations ofchlorophyll and phytoplankton. Data from AVHRR,
SeaWiFS, and Topex-Poseidon (amongst other sources)
have been used in support of these assessments.

NASA’s Center for Health Applications of Aerospace
Related Technologies (CHAART) has undertaken a review
documenting research undertaken in public healthprojects involving the world’s major diseases that arethought to have environmental components that can bemonitored using remotely sensed data. These include:
Chagas’ disease, cholera, dengue fever, filariasis,
hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, leishmaniasis, lyme
disease, malaria, river blindness, plague, Rift Valley
fever, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness), and yellow fever. Projects to map the vectorsof these diseases by satellite have been trialled in a wide
range of countries, including: Belize, Benin, Gambia,
Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, and USA.

Datasets used to model the temporal patterns of cholera
outbreaks in Bangladesh.
NOAA

NOAA

A AVHRR image of the mouth of the Ganges and the Bay of
Bengal. Vegetation is shown in shades of red and water inshades of blue.

B Sea surface temperature data, derived from AVHRR

32

NASA

CNES/NASA

C Sea surface height data, derived from TOPEX-Poseidon

D SeaWiFS image showing chlorophyll concentrations

5

Case Studies – Human Health and Well-Being

EPA’s decision-making tools with satellite observations
for better air quality forecasts.

Air quality monitoring
Global monitoring of the atmosphere is one of the mostsignificant contributions of environmental satellites tothe study of the Earth’s climate and its changes. The
capabilities of the latest generation of atmosphericmonitoring sensors are also enabling satellites toprovide measurements at a finer (local) spatial scale,and at lower levels of the atmosphere, down to groundlevel – which is most relevant to public health alerts.

In Europe, ESA is participating in the establishment of
the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment andSecurity) Atmosphere Service – which will provide
information on the ozone layer, UV-exposure on the
ground, air pollution and climate change. These services
are directed at the needs for information on environmentand climate by public authorities, governmental
agencies, the general public, and industry.

CSA

Respiratory illnesses are on the rise across thedeveloped world. Tainted air around urban centres –originating from power generation, industry or traffic –is a well-known problem, but difficult to solve. Spacebased instruments trace otherwise invisible plumes ofwaste chemicals as they move through the air,providing maps of their concentrations in three
dimensions. Such data can be used to provide daily
forecasts of meteorological fields and air pollution –valuable additions to the monitoring undertaken by
fixed-location stations on the ground.

Future challenges
ESA

Many applications are at a research or pre-operational
stage. Improved utilisation of satellite data for the
benefit of human health will require a combination of:- making better use of the capabilities that are currently
available, including improved linkages between data
providers and healthcare communities; capacity
building in developing countries to ensure the means
and understanding for use of the data; better
integration of satellite data with existing datasets to
exploit its full potential; andCarbon Monoxide pollution in North America measured by MOPITT(CSA) and nitrogen dioxide pollution in Europe measured by
SCIAMACHY (ESA)

A number of sensors – including MOPITT (providing
measurements of carbon monoxide and methane in the
troposphere), TES (carbon monoxide, methane, HNO3),
and GOMOS, MIPAS, and SCIAMACHY (on the ENVISAT
spacecraft) are providing new and powerful streams of
information on air quality and composition of potential
benefit to public health. Environmental protection andpublic health agencies are studying how to incorporatesuch information into their operations and warning
systems – through projects such as IDEA (Infusing
Satellite Data into Environmental Air Quality
Applications), which combines the assets of NASA andthe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with
NOAA’s weather information in order to improve the- translation of the new and planned measurement
capabilities from scientific prospects into operational
services, including through adequate modelling andanalysis capabilities in order to derive the essential
information; adequate spatial and temporal coverage
will continue to be a challenge.

CHAART: geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/health/chaart.html
WHO Roll Back Malaria: www.rbm.who.int
NASA’s IDEA: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/IDEA
East Africa Rift Valley Fever:edcintl.cr.usgs.gov/riftvalleysa.html
ESA: www.esa.int/export/esaCP/Protecting.html
GMES PROMOTE: www.knmi.nl/samenw/promote

33Malaria Early Warning Systems
areas of Africa. Epidemics may occur after excessive
rains, usually with a lag time of several weeks
during which mosquito vector populations andmalaria infections gradually increase. Epidemics
following drought and poor food security conditions
can be especially severe.

The ‘Roll-Back Malaria’ programme of the World
Health Organization (WHO) has implemented anumber of Malaria Early Warning Systems (MEWS)
intended to facilitate timely responses that will
prevent and contain malaria epidemics. MEWS
comprise forecasting, early warning, and early
detection. Forecasting usually refers to seasonal
climate forecasts; early warning refers to themonitoring of meteorological conditions such as
rainfall and temperature; and early detection isbased on routine clinical surveillance.

Risks are displayed on maps which are updated
every 10 days and can be freely accessed via the
WHO/RBM web site. MEWS are generally performing
well in southern Africa, and studies have started in
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of
Tanzania, and Sudan. Decision-tree models are being
constructed and validated. Work remains to be done
to better involve staff from meteorological services
in joint ventures with ministries of health toregularly compile and evaluate data and disseminate
warnings to communities.

WHO has supported development of simple tools tomonitor epidemic risks in marginal transmission
areas based on anomalies in rainfall andtemperature identified from satellite observations.
Rainfall is one of the major factors influencing
malaria transmission in semi-arid and desert-fringeWHO

Number of inpatient malaria
cases in selected hospitals in
Namibia, comparedmeasurements of 'cold cloudduration' - a satellite-derived
proxy for rainfallWHO34

Energy Resource Management
Energy underpins all aspects of the economic and social
development policy in all countries. It is an input
universally required by every segment of economy andsociety, and equally needed in both developed anddeveloping countries.
The energy sector covers a wide range of activities suchas oil and gas exploration, extraction and production,transportation, and electricity generation, transport anddistribution. The optimal management of this diverse,
global, trillion-dollar industry - which includes the nonrenewable resources of oil and gas as well as renewable
resources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydropower
generation is a critical concern to all nations.

The electric power industry relies heavily on projecteddemand requirements for the buying, selling and tradingof electric power. Weather information is a necessary

NASA/USCB

Major issues for the energy industry include fuelsupply, type, and sustainability, as well as power
efficiency, reliability, security, safety and costeffectiveness. Nations need reliable and timely
information in order to manage the risks associated withuncertainty in supply, demand, and market dynamics.
This requires sound management practices andstrategies, by both industry and government.

The electrical grid ‘blackouts’ in northern USA and
Canada in August 2003 were an extreme example of theeffects of miscalculating the demand for electricity. The
outage affected some 50 million people and losses were
estimated at between $5.8bn and $11.8bn. It occurred
during summer peak seasonal energy use periods when
air conditioning demand was in full force – anddemonstrates the important influence of environmental
conditions on society’s daily demand for electricity.

ECMWF

Energy resource management decisions are the basis for
economic growth, ecologically responsible use ofresources, and human health and security. According to
the International Energy Agency, worldwide energy
demand over the next thirty years is expected to double,
with the bulk of this increase occurring in large, rapidly
developing countries – such as India and China. By 2030,
global energy demand is expected to exceed supply by
20%. At the same time, existing reserves of traditional
fuels from fossil sources may diminish and new reserves
will be more difficult to find and exploit commercially.
Environmental awareness of the global warming effects ofuse of fossil fuels may lead to greater reliance on
renewable energy sources – which are themselves
sensitive to weather and climate phenomena.

Forecasting the demand for electricity

The role of Earth observation satellites
The energy industry is already an important user of
information from Earth observation satellites:- weather data is vital in estimations of both the supply
and demand for electricity;- satellites play an important role in support of
exploration, extraction, and safe transportation of theworld’s oil and gas reserves – which are beingsought in increasingly remote and hostile areas of theplanet;Weather forecasts are vital for electricity demand forecasting.
Meteorologists noted a record-breaking hot summer in Japan in
2004 – with 68 days reaching more than 30oC. Urban heat island
conditions are increasing demand for air conditioning and placing
stress on electrical supply systems.

- satellite observations have a central role in thedetection and observation of climatic trends due tochanging atmospheric composition.
Some examples of the roles for satellite Earth observationsin the global energy sector are outlined below.

35

component of the industry’s supply forecasting process.
Companies make or purchase forecasts of electricity
demand ranging from a few hours ahead to many days
ahead. The electric power industry values these demand
forecasts and the models that produce them. Energy
managers base critical operational decisions upon them.

NASA

Weather forecasting improvements from the introductionof new and advanced satellites are therefore ofsignificant value to that industry. It has been estimatedthat the economic benefit to the US supply industry
resulting from improvements included in the GOES-R
mission alone would amount to US$451Mn in 2015. This
benefit would be realised in the form of savings
primarily from improved load forecasts, and better realtime weather information.

Earth observationn imagery is used extensively by
exploration companies in support of their search for
new oil and gas reserves – both on land and at sea.
Instruments such as ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite are
specifically designed to support geologists gathering
information on remote and poorly mapped regions of
the world and to supply information on the geologicaland tectonic features – which the trained interpretercan exploit, in association with seismic data, to optimise
exploration efforts.
NOBLECORP

Operational meteorological satellites play an importantrole in the generation of the short term and seasonal
weather forecast products that are employed in the
power industry. Everyday forecasts of temperature,humidity, precipitation and wind speed, and warnings ofsevere weather events such as hurricanes, droughts andheat waves, all have value in the prediction of how
many electrical appliances each of us will use in thecourse of our typical day. Getting the forecast wrong
means generating either too much or too little energy,
and profits are lost in either case. Energy sector
meteorologists have suggested that, in the USA,imperfect forecasts can have an impact on theelectricity generation industry by as much as US$1Mn
per degree (fahrenheit) per day.

Oil and gas

NASA

Direct observation of environmental conditions can also
play an important role in ensuring electricity supply.
Utilities and energy trading companies often use
satellite imagery data on snow accumulation to predict
snowmelt and therefore the energy potential ofhydroelectric dams. Longer term supply andinfrastructure planning also depends on predictions ofurban growth. Wide field-of-view sensors such as thoseon Landsat and SPOT have been used specifically forthis purpose.

Satellite observations of weather formations, sea surface winds,
and wave heights are essential for safe offshore operations
EARTHSAT

Satellite imagery is routinely used in exploration of offshore oilbasins – including through oil ‘seep’ detection36

5 Case Studies – Energy Resource Management

Environmental and climate impacts of global fossil fueluse can be expected to come under increasing scrutiny
in the 21st century, as nations explore more sustainableenergy policies and try to limit greenhouse gas
emissions. The role of Earth observation satellites inthis domain is the subject of the following case study
on Climate.
OKLAHOMA UNIV

Satellite data is used for prospecting for undersea
hydrocarbon deposits. Research by oil companies in the
1990s demonstrated that over 75% of the world’s oilbearing basins contain surface seeps – which form athin slick on the sea surface above, visibly changing thewater’s reflective qualities. Searches for these naturally
occurring oil slicks can be undertaken using boats andaircraft – but these are time-consuming and costly andmay require access rights, and alert competitors topotential resources.
Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites offer the oil industry
an effective, low-cost technique for reducing source risk
in high-cost exploration environments such as the new
deep frontier basins This is due to their ability to image
surface oil seeps remotely with wide swath coverage(typically 100-200km wide scenes) and at low cost.

Coastal wind mapping using radar satellites

NREL

Oil and gas drilling increasingly takes place on the open
seas – operations which are particularly vulnerable tosevere storms. This vulnerability was apparent in the2004 hurricane season when oil output from platforms
in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest domestic source of oil
for the USA, was reduced by about 25-30% of its usual
daily rate. Oil prices increased sharply as a result – onfears of supply security. Marine forecasts are essential
in the offshore drilling business and for oil pipelinemanagement, providing information on sea-state
conditions, wind, wave, surface temperature, andextreme events such as severe storms and hurricanes.
Satellite observations are often the only source of suchinformation out at sea and are invaluable in managing
offshore operations – and therefore in ensuring securityof oil supply.

ESA

Moreover, satellite data does not compromise nationalsovereignty and can provide multi-temporal coveragedata over any area of the globe. Time-series data canprovide the location for follow-up surface samplingfrom which key geochemical information on thereservoired oil can be obtained ahead of drilling.

EUMETSATThe same benefits are enjoyed by ocean-goingsupertankers that transport much of the world’s oil andgas supplies. Active microwave sensors on satellites suchas ERS, ENVISAT, and QUICKSCAT provide homogeneous,global measurements of sea surface winds and wave
height which are used by meteorologists in their marine
forecast models. These models are used in support ofoffshore operations and for ship route optimisation. The
same instruments have helped improve forecasting of thelandfall – where and when – of impending hurricanes.
This can now typically be predicted to within 400km, up
to 2-3 days in advance. The goals of NASA’s Earth
Science Enterprise call for improving this capability towithin 100km by 2010.

Solar irradiance map

37

Alternative energy sources

Future advances

Real opportunity exists for information from Earthobservations to contribute to the optimisation ofrenewable energy systems for power production, and tocontribute to the provision of information for optimal
integration of traditional and renewable energy supply
systems into electric power grids.

Increasing fuel prices and sensitivity to national fossil
fuel emissions will ensure ever-increasing importance ofthe efficiency of our power generation industries. In themedium term, progress and improvement of energy
resources management activities using satellite Earthobservations will be largely related to the improvementof short-term to medium-term (up to 8-10 days)
weather predictions as well as progress in seasonal tointer-annual climate forecasts.

Energy sources such as solar, wind, and wave power, offer
environmentally-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels but are
particularly sensitive to environmental conditions. Theseenergy sources are intermittent, and their availability
depends largely on local climate and weather.
Local climate data on cloud cover, solar irradiance, andon wind/wave speed and direction – combined withother environmental parameters such as land elevationand land cover models – are vital elements indeveloping a strategy for the location and operation ofsolar, wind, and wave power facilities.
Geostationary satellites have been used experimentally
as a tool in resource assessment for solar energy for anumber of years. The HELIOSAT-3 project, financed by
the European Commission, aims to exploit Meteosat
data to support the solar energy community in its
efforts to increase the efficiency and cost-effectivenessof solar energy systems and thereby improve theviability of solar energy. The project aims to provide
high spatial and temporal solar irradiance data as wellas information on the distributions of sunlight by angle
of incidence and spectral band.

The new generation of operational meteorology
satellites will enable the range of deterministic forecasts
to be extended to 15 days. Predictions of high-impact
weather will also see improvement – up to 5 days
ahead for flash floods, storms and blizzards, 10 days
for plain floods, and 15 days or beyond for droughts,
heat waves and severe cold spells.
Operational weather systems will be extended toprovide daily global analyses of greenhouse gases, andmonthly estimates of the sources and sinks of CO2.

SAR, scatterometer, and altimeter data from satellites
are also used to support the mapping of wind energy inoffshore and near-coastal regions to identify potential
wind turbine sites.

International Energy Agency: www.iea.org
The Kyoto Protocol: unfccc.int/resource/convkp.html
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather
Forecasts: www.ecmwf.int
ARGOSS: www.argoss.nl
Wind and wave forecasts for offshore operations andship routing;earth.esa.int/applications/data_util/hrisk/ssf/ssf.htm
Satellites for oil and mineral exploration:www.npagroup.co.uk/oilandmineral/index.htm
Heliosat-3 project: www.heliosat3.de38

Climate Change
A global concern
In New York on 9th May 1992, the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted;
to date, the most significant global legal framework forinternational action to address climate change. By thestart of 2005, 186 countries and the European
Community had become Parties to the Convention.
The ultimate objective of this Convention is to achieve
stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in theatmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic (man-made) interference with theclimate system.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
projects that greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil
fuel burning are almost certain to be the dominant
influence on trends in atmospheric greenhouse gas
concentrations in the coming century and that with a‘business as usual’ scenario, the global average surface
temperature is expected to rise between 1.4oC and 5.8oC.
This rate of warming is most likely without precedent in
at least the last 45,000 years. Scientists anticipate
profound consequences for sea level (a rise of 9-88cm
in the 21st century), precipitation patterns and extreme
weather, with consequent impacts on a wide range of
ecological functions and human activities essential for
individual and societal well-being.

The UNFCCC was strengthened at a meeting of theConference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention in
December 1997, where a legal instrument – named the
Kyoto Protocol – was adopted. The Protocol subjects
industrialised countries to legally-binding targets tolimit their greenhouse gas emissions. These targets add
up to a total reduction of 5% in greenhouse gas
emissions from 1990 levels, for the five-year period
2008-2012. By November 2004, 127 countries had ratified
the protocol; in order to enter into force, the Protocol
is required to be ratified by 55 Parties to theConvention, including enough major industrialised
Parties to account for at least 55% of the total carbon
dioxide emissions by industrialised countries in 1990.
This participation target was achieved when Russia
ratified the treaty in late 2004 – and the Kyoto
protocol became a legally binding agreement.
PHILIPPE REKACEWICZ, VITAL CLIMATE GRAPHICS,
UNEP-GRID ARENDAL, NORWAY, 2000

National commitments under the Kyoto Protocol were
not offered lightly. The necessary reductions ingreenhouse gas emissions will require changes in theway in which countries generate energy, provide
transportation, and manage land use – issues which are
all fundamental to future economic development.
However, the necessary impetus to meet thesechallenges is the alarming realisation, based on the best
available scientific assessment, that human activities are
already affecting the Earth’s climate, and that theemission of greenhouse gases is the primary cause.
The term ‘climate change’ usually refers to changes in
the climate system, notably a global warming trend
caused by emissions of greenhouse gases that create a‘human-induced greenhouse effect.’ The most importantof these gases is carbon dioxide (CO2), which comesmainly from the burning of fossil fuels such as oil,gasoline, natural gas and coal. Other important
greenhouse gases include methane (CH4), nitrous oxide(N2O), ozone (O3), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

39

The International Response
The relevant international communities are collaborating
on an unprecedented global scale in order to observe,
model, and understand the underlying Earth Systemprocesses and to implement policy measures to avert
the worst effects of the ‘business as usual’ scenario. The
main policy initiative is the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol sets limits on the emission of six
main greenhouse gases:- carbon dioxide (CO2);- methane (CH4);- nitrous oxide (N2O);- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs);- perfluorocarbons (PFCs);

Some specified activities in the land-use change andforestry sector (namely, afforestation, deforestation andreforestation) that emit or remove carbon dioxide from theatmosphere are also covered. All changes in emissions,and in removals by so-called ‘sinks’ (absorbers), areconsidered equivalent for accounting purposes.
The Protocol also establishes three innovative‘mechanisms’, known as ‘joint implementation’,‘emissions trading’, and the ‘clean development
mechanism’, which are designed to help Parties reducethe costs of meeting their emissions targets by achieving
or acquiring emission reductions more cheaply in othercountries than at home. The clean development
mechanism also aims to assist developing countries toachieve sustainable development by promoting
environmentally-friendly investment in their economies
from industrialised country governments and businesses.

- sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

SPOT

Fossil fuel emissions and deforestation play major roles inclimate change

40

Fluxtowers monitor exchanges of CO2, water vapour and energy
between land and atmosphere5 Case Studies – Climate Change

The GCOS Implementation Plan notes that this will
require terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric observations
from both in-situ and remote sensing platforms, whichthen must be transformed into products and information
through analysis and integration in both time and space.
Global observing systems for climate will comprise
instruments at ground stations as well as on ships,
buoys, floats, ocean profilers, balloons, samplers,
aircraft, and satellites, since no single technology orsource can provide all the needed information. Of these,in the future, Earth observation satellites providing global
coverage and well calibrated measurements will become‘the single most important contribution to global
observations for climate’.

The role for satellite Earth observations
For adaptation to be effective, governments as well as
the private sector need information about past andcurrent climate conditions, their variability andextremes, as well as sound projections of future
conditions, not only on a year-over-year basis but for
many decades into the future. The World Climate
Research Programme (WCRP) was established in 1980 toco-ordinate international research in this domain, inorder to determine the extent to which climate can bepredicted and the extent of human influence on climate.
The climate system responds to both external forcingsand to perturbations of internal processes; it is importantthat we can track climate change and variability in a waythat causes can be determined, trends and variability
predicted, and appropriate adaptation and mitigation
strategies defined for implementation.

Since the dominant influence on future greenhouse gas
trends is widely agreed to be the emission of CO2 fromfossil fuel burning, an improved understanding of the
global carbon cycle has become a policy imperative forthe forthcoming decades, both globally and forindividual countries. The focus of this case study on
climate change is therefore on observations of the
carbon cycle – a global concern. It should be noted that
there are many other, equally significant, aspects ofclimate monitoring – including those which highlight theresults of climate change as well as the causes. These
include the water cycle and water resources, and thecryosphere. Both topics are the subject of individual
IGOS Themes, and the cryosphere will be the focus forthe planned International Polar Year in 2007-2008.

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), in
consultation with its partners, has developed a plan
which identifies the observations of the ‘essential
climate variables’ required by the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC). These key Earth System parameters areshown in the table on the next page and include
measurements of land, sea, ice, ocean, and atmosphere.

NASA JPLJAXA/EORC

Satellite ocean colour sensors provide important information on
the ocean’s role in the carbon cycle
UNIV. BREMENThe Orbiting Carbon Observatory

Satellites already deliver global estimates of
CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere41

DomainEssential Climate Variables

Atmospheric(over land, sea, and ice)

Surface: Air temperature, Precipitation, Air pressure, Surface radiation budget, Wind
speed and direction, Water vapour.
Upper-air: Earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance), Upper-air temperature(including MSU radiances), Wind speed and direction, Water vapour, Cloud properties.
Composition: Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone, Other long-lived greenhouse gases,
Aerosol properties.

Oceanic

Surface: Sea-surface temperature, Sea-surface salinity, Sea level, Sea state, Sea ice,
Current, Ocean colour (for biological activity), Carbon dioxide partial pressure.
Sub-surface: Temperature, Salinity, Current, Nutrients, Carbon, Ocean tracers,
Phytoplankton.

Terrestrial

River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lake levels, Snow cover, Glaciers and ice
caps, Permafrost and seasonally-frozen ground, Albedo, Land cover (including
vegetation type), Fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR),
Leaf area index (LAI), Biomass, Fire disturbance.

Observing the Carbon Cycle
The global carbon cycle connects the three major
components of the earth system: the atmosphere,
oceans, and land. In each domain, large pools of readily
exchangeable carbon are stored in various compartments(‘pools’ or ‘sinks’ and ‘sources’). Large amounts ofcarbon (‘fluxes’) are transferred between the pools overvarious time periods, from daily to annual and much
longer. Although some of the fluxes are very large, thenet change over a given time period need not be. For
many centuries prior to the industrial revolution, thecarbon pools were more or less in equilibrium, and the
net transfer was close to zero for the planet as a whole.
The major changes have occurred following thedevelopment of agriculture and industry, with theaccelerated transfer from the geological (fossil fuels) andterrestrial pools to the atmosphere. Because of theconnections among pools, the increased atmosphericcarbon concentration affects the other connected pools inoceans and on land. The processes governing the fluxes
between the pools take place at various rates, from daily
to centennial and longer.
The UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol represent the firstattempt by mankind, acting collaboratively across theworld, to manage, at least partly, a global element cycleof the Earth System – the global carbon cycle. The
Kyoto Protocol recognises the role of terrestrial systems
as carbon sinks and sources, and it provides a basis fordeveloping future ‘emission trading arrangements’ thatinvolve forests and potentially other ecosystems.
Understanding of the pathways through which theanthropogenic CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere andinto ecosystems (thus offsetting a portion of theanthropogenic emissions) is fragmentary and incomplete.
These factors and dependencies make the quantificationand study of the carbon cycle very challenging to model,
observe, and predict.

42

This challenge requires the support of a coordinated setof international activities – scientific research (including
modelling), observation, and assessment. Assessment isperhaps the most advanced, with the pioneering work of
the IPCC providing the scientific assessment required forthe policy action. In terms of scientific research, theInternational Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) has
recently joined forces with the International Human
Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change(IHDP) and the World Climate Research Programme(WCRP) to build an international framework for
integrated research on the carbon cycle (called the
Global Carbon Project).
Observations of the global carbon cycle, including theland, oceans, and atmosphere compartments of thecycle, are being co-ordinated within the IGOS
Partnership, by the Integrated Global Carbon
Observations (IGCO) Theme (see annex B for more on
IGOS Themes).
The IGCO Theme will build on a number of carbon cycle
observation initiatives at the Earth’s surface that areunderway or planned, including:- global networks of atmospheric greenhouse gas
measurement stations (such as GLOBALVIEW CO2)andthe WMO World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases(Tokyo);- global networks of measurement tower sites thatmonitor the exchanges of CO2, water vapour, andenergy between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere;
e.g. the FLUXNET system has over 260 tower sites
operating on a long-term and continuous basis;- measurement ships and arrays of buoys, including the
TAO array in the equatorial Pacific.
Data from Earth observation satellites provide the only
global, synoptic view of key measures of the carbon cycleand form an essential and central part of the envisaged
integrated observation strategy planned within IGCO.

5 Case Studies – Climate Change

The major applications include:

Future challenges- global mapping of land cover use, land cover change,
and vegetation cover characteristics that are importantto full carbon accounting – using sensors such as
AATSR, AVHRR, Landsat TM/ETM/ETM+ and MODIS andcarried out through the Global Observation of Forest
Cover and Land Cover (GOFC-GOLD) project initiatedby CEOS;Within the next few years, scientists are hopeful of an
extraordinary and unique revolution in global monitoring of
atmospheric CO2 concentrations, sources, and sinks – withthe benefit of space-based high-precision measurements ofcolumn-integrated CO2 molecular density with global,
frequent coverage.

- seasonal growth characteristics, including importantparameters such as fraction of absorbed
photosynthetically active radiation and Leaf Area
Index (LAI) are generated on a global scale (e.g. by
AVHRR, MODIS, MERIS, and SPOT VEGETATION);- fire detection and burn scar mapping: in many regionsof the world, fires are the most significant disturbanceof vegetation and drive large inter-annual variations incarbon emissions from ecosystems; large fires inforests and grasslands are detected and mapped fromspace using thermal and optical sensors (radar
sensors also show promise for burn mapping);- combinations of satellite measurements of parameterssuch as ocean chlorophyll, dissolved organic matter,and pigment composition and physical measurementsfrom satellite of ocean waves, winds, and temperature
are used to derive three main contributions for the
study of ocean carbon:- quantifying upper ocean biomass and ocean primary
productivity;- providing a synoptic link between the ocean
ecosystem and physical processes;- quantifying air-sea CO2 flux.
Another key role for satellites relates to monitoring of
the Kyoto Protocol’s ‘carbon trading’ mechanisms,
especially the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Existing archives of high resolution satellite imagery(e.g. from Landsat and SPOT) provide the capacity for
determining eligibility of CDM reforestation projects byconfirming compliance with the Kyoto Protocol’s rulethat any proposed forestry project must be able toprove that the site “did not contain forest on 31st
December 1989”. The same technologies can also
provide the geographically explicit land use data fornational inventory reports concerning carbon sinks, andprovide important information in trade-offs and conflicts
between mitigation/adaptation carbon initiatives
involving land use, land-use change and forestry, andlong-term sustainable development strategies.

The precision requirements for such measurements are
extremely taxing – requiring concentrations as low as 0.3%
(1 ppm) to be achieved in order to accurately characterise
carbon sources and sinks. But a number of new missions,specifically dedicated to this challenge, are being planned
to provide the first such data. NASA will launch the Orbiting
Carbon Observatory (OCO) in 2007. This 2-year mission isseen as a pathfinder for future long-term CO2 monitoring
missions – and will use measurements of reflected sunlightin the short-wave infrared to provide global, high-precision
measurements of the column-integrated CO2 mixing ratio. A
second satellite, launched by JAXA, also aims to provide
information on CO2. GOSAT (Greenhouse gas Observing
Satellite) will be operational from 2008.
In the interim, scientists continue to make advances in
the retrieval of CO2 information from atmosphericsounding instruments on the NOAA polar orbiting
satellites, and from atmospheric chemistry instruments
such as SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT.
Part of the future challenge will be to support a
monitoring system that is suitably accurate, robust, andsustained to effectively support the implementation andpolicing of treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol – sincecold, hard evidence may on occasion be required toensure their enforcement. For Earth observation satellites
this will require a move from research to operational
status to support international policy frameworks.
The necessary co-ordination of the relevant satellite
missions will be undertaken by the Committee on Earth
Observation Satellites (CEOS) including through their
participation in the IGCO Theme. Part III of this document
summarises the various plans of the world’s space agencies.

Global Carbon Cycle: whrc.org/carbon/index.htm
UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol: http://www.unfccc.de
Climate change science:www.climatechangesolutions.com
Global Carbon Project: www.globalcarbonproject.org
IGCO Theme: ioc.unesco.org/igospartners/Carbon.htm
OCO: oco.jpl.nasa.gov
GOSAT:
www.jaxa.jp/missions/projects/sat/eos/gosat/index_e.html
EO and modelling carbon fluxes:
edc.usgs.gov/carbon_cycle/FluxesResearchActivities.html

43

Water resource management
An essential resource
Of all the water present on our planet, only 2.5% isfresh, and only 0.007% is readily available to people via
rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Freshwater is a finite andvulnerable resource, essential to sustain life,
development and the environment, and management of
this resource is expected to emerge as one of thegreatest challenges facing mankind during the 21st
century. Despite significant improvements in recent
decades, over one billion people still lack access to safe
water, and nearly two billion lack safe sanitation. An
estimated 10,000 people die every day from water andsanitation-related diseases, and thousands more sufferfrom a range of debilitating illnesses. The impact ofinadequate water and sanitation services falls primarilyon the world’s poor.

In all, the Earth’s water content is about 1.39 billion
cubic kilometres and the vast bulk of it, about 96.5%, isin the global oceans. Approximately 1.7% is stored in
the polar icecaps, glaciers, and permanent snow, andanother 1.7% is stored in groundwater, lakes, rivers,
streams, and soil. Finally, a thousandth of 1% exists aswater vapour in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Because water continually evaporates, condenses, andprecipitates, with evaporation on a global basis
approximately equalling global precipitation, the total
amount of water vapour in the atmosphere remains
approximately the same over time. This movement ofwater, in a continuous circulation from the ocean to theatmosphere to the land and back again to the ocean istermed the global water cycle, and is at the heart of the

ESA

Humans currently appropriate more than half ofaccessible freshwater run-off, and this amount is
expected to increase significantly in the coming
decades. A substantial amount, 70%, of the water
currently withdrawn from all freshwater resources isused for agriculture. With the world’s population set toincrease significantly by 2050, the additional foodrequired to feed future generations will put furtherpressure on fresh water resources. According to recent
global water assessments, around 70% of the futureworld population will face water shortages and 16% will
have insufficient water to grow their basic foodrequirement by 2050. Future management of freshwater
resources will be complicated by the uncertainties inrainfall patterns introduced by climate change, withobservations and models suggesting increased
frequency and intensity in both extreme precipitationand drought events – depending on the region.

Observing and understanding thewater cycle

The Earth’s water cycle

The combination of increased scarcity of global water
resources, and increased uncertainties in the Earth’s
water cycle, has added urgency to the need to improvepredictions of rainfall and water resources bydeveloping an integrated water cycle observing system,
and by extending our understanding of the physicalbasis of the climate system driven by the water cycle.

Irrigation for agriculture dominates human use of available water.
New satellite techniques for measurement of soil moisture will
help to account for this element of the water cycle.

44

5 Case Studies – Water Resource Management

regarding the future distribution of precipitation.
Better predictions of water cycle behaviour are needed for:- monitoring climate variability and change;- effective water management through better provisionof information inputs to decision support tools;- sustainable development of the world’s water resources
requiring knowledge of trends and long-term
projections of the intensity of the global water cycle;- improved weather forecasts and monthly to seasonal
climate predictions – including for mitigation against
drought and flood.
Such capabilities will require improved understanding ofa range of complex processes, such as:- evaporation processes from the global ocean (which
account for as much as 87% of the water present in
the atmosphere);

Earth’s climate system, affecting every physical,
chemical, and ecological component. Amongst the highest
priorities in Earth science and environmental policy
issues confronting society are the potential changes in
global water cycle due to climate change. Climatechanges may profoundly affect atmospheric water vapour
concentrations, clouds, and precipitation patterns. Many
uncertainties remain, however, as illustrated by theinconsistent results given by current climate models- land surface hydrologic processes which govern
evapotranspiration and the partitioning of rainfall
between re-evaporation, storage in the soil, and runoff to rivers;- relationships between global climate and regional
weather systems which govern clouds and rainfall;- the science of clouds, and how they lead to precipitation.

UNEP

Water stress and scarcity will increase globally due to population increases and climate changes

45

NASA

Given the complex and global nature of the water cycle,
this understanding can only be achieved if scientists areequipped with long-term data to characterise thebehaviour of the Earth System with regards to a range
of key parameters, including:- global precipitation: precipitation is the mostsignificant aspect of climate change from theperspective of human interests and the health ofecosystems;

NASA- atmospheric temperature and water vapour: since
water vapour is the Earth’s primary greenhouse gas
and contributes significantly to uncertainties inprojections of future global warming, it is critical tounderstand how it varies in the Earth System;- sea surface temperature and ocean salinity: as asignificant measure of air-sea fluxes;- soil moisture and snow accumulation: to assess the
freshwater budget of land and ocean.
In large parts of the world, the collection anddissemination of water-related information has been in
decline in recent years. In order to strengthen
cooperation amongst countries in gathering thenecessary information, the WMO, in association with theWorld Bank, established the World Hydrological Cycle
Observing System (WHYCOS) in 1993. WHYCOS is basedon a global network of reference stations, whichtransmit hydrological and meteorological data in nearreal-time, via satellites, to national and regional centres.
A number of international scientific research
programmes have been developed to address the key
challenges relating to the global water cycle – mostnotably under the auspices of the World Climate
Research Programme, including:- GEWEX: The Global Energy and Water Cycle
Experiment whose scientific focus includes studies ofatmospheric and thermodynamic processes that
determine the global hydrological cycle and water
budget and their adjustment to global changes such as
the increase in greenhouse gases and land use change;- CLIVAR: “Climate Variability and Predictability” is themain focus in WCRP for studies of climate variability.
The main forum for co-ordination of the supporting
observation programmes – including those of thesatellite and in-situ measurement communities, is theIntegrated Global Water Cycle Observations Theme(IGWCO) of the IGOS Partnership. IGWCO provides aframework for guiding international decisions regarding
priorities and strategies for the maintenance andenhancement of Water Cycle observations so they will
support the most important applications and science
goals, including the provision of systematic
observations of trends in key hydrologic variables.

46

On the morning of 15th September 2004, the TRMM satellite
captured a 3-D look inside Hurricane Ivan – providing uniqueinformation on the structure of rainfall inside the storm as Ivan
approached landfall

5 Case Studies – Water Resource Management

NASA

The role of Earth observation satellites
Earth observation satellites play a major role in theprovision of information for study and monitoring of
the water cycle and represent an important element of
the observation strategy defined within IGWCO – thefirst element of which is the CEOP project (Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period), which is taking
the opportunity of the simultaneous operation of key
satellites of Europe, Japan, and USA, and the GEWEXContinental-scale Experiments, during a multi-year
period to generate new data sets of the water cycle.

HYDROS will deliver the first global views of the Earth’s soil
moisture content and freeze/thaw state

ESA

Atmospheric temperature and water vapour data areprovided operationally by polar orbiting meteorologicalsatellites. Sea surface temperature measurements arealso provided by these satellites, by Envisat (AATSR),
and by the Terra and Aqua missions (MODIS). Ocean
wind measurements are also provided by these missions– and by NASA’s QuikSCAT which acquires all-weather,high-resolution measurements of near-surface winds
over 90% of the global oceans on a daily basis.
Precipitation is clearly a key parameter, but given thehigh temporal and spatial variability of precipitation it
is a fundamentally difficult parameter to measure. Until
recently, visible/infrared images from geostationary
meteorological satellites provided the best source of
information from satellite – with indirect but frequentestimates of rainfall derived from measurements ofcloud top temperature. The advent of the TropicalRainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM of NASA/JAXA) in 1997
provided a breakthrough in the provision of 3-D
information on rainfall structure and characteristics.
NASA, JAXA, and ESA will collaborate to follow-up the
success of TRMM and will launch the Global
Precipitation Mission (GPM) from 2009. GPM aims toprovide precipitation measurements on a global basiswith sufficient quality, Earth coverage, and sampling to
improve prediction of the weather, the Earth’s climate,and specific components of the global water cycle. GPM
design involves a large ‘core’ platform equipped withboth passive and active microwave instruments and anumber of smaller satellites large enough to ensure a
repeat observation cycle of approximately 3 hours.

Novel measurements of soil moisture and ocean salinity will be
provided by SMOS

Recognising the central role of the water cycle to ourunderstanding of the Earth System and climate change,
the world’s space agencies are operating or developing
a number of new missions aimed at addressing key
water cycle issues. These include the Aqua mission(NASA), Cloudsat (NASA), EarthCare (ESA/JAXA),
Cryosat (ESA), and Megha-Tropiques (CNES/ISRO)(which will study water cycle and energy exchanges inthe tropical belt). Revolutionary new measurement
capabilities – such as the provision of information on
soil moisture and ocean salinity – will be provided infuture by missions such as SMOS (ESA), HYDROS(NASA), and Aquarius (CONAE/NASA).

47

EUMETSAT

Following the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on
Sustainable Development, ESA launched the TIGER
Initiative - focusing on the use of space technology forwater resource management in Africa and providing
concrete actions to match the Resolutions.

Future challenges
New technologies for measuring, modelling, andorganising data on the Earth’s water cycle offer thepromise of deeper understanding of water-cycle
processes and of how management decisions may affectthem. Earth observation satellites will provide synoptic,
high-resolution measurement coverage that isunprecedented in the geophysical sciences. The
challenges to be faced in utilisation of these newcapabilities include:- converting satellite measurements into usefulparameters that can be applied in scientific models,
and that can be inter-compared and inter-calibrated
among the different satellite missions;

Water vapour observation from geostationary satellite- development of assimilation methodologies tointegrate satellite and in-situ observations;- capacity building, particularly in developing countries– so that those countries in most dire need of water
information have the means of access, analysis, andunderstanding required for maximum benefit;- providing consistent and accurate data over many
years in order to detect the trends necessary forclimate change studies;- succeeding in the technology developments aimed ataccurately measuring key parameters from space for the
first time – including soil moisture and ocean salinity.
To complement the satellite data, existing ground-based
measurement networks and systems must continue
operating to obtain current data that can be comparedmeaningfully with past records.

Water Cycle:
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Water
World Bank Water Page:
www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/waterWorld Water Forum: www.worldwaterforum.org
WMO Hydrology & Water Resources Programme:www.wmo.ch/web/homs/hwrpframes.html
CEOP: www.ceop.net
IGWCO: ioc.unesco.org/igospartners/Water.htm
GEWEX: www.gewex.org
SMOS: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/smos.html
Aqua: aqua.nasa.gov
TRMM:
www.jaxa.jp/missions/projects/sat/eos/trmm/index_e.html
HYDROS: hydros.gsfc.nasa.gov

48

Weather forecasting“Know yourself and know your enemy, and victory is
guaranteed. Know the terrain and know the weather,and you will have total victory.”
Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, 4th century BC
Today, as throughout history, many aspects of our lives
are governed by the weather. Our well-being andprosperity depends on it, civilisations have prospered
or struggled because of it and its direct impact on
many social and economic sectors – including publichealth, agriculture, energy, construction, transportation,
tourism, recreation, ecosystems and biodiversity. Of
particular consequence are severe weather events, suchas hurricanes, tornadoes, flash floods, blizzards, heatwaves, droughts, and poor air quality episodes – which
impact every nation on Earth and which lead to the lossof tens of thousands of lives annually.
The economic and social benefits of accurate weather
forecasts are immense and include improved efficiencies inagricultural systems, optimised planning of energy supply
and distribution, and of course ensuring public safety.
The art of weather forecasting began with early
civilisations using reoccurring astronomical andmeteorological events to help them monitor seasonalchanges in the weather. With the formation of regionaland global meteorological observation networks in thenineteenth and twentieth centuries, more data became
available for observation-based weather forecasting.

All numerical models of the atmosphere are based upon
the same set of governing equations, but may differ in
the approximations and assumptions made in theapplication of these equations, how they are solved andalso in the representation of physical processes.
Observations are crucial inputs to these Numerical
Weather Prediction (NWP) models. Weather bureaus
receive many thousands of observations each day andthese are processed, quality controlled, and monitored.
Sources include surface data from weather stations,ships, and buoys, as well as radiosondes, aircraft, andsatellites. These observations need to be incorporated,or assimilated, into the numerical models so that the
information that they contain can be usefully exploited
in making the forecasts.

The essential role of Earthobservation satellites
Modern technology, particularly computers and weather
satellites, and the availability of data provided bycoordinated meteorological observing networks, hasresulted in enormous improvements in the accuracy of
weather forecasting. Satellites, in particular, have given
forecasters routine access to observations and datafrom remote areas of the globe. On 1st April 1960, thepolar-orbiting satellite TIROS-1 was launched. Although

As weather and climate know no national boundaries,
international cooperation at a global scale is essential
for weather forecasting and for sharing its benefits.
Established in 1950, the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO) became the specialised agency of
the United Nations for meteorology (weather andclimate), operational hydrology and related geophysicalsciences. WMO provides the framework for suchinternational cooperation – with a membership of 187
Member States and Territories.

Numerical weather prediction
and observations
Modern weather forecasting techniques use
sophisticated, computer-intensive models of theatmosphere. These models obtain an objective forecastof the future state of the atmosphere by solving a setof equations that describe the evolution of variables(such as temperature, wind speed, humidity andpressure) that define its state. The process begins byanalysing the current state of the atmosphere – taking
a previous short range forecast and using observations
to amend this forecast so that the best guess of thecurrent true state of the atmosphere is obtained. A
computer model is then run to produce a forecast.

The first picture of Earth from a weather satellite, taken by the
TIROS-1 satellite on April 1, 1960. Although primitive incomparison with the images we now receive from satellites,
this first picture was a major advance.

the spacecraft operated for only 78 days,
meteorologists worldwide were ecstatic over the
pictures of the Earth and its cloud cover that TIROS
relayed back to the ground.

49

Over the past 40 years, satellite sensor technology has
advanced enormously. In addition to providing visual
images, satellites can also provide data that allow
calculation of numerous atmospheric and environmental
variables – including temperature and moisture profiles.
This is done using a variety of instruments, among thematmospheric sounders, which measure quantities atvarious levels in atmospheric columns. The data
retrieved from spaceborne sounder measurements canbe utilised in a similar way as that from radiosonde
observations – with the major advantage that thesatellite data are more complete spatially, filling in gaps
between weather ground stations, which often are
hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart.

The polar orbiting satellites fly in much lower orbits,
typically at around 850 km. Each polar satellite cantypically observe the entire planet twice in each 24hour period, with better resolution than thegeostationary satellites.
These missions provide a wide range of valuable data
used for weather forecasting and warnings, including:

EUMETSAT- visible and infra-red imagery of the Earth’s surface
and atmosphere: such imagery is usually the onlymeans of obtaining continually updated quantitative
information about cloud over a wide area, and is used
to determine the movement of the atmosphere –providing the main source of wind information for
NWP models; infrared imagery can also be used todetermine cloud top temperature, and from thisestimates derived of rainfall in tropical regions;- atmospheric humidity and temperature profiles:
atmospheric sounder instruments generally makepassive measurements of the IR or microwave
radiation emitted by the atmosphere – from which
vertical profiles of humidity and temperature may beobtained – which are at the heart of daily weather
forecasts using NWP models and have improved
forecasts significantly;- ozone concentration profiles: developments are under
way to add satellite measurements of ozone (fromsounder instruments) as a new NWP model variable –primarily for use as a tracer for information on wind;

Geostationary and polar-orbiting orbits for weather satellites

WMO- sea surface temperature estimates: which are required
for low level cloud diagnosis (and their discriminationfrom the sea background) as well as for seasonal tointer-annual forecasts – especially in the tropics;- precipitation and liquid water: microwave imagers andsounders on satellite missions provide information on
precipitation, and represent the only potential
information source of their kind over the oceans –although accurate measurements are difficult toachieve and validation is difficult;USA, Europe, Russia, China, Japan amongst others contributesatellites to the Global Observing System of WMO

Today, the global system of operational meteorologicalsatellites includes a constellation which is evenly spaced
around the equator in geostationary orbit, and at least
two further satellites in near-polar orbits. The
geostationary satellites fly at an altitude of about
36,000km and each has the capability to provide almost
continuous imagery and communications support over awide region of the planet. Each satellite can generate
full earth disc images covering nearly one quarter ofthe Earth’s surface, day and night.

50- sea surface winds: the strength, direction andcirculation patterns of the surface wind is of great
importance for meteorology and climate studies –including for helping to define storm centres, and for
detecting patterns associated with inter-seasonal
climate variations such as the El Niño/Southern
Oscillation (ENSO), which affects the weather overlarge parts of the planet; until recently the only
source of surface wind data over the oceans werereports from ships, mostly concentrated in a few
shipping lanes; since the launch of satellite windscatterometers a huge quantity of high resolution winddata over the oceans has been available, proving ofgreat value to NWP models and other applications.
In addition to the data from operational satellite series– which are planned, operated, and funded on a

5 Case Studies – Weather forecastingNASA

2-D cloud height maps generated by MISR on the Terra spacecraftNASA JPLESA

QuikSCAT image of winds on the surface of the
Pacific Ocean on 8th January 2004

The impact of satellite observations on weather forecast accuracies during the 1980’s
and 1990’s is evident in this chart – particularly for the Southern hemisphere where
weather stations are relatively sparse (% scale is the evolution of annual mean
forecast skill for the European Centre or Medium Range Weather Forecasting)CIMS

EUMETSAT

Satellite imagery is an everyday feature of TV weather forecasts. The early warnings they provide of hurricanes
and severe storms can help save lives and property (images show track of Hurricane Isabel, Sept 2003)

51

JAXA/NICT

in-situ and space-based observations of criticalparameters, coordinated and exchanged globally. These
will provide input to improved NWP models, withadvanced physics capabilities, providing accurate (inlocation and time) forecasts of severe weather events to
new or strengthened regional and local warning centres,
allowing rapid and tailored notification to local authorities
responsible for protecting people and property.
Given the importance of weather observations, asignificant number of the future missions planned by
CEOS agencies over the next decade have the objectiveof providing either improved operational observations
for meteorology or new research capabilities. These
will include:

The Precipitation Radar (PR) on TRMM observed the heavy rainin Fukui, Japan on 18th July 2004 which claimed several lives.
The 4-D data gave insight into the storm structure and showedthat the rain fell from as high as 13 km.

continuous basis as essential public services – theworld’s space and weather agencies are cooperating to
explore the introduction of new satellite-derived
information streams into the weather forecasting
systems. For example, scientists have used the sensors
on the joint US-Japan TRMM mission to peer inside thetropical thunderstorms associated with hurricanes in an
attempt to understand which parts of a hurricane
produce rainfall and why. Most importantly to people
endangered by hurricanes, such satellite missions areadding to the knowledge required to precisely predictthe path and intensity of these storms.

Future developments
Planners of the Global Earth Observation System of
Systems (GEOSS) described in Part I, have outlined avision where every country will have the weather
information needed to virtually eliminate loss of life andto reduce property damage from severe weather events.
The aim is to have a society where weather forecasts
are fully used in decision support systems to improve
economic efficiency and productivity, as well as
environmental protection, through improved longerrange predictions available in probabilistic terms.
The GEOSS Implementation Plan calls for an end-to-end
weather information system that provides, to decision
makers around the world, timely, reliable andactionable information. This system will have improved- finer spatial, temporal, and spectral measurements ofatmospheric parameters, allowing more accurate
determinations of parameters such as temperature andmoisture; this data – from missions such as Aqua
(NASA), METOP (EUMETSAT), and NPOESS (NOAA) is
expected to lead to substantial improvements in theaccuracy of mid- and long-range weather forecasts;- the introduction of new series of polar orbiting
missions to complement the current NOAA series: the
METOP series (EUMETSAT) will be launched from late2005 and the FY-3 series (China) soon afterwards;- new capabilities for monitoring precipitation and cloudproperties: by 2007, a constellation of satellites will bein place (comprising Aqua, Aura, CALIPSO, Cloudsat,
PARASOL, and OCO) and will fly in orbital formation
to gather data needed to evaluate and improve theway clouds are represented in global models; theGlobal Precipitation Mission (GPM) will provide global
observations of precipitation every three hours; andMegha-Tropique (a French-Indian cooperation) willcollect data on rain over the tropical oceans;- soil moisture measurements: which are important for
initialisation of NWP models will be provided by
SMOS (ESA) and HYDROS (NASA);- global three-dimensional wind-fields: direct measurements
will be made from space for the first time in 2007 by the
ADM Aeolus mission (ESA) – with the aim of improving
weather forecasting and climate research.
There will be significant challenges in developing models
and assimilation techniques to make full use of these
new capabilities in operational forecasting systems.

NWP: www.metoffice.com/research/nwp
WMO: www.wmo.int
NOAA: www.noaa.gov
EUMETSAT: www.eumetsat.de52

Conserving Ecosystems and Biodiversity
The crucibles of life on EarthBased on our current understanding of the cosmos, thebiosphere, which provides for the needs of life on ourplanet, is the feature that makes Earth unique in the
Universe. The number of ecosystems, and the strengthand biodiversity within those ecosystems, are two of theleading measures of the health and vitality of the Earth’s
biosphere. Distributed over numerous and remotelocations on Earth, the variety of ecosystems is striking
and includes: rain forests, boreal forests, grasslands,
wetlands, alpine, tundra, deserts, coastal regions, fresh
water, and salt water systems. Each of these ecosystems
supports the biodiversity that ensures the vibrancy oflife on Earth – and their interactions form a sacredbalance that has allowed life on Earth to form, evolve,
and adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions.
Ecosystems provide the resources needed to support
life on Earth and have a great impact on our wellbeing:both physical and economic, individual and national.
The richness and biodiversity of Earth’s ecosystems
provide people with food and nutrition, pharmaceuticaldrugs and herbal remedies, renewable resources andprotection from weather, and cyclically replenishedresources like fresh air and fresh water. It is notdifficult to draw connections between the health androbustness of Earth’s ecosystems, and the health androbustness of the natural species (including humans)
they support – and by extension their strong links toour economic prosperity. The stark reality, however, as
discussed in Part I of this document, is that all available
indicators point to an ‘overwhelming humandependence on rapidly deteriorating ecosystems’ – thesystems that support all life on Earth:

In 1971 an inter-governmental treaty established the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands, establishing a framework for the stewardshipand preservation of wetlands. 138 national signatories are obliged toreport on the state of listed wetlands they are responsible for.
The GlobWetland Project is producing satellite-derived andgeo-referenced products including inventory maps and digital elevation
models of wetlands to assist with Ramsar reporting requirements.

Conservation International has identified 25 biodiversity ‘hotspots’ that contain 44% of all plant species and 35% of
all land vertebrate species – despite accounting for just 1.4% of the Earth’s land area53

- human action has transformed almost half of the
Earth’s land surface;- coastal and marine habitats are being dramaticallyaltered; 50% of mangroves have been removed andwetlands have shrunk by one-half;- extinction rates are increasing sharply in marine andterrestrial ecosystems around the world;- 1 in 6 humans depends on fish for protein needs, yet
75% of the world’s fisheries are over-fished or fishedat their biological limit;

Better understanding and management of future changes
in Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity are necessary toensure their essential benefits are enjoyed by future
generations. More information on the various
ecosystems and their extent, on their complex
interactions, their response to local and global
environmental changes, and on their capacity to sustain
biodiversity is needed to develop this understanding
and to provide the evidence needed to guide scientificstudy, inform public opinion, and support cooperative
protection measures, e.g. through international
conservation treaties.

- 41 of every 100 people live in water-stressed river basins;- some 350 million people are directly dependent on
forests for their survival, with global forest coverdeclining by 46% since pre-agricultural times.

USGS

USGS

USGS

USGS

Landsat time series (1975, 1992, 2000, 2002) images of large scale
deforestation in the Amazon. Such images have raised global
awareness of deforestation

54

5 Case Studies – Conserving Ecosystems and Biodiversity

The role for Earth observation satellites
The challenge of conserving our precious ecosystems
and biodiversity is compounded by their distribution
around the globe, the fact that they often span nationalboundaries, and by their remoteness. This is where
remote sensing technologies such as Earth observation
satellites can play a significant role.
Some scientists are using remote-sensing technology tobetter understand relationships between species and theplaces they live. Satellites’ ability to routinely observe
even the most remote areas can make biologists’ search
for important species and habitats quicker and easier –particularly in remote or hazardous areas where accessmay be hazardous or prohibitively expensive.
Current and planned Earth observing missions offer abroad range of monitoring capabilities of value toconservation efforts – from monitoring the rate of land
use change each year for farmland or urban growth, tothe frequency and severity of air pollution events, toincreased ocean temperatures in sensitive coral habitats.

composition of vegetation and land cover materials)
and of ‘vegetation canopy lidars’ (which can map the 3D vegetation structure in an ecosystem) will further add
to the wealth of data from satellites used inconservation studies.
While these new technologies and techniques offer a far
greater range of information than has ever beenpossible before, there are still challenges to using
satellite data effectively. For starters, remote sensing
data need to be validated, or compared with othersources of information to see if there is agreement.
Such ‘ground-truth’ information might come fromground-based sensors, higher-resolution remote-sensing
sources, like aerial photographs, or researchers in thefield. Affordability and ease of access of the bestsatellite data available are further issues to beaddressed if we are to make full use of their potential.

Improvements in spatial resolution are enabling more
and more specific, local information to be derived –and in some rare cases, high resolution satellites candirectly observe (particularly large) species on the
ground. Mostly though, environmental data or images
from satellites offer indirect but invaluable information
about species and their habitat including environmental,
biological, and physical information – topography,
rainfall, forest cover – that reveal where species arelikely to be found and the nature of possible extinction
threats. Satellite imagery is proving to be an extremelycompelling way to show politicians and land managers
what is going on and how land has changed.
During the last few years, there has been rapid adoption
and use of data from several Earth observation satellites– including Landsat, SPOT, ENVISAT, RADARSAT, Terra
and others by NGOs (e.g. The Nature Conservancy,
Global Forest Watch of the World Resources Institute,
Conservation International). Their analyses are primarily
related to conservation, especially in relation tobiodiversity. The results of this work have led to several
definitive analyses of land cover change in many partsof the world including Mozambique, the boreal forestsof northern Eurasia, Indonesia, Cameroon, and several
countries in South America.
These and other projects have exploited the ability ofmulti-spectral electro-optical and radar satellite sensors
to detect land cover change, determine vegetation
abundance, discriminate vegetation types, and detectand map invasive species. Such data is valuable incharting the main environmental factors which
researchers believe drive patterns of biodiversity:
vegetation growth, habitat structure, and climate. New
capabilities of ‘hyper-spectral’ sensors (which provide
more unique identification information on chemical

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment:
www.millenniumassessment.org
Global Biodiversity Forum: www.gbf.ch
Conservation International:
www.biodiversityhotspots.org
ESA’s application programmes:
www.esa.int/export/esaEO
Case studies of remote sensing for conservation:
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Conservation
Environmental Monitoring and Information System,
Africa: edcintl.cr.usgs.gov/dataportaldata.html

55

Space technologies to support the World Heritage Convention
Surveillance of the Gorilla Habitat (SOGHA) is the first outcome of an agreement signed in 2001 between theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) to use remote sensing and other space technologies to monitor World Heritage Sites.
AP PHOTO - BRENNAN LINSLEYUNESCO together with the involved countries has recognised themountain gorilla habitat – and specifically the area included in the
Virunga National Park in the Congo, bordering Rwanda and Uganda,
and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda – to be World
Heritage Sites. But these habitats are increasingly coming underpressure as regional conflicts cause an influx of refugees. Clearing
forest land for agriculture or fuel, and poaching for food have
reduced the living space left for the gorillas. That is why the WHC hasclassified the sites in the Congo as World Heritage sites in danger.
Wildlife workers on the ground are limited in their monitoring capacity
because these habitats total more than eight hundred thousand
hectares, with long boundaries across extremely inaccessible andseldom-mapped terrain. As a result, UNESCO and ESA agreed to begin
a pilot scheme using satellite data to monitor the changes of land use
in the gorilla habitats and to identify possible environmental
indicators.

Lulenga, an eleven-year-old mountain gorilla,chews part of the roughly 30 pounds offoliage he eats daily in Congo’s Virunga
National Park. Lulenga has led his group since
his father was killed by poachers in 1995.
There are about 600 mountain gorillas left in
the world, most of whom thrive in thisrelatively small volcanic forest habitat
preserved by the park, which overlaps
into the neighbouring countries Rwanda
and Uganda.

Radar instruments on board satellites such as ESA’s ERS-2 and Envisat
can pierce through the near-total cloud cover of the rainforest to
identify illegal forest clearance or settlements, data that can be
integrated with visible imagery from satellites and with groundobservations provided by organisations working in the area – before
being supplied to local authorities.

ESA

NASA

Satellite-derived elevation map
In this transfrontier region of
Uganda, Rwanda, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, thevolcanic highlands of the Virungas
shelter the last 600 plus mountaingorillas in the world. Photo:
Courtesy of International Gorilla
Conservation Program (IGCP) a
coalition of AWF, WWF and FFI.

56

Multiple satellite and in-situ
data sources, combined withlocal knowledge and gorillasightings are combined in the
project GIS

Sustainable agriculture
Feeding 10 billion people

FAO statistics suggest that some progress is being madetowards this target – with the global incidence ofmalnourishment being reduced from 28% in the early
1980s to 17% in the early 2000s. However, as a result of
global population growth, the decline in actual numbersof undernourished people has been slower; and thedecline appears to have slowed in recent years.
Malnutrition, and even starvation, will therefore remaina fact of life, and death, for hundreds of millions ofpeople on Earth for the foreseeable future.
The challenge of sustainable food production isheightened by the expected global population
expansion – increasing from around six billion to
between nine and ten billion people by 2050. To meet
the associated food demand, crop yields will need toincrease, consistently, by over 2% every year throughFAO

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations) estimates the number ofundernourished people in the world at over 840 million– mostly living in developing countries of the AsianPacific and sub-Saharan Africa regions. Above all othergoals that are the focus of international cooperation
among countries, the eradication of famine might beconsidered to be the most universally supported. The
United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by theworld’s leaders at the Millennium Summit of the United
Nations in 2000, captured the aspirations of theinternational community for the new century. It spoke ofa world united by common values and striving withrenewed determination to achieve decent standards ofliving for every man, woman and child. The first of theeight agreed ‘Millennium Development Goals’ is to“Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” – with thespecific target of reducing by half the number ofundernourished people by 2015.

Countries facing food emergencies, Oct 2004

this period. Despite advances in technology, increasing
food production must lead to intensification ofagriculture in areas that are already cropped, andconversion of forests and grasslands into cropping
systems. Much of the latter will occur in semi-arid
regions and on lands that are marginally suitable forcultivation, increasing the risk of soil erosion,accelerated water use, and further land degradation.
The resulting land-use changes are anticipated to makeagriculture one of the most significant components ofglobal change over the next century.

FAO

Number of undernourished people in developing countries, by region

57

FAO

Information needs
Global agricultural production systems must be
enhanced, well maintained, and reliable if we are to
routinely meet the food requirements of the Earth’s
projected 10 billion inhabitants beyond 2050 – andsustainable development practices, consistent withprotection of biodiversity and ecosystems, are seen as
the key. Such practices require a broad range of
information on all scales. Parameters of importance include:- land-cover, land-use, and vegetation state;- crop yield, land degradation, and desertification;- soil characteristics such as fertility and moisture levels;- freshwater availability including from rainfall, fluxes insmall water bodies, and groundwater resources;- total irrigated area;- population distribution, production intensity, and foodprovision.
This data is required at various (from local to global)
scales and requires fusion of multiple datasets
quantifying both the physical state of the land and socioeconomic parameters. Such information will help provide
food producers with: information on changes in land
usage and productivity, improved market supply anddemand forecasts, and seasonal and inter-annual actionplans - taking account of seasonal forecasts andpredictions of major climatic events such as El Niño.

The hope is that, with more detailed and timely
information available on the state of crops and theirgrowing environment, parties in the agricultural sector
will improve their capacity to make informed decisions
regarding sustainable agricultural practices:- improving yields and increasing food security, by
reducing susceptibility to climatic variations, extreme
weather events and natural hazards; whilst- making optimum use of the precious natural resources
required to produce food, and protecting ecosystems
and biodiversity;
so that the needs of present and future generations canbe addressed.

The role of Earth observation satellites
In 2005, Earth observation satellites are in routine use
for a broad range of agricultural applications.
In developed countries, where producers are often
sophisticated users of agricultural and meteorologicalinformation, satellite data is widely used in many “agribusiness” applications. Remote sensing techniques play
an important role in crop identification, acreage andproduction estimation, disease and stress detection, soil
and water resources characterisation, and also provide585 Case Studies – Sustainable Agriculture

inputs for crop-yield and crop-weather models,integrated pest management, watershed management,
and agro-meteorological services.
Multi-spectral imagery from the Landsat and SPOT
satellite series might be regarded as the most widely
exploited data for agricultural applications over the lastfew decades. By providing frequent, site-specificinsights into crop conditions throughout the growing
season, such satellite data products have helped
growers and other agriculture professionals to efficiently
manage crop production risks, thereby increasing crop
yields while minimising environmental impacts.
With the advent of high accuracy global satellite
navigation systems (such as GPS and Galileo) installedon farm machinery, new capabilities are being developed
which allow the possibility of automated operations liketillage, planting, fertilizer applications,pesticide/herbicide spraying, irrigation, harvesting andother mechanised cultural operations – all optimised
with the aid of geo-spatial information provided byimaging satellites.
The latest generation of multi-spectral, hyper-spectral,and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors – combinedwith improved models for interpretation of their data forvarious crops and environmental parameters – areincreasing the scope and capabilities of Earth observing
satellites in support of agricultural businesses. A numberof commercial satellite missions (e.g. RapidEye(Germany) and Tuyuan (China)), dedicated exclusively
to (and funded by) crop monitoring and yield
forecasting, will be launched within the next 3 years –and a sizable industry of service companies is emerging
to exploit such missions.

China’s State Food Bureau has developed an “agriculture
information monitoring system” using several Earth observation
satellite data sources

ESA

Radar imagery is used to classify rice fields in Thailand and to provide simple estimates of acreage

59

FAO

EUMETSAT

Rainfall estimates are derived from cold cloudduration maps such as this one from METEOSATNDVI (vegetation) map as utilised by FAO

Earth observation data is also used by government
agencies in developed countries, typically on large scales– in support of market forecasting, generation of
statistics, and in development and enforcement ofagricultural policies, including in relation to the paymentof subsidies to farmers for growing (or not growing)certain crops. (See the article on the MARS programmeof the European Commission.)
In developing countries, government agencies andinternational organisations – with responsibility foradvice on development decisions and for food security– are exploiting Earth observation data as amanagement tool in decision-making processes. For
example, the government of India has been actively
exploring the use of spaceborne remote sensing datafor crop acreage estimation and production since theearly 1980s. These projects have been expanded toprovide national level forecasts – including through useof all-weather microwave data (from synthetic apertureradar sensors such as RADARSAT) for monitoring of rice
crops in the cloudy and wet monsoon season.
Similar state-funded projects are underway in China.
China is a large country with 1.2 billion people and a
per capita cultivated land area of just one third of theworld average. Grain production is a national priority
for agricultural development, and is an important
influence on China’s sustainable development,
modernisation, and food security for the population.
The government needs timely and accurate grain
production information for agricultural management andmarket decision making. Remote sensing techniques
play an important role in crop identification, acreage
and production estimation, disease and stress detection,soil and water resources characterisation, and also
provide inputs for crop-yield and crop-weather models,60

integrated pest management, watershed management,
and agro-meteorological services.
FAO is a key player in establishing the link between Earthobservation data and product suppliers and thecommunities of users at all levels. FAO has a wellestablished and structured mechanism for interacting with
farmers, national agencies, and international agencies. It
also has direct cross links to work on ecosystems andbiodiversity. FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning
System (GIEWS) on Food and Agriculture collects datafrom four different satellite systems to monitor various
crop seasons throughout the world:- rainfall estimates are derived from cold cloud duration
images of Africa (METEOSAT) and Asia (GMS); archives
dating back to 1988 allow analysts to pinpoint
anticipated droughts based on seasonal norms;- Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
products from the AVHRR sensor provide an indicationof the vigour and extent of vegetation cover – andcan help monitor crop conditions;- the VEGETATION instrument on-board the SPOT-4
satellite provides data at 1km resolution – suitable forcrop monitoring at sub-national levels.
One of the main causes of food insecurity is drought.
FAO and other international bodies utilise satellite data
sources operationally to help identify drought-prone
areas, and then to monitor changing drought risks andconditions. Pests, too, are a major cause of foodinsecurity, particularly through their direct effects oncrop yield and harvests (see the example on the 2004
locust plague in Africa).

5 Case Studies – Sustainable Agriculture

Future challenges
Current Earth observation satellites have the capability
to supply many agricultural information needs – forboth developed and developing countries. In the case ofdeveloping countries, there is a need to ensure thatthose who might benefit most from this kind of
information, are suitably equipped with the knowledge
and equipment to effectively apply it for long-term
benefit. This will require investment in capacity-building
for training and infrastructure projects.
FAO report that the capacity to use Earth observation
data is generally weakest in Africa and thatsustainability of institution-building initiatives remains
problematic. Needs highlighted by FAO include:- increased co-ordination between national satellite
programmes in developed countries and theircounterpart development assistance programmes;- stronger links between ground observations indeveloping countries and related satellite observations
by developed countries;- better understanding of developing country user needs
for Earth observation data in the agricultural and ruralsectors – more assessments are needed.
To ensure maximum value from the data in agricultural
applications in both the developed and developingworld, further attention must be paid to:- improvements in product development, validation, andcontinuity of data sources, in particular of high (5m)and medium (30-40m) resolution satellite systems
such as LANDSAT and SPOT;- improved data archiving and access;- integration of data collection, management, andassimilation;- strengthened links between in-situ data gathering
networks and satellite programmes to assist productvalidation such as land cover, land use, crop
production, and cultivated area.

61

MARS: Monitoring Agriculture though Remote Sensing techniques
MARS (Monitoring Agriculture through Remote Sensing techniques) is a long term project that has provided
technical support and expertise to the European Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture (DG VI) over
several decades.
The programme supports decision-making at the European level – providing statistical input to the implementationof the EC’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other activities of the Directorate General for Agriculture.
MARS has developed and implemented new methods and tools specific to agriculture using remote sensing, including:- anti-fraud measures: measures to combat fraud related to the implementation of the CAP; remote sensing isused in validating farmers’ declarations of planted crops and acreages, and in optimising allocation of agrienvironmental subsidies;- crop and yield monitoring: crop yield monitoring with agro-meteorological models and low resolution remotesensing methods, and area estimates using high resolution data combined with ground surveys.
The main goal of the MARS project is to monitor weather and crop conditions during the current growing season
and to estimate final crop yields for Europe by harvest time. To facilitate the monitoring and estimation, tools
ranging from remote sensing techniques to agro-meteorological models are applied. A range of remote sensing
data has been exploited in the project – including from the NOAA polar orbiting series (AVHRR), Landsat, SPOT,
and ERS/ENVISAT.

EC

62

SPOT 4: CNES

SPOT

Yield monitoring and area estimating products
from the MARS programme5 Case Studies – Sustainable Agriculture

North-West Africa's locust plague of 2004
A wet winter and spring settled over north-western Africa in 2004 and the dry Sahel bloomed with life. As the desert
turned green, the plentiful water nourished more than vegetation. Buried in the sandy soils were the eggs ofdesert locusts, waiting to absorb moisture and hatch. This year, there was enough water and vegetation to
support large populations of young locusts and, by late summer, several large swarms had developed.
Swarms can contain as many as 80 million locusts per square kilometre and may cover several square kilometres.
An adult locust can eat its own weight in food every day (about two grams) which means that, according to the
FAO, a small part of a typical swarm can eat as much food as 2,500 people in a single day. At these rates, thelocusts consume most vegetation in their path and then must migrate to find new sources of food.
The locust emergency in 2004 began as three separate outbreaks in 2003 in Mauritania, Mali, and Niger. While
locusts can’t be seen in satellite imagery, the conditions that support them are clearly visible. The image shows
how vegetation differed from previous years. The image is a composite of Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index (NDVI) data collected between April 6 and April 13, 2004. Green areas indicate that there was more
vegetation in the region than the average of the past four years. Not surprisingly, these areas correlate well withthe early breeding grounds of the locusts near the interface between dry desert land and wetter coastal land.
The satellite data also shows where locust swarms can migrate to find food, by indicating where food isavailable. In the lower image, a composite of data collected between August 28 and September 4, 2004, pockets
of green in southern Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso suggest where the locusts may be finding foodand breeding. Information from FAO showed that these were indeed the areas where the locusts wereconcentrated at the time. Mauritania’s national food security authority expected to lose up to 75% of the cereal
crop as a result of the plague.

FAO

NASA

FAO

MODIS imagery was used to assist FAO’s Desert Locust
Information Service predict migration paths of the 2004
plague in Africa

FAO & GIEWS: www.fao.org/giews/english/index.htm
ARTEMIS: metart.fao.org/default.htm
Locust Watch:www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/locuhome.htm
The MARS programme: www.marsop.info

63

Part III:
I: Global
Earth observation
environmental
satellite
issues & the roleforcapabilities
Earth observations& plans65

6 Capabilities of Earth observation satellites
A variety of instruments are flown on space missions,employing various measurement technologies andtechniques – both active and passive sensing, utilisinga wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
CEOS agencies are operating or planning around 170
satellites with an Earth observation mission over the
next 15 years. These satellites will carry over 340
different instruments.
This sustained investment by the space agencies will
ensure the provision of information of unique value inboth public and commercial spheres, derived from themeasurements being undertaken of a diverse range of
geophysical parameters and phenomena.

For ease of discussion, the different instruments listed
in section 9 may be considered under the following
categories.

Instrument categories
Atmospheric chemistry instruments
Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders
Cloud profile and rain radars
Earth radiation budget radiometers
High resolution optical imagers

Public awareness of the applications of Earthobservation satellites tends to focus on meteorology,
and the knowledge that data from meteorologicalsatellites is used on a daily basis for the Numerical
Weather Prediction models which drive our weather
forecasting capabilities. Meteorology is certainly one of
the most established disciplines for application of Earth
Observation satellite data, with satellite-derived
information being used operationally by weather
services world-wide. Dedicated meteorological satellites
have been in operation providing continuous coverageof much of the globe for many years.

Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR)
Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave)
Imaging microwave radars
LidarsMultiple direction/polarisation instruments
Ocean colour instruments
Radar altimeters
Scatterometers

In reality, only 60, or around a third of the missions
planned for the next 15 years, could be described ashaving meteorology as a primary objective. The other
110 missions will be applied to a diverse range of
research, operational and commercial activities. Given
the significance of the issues, and the unique role ofsatellite Earth observations, many will be dedicated todifferent aspects of climate or environmental studies.
Others will be employed to assist decision-making instrategic planning and management of industrial,
economic, and natural resources, including theprovision of information required for sustainable
development strategies.
Increased frequency of satellite measurements, improved
satellite and sensor technology, and easier access andinterpretation of Earth observation data have allcontributed to increased demand for satellite data, and to
the reality of new operational services being establishedin the near future for several domains, including
monitoring of key oceanic and atmospheric parameters.
Information on the various missions and instruments,
their capabilities and their applications is given in
sections 8 (missions) and 9 (instruments).

66

Gravity, magnetic field, and geodynamic instruments

Plans for future missions and instruments include entirely
new types of measurement technology, such as hyperspectral sensors, cloud radars, lidars, and polarimetricsensors providing new insights into key parameters ofsoil moisture and ocean salinity. Several new gravity field
missions aimed at more precise determination of themarine geoid are also planned. Importantly, every effort
is being made to assure continuity of existing key
measurements – for the generation of long-term
datasets. Agency plans also reveal that future priorities
will include: disaster management, studies of key Earth
System processes, including the water cycle, carbon
cycle, cryosphere, and the role of clouds and aerosols in
global climate change.
The following section gives a brief discussion of thedifferent types of instruments which feature on Earthobservation satellite missions, including: a list of therelevant instruments for each type from the full catalogue
in section 9; a description of the operational
characteristics; and pointers to the key applications.
Information on specific measurement parameters is given
in section 7.

Atmospheric chemistry instruments
Description

Applications‘Atmospheric chemistry instruments’ is used here todescribe a range of different types of instruments using
various techniques, and different parts of theelectromagnetic spectrum, to undertake measurements ofcomposition of the atmosphere. Each atmospheric gas ischaracterised by its ‘absorption’ and ‘emission’ spectra
which describe how the molecules respond to different
frequencies of radiation. Remote sensing instruments
exploit these ‘signatures’ to provide information on
atmospheric composition, using measurements over arange of wavelengths, between UV and microwave.

The earliest atmospheric chemistry instruments were
deployed to help international understanding ofstratospheric ozone depletion, and succeeded in
producing startling and convincing evidence of thegrowth of the Antarctic ozone hole. Many of the current
and planned instruments continue to provide moresophisticated and accurate information on ozone
chemistry in the atmosphere, including relating to gases
and radicals which impact on the ozone cycle.

Atmospheric absorption tends to be dominated by water
vapour, carbon dioxide, and ozone, with smaller
contributions from methane and other trace gases.
Relatively broadband instruments can be used formeasurements of the dominant gases, but high spectral
resolution sensors are needed to make measurements ofother species, since they produce weaker signals, andthese must be discriminated from the signals from moreabundant gases.

In addition to ozone measurements, instruments are now
available which offer information on a range of different
trace gases, including key greenhouse gases andchemically active gases which affect the environment.
The capability to provide a global picture of theatmosphere, and how it is changing on a daily, seasonaland geographical basis is ensuring demand for these
instruments in a wide range of applications, including:pollution monitoring; climatology, including studies of
the carbon cycle and support to policy-making
processes such as the Kyoto Protocol; volcanic eruption
monitoring; and operational meteorology.

These instruments are typically operated in either:– nadir-viewing mode: looking directly down to measure
the radiation emitted or scattered in a small soldangle centred around a measurement point on the
Earth – with resulting high spatial resolution in thehorizontal direction, but limited vertical resolution; or– limb-viewing mode: scanning of positions beyond thehorizon to observe paths through the atmosphere at a
range of altitudes – providing high vertical resolution(few km) and limited horizontal resolution (10’s ofkms) – and particularly useful for studying the
middle atmosphere.

The trend towards improved measurement resolutions
and accuracies, profiling measurements (rather than total
column measurements), and extended capability in theUpper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) willfurther extend the value of these instruments in the
coming years for monitoring air quality and modelling
atmospheric processes.

Current &plannedinstruments
ACE-FTSAPSEPIC
GHG Sensor
GOME
GOME-2GOMOS
HALOE
HiRDLS
HRDI
IASI
MAESTROMASTERMIPAS
MLS
MOPITT
OCO
OMI
OMPS
OP
OSIRIS
SABER
SAGE II
SAGE III
SBUV/2SCIAMACHY
SFM-2
SMR
TES
TOM
WINDII

Emission or absorption spectra can be studied in limbviewing mode. One approach – known as occultation –uses known astronomical bodies (such as the sun and stars)
as well characterised target sources and measures the effectof the Earth’s atmosphere on the radiation reaching thesatellite to determine atmospheric composition.

Atmospheric transmittance and radiance for UV to IR regions

A global air pollution (nitrogen dioxide) map produced by SCIAMACHY on ENVISAT

ACE-FTS: www.ace.uwaterloo.ca

IASI: smsc.cnes.fr/IASI/GOMOS/MIPAS/SCIAMACHY:
envisat.esa.int/instruments/index.html

HIRDLS/MLS/OMI/TES:
eos-aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/instruments/

67

Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders
Description
Current &plannedinstruments

Sounders are able to estimate profiles of temperatureand humidity by identifying radiation coming fromdifferent levels in the atmosphere. This is achieved byobservations of the spectral broadening of an emissionline, a phenomenon which is primarily caused byintermolecular collisions with other species, and which
decreases with atmospheric pressure (and therefore is afunction of altitude).
Microwave sounders have the ability to sound throughcloud and hence offer nearly all-weather capability; their
spatial resolution (both vertical and horizontal) is
generally lower than that of the IR instruments. IR
sounders are routinely used to provide temperature
profiles from a few km altitude to the top of theatmosphere with a temperature accuracy of 2-3K, avertical resolution of around 10km, and a horizontal
resolution of between 10 and 100km.

Applications
Since the launch of the first weather satellites in the
1960’s, atmospheric sounders have provided valuable
global observations of the atmosphere, even in the
remotest areas. In 1969, the first temperature profile
information estimated from satellite measurements wasintroduced into the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)
models which are at the heart of daily weather forecasts;
even in those early days the new satellite measurements
improved forecasts significantly for many areas.
Today, atmospheric sounders are used to infer a wide
range of key atmospheric parameters on an operational
basis (mostly on polar orbiting satellites), and their data
is used by NWP models in their raw form to such an
extent that the satellite measurements are a vital andintegral part of the global observing systems for
operational meteorology. The same data is used on alonger term basis for studies of extended range weather
and climate forecasting, and detection of climate change,
including man-made climate change.

The next generation of sounders, combining IR (IASI, CrIS)
and MW (MHS, CMIS, ATMS) capabilities will feature:
improved accuracy of humidity and temperature
measurements (of order 10% accuracy for humidity andbelow 1K for temperature); better spatial resolution (to1km); and improved capabilities in the upper atmosphere.

NOAA

AIRS
AMSU-A
AMSU-BATMS
CHAMP GPSSounder
CMIS
CrIS
Geomicrowave
sounder
GIFTS
GOLPE
GPS receiver
GPSDR
GRAS
HIRS/2
HIRS/3
HIRS/4HSB
IASI
IKFS-2
IMWTS
IRAS
ISAMS
MASTER
MHS
MIPAS
MIRAS
MIVZA
MLS
MSU
MTVZA
MTVZA-OK
MWHS
MWR (BNSC)
MWTSRadiometROSA
SABER
SAPHIR
SMR
SounderSounder(INSAT)
SSM/T-1
SSM/T-2
SSMIS
SSU
TRSR

Atmospheric sounders generally make passive
measurements of the distribution of IR or microwave
radiation emitted by the atmosphere, from which verticalprofiles of temperature and humidity through theatmosphere may be obtained. Oxygen or carbon dioxide
is usually used as a ‘tracer’ for the estimation oftemperature profiles since they are relatively uniformly
distributed throughout the atmosphere, and hence
atmospheric temperature sounders often measureradiation at wavelengths emitted by these gases. For
humidity profiling, either IR or microwave wavelengths
specific to water vapour are used. Most measurements
are conducted in nadir viewing mode.

Observations of how the signals from Global Positioning
Satellites (GPS) are affected as they travel through theatmosphere will be increasingly exploited using a techniqueknown as GPS occultation. This technique is used todetermine profiles of the pressure, temperature, andhumidity and will provide complementary information.

Atmospheric sounders provide crucial inputs to weather forecasting systems

AMSU: amsu.cira.colostate.edu/

Weather forecasting:www.usatoday.com/weather/wforcst0.htm

HIRS: www2.ncdc.noaa.gov/docs/klm/html/c3/sec3-2.htm

68

NWP: www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/nwp/numerical/index.html

GPS radio occultation:
op.gfz-potsdam.de/champ/docs_CHAMP/GRL_2001_wickert.pdf

Cloud profile and rain radars
Applications

These instruments are predominantly based on active
microwave radar systems. Cloud profile radars use very
short wavelength (mm) radar (typically 94GHz) to detectscattering from non-precipitating cloud droplets or ice
particles thereby yielding information on cloud
characteristics such as moisture content and base height.
A 94GHz cloud profiling radar has the unique property that
it is able to penetrate ice clouds with negligible attenuationand provide a range-gated profile of cloud characteristics.

Measurements from cloud radar will give information on
cloud type and amount, and more importantly on cloudprofile (currently not measured), information which is
required both for improving numerical weather prediction
and for climate studies. Scientists believe that some of themain uncertainties in climate model simulation are due tothe difficulties in adequately representing clouds and theirradiative properties. Satellite observations are planned toaddress this issue.

Rain radars use centimetric radiation to detect backscatterfrom water drops and ice particles in precipitating clouds,
and to measure the vertical profile of such particles. Oneof the key challenges with rain radars is suppressing thereturn from the Earth’s surface clutter, which is inevitably
much stronger than the rain echo. Recent instruments
however, can map the 3-D distribution of precipitatingwater and ice in a relatively narrow swath (around 200km)
along the track of a low altitude satellite and thereby infer
more precise estimates of instantaneous rainfall.

TRMM has demonstrated that spaceborne rain radars canprovide a unique source of information on liquid waterand precipitation rate - since the ground based rain radars
used at present have limited coverage over the oceans.
The global precipitation datasets derived from TRMM have
proven to be valuable tools for climatologists. Information
on tropical rainfall and extreme events such as hurricanes
is of particular importance, since more than two thirds ofglobal rainfall is in the Tropics, and is a primary driver ofglobal atmospheric circulation.

The Precipitation Radar (PR) on the Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission launched in 1997 (with the mission justrecently terminating in early 2005) was the first radar inspace with the capability to measure rainfall. PR provided
three-dimensional maps of storm structure, and invaluable
information on the intensity and distribution of rain, rain
type, and storm depth.

The gap between termination of the TRMM mission (early2005) - and availability of the new information anticipatedfrom GPM (no earlier than 2009) is of concern to scientists
studying the Earth’s global water cycle.

To date, there has been no cloud radar flown in space,but advanced instruments on planned missions (eg NASA’s
Cloudsat, Mar 2005) will use advanced radar to ‘slice’
through clouds to see their vertical structure, providing acompletely new observational capability from space. These
instruments will be the first to study clouds on a global
basis, and to look at their structure, composition andeffects. From 2009, the Global Precipitation Measurement(GPM) mission - an international co-operative programme- will provide more frequent and complete sampling of the
Earth’s precipitation using a constellation of satellites.

Current &plannedinstruments
Cloud sensor
CPR
CPR (Cloudsat)
DPR
IGPM rain radarNASA

Description

CloudSat will fly in orbital formation as part of a constellation ofsatellites including Aqua, Aura (multi-sensor platforms that are a partof NASA's Earth Observing System), CALIPSO (a NASA-CNES lidar
satellite), PARASOL (a CNES satellite carrying a polarimeter), andOCO (NASA’s CO2 measurement mission)

NASDA/CRL/NASA

NASA/JPLThe CloudSat radar will
penetrate into and throughclouds, yielding a newcapability that fills a
critical gap in existing andplanned observations

Horizontal cross section of rain at
2.00km height3D Rain structure

The Precipitation Radar on TRMM provided new insights into the 3-D rain
structure of storms

CPR (Cloudsat): cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/cs4a.html
Precipitation radar: trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/overview_dir/pr.html
GPM: gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html

69

Earth radiation budget radiometers
Current &plannedinstruments
ACRIM IIACRIM III
CERES
ERBE
ERBS
GERB
IKOR-M
KGI-4CNISTAR
PREMOS
ScaRaBSIM
SODISM
SOLSTICESOVAPSUSIM (UARS)
TIM
TSIS

Description

Applications

The Earth's radiation budget is the balance between theincoming radiation from the sun and the outgoing reflected
and scattered solar radiation plus the thermal infraredemission to space. A number of instruments contribute tomeasurements of these parameters; the discussion here
focuses on those instruments specifically designed to study
radiation budget as their sole or primary mission.

Solar radiant energy is a major driver of the Earth's
climate. The reflection, absorption, and re-emission ofthat energy is done through a complex system of clouds,
aerosols, atmospheric constituents, oceans, ice and land
surfaces. Variations in this complex system are the sourceof changes in the Earth's radiation balance. While theinput of energy from the sun is well understood, theamount of radiation leaving the Earth through thiscomplex system is not. Thus, the models that assimilate
all of the known characteristics of the Earth, its
atmosphere, and the best measurements of the net
radiation energy budget, have different predictions. It istheorised that as much as 25% of the anticipated global
warming of the earth may be solar in origin. In addition,
seemingly small (0.5%) changes in the total solar
irradiance (TSI) output of the sun over a century or more
may cause significant climatological changes on earth.

In general, different instruments are used to measure thedifferent components of the radiation budget:– broadband radiometers: to cover the full range ofincoming solar radiation (0.2 – 4.0µm) and to monitor the
long-wave emitted Earth radiation (3 – 50µm);– short-wave radiometers: to measure the reflectedshort-wave radiation from the Earth.
The instruments offer high radiometric accuracy to provide
accurate absolute measurements (~ 1 Wm-2 is needed). Most
radiometers have a narrow field of view and are used tomeasure the radiance in a particular direction. Using this,
together with information on the angular properties of theradiation, the radiation flux may be obtained. Advanced
instruments have a directional capability and channels whichallow study of the anisotropy and polarisation
characteristics of the radiation fluxes.
NISTAR (DSCOVR mission), which will be placed in orbit (in2008) at the Lagrange point L1 (the point between the Earthand the Sun at which the gravitational pull of each iscancelled out), will be the first instrument capable ofproviding continual observations over the key measurement
angle range for the entire Earth and will supplement low
Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit observations.

Earth radiation budget radiometers offer a uniquecontribution to understanding of the budget, together
with its relationship to global warming such as that
resulting from the greenhouse effect. In addition,
information from these instruments is of interest in
studies of clouds (to investigate cloud radiation forcing,for example) and albedo. Planned measurements will
have unprecedented accuracy (0.1%) and precision(relative changes of 0.03%) – which is necessary for
detecting the small changes in Earth's radiances that
correspond to the incremental changes in our climate
system that could be of major importance forhumankind far into the future.

The new generation of geostationary satellites (eg theMeteosat Second Generation series with GERB on-board)
will measure the shortwave and longwave radiation fromthe Earth every 15 minutes, and will provide much needed
improvements in temporal sampling.
RAL (UK)

CNES

First GERB images taken on 12 December 2002, showing total
radiances (left) and short wave radiances (right). The GERB
instrument will enable environment experts for the first time to study
the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere, its changes overa given period and its potential influence on the climate.
The Earth energy budget – the numbers indicate the averageenergy fluxes over one year, at a global scale

NISTAR: science.hq.nasa.gov/missions/satellite_53.htm

70

TIM/SIM/SOLTICE:
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/SORCE/sorce_06.html

Radiation budget science:earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/SORCE/GERB: www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/gerb

PICARD: smsc.cnes.fr/PICARDACRIM: acrim.jpl.nasa.gov

High resolution optical imagers
Description
High resolution optical imagers provide detailed imagesof the Earth’s surface. In general, these are nadirviewing instruments with a horizontal spatial resolution
in the range 10 to 100m, and swath widths of order
100km. In the past few years, high resolution sensors
have emerged with spatial resolution in the range 1-5m.
An increasing number of government-funded and private
sector-funded sensors with sub-5m resolution areplanned for the coming years.

Many countries, including developing countries, have
and/or are planning high resolution optical imaging
programmes. Future trends will include a greater numberof sampling channels, and improved spectral and spatial
resolution. More instruments will also become available
that are capable of producing stereo images from datacollected on a single orbit, ie along track, as opposed toacross track whereby stereo images are acquired fromdifferent passes.

Applications

High resolution imagers are, in general, panchromaticand multispectral sensors with spectral bands in thevisible and IR range, which are simultaneously recorded.
This increases the information content that may bederived from the imagery (including the ability for land
cover classification) and allows corrections to be made,for example, for the effects of atmospheric water vapour
on the measured surface parameters. In order to reduce
atmospheric absorption and to increase image quality,
the operating wavelengths of these instruments are
selected to coincide with atmospheric windows.

High resolution optical imagers are amongst the mostwidely applied of Earth observation satellite instruments,
finding application in, for example:

Use of these sensors can be limited by weather
conditions, since they are unable to penetrate thickcloud, rain or fog – typically being restricted to fairweather, daytime-only operation. Some have pointing
capability which enables imagery of specified areas tobe acquired more frequently.

– cartography: map generation and updating;generation of digital elevation models;– agriculture: definition of crop type and area,
Crop inventory, yield prediction;– natural hazards: damage assessment;– geological mapping;– urban planning: land cover mapping; topographic
mapping; urban development monitoring;– environmental planning and monitoring.

ISRO/ DISTRIBUTION SPACE IMAGING

CNES / DISTRIBUTION SPOT IMAGE

SPOT 5 launched in May 2002 features imaging sensors with 2.5m
resolution. This image is of Rome.

ALOS (AVNIR-2 & PRISM):
www.jaxa.jp/missions/projects/sat/eos/alos/index_e.html
SPOT: www.spotimage.fr
Landsat: landsat.usgs.gov

Current &plannedinstruments
ALI
ASTER
AVNIR-2AWiFS
CCD (CBERS)
CCD (HJ, HY)
DMC Imager
EOC
ETM+
HRG
HR-PAN
HRS
HRTC
HRV
HRVIR
IR-MSSIRS
LISS-III
LISS-IV
MBEI
MIREI
MSC
MSI
MSS
MSU-EUPANPAN (Cartosat-1)
PAN (GISTDA)
Pleiades HR
PRISM
TM
TOPSAT
telescope
WFI

A town in Thailand imaged by the LISS IV sensor on ISRO’s
Resourcesat-1

CBERS: www.cbers.inpe.br/en/index_en.htm
TOPSAT:
www.qinetiq.com/home/case_studies/security/security2.html

71Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (vis/IR)
Current &plannedinstruments

Visible/IR imaging multi-spectral radiometers are used toimage the Earth’s atmosphere and surface, providing
accurate spectral information at spatial resolutions oforder 100m up to several km, and with a swath width
generally in the range several hundred to a few
thousand km.

Measurements from these multi-spectral radiometers
operating in IR and visible bands may be used to infer awide range of parameters, including information on sea
and land surface temperatures, snow and sea ice cover,and Earth surface albedo. These instruments may also
make measurements of cloud cover and cloud-top
temperatures, and measurements of the motion vectorsof clouds made by radiometers on geostationary
satellites may be used in order to derive troposphericwind estimates.

Sensing usually occurs in multiple narrow, precisely
calibrated spectral channels. These instruments cannot
penetrate cloud or rain and hence are predominantly
limited to clear weather observations.
The information obtained from these instruments is often
complemented by that from atmospheric sounders, sincein deriving parameters such as surface temperatures,
atmospheric effects such as absorption must be taken
into account.
Recent developments include improvements in spatial
resolution, in some cases, equivalent to those of highresolution imagers, and in spectral resolution andradiometric accuracy. Planned hyperspectral instruments
will be able to simultaneously acquire imagery in manytens of wavebands which should significantly improve
the quality of land cover and land use information
derived from satellite imagery.

Visible/IR radiometers are an important source of dataon processes in the biosphere, providing information on
global-scale vegetation and its variations on
subseasonal scales which allow monitoring of natural,
anthropogenic, and climate-induced effects on land
ecosystems. Classification and seasonal monitoring ofvegetation types on a global basis allows modelling ofprimary production (the growth of vegetation that is thebase of the food chain) and terrestrial carbon balances.
Such information is of great value in supporting theidentification of drought areas and provides early
warning on food shortages.

NASA

EUMETSAT

72

Applications

NRSCC

AATSR
ABI
ATSR-2
AVHRR/2
AVHRR/3
CCD camera
CIA
CZI
Geoton-L1
GLI follow-on
HES
HRMS
HSC
HSI (HJ-1A)
HSMS
HSRS
HSS
HSTC
HYC
Hyperion
IIR
Imager (INSAT)Imager
IMAGER/MTSAT-1R
IMAGER/MTSAT-2
IR (HJ-1B)
IR Camera(SAOCOM)IVISSR (FY-2)
Klimat
LAC
MERIS
MERSI
MMRS
MOC
MODIS
MR-2000M1
MS (GISTDA)MSS (Roskosmos)
MSU-GS
MSU-M
MSU-MR
MSU-SM
MUX
MVIRI
NIRST
OBA
OEA
OLS
OSMI
PSA
PSS
RDSA
SEVIRI
SPECTRATIS (CONAE)
VEGETATION
VHRR
VIIRS
VIRR
VISSR (GMS-5)
WAOSS-B
WFC
WFI-2
WiFS

Description

Weather satellite data, such as these images from EUMETSAT
and from China’s FY satellite, are an essential input to todays
weather forecasting systems

This spectacular ‘blue marble’ image is the most detailed
true-colour image of the entire Earth to date, produced in early 2002
using data from MODISAVHRR: edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/glis/hyper/guide/avhrr

MODIS: modis.gsfc.nasa.gov

SEVIRI (METEOSAT): www.esrin.esa.it/msg/pag4.html

VEGETATION: vegetation.cnes.fr

IMAGER (GOES): noaasis.noaa.gov/NOAASIS/ml/imager.html

Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave)
Applications

Operating at microwave wavelengths, these instruments
have the advantage of cloud penetration and hence all
weather capability. Channels within 1 to 40GHz and 80
to 100GHz are used to get day/night information on the
Earth’s surface, having the advantage over visible/IR
radiometers of the ability to probe the dielectric
properties of a surface or to penetrate certain surfaces– especially useful with vegetation and soil. Channels
between 50 and 60GHz are used for deriving
atmospheric parameters.

Measurements from these instruments may be used toinfer a range of parameters. One of their primary uses
(often in conjunction with other instruments) is snow
and ice mapping – due in part to their capability forcloud penetration. Current applications of passive
microwave radiometer data include operational
forecasting and climate analysis, and the prediction ofsea ice concentration, extent and ice type. Passive
microwave radiometers are also used to provide cloudliquid water content information.

As with other imaging radiometers, although these
instruments offer accurate spectral information, their
spatial resolution is poor. At 90GHz, the spatial
resolution is typically 5km, and for the lower
frequencies it is of order tens of kilometres – poorer
than that of their visible or infra-red counterparts. As aconsequence, they are most used for global rather thanregional or local analysis, although some instruments
are used to correct measurements from other sensors,rather than for imaging applications. These include themicrowave radiometers on the ERS and Topex-Poseidon
series satellites, which are used to estimate and correct
for atmospheric water vapour content in the column
through which altimetric readings are being taken.

These instruments can also supply information on soil
moisture content, which is a key surface parameter inagriculture, hydrology, and climatology, and provides ameasure of vegetation health. They are also capable ofcontributing some information on ocean salinity, which
is important to our understanding of ocean circulation.

Current &plannedinstruments
AMSR follow-on
AMSR-E
Aquarius
ATSR/M
CMIS
GMI
IGPM
radiometer
JMR
KMSS
MADRASMIRAS (SMOS)
MSMR
MWR (BNSC)
MWR (CONAE)
MWRI
RM-08
SSM/I
TMR

JAXA

Description

ROSHYDROMETJAXA’s AMSR-E instrument can monitor changes in polar sea ice
extent – which influence the balance of global head and radiation

Passive microwave and radar
data from Russian satellites isused operationally to generatevital sea ice map products

AMSR-E: sharaku.eorc.nasda.go.jp/AMSR/index_e.htm

MWR: earth.esa.int/rootcollection/eeo4.10075/ERS1.5.html

CMIS: www.ipo.noaa.gov/Technology/cmis_summary.html

SSM/I: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/html/sensors.html

IMAGER (GOES):
www.ipo.noaa.gov/Technology/cmis_summary.html

73Imaging microwave radars
Current &plannedinstruments
AMI/SAR/ImageAMI/SAR/wave
ASAR
ASAR (image
mode)
ASAR (wave mode)
BISSAT
L-band SAR
L-SAR
PALSAR
RLSBO
SAR(RADARSAT)SAR(RADARSAT-2)
SAR (RISAT)SAR(ROSHYDROMET)SAR (SAOCOM)SAR 2000
S-band SAR
TerraSAR-X

Description

Applications

These instruments transmit at frequencies of around 1 to
10GHz and measure the backscattered signals togenerate microwave images of Earth’s surface at highspatial resolutions (between 10m and 100m) and with aswath width of around 100km. Both synthetic apertureradars (SARs) and some real aperture side-looking
imaging radar systems fall into this category. The
images produced have a similar resolution to thosefrom high resolution optical imagers, but radars havethe capability to ‘see’ through clouds providing data on
an all weather, day/night basis.

Although a variety of backscatter measurements may betaken by imaging radars, interpretation of thesemeasurements is a complex and, in some cases, stilldeveloping science. However, significant advances in a
number of areas and a number of SAR applications are now
fully operational.

SARs also have the ability to penetrate vegetation and tosample surface roughness and surface dielectric
properties. They may also be used to obtain polarisation
information and although the operating wavelength is in
general fixed for a given radar, radars operating at avariety of wavelengths (typically L-, C- and X-band) are
and will be available during the next decade
The beam shape and direction of new generation SARs
enable imagery to be acquired from many points on the
Earth more frequently. Multipolarised SARs (such as ASAR
on ENVISAT) enable land cover to be classified moreaccurately and will provide quantitative data on
biophysical parameters such as soil moisture and biomass.
A number of bistatic radar system concepts (such as
BISSAT) are under study. A bistatic radar is a system that
operates with separated transmitting and receiving
antennae. Since a number of large active radar missions
are foreseen for the coming decade, there is theopportunity to use relatively small satellite missions, with
passive payloads, flying in formation with one of thesemissions in order to gather the backscatter information.

Backscatter from the ocean can be used to deducesurface waves, to detect and analyse surface features
such as fronts, eddies, and oil slicks, and to detect andtrack ships. Operational wave and sea ice forecasting is
also an important near real-time application of SAR data.
Land images may be used to infer information onvegetation type and cover, and are therefore of use inforestry and agriculture – the ability of SARs topenetrate cloud cover makes them particularly valuable
in rainforest studies, and also in resource monitoring
applications. The information obtained from such images
depends upon the characteristics (eg wavelength) of the
probing radiation – under certain conditions, forexample, some penetration of vegetation may befeasible. Such imagery is often used in order tocomplement visible/IR multi-spectral imagery by, in
effect, providing an additional microwave channel. Oneof the most important current applications of imaging
radars, however, is in all-weather measurements ofsnow and ice sheets, from which information on
topography, texture and motion may be inferred; flood
detection is another proven capability of SAR.

ESA/NASA/UNIV. OXFORD

A technique known as interferometry is used to record thephase shift between 2 SAR images recorded at slightly
different times, thereby providing accurate information on
the motion of surfaces and targets and allowing large
scale 3-D topographical images to be produced. Similar
stereo images may be produced using conventional SAR
images taken on adjacent orbits. Differential SAR
interferometry is valuable for detection of groundmovements at millimetre/sub-millimetre level and ofinterest in the context of tectonic and volcanic hazard
studies, and in studies of subsidence in urban areas.
RADARSAT © CSA

An interferogram created using pairs of images taken by the
ERS-2 SAR, showing surface deformation or changes that may
have occurred during and after the 17 August 1999 Izmit,
Turkey earthquake. Each of the colour contours represents 28
mm of motion towards the satellite, or about 70mm ofhorizontal motion.
RADARSAT data was used to assist oil spill clean-up
in the Galapagos islands

74

ASAR: envisat.esa.int/instruments/asar/index.html

RADARSAT: www.rsi.ca/products/sensor/radarsat/radarsat1.asp

PALSAR: www.ersdac.or.jp/palsar/palsar_E.html

Terrasarr-X: www.eid.dlr.de/tsx/start_en.htm

Lidars
Description

Applications

Lidars, or LIght Detection And Ranging instruments,
measure the radiation that is returned either fromparticles in the atmosphere or from the Earth’s surface
when illuminated by a laser source. Compared withradar, the shorter wavelengths used in a lidar allow
greater detail to be observed, but cannot penetrate
optically thick layers such as clouds.

The different types of lidar may be used to measure adiverse range of parameters. Ranging and altimeter
lidars may be used to provide surface topography
information, for example on ice sheet height and land
altitude. Missions planned within the next few years will
undertake to determine the mass balance of the polar
ice sheets and their contributions to global sea levelchange; others will focus on study of the vegetation
canopy structure and provide unique data sets including
estimations of global biomass and carbon stocks, andfractional forest cover.

There are a number of different types of lidar instrument:– the backscatter lidar, in which the laser beambackscattered, reflected or re-radiated by the target gives
information on the scattering and extinction coefficientsof the various atmospheric layers being probed;– the differential absorption lidar which analyses thereturns from a tuneable laser at different wavelengths todetermine densities of specific atmospheric constituents
as well as water vapour and temperature profiles;– Doppler lidar which measures the Doppler shift of thelight backscattered from aerosol particles transportedby the wind, thereby allowing the determination ofwind velocity;– the ranging and altimeter lidar which provides accurate
measurements of the distance from a reference height
to precise locations on the Earth’s surface.

ALADINATLIDCALIOP
GLAS

Multifrequency ranging lidars with probe wavelengths inthe visible and near IR will be used to measure aerosolheight distributions and cloud height. Differential
absorption and backscatter lidar may be used tomeasure cloud properties over an extended swath width,and Doppler lidars may be used to measure 3-D winds.
This capability for measuring clear air winds (ie in theabsence of clouds or winds above clouds) is ofparticular importance since it will correct a major
deficiency in wind-profiling of the current global
meteorological observing systems. Instruments such as
ESA’s ALADIN on ADM-Aeolus will provide wind profile
measurements to establish significant advances inatmospheric modelling and analysis.
NASA

The first satellite-borne lidar is flying on the ICESat
mission launched in January 2003 to study the decadal
variations of ice thickness. Further lidars will be flown by
NASA (CALIPSO) and ESA (Future Missions) to study
cloud and aerosol properties. A Doppler lidar will be
flown on the ESA ADM-Aeolus mission scheduled forlaunch in 2007 to provide 3-D wind profiles.

Current &plannedinstruments

ESA

Doppler Wind Lidar principle: The lidar emits a laser pulse
towards the atmosphere, then collects, samples, and retrieves
the frequency of the backscattered signal. The received signal
frequency is Doppler-shifted from the emitted laser due to thespacecraft, Earth, and wind velocity. The lidar measures thewind projection along the laser line-of-sight, using a slant
angle versus nadir.

Byrd Glacier, shown in a radar image (top), is the largest outlet
glacier draining ice from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Two ICESat
profiles across the glacier are shown. With time, ICESat's
measurements of small changes in elevations of the ice sheets,
glaciers, and ice shelves will provide information on whether ice
discharge into the ocean is increasing or decreasing and thus
influencing sea level.

ALADIN: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/aeolus.html

GLAS: icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov

ATLID: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/earthcare.html

CALIOP: www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov

75

Multiple direction/polarisation instruments
Description
Current &plannedinstruments
AATSR
ATSR-2
HYDROSMIRAS (SMOS)MISRPOLDER-P
SPECTRAAdvances in satellite instrumentation have resulted in a
general trend towards multi-functional capabilities inmany types of sensors - resulting in instruments withthe capability to operate using different viewing modes
and angles, and multiple polarisations. The latest SAR
instruments demonstrate this trend. The category of‘multiple direction/polarisation instruments’ is used here
however to describe instruments which are custom-built
for observing, as their primary function, directional orpolarisational characteristics of the target’s signature(either visible/IR or microwave), as a means of deriving
geophysical information.
Multi-directional radiometers can make observations of
the diffused or emitted radiation from a particularelement of the Earth’s surface or clouds from more than
one incidence angle. In this way, information on
anisotropies in the radiation may be identified. The
emphasis in these instruments is on spectral rather thanspatial information with the result that the detection
channels, which typically span the visible to the IR, areprecisely calibrated and the spatial resolution is usuallyof order 1km.
Polarimetric radiometers are used for applications inwhich radiative information is embedded in thepolarisation state of the transmitted, reflected or
scattered wave. Some polarimetic radiometers also havea multi-directional capability so that directional
information can be determined.

Applications

In the visible and near IR spectrum, these instrumentsallow for improved measurements of the scattering
properties of particles such as aerosols, and for the
angular characteristics of the various contributions to
the Earth radiation budget, including surface albedo, tobe measured. They also enable accurate measurement ofparameters such as Normalised Difference Vegetation
Indices (NDVI) which are used to assess vegetation stateand crop yield at regional and global scales. MISR,
currently flying on NASA’s Terra mission is providing
new types of information for scientists studying Earth's
climate, such as the partitioning of energy and carbon
between the land surface and the atmosphere, and theregional and global impacts of different types ofatmospheric particles and clouds on climate.
Polarisation information is used to infer a variety ofparameters, including the size and scattering properties ofliquid water, cloud particles and aerosols, as well as
additional information on the optical thickness and phaseof clouds. Polarimetric radiometers also provide
information on the polarisation state of the radiation
backscattered from the Earth’s surface which supplements
measurements obtained from other land and sea imaging
instruments. Such measurements are of interest in a range
of applications from investigations of albedo andreflectance to agriculture and the classification ofvegetation. ESA’s SMOS mission planned for launch in2007 will use an L-band (1.4 GHz) dual polarisation
microwave interferometer to measure estimates of soil
moisture (a key variable for numerical weather andclimate models) and ocean salinity (important for ocean
circulation models).

ESA/UNIV. LEICESTER

Using IR channels, multiple-angle viewing capabilities
are used to achieve accurate corrections for the effectsof (variable) atmospheric absorption and therefore toinfer precise temperature values, for example, of sea
and land surfaces. Multi-directional radiometers are also
capable of measuring cloud cover and cloud top
temperature together with atmospheric water vapour
and liquid water content.
NASA/GSFC/LARC/JPLAATSR and its predecessors ATSR-1 and ATSR-2 have undertakenover 13 years of Sea Surface Temperature measurements with theaccuracy required for climate research

Hurricane Juliette, captured by MISR on 26th September 2001. On
the left is a true-color image, on the right is cloud-top height field
derived using automated computer processing of the data frommultiple MISR cameras.

76

MISR: www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov

SMOS: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/smos.html

AATSR: envisat.esa.int/instruments/aatsr

HYDROS: hydros.gsfc.nasa.gov

Ocean colour instruments
Description

Applications

Ocean colour radiometers and imaging spectrometers
measure the radiance leaving marine waters in thevisible and near IR spectrum in the range 400-800nm,
where the colour is characterised by the constituents of
the water, typically phytoplankton, suspended
particulate material and dissolved compounds.
Differences in the intensity of light received in the
different bands give information on the concentration ofa variety of substances present in the ocean.

The colour of the oceans as seen from space is anindirect measurement of ocean biomass and its
associated productivity, via phytoplankton pigment
concentration (chlorophyll). These parameters are of
considerable oceanographic and climatologicalsignificance as oceanic productivity 'drives' the air-tosea exchange of biogenic greenhouse gasses (eg CO2).

These instruments have very narrow detection channels,around 10nm wide, to measure fine spectral details. The
spatial resolution of these instruments is typically 0.3 to
1km. The more recent ocean colour instruments have
improved spatial, spectral and radiometric resolution.
The trend towards multi-channel, multi-purpose sensors,
such as MODIS and MERIS, is resulting in more
instruments with an ‘ocean colour’ capability, amongst
their many other applications.

Ocean colour imagery can also be used to guide fishingfleets to biologically-rich areas. Other data that may beinferred from ocean colour measurements includes
information about suspended matter (useful in coastal
studies), biological productivity, marine pollution andcoastal-zone water dynamics (eddies, currents, etc).

Current &plannedinstruments
COCTS
GLI follow-on
MERIS
MODIS
MSS-BIO
OCM
OSMI
VIIRS

KARI

Significant calibration and validation activities andalgorithm development for ocean colour instruments
continues – particularly with respect to measuring
ocean productivity.

ESA

Global ocean chlorophyll measurements derived from MERIS

Ocean colour sensors such as OSMI (KOMPSAT-1) can provide
valuable information for coastal studies

MERIS: envisat.esa.int/instruments/meris

Ocean colour sensors: www.ioccg.org/sensors_ioccg.html

MODIS: modis.gsfc.nasa.gov

VIIRS: www.ipo.noaa.gov/technology/viirs_summary.html

77

Radar altimeters
Current &plannedinstruments
ALT
POSEIDON-1(SSALT-1)
POSEIDON-2(SSALT-2)
POSEIDON-3
RA
RA-2
SIRAL
TOPEX

Description

Applications

Radar altimeters are non-imaging radar sensors which
use the ranging capability of radar to measure thesurface topographic profile parallel to the satellite track.
They provide precise measurements of a satellite’sheight above the ocean and, if appropriately designed,
over land/ice surfaces by measuring the time interval
between the transmission and reception of very shortelectromagnetic pulses.

A variety of parameters may be inferred using theinformation from radar altimeter measurements. These
parameters include: time-varying sea surface height(ocean topography), the lateral extent of sea ice and thealtitude of large icebergs above sea-level, and the
topography of land and ice sheets and even that of thesea floor. Topographical maps of the structure of the
Arctic sea floor have not only revealed new mineraldeposits, but they also provide new insights into how alarge part of the ocean basin was formed some hundred
million years ago.

To date, most spaceborne radar altimeters have been
wide-beam (pulse-limited) systems operating from low
Earth orbits. Such altimeters are useful for relatively
smooth surfaces such as oceans and low relief land
surfaces, but are less effective over high relief continental
terrain as a result of the large radar footprint.
ESA’s CryoSat mission will provide an instrument for theice sheet interiors, the ice sheet margins, for sea ice andother topography, with three-mode operation:– conventional pulse-limited operation for the ice sheet
interiors (and oceans if desired);

Observations by current and future radar altimeters oftrends in the ice masses of the Earth are of principal
importance in testing of the predicted thinning of Arctic
sea ice due to global warming, and will quantify theextent to which the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets
have contributed to the global rise in sea level. New
generation radar altimeters are also providing useful
information for the monitoring of inland waters (rivers
and lakes levels) - as demonstrated by RA-2 on ENVISAT.
Satellite altimetry also provides information which is ofuse in mapping sea surface wind speeds and significant
wave heights. Precision ocean altimetry applications forsea level monitoring and ocean circulation studies
depend on more accurate, independent measurements ofthe geoid – derived from the instruments described inthe ‘gravity field’ category.

– synthetic aperture operation for sea ice;
– dual-channel synthetic aperture/interferometric
operation for ice sheet margins.
Successful exploitation of the height data is dependent
upon precise determination of the satellite’s orbit. A
number of precision radar altimetry ‘packages’ areavailable which contain:– a high precision radar altimeter (with basic
measurement accuracy in the range 2cm to 4cm);

CNES– a means of correction for errors induced in the heightmeasurements by variations in the amount of water
vapour along the path (for example, by means of a
microwave atmospheric sounder or radiometer);

The new generation of current and future instruments
will provide more frequent data coverage and faster
access to observations for incorporation into ocean
circulation and wave forecast models used to generatemarine information products.

– a high precision orbit determination system (typically
based on GPS, the DORIS beacon/satellite receiversystem and/or a lidar tracking system).
ESA

The world as seen by radar altimeters

78

Radar altimeters measure the distance between the satellite andthe sea surface (E). The distance between the satellite and thereference ellipsoid (S) is derived by using the Doppler effectassociated with signals emitted from marker points on the Earth’s
surface as the satellite orbits overhead. Variations in sea surface
height (SS, ie S-E), are caused by the combined effect of thegeoid (G) and ocean circulation (dynamic topography, DT).

JASON-1: www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/current/jason-1.html

RA-2: envisat.esa.int/instruments/ra2

TOPEX/POSEIDON: topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/

SIRAL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/cryosat.html

Scatterometers
Description

Applications

A scatterometer transmits radar pulses and receives
backscattered energy, the intensity of which depends on
the roughness and dielectric properties of a particulartarget. Scatterometers were originally designed tomeasure oceanic surface winds, where the amount ofbackscatter depends on two factors – the size of thesurface ripples on the ocean, and their orientation withrespect to the propagation direction of the pulse ofradiation transmitted by the scatterometer. The first isdependent on wind stress and hence wind speed at thesurface, while the second is related to wind direction.
Hence measurements by such scatterometers may be
used to derive both wind speed and direction.

Information from scatterometers provides a uniquesource of data on sea surface wind speed and direction
which has important applications in weather and wave
forecasting and the investigation of climate models andelaborationof marine wind climate. The assimilation of scatterometerdata into atmospheric forecasting models greatly
improves the description of cyclonic features which are
so important in predicting future weather patterns.

These instruments aim to achieve high accuracy
measurements of wind vectors (speed and direction) and
resolution is of secondary importance (they generally
produce wind maps with a resolution of order 25-50km).
Because scatterometers operate at microwave
wavelengths, the measurements are available
irrespective of weather conditions.

AMI/scatterometer
Aquarius
ASCAT
Scatterometer(ISRO)
Scatterometer(JAXA)
SeaWinds

Scatterometer measurements will be undertaken
operationally by ASCAT on the METOP series from late 2005.

NASA/JPLDEUTSCHE AEROSPACE AND MPI FOR METEOROLOGYSpaceborne scatterometers have provided continuous
synoptic microwave coverage of the Earth for nearly adecade, starting with the ERS series, NSCAT on ADEOS,
and more recently SeaWinds on QuikSCAT. The ERS and
NSCAT instruments employed a fan-beam (multiincidence) wind retrieval technique, whereas QuikSCAT
employs a conically scanning (fixed incidence)technique. Increases in swath width capability of
scatterometers now mean that a single instrument can
provide around 90% coverage of global oceans on adaily basis.

Beyond the original ocean winds mission of
scatterometers, a large number of new unforeseen
terrestrial and sea ice applications has emerged,
including: the measurement of sea ice extent andconcentration; snow accumulation; regional-scalemonitoring of ice shelves, rainforests and deserts. The
daily global coverage of scatterometers in the polar
regions and ability to discriminate sea ice, ice sheets,
and icebergs, despite the poor solar illumination andfrequent cloud cover of the polar regions, make themexcellent instruments for large-scale systematic
observations of polar ice.

Current &plannedinstruments

The ERS scatterometer has been used to optimise trans-Atlantic
ship routing, steering ships clear of storms (in red above)

Scatterometer data can measure the horizontal wind speed anddirection over sea surfaces. NSCAT data was used in September
1999 to monitor the size and movement of Hurricane Floyd.

ASCAT: www.eumetsat.de/en/area2/cgms/ap10-17.htm

Aquarius: aquarius.gsfc.nasa.gov

AMI: earth.esa.int/rootcollection/eeo4.10075/ERS1.3.html

SeaWinds: winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm

79Gravity, magnetic field, and geodynamic instruments
Description

Applications

This ‘category’ of instruments is used here to describe avariety of sensors and supporting systems used toderive information on either the Earth’s gravity field,
magnetic field, or geodynamic activity.

Gravity field measurements from space provide the mostpromising advances for improved measurement of the‘geoid’ and its time variations. The geoid is the surfaceof equal gravitational potential at mean sea level, andreflects the irregularities in the Earth's gravity field at
the Earth's surface due to the inhomogeneous mass anddensity distribution in the Earth's interior.

Gravity field measurements from space rely on one ofthree techniques:– use of single or multiple accelerometers on one ormore satellites to derive gravity or gravity gradient
information;

More accurate models of the static mean geoid and its
temporal variability are vital for:– precise satellite orbit determination (using satellite toground navigation systems such as GPS and satellite
laser ranging systems), and separation of satellite
motion induced by the Earth's gravitational force
alone, from other forces (such as solar radiation andaerodynamic drag);– satellite to satellite tracking (eg by GPS or microwavelink) to measure relative speed variations of two
satellites induced by gravitational force.

– a precise marine geoid, needed for the quantitative
determination, in combination with satellite altimetry,of absolute ocean currents and their transport of heatand other properties;– a unified global height reference system for the studyof topographic processes, including the evolution of
ice-sheets and land-surface topography;– new understanding of the physics of the Earth´sinterior;– estimates of the thickness of the polar ice sheets andits variations – through combination of bedrock
topography derived from gravity measurements andice-sheet surface topography from altimetry;

Satellite-borne magnetometers provide information onstrength and direction of the internal and external
Earth’s magnetic field and its time variations.

DLR– estimates of the mass/volume redistribution of
freshwater in order to further understand thehydrological cycle;– improved understanding of post-glacial reboundprocesses on a global scale.
Magnetic field measurements are also valuable in arange of applications, including navigation systems,
resource exploration drilling, spacecraft attitude control
systems, assessments of the impact of ‘space weather’caused by cosmic particles, and in earthquake prediction
studies (eg by the DEMETER mission).
The precision location capabilities of satellite laser
ranging and other systems (such as DORIS and GPS),
sometimes in combination with interferometric SAR(INSAR), are applied in support of studies of crustal
deformation, tectonic movements, and Earth’s spin rate.

LAGEOS, CHAMP, GRACE, GOCE all provide new insights into
Earth's gravity field

CHAMP: op.gfz-potsdam.de/champ/index_CHAMP.html
GRACE: www.csr.utexas.edu/grace80

GOCE: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/goce.html

NASA/DLR/UNIV TEXAS

Current & planned instruments
Gravity
ACC
CHAMP gravity package
EGG
HAIRS
Magnetic field
ASM
CHAMP magnetometry package
EFI
Fluxgate magnetometer
GGAK-E

NASA/DLR/UNIV TEXASGGAK-M
GID-12T
IMSC
Magnetometer (NOAA)
MMP
PEM
Plasma-Mag
RBE
SESS
SSJ/4
SSJ/5
SSM
STR

Prior to GRACE, the long-wavelength part of the Earth's gravity
field from space was determined from various tracking
measurements of Earth orbiting satellites. Only broad geophysicalfeatures of the Earth's structure could be detected. The lower image
shows the final detail available after just 1 year of GRACE data.

Variant
VFM
Precision orbit
ARGOS
CHAMP GPS SounderDORIS
DORIS-NG
EGG
GOLPE
GPS (ESA)GPS receiver
GPSDR
GRAS
INES
IST
Laser reflectors
Laser reflectors (ESA)LRA
LRA (LAGEOS)
ROSA
RRA
TRSR

81

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
7.1 Introduction

significant part of the capability of current and planned
instruments.

At the start of 2005, there are 68 satellites operating (annexA) and providing important data about the Earth and its
environment, helping us to develop our understanding of thebasic Earth System and of human influences on it. These data
cover measurements of a very wide range of geophysicalparameters, spanning the whole spectrum of the environment
including atmosphere, land, oceans, and ice and snow. Thissection considers some of the key observations contributed
by EO satellites, as indicated in the table.

The CEOS/WMO Database contains considerably more detailon the expected performance of the various CEOS agency
missions and on the specifications of the requirements forcertain applications and users. For example, the CEOS/WMO
Database provides information on more than 120 different
geophysical measurements. See below for contact details foraccess to the CEOS/WMO Database.

Measurement categories
ATMOSPHERE
Aerosols
Atmospheric humidity fields
Atmospheric temperature fields
Atmospheric winds
Cloud particle properties and profile
Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature
Liquid water and precipitation rate
Ozone
Radiation budget
Trace gases (excluding ozone)
LAND
Albedo and reflectanceLandscape topography
Soil moisture
Vegetation
Surface temperature (land)
Multi-purpose imagery (land)
OCEAN
Ocean colour/biology
Ocean topography/currents
Ocean surface winds
Surface temperature (ocean)
Ocean wave height and spectrum
Multi-purpose imagery (ocean)
SNOW AND ICE
Ice sheet topography
Snow cover, edge and depth
Sea ice cover, edge and thickness

This section identifies the satellite instruments whichprimarily contribute data for any particular measurementfrom the list above and indicates the plans for future
provision of that measurement over the next 15 years.
Measurement continuity is a key requirement in many areas,for example in providing confidence to sustain public andcommercial investment in operational applications of Earthobservation data. It is also of paramount importance for thegeneration of long term datasets required for global
environmental programmes and for climate change studies.
This section identifies the prospects for achieving that
continuity given the programmes and plans that exist in2005 – whether it may be provided by a single series ofsatellites dedicated to a particular measurement, or whether
users of that measurement must look to various satellite
missions planned by different agencies world-wide to satisfy
their information requirements.
The need for this continuity, and to ensure that themeasurements by different agencies from different countries
can be inter-compared and calibrated requires a significant
degree of coordination in mission planning and data
provision. Harmonisation and maximum cost-effectivenessfor the total set of space-based observation programmes isthe objective of CEOS. Harmonisation of the space-based
and in-situ observational resources is the aim of IGOS (seeannex B). The IGOS Partnership provides a forum forestablishing the performance and timing necessary fromCEOS agency missions in order to satisfy the information
requirements of the IGOS Themes, and of international
programmes such as the Global Climate Observing System(GCOS), Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), theGlobal Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS), the World
Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and the International
Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).
For CD-ROM copies of CEOS Database:dhinsman@.wmo.int

7.2 Overview
GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC FIELDS
Gravity, magnetic and geodynamic measurements

This list is not comprehensive, but does include many
key measurements of interest to the main user groups ofEarth observation satellite data, and describes a

82

Current areas of strength of the Earth observation satellites
providing data today include:- Atmospheric chemistry measurements, including of ozone,
are being provided by instruments on NASA’s Aura andTerra missions and by ESA’s Envisat;

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement- Atmospheric humidity and temperature profiles areroutinely provided for operational meteorology by the
NOAA and DMSP series polar orbiting satellites and by
a number of meteorological geostationary satellites;- New information on global land surface processes,
through use of increased number of spectral bands, andmulti-directional and polarisational capabilities of future
imaging sensors;- Atmospheric winds (through cloud tracking), cloudamount and tropical precipitation estimates are provided
for most of the globe by the geostationary
meteorological satellite series Meteosat, GOES, GMS, FY2, and INSAT/Kalapana;- Estimates of global biomass and carbon stocks, andestimates of mass balance of the polar ice sheets andtheir contributions to global sea level change – frominnovative new lidar systems;- Multi-purpose imagery for both land and sea is being
collected by both high resolution optical and synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) instruments for use inenvironmental, public, and commercial applications.
Optical sensors include AVHRR on the NOAA polar
orbiters and those on Terra, SPOT, Landsat, and IRS
series. SAR sensors include those on the ERS/Envisat and
RADARSAT series. Future missions and increasing spatial
resolution will ensure improved data collection andapplication opportunities;- Sea surface temperature information is being generated
by data from existing meteorological satellites and from
instruments on the Aqua/Terra and the ERS/Envisat series.
Future plans should provide continuity. Satellites are now
also making consistent and continuous measurements ofother important oceanographic parameters such as ocean
topography, ocean currents, and sea surface winds –such as from QuikSCAT, Jason-1, and Envisat;- Sea ice and ice sheet extent are being measured by arange of missions (including ICESat) and continuity isplanned (eg by Cryosat, ALOS, and Terrasar-X).
Future missions will feature a new generation of technology
and techniques to enable Earth observation satellites toextend their contribution, including:- a significant increase in information about the chemistry
and dynamics of the atmosphere, including: long term
global measurements of concentrations of ozone andmany other trace and greenhouse gases; information on
the role of clouds in climate change; the ability to better
map cloud cover and precipitation - including over theoceans; measurements of 3-D atmospheric winds without
the need for cloud tracking; global aerosol distributions;and extended coverage of atmospheric measurements into
the troposphere to allow improved pollution monitoring.
Just as significantly, existing measurement capabilities formany key parameters, such as atmospheric humidity andtemperature, will have greatly improved accuracy andspatial resolution. A variety of novel instruments will be
used - such as cloud and rain radars, and lidar
instruments proposed for future missions;- Improved repeat coverage, resolution, and accuracy ofmany oceanographic measurements, including ocean
surface winds, and ocean colour and biology;- New capabilities for determination of soil moisture andocean salinity – starting with ESA’s SMOS mission;- Improved measurements of global ocean currents, basedon data from altimeters and gravity field instruments –such as GRACE and GOCE.
We can expect the exact plans to change as space agency
programmes evolve to keep pace with accepted scientificand political priorities for information on the Earth System– including the influence of the processes initiated by the
Ad-hoc Group on Earth Observations (GEO - discussed indetail in Part I of this document).

7.3 Measurement timelines
For each measurement category listed in section 7.1, a brief
discussion is given below of the significance of thatmeasurement, together with an indication of the present
and future measurement capabilities of satellite
observations. This description is supported by two timeline
diagrams spanning the period 2005-2020, indicating the
instruments contributing to that measurement and themissions on which they are expected to fly.
The first timeline shows missions that are either:- Current: where at least the prototype has been launched,
and financing is approved for the whole series; or- Approved: where financing is available for the whole
series, the prototype is fully defined, the development isin phase C/D.
The second shows missions which are not yet approved rather they are:
- Planned: financing is available up to the end of phase B,
financing of the full series is being considered; or- Considered: conceptual studies and phase A have been
completed, financing of phase B is in preparation.
Of course, all missions have a degree of uncertainty. This
description of mission status reflects information available
from the relevant agencies at the time of compilation. If themonth of the launch of a planned mission has not been
specified the timeline is shown to commence at the
beginning of the planned year of launch. Note also thatmissions currently operating beyond their planned life areshown as operational until the end of 2005 unless analternative date has been proposed.
The timelines in this section represent a qualitative analysis of
the provision of data from Earth observation satellites interms of a number of key geophysical measurements and therequirement for those measurements in different disciplines.

83

Atmosphere
Aerosols
Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air. The
majority are derived from natural phenomena such as
volcanic eruptions, but it is estimated that some 10% aregenerated by human activities such as burning of fossil
fuels. The majority of aerosols form a thin haze in thelower atmosphere and are regularly washed out by
precipitation; the remainder are found in thestratosphere where they can remain for many months or
years. Scientists have yet to quantify accurately the
relative impacts on climate of natural aerosols andthose of human origin, and are unsure as yet whether
aerosols are warming or cooling the Earth. Predicting
the rate and nature of future climate change requires
this understanding.
The IPCC identifies further information on aerosols as apriority requirement and highlights a particular need for
additional systematic, integrated and sustained
observations, including observations of the spatial
distribution of greenhouse gases and aerosols. The
Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry Observations(IGACO) Theme of the IGOS Partnership aims to provide
a framework ensuring continuity and spatial
comprehensiveness of the full spectrum of atmosphericchemistry observations, including the monitoring of
atmospheric composition parameters related to climatechange and environmental conditions. The IGACO Theme
Report (available from www.igospartners.org) was
finalised in May 2004 and provides a comprehensive
overview of current and future satellite measurements
for tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols The reportstates, in particular, that “satellite observations ofaerosol optical properties have progressed to a point
where they range from pre-operational to operational,
although there are demonstration-mode instruments on
a number of research satellites”.
Reliable information on aerosols is also required byapplications outside the study of the climate system.
For example, accurate and timely warnings of thepresence of airborne dust and ash - such as that arisingfrom desert dust clouds and volcanic eruptions - isimportant to the safety of airline operations. A
worldwide volcanic ash monitoring system, which isdependent on satellite observations, is in place toprovide real time advice to pilots.

84

Measuring the distribution of aerosols through thedepth of the atmosphere is technically difficult,particularly in the troposphere, and previously,
techniques using instruments such as AVHRR and ATSR
were limited to producing estimates of verticallyintegrated total amounts, mainly over oceanic regions.
Measurements over land are difficult (due to both
persistent cloud cover and to the high value, andvariability, of land surface reflectance) but the newgeneration of multi-directional or polarimetric
instruments - such as AATSR, MISR and APS (planned) can provide detailed information. Today, MODIS, MERIS
and MISR offer better optical depth at different
frequencies from which aerosol particle sizes,
particularly over oceans, may be inferred. The
development of active instruments such as ATLID, andlaser altimeter sensors, including GLAS on ICESat (inorbit since January 2003), should yield much improved
measurement capability. In 2005, CALIPSO will fly a 3channel lidar (designed specifically to provide verticalprofiles) and passive instruments in formation with
Aqua, Aura (both already in operation), Parasol andCloudSat to obtain coincident observations of radiative
fluxes and atmospheric state. This comprehensive set ofmeasurements is essential for accurate quantification of
global aerosol and cloud radiative effects.
Limb-sounding instruments such as ACE-FTS,SCIAMACHY, GOMOS, and HIRDLS provide data
principally on the upper troposphere and stratospherewith high vertical resolution, but relatively poor
horizontal resolution (typically of the order of a few
hundred km).
AVHRR/3 on the NOAA and METOP series will continue
current limited capabilities to provide estimates of total
column aerosol amounts over the ocean, and SEVIRI on
MSG will have similar capabilities, but with increased
temporal resolution. AVHRR/3 will be replaced by amore capable visible and infrared imager, called VIIRS,
on the NPOESS series of satellites, starting with the
preparatory NPP mission in 2006. VIIRS will acquire highresolution atmospheric imagery and generate a variety
of applied products including some giving information
on atmospheric aerosols.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

ERS-2 (ATSR-2, GOME)NOAA series (AVHRR/3: 15-N')

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Aerosols

2005

ERBS (SAGE II)TERRA (MISR, MODIS)ODIN (OSIRIS)

IRS-P4 (OCM)
METEOR-3M series (SAGE III: N1)(MSU-MR: N2)

AQUA (MODIS)ENVISAT (AATSR, GOMOS, MERIS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY)

current/approved

ICESat (GLAS)SCISAT-1 (ACE-FTS, MAESTRO)

PARASOL (POLDER-P)

AURA (HIRDLS, OMI)CALIPSO (CALIOP)METOP series (AVHRR/3: 1-3)(GOME-2: 1,2)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)DSCOVR (EPIC)

ADM-Aeolus (ALADIN)

NPOESS series (APS: 1,4)(VIIRS: 1-6)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (Gifts)

OCEANSAT 2 (OCM)

planned/considered

Glory (APS)ESA FUTURE MISSIONS (ATLID)GOSAT (Cloud Sensor)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

85

Atmosphere
Atmospheric humidity
The observations for atmospheric humidity are a corerequirement for weather forecasting and are largely
dealt with in the framework of the Coordinating Groupfor Meteorological Satellites (CGMS). A wide range ofsensors are available and these are improved astechnology allows. In broad terms the challenges are to
improve vertical resolution of observations, overcome
cloud problems and improve the ability to process
sounding data over land.
The 3 dimensional field of humidity is a key variable for
global weather prediction (NWP) models that are used
to produce short- and medium-range forecasts of thestate of the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Polarsatellites provide information on tropospheric humidity
with global coverage, good horizontal resolution andacceptable accuracy, but with poor vertical resolution
In the case of observations for regional NWP models,polar and geostationary satellites provide estimates of
total column water vapour accurate to within 10-20%.
Enough information is collected to infer moistureconcentration within several thick layers vertically, withgood horizontal resolution. Vertical resolution is marginalfor mesoscale prediction, and the infrared information isavailable only for cloud-free fields of view.
Until recently, performance in cloudy areas was poor,
but the new microwave measurements from AMSU offer
substantial improvements. Geostationary infraredsoundings are also helping to expand coverage in someregions by making measurements on repeat timescalesof fifteen minutes to one hour and thus creating more
cloud-free observations. Over oceans, coverage iscurrently supplemented by information on total column
water vapour from microwave imagers.

86

Humidity measurements for weather forecasting areassured continuity through the operations of the
METOP, NOAA, and NPOESS series, which in future willfeature instruments with improved accuracy andresolution, a number of which will be common to thedifferent satellites (such as AMSU-A, HIRS/4, and MHS).
The DMSP series sounders will also provide continuity.
NPOESS will feature the combination of the CRiS
interferometer and ATMS sounder to derive accurate
humidity profiles. This data will be supplemented byinstruments on Aqua (AIRS+, AMSR-E, AMSU-A), Aura
(HiRDLS, MLS, TES), and the FY-3 series (MWHS),
amongst others.
Satellite sounding data are currently under-utilised overland, but progress in data interpretation is expected in
the near future. Radio-occultation measurements using
the GPS constellation is complementing other systems
by providing information on the humidity profile in thelower troposphere.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2007

2006

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

METEOSAT series (MVIRI: 5-7)(SEVIRI: 8-11)

NOAA series (HIRS/2: 12,14)(AMSU-B, HIRS/3: 15-17)(AMSU-A: 15-N')(HIRS/4, MHS: N,N')UARS (HALOE, MLS)

Topex-Poseidon (TMR)

GMS-5 (VISSR)

ERS-2 (ATSR/M, ATSR-2, GOME, MWR, RA)

GOES series (Sounder: 9-12,N-P)(Geomicrowave sounder, HES: R)

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Atmospheric humidity

2005

ERBS (SAGE II)DMSP series (SSM/I, SSM/T-2: 13,15,16)(SSMIS: 16-20)

Terra (MODIS)

current/approved

KOMPSAT-1 (OSMI)

CHAMP (CHAMP GPS Sounder)

Odin (SMR)

TIMED (SABER)

Jason (JMR)

METEOR-3M series (MIVZA, SAGE III: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(IKFS-2: N2)

Envisat (GOMOS, MERIS, MIPAS, MWR (BNSC), RA-2)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, AMSU-A, MODIS)Aura (HiRDLS, MLS (EOS-Aura), TES)

PARASOL (POLDER-P)

SICH-1M (MTVZA-OK, RM-08)

CALIPSO (IIR)

METOP series (AMSU-A, GOME-2: 1,2)(GRAS, IASI, MHS: 1-3)

NPP (ATMS, CrIS)

Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

SAC-D/Aquarius (MWR (CONAE), ROSA)MEGHA-TROPIQUES (SAPHIR)

NPOESS series (ATMS: 2,5)(CMIS: 1-6)(CrIS: 2,5)Meteor-M series (MTVZA: 1)(IKFS-2, Radiomet: 1,2)
Kanopus-Vulkan (MTVZA-OK)
IGPM (IGPM radiometer)planned/considered

FY-3 series (MERS, MWRI: A-G)(MIRAS, MWHS: C-G)NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)
Jason-2 (JMR)
ESA Future Missions (MASTER, SPECTRA)
GCOM-W (AMSR follow-on)

87Atmosphere
Atmospheric temperature
As with humidity, atmospheric temperature data are acore requirement for weather forecasting and are
addressed within the CGMS framework. The data areused for NWP, for monitoring inter-annual global
temperature changes, for identifying correlations
between atmospheric parameters and climatic behaviour,and for validating global models of the atmosphere.
Data on atmospheric temperature is derived partly fromsatellite observations. For global NWP, polar satellites
provide information on temperature with global
coverage, good horizontal resolution and acceptableaccuracy, but improvements in vertical resolution areneeded. Performance in cloudy areas has been poor, but
the new microwave measurements such as AMSU haveprovided substantial improvements. As in the case of
humidity profiles, the Aqua, METOP, NOAA, and NPOESS
missions offer comparable improvements in verticalresolution for measuring atmospheric temperature (using
AIRS+, AMSU-A, CrIS, HIRS, IASI, MSU).
For regional NWP, polar orbiting satellites provide
information on temperature with acceptable accuracy
and good horizontal resolution, but with marginal
temporal frequency and vertical resolution formesoscale prediction. Advanced radiometers orinterferometers planned for future satellites should
improve on the vertical resolution and accuracy of
current radiometers.

88

Geostationary satellites provide frequent radiance data,
but their use over land is hindered because of the
difficulty in estimating surface emissivity. In nowcasting,the temperature and humidity fields are particularly
useful for determining atmospheric stability for predicting
precipitation type, the amount of frozen precipitation,and convective storms. As with humidity profiles,
nowcasting predictions using atmospheric temperature
data will benefit from hourly geostationary infraredsoundings (such as from the GOES and MSG series).
The combination of the HIRS/3 and AMSU instruments on
the NOAA and METOP series allows improved
information, sufficient to infer temperature within several
thick layers in the vertical. On the METOP series, IASI
will also be used with other instruments to delivercomparable sounding capacity. CrIS on the NPOESS
series, which will replace HIRS, is designed to enable
retrievals of atmospheric temperature profiles at 1K
accuracy for 1km layers in the troposphere. The GRAS
instrument on METOP will provide temperature
information of high accuracy and vertical resolution in
the stratosphere and upper troposphere (helping to
improve analyses around the tropopause). Its
information will thus be complementary to that provided
by the passive sounding instruments on METOP. China’s
FY-2 series of satellites FY-2C, D & E), feature improved
measurements from October 2004 with the addition of
new spectral channels to their IVISSR instrument.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

UARS (HALOE, HRDI, MLS)

Odin (OSIRIS, SMR)

CHAMP (CHAMP GPS Sounder)TERRA (MODIS)ERS-2 (ATSR-2)

SAC-D (ROSA)SAC-C (GOLPE)

Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSU-A, MODIS)FY-2C (IVISSR)

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Atmospheric temperature

2005

ERBS (SAGE II)

SICH-1M (MTVZA-OK)

current/approved

METEOR-3M series (SAGE III: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(IKFS-2: N2)

Aura (HiRDLS, MLS [EOS Aura], TES)NOAA series (HIRS/2, MSU, SSU: 12,14)(HIRS/3: 15-17)(AMSU-A: 15-N')(HIRS/4: N,N')DMSP series (OLS, SSM/T-1: 13,15-20)(SSMIS: 16-20)

METEOSAT series (SEVIRI: 8-11)

TIMED (SABER)

GOES series (Sounder: 9-12,N-P)(Geomicrowave sounder, HES: R)

CloudSat (CPR)

CALIPSO (IIR)

METOP series (AMSU-A, HIRS/4: 1,2)(GRAS, IASI: 1-3)

INSAT 3D (Sounder)

NPP (ATMS, CrIS, VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

NPOESS series (ATMS, CrIS: 2,5)(CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

Meteor-M series (MTVZA: 1)(IKFS-2, Radiomet: 1,2)

planned/considered

FY-3 series (IMWTS, MWRI, MWTS: A-G)(MIRAS: C-G)

Kanopus-Vulkan (MTVZA-OK)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)

ESA FUTURE MISSIONS (CPR)89

Atmosphere
Atmospheric winds
Measurements of atmospheric winds are of primary
importance to weather forecasting, and as a variable inthe study of global climate change as well as in a
number of applications such as aviation flight planning.
Horizontal wind may be inferred by motion vectors or
by humidity tracers in geostationary imagery. While
substantial information can be derived by thesemethods the quality is not homogeneous and verticalresolution is poor. Planned instruments forgeostationary satellites promise improved information,
but the limited vertical resolution and the problems ofaccurate height assignment of winds will remain areas tobe improved.
For global NWP models, wind profile information mostly overland - is available mainly from radiosondes.
Doppler wind lidar technology is being developed toprovide 3D winds of acceptable coverage and verticalresolution, but there are significant technical problems
and thick cloud is a limitation. Geostationary imagers
offer wind profile information by cloud tracking and incloud-free areas through tracking of highly-resolved
features in the water vapour channels. In the lower
atmosphere, coverage may be supplemented in future
by tracking ozone features in satellite imagery. Regional
NWP models also rely heavily on radiosondes(overland) and aircraft (over ocean and over the poles)
for atmospheric wind profile measurements, but would

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

METEOSAT series (MVIRI: 5-7)(SEVIRI: 8-11)

UARS (HRDI)

GMS-5 (VISSR)

current/approved

GOES series (Imager: 9-12,N-P)(ABI, HES: R)

INSAT-2E (VHRR)

IRS-P4 (MSMR)

KALAPANA (VHRR)

INSAT-3 series (VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

MTSAT series (IMAGER: 1R,2)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

ADM-Aeolus (ALADIN)

planned/considered90

FY-3 series (MERSI: A-G)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

2010

2011

2012

benefit from improved satellite data. In nowcasting,single level satellite wind information is sufficiently
available over low and mid-latitudes to provide
acceptable horizontal and temporal coverage, butvertical coverage is marginal and accuracy is acceptableto marginal.
At present, geostationary multi-channel visible andinfrared imagers such as IMAGER, MVIRI and VISSR areused to measure cloud and water vapour motion vectors
from which tropospheric wind estimates may bederived. Atmospheric motion vectors generated from
SEVIRI imagery on MSG provide improved data in termsof coverage, spatial and temporal resolution, andaccuracy of both wind vectors and height assignment.
Though valuable, because they offer wind information inareas of the world where otherwise there would be
none, atmospheric wind vectors are only single level
observations and are only available where there aresuitable image features to be tracked. NASA will bedemonstrating the technology for an advanced soundergenerating wind information with GIFTS in 2006.
In the longer term, laser instruments such as Doppler
lidars offer the promise of directly measuring clear air
winds. Although such active instruments will provide
high accuracy and vertical resolution, the coverage
offered by polar missions such as that planned for
ALADIN is likely to be limited.

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
cloud top temperatures, information on the 3-D structureof clouds can be used as a basic tool for the real timesurveillance of features such as thunderstorms. Study ofthese parameters through the life cycle of a storm
allows researchers to develop useful short term
forecasting criteria.

Cloud particle properties and profile
A key to predicting climate change is to observe andunderstand the global distribution of clouds, their
physical properties, such as thickness and droplet size,
and their relationship to regional and global climate.
Whether a particular cloud will heat or cool the Earth's
surface depends on several factors, including the cloud's
altitude, its size, and the make-up of the particles which
form the cloud.

Additional phase information will also be available frompolarimetric radiometers such as POLDER. However, theusers’ requirements for cloud data are unlikely to be
met until data from instruments such as ATLID or the
cloud radars become available.

Because clouds change rapidly over short time andspace intervals, they are difficult to quantify. Full 3-D
observations of cloud structure from space are still indevelopment, with the first sensors expected with a few
years on NASA (CloudSat) and ESA missions. Thesemissions will be capable of measuring the verticalstructure of a large fraction of clouds and precipitation from very thin cirrus clouds to thunderstorms producing
heavy precipitation.

In a fine example of international co-operation, from
April 2005 a multiple satellite constellation comprising
CloudSat, Aqua, Aura, CALIPSO and PARASOL will fly inorbital formation with the goal of gathering data needed
to evaluate and improve the way clouds are represented
in global models, and to develop a more complete
knowledge of their poorly understood role in climatechange and the cloud-climate feedback. CloudSat will
maintain a tight formation with CALIPSO, with a goal ofoverlapping measurement footprints at least 50% of thetime. CALIPSO will carry a dual-wavelength polarisationsensitive lidar that provides high resolution verticalprofiles of aerosols and clouds. CloudSat and CALIPSO
will maintain a somewhat looser formation behind Aqua
- which carries a variety of passive microwave, infrared,
and optical instruments.

Currently, basic information on the structure of clouds(ie determination of whether water or ice particles arepresent) is being obtained from microwave instruments
such as AMSR-E on Aqua. MODIS and MISR on Terra
also provide observations which enable estimates ofcloud droplet size to be made. These measurements areimportant for climate purposes as the structure ofclouds (particle size and phase) greatly affects their
optical properties and hence their albedo. Together with

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

ICESat (GLAS)

Terra (MODIS)

Envisat (MERIS, SCIAMACHY)

Aqua (AMSR-E, AMSU-A, MODIS)FY-2C (IVISSR)

current/approved

SICH-1M (RM-08)

SCISAT-1, (ACE-FTS, MAESTRO)METEOR-3M series (MR-2000M1: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(IKFS-2: N2)

NOAA series (AMSU-A: 15-N')(AMSU-B: 15-17)(MHS: N,N')DMSP series (SMM/I, SMM/T-2: 13,15,16)(SSM/T-1: 13,15-20)

CloudSat (CPR)
CALIPSO (CALIOP, IIR)

METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)(MHS: 1-3)

NPP (ATMS, VIIRS)NPOESS series (CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)(ATMS: 2,5)(APS: 1,4)Meteor-M series (IKFS-2: 1,2)

FY-3 series (MWRI: A-G)

planned/considered

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)
Glory (APS)ESA Future Missions (ATLID, CPR, SPECTRA)GOSAT (Cloud Sensor)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

91

Atmosphere
Cloud type, amount and cloud
top temperature
The study of clouds, where they occur, and theircharacteristics, play a key role in the understanding ofclimate change. Low, thick clouds primarily reflect solar
radiation and cool the surface of the Earth. High, thinclouds primarily transmit incoming solar radiation; atthe same time they trap some of the outgoing infrared
radiation emitted by the Earth and radiate it backdownward, thereby warming the surface of the Earth.
The Earth's climate system constantly adjusts in a waythat tends toward maintaining a balance between theenergy that reaches the Earth from the sun and theenergy that goes back from Earth back out to space.
This process is known as Earth's ‘radiation budget’. The
components of the Earth system that are important to
the radiation budget are the planet's surface,atmosphere and clouds.
The IPCC point out that even the most advanced climate
models cannot yet simulate all aspects of climate, andthat there are particular uncertainties associated withclouds and their interaction with radiation and aerosols.
Weather forecasters are able to draw on a range ofsatellite data on clouds in devising models and in
making forecasts. For both global and regional NWP
models, satellite instruments offer detailed information
on cloud coverage, type, growth and motion. The
coverage is global from polar orbiting satellites and with the exception of high latitudes - global fromgeostationary satellites. Infrared imagers and sounders
can provide information on cloud cover and cloud top
height of good horizontal and temporal resolution.
Microwave imagers and sounders give information on
cloud liquid water, cloud ice and precipitation.
Microwave information is valuable for regional
mesoscale models which have sophisticatedparameterisation of cloud physics. In the context of
nowcasting and very short range forecasting,meteorological satellite data are well suited tomonitoring the rapid development of precipitationgenerating systems in space and time.

92

In the field of climate research, the MODIS and MISR
spectro-radiometers on the Terra mission are enablingviewing of cloud features at higher resolutions thanpreviously. MODIS is taking measurements to allow
more precise determination of the contribution whichclouds make to the ‘greenhouse’ warming of the Earth.
MISR is observing angles at which sunlight is reflectedfrom clouds. These observations are critical in supportof new research on the radiative properties of clouds.
On the same Terra mission, the ASTER radiometer,
measuring visible and infrared wavelengths, willcomplement the other instruments by providing highresolution views of specific targets of interest.
For weather forecasting, satellite instruments willcontinue to offer a wealth of useful information on
clouds. HIRS, AMSU-A, MHS and IASI on polar orbiting
missions will offer improved information on clouds.
Geostationary imagers and sounders (on MSG, GOES,
Elektro-L, INSAT, MTSAT and FY-3 series) will contributeto retrieval of information about cloud cover, cloud top
temperature, cloud top pressure and cloud type, andwill be close to meeting regional NWP modeling needs
for these variables. Retrievals will not only comprise thetemperature and moisture profiles, but also fractional
cloud cover, cloud top height, cloud top pressure,surface temperature and surface emissivity - from bothinfrared and microwave soundings.
The increased use of imager data to determine the cloudamount will improve the performance and the numberof retrieved profiles. In general, IASI will increasesounding performance to a level very significant forregional NWP. On the NPOESS series of satellites,
parameters that may be derived from VIIRS will include
cloud cover.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2007

2006

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

METEOSAT series (MVIRI: 5-7)(SEVIRI: 8-11)

NOAA series (AVHRR/2, HIRS/2: 12,14)(AMSU-B, HIRS/3: 15-17)(AMSU-A, AVHRR/3: 15-N')(HIRS/4, MHS: N,N')

GMS-5 (VISSR)

ERS-2 (ATSR-2, GOME)
GOES series (Imager, Sounder: 9-12,N-P)(ABI, HES: R)

Envisat (AATSR, MERIS, SCIAMACHY)

current/approved

FY-2C (IVISSR)METEOR-3M series (MR-2000M1, MIVZA, SAGE III: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(IKFS-2, MSU-MR: N2)

Aura (HiRDLS, OMI)INSAT-2E (CCD CAMERA, VHRR)
ICESat (GLAS)

KALAPANA (VHRR)DMSP F series (OLS: 13,15-20)

INSAT-3 series (CCD, VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

Terra (ASTER, MISR, MODIS)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSU-A, MODIS)

CloudSat (CPR)

CALIPSO (CALIOP, IIR, WFC)MTSAT series (IMAGER: 1R,2)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature

2005

ERBS (SAGE II)

METOP series (AMSU-A, GOME-2: 1,2)(AVHRR/3, IASI, MHS: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

RapidEye (MSI)

SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera: A,B)

DSCOVR (EPIC)CBERS series (PAN: 3,4)

MEGHA-TROPIQUES (SAPHIR, MADRAS)

NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)

Meteor-M series (IKFS-2: 1,2)
FY-3 series (MERSI, MWRI, VIRR: A-G)

planned/considered

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)
FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)
ESA Future Missions (ATLID, CPR)GOSAT (Cloud Sensor)
GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)
SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera: 1,2)

93

Atmosphere
Liquid water and precipitation rate
Water forms one of the most important constituents ofthe Earth's atmosphere and is essential for humanexistence. The global water cycle is at the heart of the
Earth’s climate system, and better predictions of its
behaviour are needed for monitoring climate variability
and change, weather forecasting, and sustainable
development of the world’s water resources. A better
understanding of the current distribution of
precipitation, and of how it might be affected byclimate change, is vital in support of accurate
predictions of regional drought or flooding.
Information on liquid water and precipitation rate isused for initialising NWP models. For global NWP avariety of satellites provide complete global coverage,
but they present two major challenges: firstly, thesatellite sensors (such as visible/IR imagers on
geostationary weather satellites) typically observe
quantities (such as cloud height and cloud top
temperature) related to precipitation, and algorithms
must be developed to get the best estimates from eachparticular sensor; and secondly, the mix of available
data is constantly changing in space and time.
Microwave imagers and sounders (eg AMSR-E) offer
information on precipitation of marginal horizontal andtemporal resolution, and acceptable to marginalaccuracy (though validation is difficult). Satellite-bornerain radars (eg on the recently-ended TRMM mission,and on CloudSat), together with plans for constellationsof microwave imagers, offer most potential for
improved observations. For regional NWP, nosatisfactory precipitation estimates are available fromsatellites at present, although satellites are the only
potential source of information over the oceans.
Geostationary satellites do provide vital information on
the location of tropical cyclones.

94

Increasing amounts of useful microwave data - such as
from the TRMM mission - are becoming available.
TRMM was dedicated to studying tropical and subtropical rainfall and carried the first spaceborne
precipitation radar, NASDA's PR instrument, and also
NASA's TMI microwave imager. Data from PR and TMI
have provided new insights into the internal
composition of tropical thunderstorms associated withhurricanes. NASA, JAXA and ESA plan to continue thiscollaboration in future to develop the Global
Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM) for launchfrom 2009; the GPM constellation of satellites will
provide global observations of precipitation every threehours to help develop the understanding of the global
structure of rainfall and its impact on climate. The
recently approved CNES-ISRO mission Megha-Tropiques
will provide further measurements of tropical rainfall;
MADRAS, a passive multi-frequency radiometer, willcollect data on rain over the oceans.
The CMIS microwave imager/sounder on NOAA's
NPOESS missions will be sensitive to various forms ofwater and moisture in the atmosphere and clouds, andwill provide an ‘all weather’ measurement capability.
Future coordination of these various satellite
programmes, as well as the efforts of the in-situ
measurement community, will be addressed by the
Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations Theme(IGWCO) of the IGOS Partnership. The first element of
IGWCO is a ‘Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period(CEOP)’ which is taking the opportunity of thesimultaneous operation of key satellites of Europe, Japan,
and USA to generate new data sets of the water cycle.
The IGWCO Theme report is available fromwww.igospartners.org. This document represents acomprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in water
cycle observations and formulates recommendations for
an international work programme to better understand,monitor and predict water processes.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

NOAA series (MSU: 12,14)(AMSU-A: 15-N')(AMSU-B: 15-17)(AVHRR/3: 15-17,N,N')
GMS-5 (VISSR)

ERS-2 (ATSR-2)

GOES series (Imager, Sounder: 9-12, N-P)(ABI: R)

DMSP series (SSM/I: 13,15,16)(SSM/T-2: 13,15,16)(SSMIS: 16-20)

INSAT-2E (VHRR)

current/approved

IRS-P4 (MSMR)METEOR-3M series (MIVZA: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(MSU-MR: N2)

Envisat (AATSR)
Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, AMSU-A)

KALAPANA (VHRR)

INSAT-3 series (VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Liquid water and precipitation rate

2005

METEOSAT series (MVIRI: 5-7)(SEVIRI: 8-11)

FY-2C (IVISSR)

SICH-1M (RM-08)

CloudSat (CPR)

METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)(AVHRR/3, MHS: 1-3)
MTSAT-2 (IMAGER)

NPP (ATMS)

Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

DSCOVR (EPIC)

SAC-D/Aquarius (MWR [CONAE])

MEGHA-TROPIQUES (SAPHIR, MADRAS)

NPOESS series (ATMS: 2,5)(CMIS: 1-6)

IGPM (IGPM rain radar)

FY-3 series (MERSI, MWRI: A-G)

planned/considered

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)

GCOM-W (AMSR follow-on)

GPM Core (DPR, GMI)

GPM Constellation (GMI)95

Atmosphere
Ozone
Ozone (O3) is a relatively unstable molecule, andalthough it represents only a tiny fraction of theatmosphere, ozone is crucial for life on Earth.
Depending on its location ozone can protect or harmlife on Earth. Most ozone resides in the stratosphere,
where it acts as a shield to protect Earth's surface fromthe sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the
troposphere, ozone is a harmful pollutant which causes
damage to lung tissue and plants. Man-made chemicals
and weather conditions over Antarctica combine todeplete stratospheric ozone concentrations during thewinter months there. The total amount of O3 in the
troposphere is estimated to have increased by 36%
since 1750, due primarily to anthropogenic emissions ofseveral O3-forming gases.
Developments are under way to add ozone as a new
NWP model variable, primarily to allow ozone
observations to be used to act as a tracer for information
on wind. More detail on ozone issues is presented in thecase study in Part II of this document.
Satellite instruments have for many years provided datameasuring interactions within the atmosphere that affectozone, and soon more advanced instruments will be inorbit to collect more detailed measurements, increasing
knowledge of how human activities are affecting Earth's
protective ozone layer.
Total column measurements of ozone have been
provided by NASA's TOMS and NOAA’s SBUV
instruments over long periods. Stratospheric ozone
profiles have also been measured by instruments such as
HALOE & MLS (UARS mission), GOME (ERS-2), and SAGE
III (part of the International Space Station payload).

96

Since launch in March 2002, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY
on ESA's Envisat mission have provided improved
observations of the concentration of ozone in thestratosphere and trace gases.
A wide range of instruments dedicated to, or capable of,ozone measurements are planned for the next decade.
On the recently launched Aura mission, HIRDLS, OMI,
and MLS study and monitor atmospheric processes
which govern stratospheric and mesopheric ozone, andcontinue the TOMS record of total ozone measurements.
TES on Aura is used to create three dimensional maps ofozone concentrations in the troposphere.
IASI and GOME-2 on the METOP series will provide
information on both total column ozone and on verticalprofile. The Ozone Profiler on China's FY-3 series willcontribute further data continuously from 2006. In thelonger term (from 2011), NOAA's Ozone Mapping andProfiler Suite (OMPS) will collect data to permit thecalculation of the vertical and horizontal distribution ofozone in the atmosphere.
The IGOS theme on atmospheric chemistry observations(IGACO) has developed a strategy for the integrated
provision of chemistry observations (and associatedmeteorological parameters) required to realise the theme
objectives, including the monitoring of atmosphericcomposition parameters related to climate change.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

ERBS (SAGE II)NOAA series (HIRS/2: 12,14)(HIRS/3: 15-17)(HIRS/4: N,N')(SBUV/2: 14-N')

2020

Ozone

2005

UARS (HALOE, MLS)

ERS-2 (ATSR-2, GOME)

GOES series (Sounder: 9-12,N-P)

Terra (MODIS)Odin (OSIRIS, SMR)

TIMED (SABER)

current/approved

METEOR-3M series (SAGE III, SFM-2: N1)(IKFS-2: N2)

Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY)

Aqua (AIRS, MODIS)METEOSAT series (SEVIRI: 8-11)

SCISAT-1 (ACE-FTS, MAESTRO)

Aura (HiRDLS, MLS, OMI, TES)CALIPSO (IIR)
METOP series (IASI: 1-3)(GOME-2,HIRS/4: 1,2)

Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

DSCOVR (EPIC)
NPOESS-2 (OMPS)NPOESS-5 (OMPS)

Meteor-M series (IKFS-2: 1,2)

planned/considered

FY-3 series (OP, TOM: A-G)
NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)ESA Future Missions (MASTER)

97

Atmosphere
Radiation budget

In general, three types of measurements are currently possible:

The Earth's radiation budget is the balance within the
climate system between the energy that reaches the
Earth from the sun and the energy that returns from
Earth to space. Satellite measurements offer a uniquemeans of assessing the Earth’s radiation budget. The
goal of such measurements is to determine the amountof energy emitted and reflected by the Earth. This isnecessary to understand the processes by which theatmosphere, land and oceans transfer energy to achieve
global radiative equilibrium, which in turn is necessary
to simulate and predict climate.

- the shortwave and longwave radiation budget at the
top of the atmosphere;

Systematic observations of the Earth system energybalance components are noted by the IPCC as being of
key importance in narrowing the uncertainties
associated with the climate system. In addition to thesecontinuous global measurements of the radiation budget
which are necessary both to estimate any long term
climatic trends and shorter term variations overlying
these trends, measurements on a regional scale areuseful to understand better the dynamics of certain
events or phenomena and to assess the effect of climatechange, for example on agriculture and urban areas.

- the shortwave radiation budget at the Earth's surface;- the total incoming broadband radiation flux.
NASA has, since the mid sixties, been measuring the net
radiation with the ERBE, ACRIM, and CERES sensors. The
MISR spectroradiometer (also on Terra with CERES)
provides data on top of the atmosphere, cloud andsurface hemispheric albedos and aerosol opacity.
Continuity of Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) measurements
is now assured by the launch of the SORCE mission at
the beginning of 2003, carrying 4 instruments (TIM,
SOLSTICS, SIM, XPS) operating over the 1nm-2000nm
waveband and measuring over 95% of spectral
contribution to TSI.
NISTAR on the DSCOVR mission (from 2008) willmeasure reflected solar energy and radiant power
emitted by the sunlit Earth in the UV, Visible, and IR
bands from an orbit optimized to continuously achieve
the critical viewing angle.
An increasing number of radiation budget measurements
are featuring on operational meteorology missions,
including: GERB (on METEOSAT-8 operating since
September 2002 and measuring shortwave and longwave
radiation every 15 minutes); TSIS and ERBS (onNPOESS); continued narrow-band information from the
HIRS, AVHRR, and VIIRS instruments.

98

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

ERBS (ERBE)NOAA series (AVHRR/2,HIRS/2: 12,14)(AVHRR/3: 15-N')(HIRS/3:15-17)(HIRS/4: N,N')UARS (PEM, SOLSTICE, SUSIM)

ERS-2 (ATSR-2, GOME)

GOES series (Imager: 9-12,N-P)(ABI: R)

SPOT series (HRVIR: 4)(VEGETATION: 4,5)(HRG, HRS: 5)

INSAT-2E (VHRR)

Landsat-7 (ETM+)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Radiation budget

2005

Terra (ASTER, CERES, MISR)

ACRIMSAT (ACRIM III)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

Envisat (AATSR, MERIS, SCIAMACHY)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, CERES)METEOSAT series (GERB, SEVIRI: 8-11)

KALAPANA (VHRR)

SORCE (SIM, SOLSTICE, TIM)

current/approved

INSAT-3 series (VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

UK-DMC (DMC Imager)

FY-2C (IVISSR)

SICH-1M (MSU-M)

MTSAT-1R (IMAGER)

CloudSat (CPR)

CALIPSO (IIR)

TopSat (TOPSAT telescope)

METOP series (HIRS/4, GOME-2: 1,2)(AVHRR/3, IASI: 1-3)

METEOR-3M N2 (MSU-MR)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera: A,B)

DSCOVR (EPIC, NISTAR)PICARD (PREMOS, SODISM, SOVAP)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

CBERS series (PAN: 3,4)

MEGHA-TROPIQUES (ScaRaB)

NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)(CERES: 2,5)(ERBS, TSIS: 3,6)

TerraSAR-L (L-SAR)

FY-3 series (IRAS: A-G)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

planned/considered

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)
Glory (TIM)ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)
SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera: 1,2)

SSR-2 (L-band SAR)

99

Atmosphere
Trace gases (excluding ozone)
Trace gases other than ozone may be divided into
three categories:- greenhouse gases affecting climate change;- chemically aggressive gases affecting the environment(including the biosphere);- gases and radicals impacting on the ozone cycle,
thereby affecting both climate and environment.
The presence of trace gases in the atmosphere can havea significant effect on global change as well as
potentially harmful local effects through increased levelsof pollution. The chemical composition of thetroposphere in particular is changing at an
unprecedented rate - the rate at which pollutants fromhuman activities are being emitted into the troposphereis now thought to exceed that from natural sources(such as from volcanic eruptions).
The IPCC notes large increases in atmosphericconcentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4)and nitrous oxide (N2O) since the industrial era andsuggests that emissions of CO2 due to fossil fuelburning are virtually certain to be the dominant
influence on the trends in atmospheric CO2
concentration during the 21st century. They consider that
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and the gasesthat control their concentration would be necessary tostabilise radiative forcing.
Measurements from satellite sensors have already madean important contribution to the recognition that humanactivities are modifying the chemical composition ofboth the stratosphere and the troposphere, even inremote regions.
A variety of instruments provide measurements on theconcentration of trace gases. In general, high spectral
resolution is required to detect absorption, emission andscattering from individual species. Some instruments
offer measurements of column totals, ie integrated
column measurements, whilst others provide profiles ofgas concentration through the atmosphere (usuallylimited to the upper troposphere and stratosphere using
limb measurements).

100

To date, the instruments on UARS, launched in 1991 haveprovided the most significant source of data on tracegases and have been vital for studies of stratosphericchlorine chemistry, stratospheric tracer-tracer
correlation, tropospheric water vapour, the chemistry of
the wintertime Arctic lower stratosphere, andtropospheric aircraft exhaust studies.
The last few years have seen the arrival of new andsignificant capabilities, with advanced instruments on
Terra (MOPITT - providing global measurements ofcarbon monoxide and methane in the troposphere), andEnvisat (GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY - providing
profiles of trace gases through the stratosphere andtroposphere). On NASA's Aura mission, HiRDLS, an
infrared limb-scanning radiometer, carries out soundingsof the upper troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphereto determine concentrations of trace gases, withhorizontal and vertical resolutions superior to thosepreviously obtained. On the same mission MLS
measures concentrations of trace gases for their effects
on ozone depletion, TES provides a primary input to a
database of 3D distribution on global, regional and local
scales of gases important to tropospheric chemistry,and OMI continues the TOMS record for atmosphericparameters related to ozone chemistry and climate.
JAXA’s GOSAT mission (from 2008) and EUMETSAT’s
METOP series (from late 2005) are also expected to makesignificant contributions to observations of trace gases.
The IGOS IGACO Theme for observations of atmosphericchemistry has considered all relevant chemical species toproperly interpret the observations and intends to monitor
the research required to improve understanding of Earthprocesses so that air quality evolutions can be predicted.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

ERBS (SAGE II)UARS (HALOE, HRDI, MLS)

ERS-2 (GOME)

Terra (MOPITT)ODIN (OSIRIS, SMR)
TIMED (SABER)

current/approved

METEOR-3M series (SAGE III: N1)(IKFS-2: N2)

Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS, SCIAMACHY)
Aqua (AIRS)SCISAT-1 (ACE-FTS, MAESTRO)

Aura (HiRDLS, MLS, OMI, TES)CALIPSO (IIR)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Trace gases (excluding ozone)

2005

METOP series (IASI: 1-3)(GOME-2: 1,2)
DSCOVR (EPIC)

Meteor-M series (IKFS-2: 1,2)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

planned/considered

OCO (OCO)ESA Future Missions (MASTER)GOSAT (GHG Sensor)

101

Land
Albedo and reflectance
Albedo is the fraction of solar energy that is reflectedback from Earth to space. Measurements of albedo are
essential for climate research studies and investigationsof the Earth’s energy budget. Different parts of the
Earth have different albedos. For example, ocean
surfaces and rain forests have low albedos, whichmeans that they reflect only a small portion of the sun’senergy. Deserts, ice and clouds, however, have highalbedos; they reflect a large portion of the sun’senergy. The high albedo of ice helps to insulate thepolar oceans from solar radiation. Over the wholesurface of the Earth, about 30% of incoming solar
energy is reflected back to space. Because a cloudusually has a higher albedo than the surface beneath it,
clouds reflect more shortwave radiation back to spacethan the surface would in the absence of the cloud, thus
leaving less solar energy available to heat the surface
and atmosphere. Hence, this ‘cloud albedo forcing’,
taken by itself, tends to cause a cooling or ‘negative
forcing’ of the Earth’s climate.
Surface albedo can be estimated from shortwave,
broadband or multi-spectral radiometer measurementswith good horizontal resolution. Current measurements ofalbedo and reflectance are obtained primarily using multispectral imagers such as AATSR, AVHRR, and sensors on
SPOT, Landsat, and some geostationary satellites.
Clouds, aerosols and atmospheric gases affect theaccuracy achievable, which is currently marginal toacceptable, but should become good as progress ismade in interpreting data from high-resolution, multispectral instruments. Surface conditions (moisture,surface vegetation, snow cover etc) strongly affectalbedo and high quality ground truth data is necessary
in support of satellite measurements. Better
understanding of the reflectance properties of different
surfaces and more accurate aerosol data (to correct
atmospheric effects) is needed to improve surface
reflectance measurements.

102

As aerosol concentration increases within a cloud, more
cloud drops form. Since the total amount of condensed
water in a cloud does not change much, the average
drop becomes smaller. This has two consequences clouds with smaller drops reflect more sunlight andsuch clouds last longer. Both effects increase theamount of sunlight that is reflected to space without
reaching the surface.
The Terra spacecraft is yielding greater knowledge ofsuch cloud/aerosol effects - with MODIS and MISR
providing data on cloud features, and ASTER providing
complementary high spatial resolution measurements.
Terra’s data will provide new insights into how clouds
modulate the atmosphere and surface temperature.
Further multi-directional and polarimetric instruments(eg POLDER) should also provide measurements leading
to better estimates of albedo.
New sensors, such as GERB and SEVIRI (on the MSG
missions, starting with METEOSAT-8), provide improved
capabilities for measuring surface albedo; improved
sounder performance will yield more information on theinfrared surface emissivity spectrum; multi-spectral
imaging sensors such as AVHRR/3, VEGETATION, IVISSR
and AWIFS will provide global visible, near infrared andinfrared imagery of clouds, the ocean surface, land
surface, and vegetation.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4)(VEGETATION: 4,5)(HRG, HRS: 5)

IRS-P4 (WiFS)NOAA series (AVHRR/3: 15-N')

INSAT series (CCD: 2E,3A)

Landsat-7 (ETM+)

Terra (ASTER, MISR, MODIS)SAC-D (MOC)
SAC-C (HRTC, MMRS)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

BIRD (WAOSS-B)

METEOR-3M N1 (KGI-4C, MSU-E, MSU-SM, MSU-MR)

Envisat (ASAR [Image Mode], MERIS, ASAR, AATSR)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Albedo and reflectance2005

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, ATSR-2)

current/approved

Aqua (MODIS)UK-DMC (DMC Imager)

RESOURCESAT-1 (LISS-III,AWIFS, LISS-IV)

CBERS series (CCD, IR-MSS, WFI: 2,2B)(IRS, PAN, WFI-2: 3,4)

SICH-1M (MSU-M, MSU-EU)

PARASOL (POLDER-P)

KOMPSAT series (EOC: 1)(MSC: 2)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

FY-2C (IVISSR)CARTOSAT series (PAN: 1)(HR-PAN: 2)

TopSat (TOPSAT telescope)

TerraSAR-X (X-Band SAR)ALOS (AVNIR-2, PALSAR, PRISM)

METOP series (AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)

RapidEye (MSI)

SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera, SAR: A,B)

SSR-1 (OBA)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

NPOESS 1-6 (VIIRS)

Meteor-M series (IKOR-M, KMSS, MSU-MR: 1,2)
Monitor-E (PSA, RDSA)

SICH-2 (MBEI)

BelKA (MSS [Roskosmos])

BISSAT (BISSAT)
FY-3 series (MERSI, VIRR: A-G)

TerraSAR-L (L-band SAR)RESOURCESAT-2 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

planned/considered

HJ-1 series (CCD: A,B)(HSI: A)

COSMO-SkyMed (SAR 2000)

FY-2 (MERSI, VIRR)

SAC series (HRMS, HSS: F) (MOC: E)

ESA FUTURE MISSIONS (SPECTRA)
Hyperspectral Mission (CIA, HYC)

SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera, SAR: 1,2)

SSR-2 (OBA, L-band SAR)

103

Land
the production of stereo images from data gathered on
single (eg by ASTER) or multiple (eg by SPOT series)
orbits - which are then used to create digital elevation
maps which give a more accurate depiction of terrain.

Landscape topography
Many modelling activities in Earth and environmental
sciences, telecommunications and civil engineering
increasingly require accurate, high-resolution andcomprehensive topographical databases with, where
relevant, indication of changes over time. The
information is also used by, amongst others, land-use
planners for civil planning and development; byhydrologists to predict the drainage of water and where
floods are likely, especially in coastal areas. In their
Third Assessment Report, ‘Climate Change 2001’, the
IPCC predicts that global mean sea level may rise as
much as 88cm by the end of the 21st century, compared
to a rise of between 10 and 25cm, estimated during the20th century. Potentially, sea level rise will havedisastrous impacts on large, populous, low-lying coastal
cities and deltaic areas such as Bangladesh - which may
suffer severe flooding.

SARs can also be used in interferometric mode to detectvery small changes in topography and have important
applications in monitoring of volcanoes, landslides,
earthquake displacements, and urban subsidence.
Current missions include Envisat and RADARSAT-1.
JAXA's ALOS mission planned for 2005 is significant
since it carries both high precision optical and SAR
topographic mapping instruments.
Radar altimeters can also provide coarse topographic
mapping over land, and have been supplemented by a
new generation of laser altimeters - such as GLAS(ICESat) which can provide landscape topography
products with height accuracies of order 50-100cm,
depending on slope.

Satellite techniques offer a unique, cost-effective andcomprehensive source of landscape topography data. At
present, most information is obtained primarily frommulti-band optical imagers and synthetic aperture radar(SAR) instruments with stereo image capabilities. The
pointing capability of some optical instruments allows
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The role of these satellites, and their importance inmitigating geo-hazards such as earthquakes, landslides,
and volcanic eruptions, is the focus of the IGOS Geohazards Theme. The Geo-hazards Theme report isavailable from www.igospartners.org.

2015

SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4)(DORIS-NG, HRG, HRS: 5)

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, RA)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

INSAT-3A (CCD CAMERA)

IRS-P4 (WiFS)
Terra (ASTER)

KOMPSAT series (EOC: 1)(MSC: 2)

Jason (DORIS-NG, POSEIDON-2 (SSALT-2))

current/approved

Envisat (ASAR, ASAR (image mode), DORIS-NG, RA-2)

ICESat (GLAS)INSAT-2E (CCD Camera)

RESOURCESAT-1 (AWIFS, LISS III, LISS IV)

CARTOSAT series (PAN: 1)(HR-PAN: 2)

CRYOSAT (DORIS-NG, SIRAL)ALOS (AVNIR-2, PALSAR, PRISM)

TerraSAR-X (X-Band SAR)METEOR-3M series (KGI-4C, MSU-E, MSU-SM: N1)(MSU-MR: N2)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

BISSAT (BISSAT)RESOURCESAT-2 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

planned/considered

Jason-2 (DORIS-NG, POSEIDON-3)

COSMO - SkyMed (SAR 2000)

HJ-1C (S-band SAR)ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

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7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
An appropriate instrument for measurements of soil
moisture would appear to be the passive microwave
radiometer, although some success has been achievedby radar - despite the complications of analysing thesignals reflected from the ground. Microwave radiation
emitted at the ground can be monitored to infer
estimates of soil moisture. Passive microwave sensors
can be used to do this based on detection of surface
microwave emissions, although the signal is very small.
Reliable data (high signal to noise ratio) need to betaken over a large area - which introduces the problem
of understanding how to interpret the satellite signal
since it consists of reflected radiation from manydifferent soil types.

Soil Moisture
Soil moisture plays a key role in the hydrological cycle.
Evaporation rates, surface run-off, infiltration andpercolation are all affected by the level of moisture in
the soil. Soil moisture monitoring at scales from small
catchments to large river basins is important for drought
analysis, crop yield forecasting, irrigation planning,flood protection and forest fire protection. There is apressing need for measurements of soil moisture forapplications such as crop yield predictions, identificationof potential famine areas, irrigation management, andmonitoring of areas subject to erosion anddesertification, and for the initialisation of NWP models.
Direct measurement of soil moisture from space isdifficult. Most of the active and passive microwave
instruments will provide some soil moisture information
for regions of limited vegetation cover. However, undermany conditions remote sensing data are inadequate, andinformation regarding moisture depth remains elusive.
While recent studies have successfully demonstrated theuse of infrared, passive microwave, and non-SAR sensors
to obtain soil moisture information, the potential of active
microwave remote sensing based on SAR instruments
remains largely unrealised. The main advantage of radaris that it provides observations at a high spatial
resolution of tens of metres compared to tens ofkilometres for passive satellite instruments such asradiometers or non-SAR active instruments such as
scatterometers. The main difficulty with SAR imagery isthat soil moisture, surface roughness, and vegetation
cover all have an important and nearly equal effect onradar backscatter. These interactions make retrieval of soil
moisture possible only under particular conditions such asbare soil or surfaces with low vegetation or complex
modelling to 'subtract' contributions/effects of vegetation.

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SAR data currently provide the main source of
information on near-surface (10-15cm) soil moisture - forexample ASAR on ESA’s Envisat mission provides datafrom which soil moisture information can be inferred,
and a project using ASAR data is planned to produce
maps of seasonal soil moisture patterns at the regional
scale for two European river basins.
AMSR-E on Aqua provides a variety of information onwater content by measuring weak radiation from the
Earth’s surface. NOAA’s conical microwave
imager/sounder, CMIS, will provide environmental data
including indications of soil moisture.
The first mission likely to satisfy requirements forobserving soil moisture from space for the primary
applications of hydrologic and meteorological models will
be ESA’s SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
Mission), carrying the MIRAS (Microwave Imaging
Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis) passive L-band 2-D
interferometer (from 2007). The approval of the NASA
HYDROS mission for soil moisture measurement (launchdate around 2010) will allow cross-comparison of results.

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ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, AMI/scatterometer)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

DMSP series (SSM/I: 13,15,16)(SSMIS: 16-20)

NOAA series (AMSU-A: 15-N')

Envisat (ASAR, ASAR)

current/approved

Aqua (AMSR-E, AMSU-A)

ALOS (PALSAR)METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)SMOS (MIRAS)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

NPOESS series (CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

planned/considered

FY-3 series (MWRI: A-G)

HJ-1B (CCD [HJ, HY])HYDROS (HYDROS)

SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

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Vegetation
Changes in land cover are important sources of global
environmental change and have implications forecosystems, biogeochemical fluxes and the global climate.
Land cover change affects climate through a range offactors from albedo through to emissions of greenhousegases from the burning of biomass.
Deforestation inter alia increases the amount of carbon
dioxide (CO2) and other trace gases in the atmosphere.
When a forest is cut and burned to establish cropland andpastures, the stored carbon joins with oxygen and isreleased into the atmosphere as CO2. The IPCC notes thatabout three-quarters of the anthropogenic emissions of
CO2 to the atmosphere during the past 20 years was due
to fossil fuel burning. The rest was predominantly due toland use change, especially deforestation.
IGOS has set up an Integrated Global Carbon Observation(IGCO) Theme (report available fromwww.igospartners.org) to develop a flexible, robust
strategy for international global carbon observations overthe next decade. A key component of IGCO is terrestrial
carbon observations aimed at the determination ofterrestrial carbon sources and sinks with increasing
accuracy and spatial resolution. The IPCC has highlighted
an improved understanding of carbon dynamics as vital intackling one of the biggest environmental problems facing
humanity. The IGCO work will be an essential input to theimplementation of of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), particularly on
the role of natural sinks in meeting targets under the
UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol.
Satellite observations allow scientists to track two key
elements of Earth’s vegetation - the ‘Leaf Area Index’ (LAI)
and the ‘Fraction of absorbed Photosynthetically Active
Radiation’ (FPAR). LAI is defined as the one-sided green
leaf area per unit ground area in broadleaf canopies, oras the projected needleleaf area per ground unit in needle
canopies, and FPAR is the fraction of photosynthetically
active radiation absorbed by vegetation canopies. BothLAI and FPAR are data necessary for understanding how
sunlight interacts with the Earth’s vegetated surfaces.

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Multiple types of satellite observations are used inagricultural applications. Satellite imagery provides
information which can be used to monitor quotas and to
examine and assess crop characteristics and planting
practice - information on crop condition, for example,
may also be used for irrigation management. In addition,
data may be used to generate yield forecasts which inturn may be used to optimise the planning of storage,transport and processing facilities. Classification andseasonal monitoring of vegetation types on a global basis
allows the modelling of primary production - the growthof vegetation that is the base of the food chain - which isof great value in monitoring global food security.
A number of radiometers provide measurements ofvegetation cover, including AVHRR/3,MODIS, MERIS andthe purpose-designed VEGETATION instrument. These
instruments are helping production of global maps of
surface vegetation for modelling of the exchange oftrace gases, water and energy between vegetation andthe atmosphere. Multi-directional and polarimetric
instruments (such as MISR and POLDER) will provide
more insights into corrections of land-surface images foratmospheric scattering and absorption and sun-sensor
geometry, which will allow better calculation ofvegetation properties.
Synthetic aperture radars (SARs) are used extensively tomonitor deforestation and surface hydrological states andprocesses. The ability of SARs to penetrate cloud coverand dense plant canopies make them particularly valuable
in rainforest and high-latitude boreal forest studies.
Instruments such as ASAR, SAR (RADARSAT), and
PALSAR will provide data for applications in agriculture,
forestry, land cover classification, hydrology andcartography amongst others.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

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SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4) (VEGETATION: 4,5)(HRG, HRS: 5)

NOAA series (AVHRR/2: 12,14)(AVHRR/3: 15-N')
ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, AMI/scatterometer, ATSR-2)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

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Vegetation

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Landsat series (TM: 5)(ETM+: 7)

IRS-P4 (WiFS)
Terra (ASTER, MISR, MODIS)SAC-C (HRTC,MMRS)SAC-D (MOC)

NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

BIRD (WAOSS-B)

METEOR-3M N1 (MSU-SM )Envisat (AATSR, ASAR, ASAR [image mode], MERIS)

Aqua (MODIS)METEOSAT series (SEVIRI: 8-11)

current/approved

UK-DMC (DMC Imager)

RESOURCESAT-1 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

CBERS series (CCD, WFI: 2,2B)(MUX, PAN, WFI-2: 3,4)

PARASOL (POLDER-P)

SICH-1M (MSU-EU)

TopSat (TOPSAT telescope)

ALOS (AVNIR-2, PALSAR)
KOMPSAT-2 (MSC)

TerraSAR-X (X-Band SAR)METOP series (AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

RapidEye (MSI)

THEOS (MS [GISTDA])SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

SSR-1 (OBA)
Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)

Monitor-E (PSA, RDSA)

SICH-2 (MBEI)
TerraSAR-L (L-band SAR)BISSAT (BISSAT)

BelKA (MSS)RESOURCESAT-2 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

planned/considered

HJ-1 series (HSI: A)(CCD: A,B)

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)
COSMO-SkyMed (SAR 2000)
SAC series (HSS: F)(MOC: E)

ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)
Hyperspectral Mission (CIA, HYC)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

SSR-2 (OBA, L-band SAR)

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multi-spectral imagers in low Earth orbit. In addition,
visible/infra-red imagers on geostationary satellites also
provide useful information (with the advantage of very
high temporal resolution). However, difficulties remain
in converting the apparent temperatures as measured
by these instruments into actual surface temperatures variations due to atmospheric effects, and vegetation
cover, for example, require compensation using
additional imagery/information.

Surface temperature (land)
As one of the key parameters in the physics of land
surface dynamics, land surface temperature (LST) is agood indicator of the energy balance at the Earth’s
surface. On a global scale, data on LST are used inconjunction with measurements of albedo as an input toclimate change models, and to validate the surface
physics elements of NWP models. On a local scale,surface temperature imagery may be used to refine
techniques for predicting ground frost and to determine
the warming effect of urban areas (urban heat islands)
on night-time temperatures. In agriculture, temperature
information may be used, together with models, tooptimise planting times and to provide timely warnings
of frost.

A number of capable sensors are currently operating orplanned which will provide land surface temperature data
including advanced sounders (IASI, HIRS/4) on
operational meteorological platforms. On the NPOESS
missions, VIIRS will combine the radiometric accuracy of
AVHRR with the high spatial resolution of the DMSP’s OLS
instrument, and the CMIS imager/sounder will measurethermal microwave emissions from land surfaces.

Measurements of surface temperature patterns may also
be used in studies of volcanic and geothermal areas,
and for forest fire detection and resource exploration.

The Hot Spot Recognition Sensors (HSRS) on BIRD
(launched 2001) has already demonstrated its value as a
purpose-built fire detection instrument.

Land surface temperature measurements are made using
the thermal infra-red channel of medium/high resolution
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Landsat-5 (TM)

SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4)

NOAA series (HIRS/2: 12,14)(HIRS/3: 15-17)(AMSU-A, AVHRR/3: 15-N')(HIRS/4: N,N')

ERS-2 (ATSR-2)

GOES series (Imager, Sounder: 9-12, N-P)(ABI, HES: R)
INSAT-2E (VHRR)
Terra (ASTER, MODIS)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

BIRD (HSRS)METEOR-3M series (MTVZA: N1,2)(IKFS-2, MSU-MR: N2)

current/approved

Envisat (AATSR)
Aqua (AIRS, AMSU-A, MODIS)METEOSAT series (SEVIRI: 8-11)

KALAPANA (VHRR)
INSAT-3 series (VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

CBERS series (IR-MSS: 2,2B)(IRS: 3,4)
Aura (TES)FY-2C (IVISSR)MTSAT series (IMAGER: 1R,2)

METOP series (IASI, AVHRR/3: 1-3)(AMSU-A, HIRS/4: 1,2)

NPP (ATMS, VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera: A,B)

SAC-D/Aquarius (NIRST)

NPOESS series (ATMS: 2,5)(CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

Meteor-M series (IKFS-2, KMSS, MSU-MR: 1,2)

FY-3 series (MERSI, MWRI: A-G)

NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)

planned/considered

HJ-1B (IR)FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)

SAC-F (TIS (CONAE))

ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)
Hyperspectral Mission (CIA)SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera: 1,2)

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7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

Multi-purpose imagery (land)
The spatial information which can be derived fromsatellite imagery is of value in a wide range ofapplications - particularly when combined with spectral
information from multiple bands of a sensor. Satellite
Earth observation is of particular value whereconventional data collection techniques are difficult,such as in areas of inaccessible terrain, and can provide
cost and time savings in data acquisition - particularly
over large areas.
At regional and global scales, low resolution instrumentswith wide coverage capability and imaging sensors on
geostationary satellites are routinely exploited for theirability to provide global scale data on land cover andvegetation. Land cover change detection is an importantsource of global environmental change and has
profound implications for ecosystems, biochemical fluxes
and climate. Instruments on satellites with wide andfrequent coverage provide data useful for spin-off
applications. AVHRR on NOAA’s polar orbiting satellite
series was originally intended only as a meteorologicalsatellite system, but has subsequently been used in a
multitude of diverse applications.
On national and local scales, the higher spatial resolution
requirements for information mean that high resolution
imaging sensors, such as on SPOT, Landsat, and IRS
series, and imaging radars - such as on ERS, Envisat and
RADARSAT, are most useful. Such sensors are routinely
used as practical sources of information for:SAR data are particularly useful in monitoring andmapping floods because they are available even in thepresence of thick cloud cover. Instruments of RADARSAT,
Envisat and (from 2005) ALOS, continue to provide
improved capabilities in this field. Such multi-incidence,high resolution SAR systems will also be useful forlandslide inventory maps and earthquake mitigation.
Moreover InSAR techniques can be used to document
deformation and topographic changes preceding, andcaused by, volcanic eruptions. Volcanic features havedistinctive thermal characteristics which can be detectedby thermal imagery, such as that provided by the ASTER
radiometer flying on Terra. The IGOS Geo-hazards
Theme report is the definitive reference on the value ofsatellite Earth observation for such applications. Future
SAR instruments will continue to be important for land
imagery because of their all weather day and nightobserving capability and high spatial resolution (1-3
metres) such as will be provided by Radarsat-2,
COSMO-SKYMED and TerraSAR-X.
Higher performance radiometers such as AVNIR-2 andPRISM on ALOS will enhance land observing technology
and provide improved data products. In general, futuresensors will benefit from a greater number of sampling
channels. NOAA’s VIIRS instrument for instance will havemulti-channel imaging capabilities and will combine theradiometric accuracy of AVHRR with the high spatial
resolution of the OLS flown on DMSP missions.

- agriculture: monitoring, precision farming andproduction forecasting;- resource exploration and management eg forestry;- geological surveying: mineral explorationand identification;- hydrological applications: such as flood monitoring;- civil mapping and planning: cartography, infrastructure
and urban management;- coastal zone monitoring including oil spill detection
and monitoring;- topographic mapping, generation of DEMs.

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SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4) (VEGETATION: 4,5)(HRG, HRS: 5)

NOAA series (AVHRR/2: 12,14)(AVHRR/3: 15-N')

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, AMI/scatterometer, ATSR-2)

GOES series (Imager: 9-12, N-P)(ABI: R)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

INSAT-2E (CCD Camera)

IRS-P4 (WiFS)

Terra (ASTER, MODIS)KOMPSAT series (EOC: 1)(MSC: 2)
SAC-C (HRTC, HSTC, MMRS)SAC-D (MOC, NIRST)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

BIRD (WAOSS-B, HSRS)METEOR-3M series (MSU-E, MSU-SM: N1)(SAR, MSU-MR: N2)

Envisat (AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), MERIS)

Aqua (MODIS)

current/approved

INSAT-3A (CCD Camera)

UK-DMC (DMC Imager)

RESOURCESAT-1 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

PARASOL (POLDER-P)

FY-2C (IVISSR)

SICH-1M (MSU-EU, MSU-M)

CBERS series (CCD, IR-MSS, WFI: 2,2B)(IRS, PAN, WFI-2: 3,4)

CARTOSAT series (PAN: 1)(HR-PAN: 2)

TopSat (TOPSAT telescope)

ALOS (AVNIR-2, PALSAR, PRISM)

TerraSAR-X (X-band SAR)METOP series (AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)

RapidEye (MSI)

THEOS (MS [GISTDA], PAN [GISTDA])SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera, SAR: A,B)

SSR-1 (OBA)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)

Meteor-M series (KMSS, MSU-MR: 1,2)
Monitor-E (PSA, RDSA)

Resurs DK (Geoton-L 1)

Baumanets (OEA)
SICH-2 (MBEI, MIREI)
TerraSAR-L (L-SAR)

FY-3 series (MERSI, VIRR: A-G)

planned/considered

BISSAT (BISSAT)

BelKA (MSS, PSS)RESOURCESAT-2 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

HY-18 (CZI)

HJ-1 series (HIS: A)(CCD: A,B)(SAR: C)

IVISSR (FY-2)

COSMO-SkyMed (SAR)

SAC series (HRMS, HSS, TIS(CONAE): F) (MOC: E)
ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)

Hyperspectral Mission (CIA, HYC)

SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera, SAR: 1,2)

SSR-2 (OBA, L-band SAR)

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Multi-purpose imagery (land)

2005

Landsat series (MSS, TM: 5)(ETM+: 7)

OceanOcean colour/biology
Remote sensing measurements of ocean colour (ie thedetection of phytoplankton pigments) provide the only
global-scale focus on the biology and productivity ofthe ocean’s surface layer. Phytoplankton are microscopic
plants that live in the ocean, and like terrestrial plants,
they contain the pigment chlorophyll, which gives them
their greenish colour. Different shades of ocean colour
reveal the presence of differing concentrations of
sediments, organic materials and phytoplankton. The
ocean over regions with high concentrations ofphytoplankton will appear as certain shades, from bluegreen to green, depending on the type and density ofthe phytoplankton population there. From space,satellite sensors can distinguish even slight variations incolour, to which the human eye is not sensitive.
Ocean biology is important not only for understanding
ocean productivity and biogeochemical cycling, but also
because of its impact on oceanic CO2 and the flux ofcarbon from the surface to the deep ocean. Over time,organic carbon settles in the deep ocean - a process
referred to as the ‘biological pump’. CO2 systemmeasurements, integrated with routine ocean colour andecological/biogeochemical observations, are critical forunderstanding of the interactions between oceanic physics,
biology, chemistry and climate. CO2 measurements arealso important for making climate forecasts, and forsatisfying the needs of climate conventions.
At a local scale, satellite observations of ocean colour,
usually in conjunction with sea surface temperature
measurements, may be used as an indication of thepresence of fish stocks. Measurements may also be used
to monitor water quality and to give an indication of thepresence of pollution by identifying algal blooms.
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Measurements of ocean colour are particularly important incoastal regions where they can be used to identify featuresindicative of coastal erosion and sediment transfer.
IGOS set up an Ocean Theme in 1999 to develop a
strategy for an observing system serving research andoperational oceanographic communities and other users.
Building on the CEOS Ocean Biology and GODAE
Projects, the Ocean Theme Team published its final reportin January 2001 - available from www.igospartners.org.
This brought together information on:- the variety of needs for global ocean observations;- the existing and planned observing systems;- the planning commitments required to ensure longterm continuity of the observations.
Ocean colour measurements from space are the focus of
the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group(http://www.ioccg.org/).
In recent years there has been a steady flow of ocean
colour data from instruments such as OCTS, SeaWiFs,
OCM, MODIS, and MERIS. As the timeline shows, anumber of current missions will end in the near future.
Information available on agency plans indicate that
future continuity may be provided by Oceansat-2(India), HY-1C (China) and others.
Beyond these research missions, NOAA is developing
VIIRS for its NPOESS missions. A visible/infrared sensor,
VIIRS will have an operational capability for ocean colour
observations and a variety of derived ocean colour
products. The NPOESS preparatory programme will
deploy prototypes of VIIRS in the 2006-2007 time frame.

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2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

IRS-P4 (OCM)

Terra (MISR, MODIS)

current/approved

KOMPSAT-1 (OSMI)

Envisat (MERIS)

Aqua (MODIS)NPP (VIIRS)NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)

GOES-R (HES)

Meteor-M series (MSS-BIO: 1,2)

planned/considered

HY-1B (COCTS)
OCEANSAT-2 (OCM)

Hyperspectral Mission (HYC)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

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OceanThe TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS missions havedemonstrated that satellite altimetry may be utilised in awide range of ocean research such as planetary waves,tides, global sea level change, seasonal-to-interannual
climate prediction, defence, environmental prediction andcommercial applications. TOPEX/POSEIDON can measure
the height of ocean surface directly under the satellite withan accuracy of 4-5cms. The Jason-1 mission, launched inlate 2001, is a follow-on to TOPEX/POSEIDON and aims to:

Ocean topography/currents
Ocean surface topography data contains information thathas significant practical applications in such fields as thestudy of worldwide weather and climate patterns, themonitoring of shoreline evolution, and the protection ofocean fisheries. Ocean circulation is of criticalimportance to the Earth’s climate system. Ocean currents
transport a significant amount of energy from the tropics
towards the poles leading to a moderation of the climate
at high latitudes. Thus knowledge of ocean circulation iscentral to understanding the global climate. Circulation
can be deduced from ocean surface topography, which
may be readily measured using satellite altimetry.
However, altimeters will only provide the geostrophic
part of ocean currents unless the geoid is known moreaccurately, in which case it is then possible to measurelarge scale permanent ocean currents.

– provide a 5-year view of global ocean topography;– increase understanding of ocean circulation andseasonal changes;– improve forecasting of climate events like El Niño;– measure global sea-level change;– improve open ocean tide models;

Using satellite altimetry, large scale changes in ocean
topography, such as those in the tropical Pacific, may beobserved. During an El Niño event, the westward tradewinds weaken and warm, nutrient-poor water occupies
the entire tropical Pacific Ocean. During the following La
Niña the trade winds are stronger and cold, and nutrientrich water occupies much of the tropical Pacific Ocean.

– provide estimates of significant wave height and windspeeds over the ocean.

On a local scale, topographic information from satellites
may be used in support of off-shore exploration forresources, oil spill detection and for optimising pipeline
routing on the sea floor.

In their Final Report, in early 2001, the IGOS Ocean ThemeTeam identified a long-term need for continuity of a highprecision mission (eg the JASON series) and a polar-orbiting
altimeter (eg the ERS and Envisat series) to enhance
temporal/spatial coverage of the global ocean. Planning of
Jason-2 and of an altimeter on selected satellites of the
NPOESS series will contribute to this objective.

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Information on ocean circulation may also be obtained
indirectly from features such as current and frontal
boundaries in SAR imagery, and by using differences inocean temperature or ocean colour as observed by visible
and infrared imagers.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

ICESAT (GLAS)

Topex-Poseidon (DORIS, GPSDR, LRA, POSEIDON-1 [SSALT-1], TMR, TOPEX)

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, RA)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

IRS-P4 (MSMR)
Jason (DORIS-NG, JMR, LRA, POSEIDON-2 [SSALT-2], TRSR)

Envisat (ASAR, ASAR [image mode], ASAR [wave mode], DORIS-NG, RA-2)

current/approved

GRACE (GPS)SICH-1M (RLSBO)

CRYOSAT (DORIS-NG)

TerraSAR-X (TerraSAR-X)
RISAT-1 (SAR)

SMOS (MIRAS)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)
SAC-D/Aquarius (Aquarius)

NPOESS-3 (ALT)

planned/considered

112

Jason-2 (DORIS-NG, JMR, LRA, POSEIDON-3, TRSR)SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

NPOESS-6 (ALT)7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
The single swath scatterometer on ERS-2 and the broad
swath scatterometer on QuickSCAT currently provide
adequate coverage. QuickSCAT, launched in 1999, carries
the SeaWinds scatterometer that measures near surface
wind speed and direction in all weather and cloud
conditions. Global coverage by a broad swath
scatterometer will be provided by ASCAT on the METOP
missions. Developed by ESA as a follow-on from the‘wind mode’ of the AMI on the ERS series, ASCAT will be
used primarily for global measurement of sea surface
wind vectors and will be able to provide quasi-global
coverage within 24 hours. AMSR-E on Aqua also
provides data on sea surface wind speed.

Ocean surface winds
High resolution vector wind measurements at the sea
surface are required in models of the atmosphere, ocean
surface waves, and ocean circulation. They are proving
useful in enhancing marine weather forecasting throughassimilation into NWP models and in improving
understanding of the large-scale air-sea fluxes which arevital for climate prediction purposes. Accurate windvector data affect a broad range of marine operations,
including offshore oil operations, ship movement androuting. Such data also aid short-term weather
forecasting and the issue of timely weather warnings.
Polar orbiting satellites provide information on surface
wind with global coverage, good horizontal resolution
and acceptable accuracy, though temporal frequency ismarginal for regional mesoscale forecasts. They provide
useful information in two ways:

The operational NPOESS missions, will use the CMIS
instrument, which employs a passive microwave
approach for collecting data on sea surface winds.
In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe
storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent ofweather satellites. Data from SeaWinds is augmenting
traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct
measurements of surface winds enabling better
determination of a storm’s location, direction, structureand strength.

– scatterometers provide dense observations of winddirection and speed along a narrow swath, although
the most recent and planned scatterometers provide
better coverage via broader swaths (90% global
coverage daily); scatterometers have made a positive
impact in predicting marine forecasting, operational
global NWP and climate forecasting;– passive microwave imagers provide information onwind speed only.
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Topex-Poseidon (POSEIDON-1 [SSALT-1])

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/wave, AMI/scatterometer, RA)

DMSP series (SSM/I: 13,15,16)

NOAA series (AMSU-A: 15-N')

IRS-P4 (MSMR)
QuikSCAT (SeaWinds)

Jason (POSEIDON-2 [SSALT-2])

Envisat (ASAR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR (wave mode), RA-2)

current/approved

Aqua (AMSR-E, AMSU-A)

SICH-1M (RLSBO, RM-08)

ALOS (PALSAR)METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)(ASCAT: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (ATMS)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

SAC-D/Aquarius (MWR [CONAE])
MEGHA-TROPIQUES (MADRAS)

NPOESS series (CMIS: 1-6)(ATMS: 2,5)(ALT: 3,6)

FY-3 series (MWRI: A-G)

planned/considered

Jason-2 (POSEIDON-3)

OCEANSAT-2 (Scatterometer [ISRO])

GCOM-W (AMSR follow-on, Scatterometer [JAXA])
SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

113

OceanSurface temperature (ocean)
Ocean surface temperature (often known as ‘sea surface
temperature’, SST) is one of the most important boundary
conditions for the general circulation of the atmosphere.
The ocean exchanges vast amounts of heat and energy
with the atmosphere and these air/sea interactions have a
profound influence on the Earth’s weather and climate
patterns. SST is also very sensitive to changes in ocean
circulation, as demonstrated time and again by the El
Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. A major researchgoal is the development of an increased understanding of
the links between SST and all the above processes. This
will only be achieved through a more precise andcomprehensive set of SST measurements.
Satellite remote sensing provides the only practicalmeans of developing such a dataset. In-situ data,
predominantly from ships of opportunity and fromnetworks of moored and drifting buoys are limited incoverage whereas satellites offer the potential forsurveying the complete ocean surface in just a few
days. The in-situ data have a key role to play incalibrating the satellite data and in providing
information needed for deriving bulk temperatures.
Instruments on polar satellites provide information with
global coverage, good horizontal and temporal
resolution and accuracy for short to medium-range
NWP, except in areas that are persistently cloudcovered. Accurate SST determinations, especially in thetropics, are important for seasonal to inter-annual
forecasts. The advent of high spectral resolution infraredsounders will enable separation of surface emissivity
and temperature, and the accuracy of the SST productis expected to improve into the acceptable range.

114

Geostationary imagers with split window measurements
are also helping to expand the temporal coverage bymaking measurements hourly and thus creating more
opportunities for finding cloud-free areas andcharacterising any diurnal variations (known to be up to
4K in cloud-free regions with relatively calm seas). For
regional NWP, skin sea-surface temperature is inferredwith acceptable horizontal resolution from polarsatellites, while geostationary satellites complement
information with better temporal resolution.
A range of instruments with thermal bands are being used
for SST measurements. Visible/infrared imagers such as
AVHRR, AATSR, and MODIS currently provide the main
source of SST data, with AATSR and MODIS providing better
accuracy (0.25–0.3K) – but AVHRR giving greater coverage,
enabling it to track ocean currents, and to monitor ENSO
phenomena through its larger swath width. The Aqua
mission, which includes MODIS along with AIRS+ and AMSR
provides oceanographers with further precise informationand the ability to remove atmospheric effects. NOAA’s VIIRS
and CMIS instruments on the planned NPOESS missions will
provide capabilities to produce higher resolution and moreaccurate measurements of SST than currently available from
AVHRR. Future sources of SST data include: AMSR-E on
Aqua; the SEVIRI and IASI instruments on the
METEOSAT-8/MSG and METOP missions respectively.
Reviewing supply of SST observations, the IGOS Ocean
Theme Team was reassured about continuity of SST datafrom operational meteorological satellites, but notedthat continuity beyond the Envisat mission for the
AATSR class of instrument was not assured and urged
consideration of how AATSR-class instruments could be
introduced into operational systems.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

NOAA series (AVHRR/2: 12,14)(HIRS/3: 15-17)(AVHRR/3: 15-N')(HIRS/4: N,N')

GMS-5 (VISSR)

ERS-2 (ATSR-2)

GOES series (Imager, Sounder: 9-12, N-P)(ABI, HES: R)

current/approved

INSAT-2E (VHRR)
IRS-P4 (MSMR)

Terra (MODIS)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)
METEOR-3M series (MIVZA, Klimat: N1)(IKFS-2, MSU-MR: N2)

Envisat (AATSR)
Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, MODIS)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Surface temperature (ocean)2005

METEOSAT series (MVIRI: 5-7)(SEVIRI: 8-11)

KALAPANA (VHRR)

INSAT-3 series (VHRR: A)(Imager: D)

FY-2C (IVISSR)MTSAT series (IMAGER: 1R,2)

METOP series (IASI, AVHRR/3: 1-3)(HIRS/4: 1,2)

NPP (VIIRS)Elektro-L (MSU-GS)

SAOCOM 1 series (IR Camera: A,B)

SAC-D/Aquarius (NIRST)

NPOESS series (CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

Meteor-M series (IKFS-2: 1,2)(MSU-MR: 2)

FY-3 series (IRAS, MERSI, MWRI: A-G)

planned/considered

NMP EO-GIFTS (GIFTS)

HY-1B (COCTS)
FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)

ESA Future Missions (SPECTRA)
Hyperspectral Mission (CIA)GCOM series (AMSR: W)(GLI: C)

SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera: 1,2)

115

OceanWave height and spectrum
The state of the sea and surface pressure are two
features of the weather that are important tocommercial use of the sea (eg ship routing, warnings ofhazards to shipping, marine construction, off-shore
drilling installations and fisheries). Information on surgeheight at the coast is key to the protection of life andproperty in coastal habitats.
Measurements of wave height and spectrum are also
used by oceanographers to investigate large-scale ocean
features such as fronts and eddies and to construct andverify models of these phenomena. The processes
behind these phenomena are complex and detailed
measurements are vital to improving understanding.
These data are also important for climate purposes as
they are needed for the correct representation of
turbulent air-sea fluxes.
Wave height is influenced by wind speed and direction
over water. In the nowcasting context, ocean wave
models are driven by NWP predictions of surface wind.
However, errors in waves generated at large distances
can accumulate. Improvements in forecasts, especially of
long wavelength swell, can be achieved by assimilating
observations from different sources. These are currently
available from isolated buoys and from satellite
altimeter and scatterometer data. In the absence of
direct observations, initial wave state is deduced fromthe wind history. This is currently available over the sea
from isolated buoys and from low-Earth-orbiting
satellite scatterometer and microwave instruments.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

For global NWP, ships and buoys provide observationsof acceptable frequency and acceptable to marginalaccuracy, but coverage is marginal or absent over large
areas of the ocean. Altimeters on polar satellites
provide information on significant wave height with
global coverage and good accuracy, buthorizontal/temporal coverage is marginal. Informationon the 2D wave spectrum is provided by SAR
instruments with good accuracy, but marginal
horizontal/temporal resolution.
SAR instruments can accurately measure changes inocean waves and winds, including wavelength and the
direction of wave fronts, regardless of cloud, fog or
darkness. The AMI SAR on ERS-2 has been operating inboth wave and image mode, and the ASAR on Envisat
continues to provide the ERS wave mode products, butwith improved quality. PALSAR on JAXA’s ALOS mission
will provide data on sea surface wind and wave
spectrum required for oil spill analysis and for studies
of coastal topography-air-sea interaction. The ScanSAR
wave data supplied by RADARSAT will continue to beprovided by RADARSAT 2.
Information from radar altimeters is limited to data on
significant wave height. The altimeter on the Jason 1
mission, for example, provides such information.
In their January 2001 Report, the IGOS Ocean ThemeTeam recognised that SAR instruments currently provide
information about the properties of the sea surface andthe wave spectrum. Nevertheless the Team noted
limitations to its use operationally and called for further
development of these capabilities.

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Topex-Poseidon (POSEIDON-1 [SSALT-1])

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/image, AMI/SAR/wave, RA)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

current/approved

Jason (POSEIDON-2 [SSALT-2])

Envisat (ASAR, ASAR [image mode], ASAR [wave mode], RA-2)

SICH-1M (RLSBO)RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPOESS-3 (ALT)

planned/considered

116

Jason-2 (POSEIDON-3)

NPOESS-6 (ALT)7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
High to medium resolution imaging sensors such as
MERIS are better suited to observations of coastal zone
areas and can provide information on sedimentation,bathymetry, erosion phenomena and aquaculture activity.

Multi-purpose imagery (ocean)
In addition to the specific ocean measurement observations
discussed in previous sections, a number of sensors arecapable of providing a range of ocean imagery from whichuseful secondary applications can be derived.

In addition, SAR instruments such as RADARSAT, ASAR
and (from 2005) PALSAR provide a valuable all-weather,day and night source of information on oceanographic
features including fronts, eddies and internal waves. SAR
imagery is also useful for:High resolution radiometers such as AVHRR, AATSR, and
VIIRS have multi-channel imaging capabilities to support
the acquisition and generation of a variety of applied
products including visible and infrared imaging of
hurricanes. They provide observations of large scale ocean
features, using variations in water colour and temperature
to derive information about large scale circulation,
currents, river outflow and water quality. Suchobservations are relevant to activities such as ship routing,coastal zone monitoring, toxic algal bloom detection,
management of fishing fleets and sea pollution monitoring.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

– pollution monitoring - notably oil spill detection;– ship detection - useful to rescue services, port
authorities, custom and immigration services;– coastal change detection - topography mapping;– bottom topography mapping, valuable for resource
exploration and pipeline routing.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, ATSR-2)

GOES series (Imager: 9-12, N-P)(ABI: R)
RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

SPOT series (HRVIR: 4)(VEGETATION: 4,5)(HRG, HRS: 5)

NOAA series (AVHRR/3: 15-N')
Landsat-7 (ETM+)

IRS-P4 (MSMR)

Terra (MODIS)

current/approved

KOMPSAT-1 (OSMI)

SAC-C (HRTC, HSTC, MMRS)SAC-D (MOC)

METEOR-3M series (MSU-SM: N1)(SAR, MSU-MR: N2)
Envisat (AATSR, ASAR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR (wave mode), MERIS)

Aqua (MODIS)FY-2C (IVISSR)

SICH-1M (MSU-M, RLSBO)

MTSAT series (IMAGER: 1R,2)

ALOS (PALSAR)
TerraSAR-X (X-band SAR)METOP series (AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

NPOESS series (VIIRS: 1-6)

TerraSAR-L (L-band SAR)NMP EO-3 GIFTS (GIFTS)
HJ-1A (HSI)

planned/considered

FY-2 series (IVISSR: D,E)

Hyperspectral Mission (CIA, HYC)
SAC-E/SABIA (MOC)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

SAOCOM-2B series (IR Camera, SAR: 1,2)

SSR-2 (L-band SAR)

117

Snow and ice
Analysis of interferometric measurements by PALSAR,
together with observations by the AVNIR-2 instrument
on JAXA's ALOS mission, will contribute tounderstanding the ice sheet mass balance and glaciervariation in the South Pole and in Greenland.

Ice sheet topography
The state of the polar ice sheets and their volumes areboth indicators and causes of climate change.
Consequently it is important to monitor and study themin order to investigate the impact of global warming
and to forecast future trends. The IPCC expects that ice
sheets will continue to react to climate warming andcontribute to sea level rise for thousands of years after
climate has been stabilised. They note that:

Altimeters provide useful data on ice sheet topography.
While many have high vertical resolution, their limited
horizontal resolution means that their observations oversmoother, near-horizontal portions of ice sheets are ofgreatest value. The RA-2 instrument on Envisat isproviding improved mapping of icecaps.

– climate models indicate that the local warming overGreenland is likely to be one to three times theglobal average;

Given the significance of information on changes in thecontinental ice sheets, two missions dedicated to theirstudy have been developed: NASA’s ICESat (launched
Jan 2003) and ESA’s Cryosat (from Mar 2005). ICESat isalready providing measurements of revolutionary
accuracy and detail about the elevation of ice sheets
and the elevation structure of land surfaces. CryoSat
will provide an instrument for the ice sheet interiors,
the ice sheet margins, for sea ice and other topography,
with three-mode operation:– ice dynamic models suggest that melting of the West
Antarctic ice sheet could contribute up to 3 metres ofsea level rise over the next 1000 years, but such
results are strongly dependent on model assumptions
regarding climate change scenarios, ice dynamics andother factors.
Satellite remote sensing allows observations of thechanges in the shape of ice sheets, and identification of
the shape and size of large icebergs that have detachedfrom the ice sheet.

– conventional pulse-limited operation for the ice sheet
interiors (and oceans if desired);

SAR instruments are one source of data on the polar ice
sheets. RADARSAT provides routine surveillance of polar
regions, and has created the first high resolution radar
images of Antarctica - enabling detection of changes in
the polar ice sheet and improved understanding of the
behaviour of the Antarctic glacier. The AMI instrument
on ESA’s ERS 2 mission has been collecting data on thepolar ice to assist derivation of indicators of climatechange, and ASAR on the Envisat mission will continue
to provide data on polar ice topography.
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

– synthetic aperture operation for sea ice;
– dual-channel synthetic aperture/interferometric
operation for ice sheet margins.

2014

2015

ERS-2 (RA, AMI/SAR/Image, RA)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

Terra (ASTER)

Envisat (ASAR, RA-2)

SPOT-5 (HRG, HRS)
ICESat (GLAS)
SICH-1M (RLSBO)

CARTOSAT-1 (PAN: 1)(HR-PAN: 2)

current/approved

CRYOSAT (SIRAL)ALOS (PALSAR)RISAT-1 (SAR)
Pleiades series (HR: 1,2)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

planned/considered118

HJ-1C (S-band SAR)

SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement
for enabling warnings of when melting is about to occur- which is crucial for hydrological research and forforecasting the risk of flooding.

Snow cover, edge and depth
Regular measurements of terrestrial snow are importantbecause snow dramatically influences surface albedo,
thereby making a significant impact on the global
climate; as well as influencing hydrological properties
and the regulation of ecosystem biological activity. In its
Third Assessment Report, ‘Climate Change 2001’, the
IPCC found that - on the evidence of satellite data there was likely to have been a decrease of about 10%
in the extent of snow cover since the late 1960’s.

A range of different instrument types can contribute tomeasurements of snow. Visible/near-infrared satellite
imagery provides information of good horizontal andtemporal resolution and accuracy on snow cover in the
day-time in cloud-free areas. AVHRR provides snow
cover information and this will be continued in the future
by VIIRS. MODIS data are being used to monitor the
dynamics of large area (greater than 10km2) snow and ice
cover and, on a weekly basis, to report the maximum
area covered by both. The resulting snow maps should
be available within 48 hours of MODIS data collection.

Snow forms a vital component of the water cycle. In
order to make efficient use of meltwater run-off,resource agencies must be able to make early
predictions of the amount of water stored in the form ofsnow. Coverage area, snow water equivalent, andsnowpack wetness are the key parameters to be
determined in this process.

Passive microwave instruments such as SSM/I, AMSR,
and CMIS will have all-weather and day/night monitoring
capability and will be able to estimate the thickness ofdry snow up to about 80cm deep.

Snow cover information has a range of additional
applications such as in agriculture for detecting areas of
winterkill, resulting from lack of snow cover to insulate
plants from freezing temperatures. Locally, monitoringof snow parameters is important for meteorology, and

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Data from RADARSAT and ERS-2 have shown theusefulness of SAR remote sensing techniques todetermine snow area extent and to monitor the physicalconditions of snow. RADARSAT 2, Envisat, and ALOS will
provide continuity of such snow information.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

NOAA series (AVHRR/2: 12,14)(AMSU-A, AVHRR/3: 15-N')

ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image)

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

DMSP series (OLS, SSM/T-1: 13,15-20)(SSMIS: 16-20)

Landsat-7 (ETM+)

IRS-P4 (WiFS)

Terra (MODIS)SAC-C (HRTC, HSTC)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)

current/approved

METEOR-3M series (MR-2000M1, MIVZA, Klimat: N1)(MSU-MR: N2)
Envisat (AATSR, ASAR (image mode), ASAR, MERIS, RA-2)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, AMSU-A, MODIS)RESOURCESAT-1 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

SICH-1M (RM-08)
ALOS (AVNIR-2, PALSAR)

TerraSAR-X (TerraSAR-X)

METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)(AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (VIIRS)
RapidEye (MSI)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

NPOESS series (CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

FY-3 series (MWRI: A-G)

planned/considered

RESOURCESAT-2 (AWiFS, LISS-III, LISS-IV)

GCOM-C (GLI follow-on)

SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

119Snow and ice
Sea ice cover, edge and thickness
Sea ice modulates planetary heat transport by insulating
the ocean from the cold polar atmosphere and bymodulating the thermohaline circulation of the world
ocean through processes in deep-water. Moreover, thehigh albedo of ice insulates the polar oceans from solar
radiation. Time series of sea-ice concentration data arealso critical for identifying inter-annual and decadal
fluctuations that could point to the existence ofsignificant changes in oceanic and atmosphericcirculation at high latitudes. The motion of sea ice
creates patterns of ice convergence and divergence thatplay a critical role in determining energy andmomentum fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere athigh latitudes.

High resolution synthetic aperture radars such as on
Envisat and RADARSAT offer the best source of data,
and again have the important advantage of all-weather
day/night operation. Data from these instruments
provides information on the nature, extent and drift ofice cover and is used not only for status reports, butalso for ice forecasting and as an input for
meteorological and ice drift models. JAXA’s PALSAR
radar will contribute to methodological development ofextensive sea ice monitoring and, using polarimetricdata, will improve the accuracy of sea ice classification.
Low resolution scatterometer observations are also used toretrieve information on sea ice extent and concentration in
all weather conditions, during day or night.

Near real-time delivery of data tracking the continuallychanging nature of ice field conditions provides
operational sea ice charts for use by:Current radar altimeters provide some information on
ice thickness, but more accurate measurements havebeen provided since the launch of ICESat in 2003 (andare expected from Cryosat from March 2005).

– shipping to avoid damage, delay and to reduce fuel costs;

In its January 2001 Report, the IGOS Ocean Team stated that:– offshore drilling companies;– ERS/Envisat offer an Arctic coverage service
since 1991;– maritime insurance companies;– government environmental regulatory bodies.
Ice cover and type may be determined using visible/infrared sensors which are currently available (AVHRR, AATSRetc). Observations provided by microwave instruments onpolar satellites also offer good horizontal and temporal
resolution and acceptable accuracy. The data now
produced are being used to generate wide-area sea ice
motion and deformation products for the north polar
region and similar products are being planned for thesouth polar region. Systematic global observation ofsea-ice extent and concentration, inferred from passive
imaging microwave radiometry, has already produced a20-year record of global sea ice concentration.
Improved microwave imagery from multi-spectral
radiometers such as AMSR (on Terra) provide all weather
operation coupled with good coverage.

120– RADARSAT has provided SAR coverage of the
majority of the Arctic every few days since 1996;– JAXA’s AMSR-E radiometer on Aqua and operational
sensors such as the DMSP SSM/I and NOAA CMIS on
NPOESS missions will ensure continuity of the global
sea ice concentration in the near term;– continuation of RADARSAT/Envisat classradar-equipped missions is important in providing
complementary high resolution data to further
elucidate sea ice processes.

7 Earth observation plans: by measurement

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Landsat series (MSS, TM: 5)(ETM+: 7)

SPOT series (HRV: 2)(HRVIR: 4)(HRG, HRS: 5)
ERS-2 (AMI/SAR/Image, AMI/Scatterometer, RA)

current/approved

RADARSAT series (SAR: 1,2)

NOAA series (AMSU-A: 15-N')(AMSU-B: 15-17)(AVHRR/3: 15-N')
IRS-P4 (MSMR)

Terra (ASTER, MODIS)NMP EO-1 (ALI, Hyperion)
METEOR-3M series (MR-2000M1, MIVZA, Klimat: N1)(MTVZA: N1,2)(MSU-MR: N2)

Envisat (AATSR, ASAR, ASAR, MERIS, RA-2)

Aqua (AIRS, AMSR-E, AMSU-A, MODIS)ICESat (GLAS)

SICH-1M (MSU-M, RLSBO, RM-08)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Sea ice cover, edge and thickness

2005

CRYOSAT (SIRAL)ALOS (AVNIR-2,PALSAR)

TerraSAR-X (TerraSAR-X)
METOP series (AMSU-A: 1,2)(ASCAT, AVHRR/3: 1-3)

RISAT-1 (SAR)

NPP (ATMS, VIIRS)

RapidEye (MSI)

SAOCOM 1 series (SAR: A,B)

Pleiades series (Pleiades HR: 1,2)

NPOESS series (ATMS: 2,5)(CMIS, VIIRS: 1-6)

planned/considered

FY-3 series (MWRI: A-G)

GCOM series (AMSR: W)(GLI: C)

SAOCOM-2B series (SAR: 1,2)

121

Gravity and magnetic fields
DLR’s CHAMP gravity package has been providing new
information on the Earth’s gravity field since 2000. Two new
missions, one launched by NASA in 2002 (the twin satellite
GRACE) and one planned by ESA (GOCE, in 2006), will
provide new and unique models of the Earth’s gravity field
and its variability over time, allowing determination of thegeoid to 1cm accuracy.

Gravity, magnetic, andgeodynamic measurements
Not all near-Earth measurements undertaken by satellite
observations are discussed in this document, since the focus
here is on land, sea, and air parameters; but many more areobserved on a routine basis, including measurements of thespace environment and solar activity, amongst others. Of
particular note are measurements of the Earth’s gravity field,
magnetic field, and geodynamic activity.
Gravity field measurements from space provide the mostpromising advances for improved measurement of the ‘geoid’ andits time variations. The geoid is the surface of equal gravitational
potential at mean sea level, and reflects the irregularities in the
Earth's gravity field at the Earth's surface due to theinhomogeneous mass and density distribution in the Earth's
interior. Such measurements are vital for quantitative
determination, in combination with satellite altimetry, of absolute
ocean currents, improving global height references, estimates of
the thickness of the polar ice sheets and its variations andestimates of the mass/volume redistribution of freshwater inorder to further understand the hydrological cycle.
Gravity field measurement packages on satellites often utilise
combinations of different instrument types in order to derive
the necessary information: single or multiple accelerometers;
precise satellite orbit determination systems; and satellite tosatellite tracking systems.
2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Diademe 1&2 (RRA)

STARLETTE (Laser reflectors)

LAGEOS series (LRA: 1,2)

STELLA (Laser reflectors)

CHAMP (CHAMP gravity, magnetometry packages)

current/approved

Topex-Poseidon (DORIS, GPSDR, LRA)ERS-2 (RA)SAC-C (GOLPE, MMP)

FedSat (Fluxgate magnetometer)

DEMETER (IMSC)

Envisat (DORIS-NG, RA-2)

GRACE (GPSDR, HAIRS)SPOT series (DORIS: 2,4)(DORIS-NG: 5)

Jason (DORIS-NG, LRA, POSEIDON-2 [SSALT-2], TRSR)SICH-1M (Variant)

DMSP series (SSJ/4, SSM: 13,15-20)(SSJ/5: 16)

CRYOSAT (DORIS-NG, Laser reflectors [ESA])GOCE (EGG, Laser reflectors [ESA])

Elektro-L (GGAK-E)
DSCOVR (Plasma-Mag)

Swarm (ACC, ASM, EFI, STR, VFM)

NPOESS series (SESS: 2,3,5,6)

GOES-R (EHIS, GLM, MPS)

Vulkan-Kompas-2 (GID-12T, NVK, RBE, RCHA)

planned/considered

Meteor-M series (GGAK-M, MSGI-MKA: 1,2)

LAGEOS-3 (LRA [LAGEOS])

Kanopus-Vulkan (ECH0-V, GID-1 2T, NVK, RBE, RCHA)

Jason-2 (DORIS-NG, LRA, POSEIDON-3, TRSR)

122

2016

A number of Earth missions, including Australia's Fedsat
launched in 2002, have carried sensors to study theelectromagnetic environment of spacecraft. Satellite-borne
magnetometers provide information on strength and directionof the internal and external Earth’s magnetic field and its time
variations The CHAMP mission makes such measurements which are of value in a range of applications, including
navigation systems, resource exploration drilling, spacecraft
attitude control systems, and assessments of the impact of‘space weather’.
Further missions are underway or planned for more in-depth,
dedicated studies of magnetic field - including: DEMETER(launched June 2004) which is investigating links between
earthquakes and magnetic field variations; and SWARM (from2009) which aims to provide the best ever survey of thegeomagnetic field and its temporal evolution, and gain new
insights into improving our knowledge of the Earth’s interiorand climate.

2017

2018

2019

2020

8 Catalogue of satellite missions
8.1 Introduction

8.2 Recent events

This section gives details of the satellite missions of
CEOS members and of the CEOS/WMO database fromwhich much of the data in this handbook is derived.

Five missions were launched by CEOS agencies during 2004:

Nearly all information contained in this catalogue has
been gathered from and verified by CEOS agencies but
it should be noted that the launch date and duration ofsome planned missions is uncertain (eg due to changes
in funding or policy, changes in requirements, etc)
hence, the accuracy of timelines relating to thesemissions cannot be guaranteed. If the month of thelaunch of a planned mission has not been specified thetimeline is shown to commence at the beginning of theplanned year of launch. It should also be noted thatmissions currently operating beyond their planned life
are shown as operational until the end of 2005 unless analternative date has been proposed.
The catalogue of CEOS agency EO satellite missions isarranged both chronologically by launch date andalphabetically by mission name. For each of themissions, the following information is supplied:
Mission nameand agency

Mission acronym
Full mission name
Agency acronym

StatusCurrent: at least the prototype has beenlaunched, and financing is approved for thewhole series
Approved: financing is available for the whole
series, the prototype is fully defined, thedevelopment is in phase C/D

MissionAgencyLaunch date

DEMETER(Detection of ElectroMagnetic Emissions
Transmitted from
Earthquake Regions)

CNES

29 June 2004

Aura
(formerly EOS Chemistry)NASA

15 July 2004

FY-2C
Geostationary
Meteorological Satellite

NRSCC

19 October 2004

PARASOL(Polarization andAnisotropy of Reflectances
for Atmospheric Science
coupled with Observations
from a LIDAR)

CNES

18 December 2004

SICH-1M

NSAU/
24 December 2004
ROSKOSMOS

STOP PRESS: The NASA/JAXA Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission (TRMM) was removed from the
Handbook tables due to plans for its completion in late
2004. It has just been announced that the mission willcontinue until May 2005.

Planned: financing is available up to the end ofphase B, financing of the full series is being
considered
Considered: conceptual studies and phase A
have been completed, financing of phase B isin preparation
Key dates

Launch date
Estimated end of life datePrimary
applications

Of those measurements discussed in
section 7

Instructions

A list of instruments on board the mission
from the catalogue in section 9

Orbit details

Type of orbit
Altitude
PeriodInclination
Repeat cycle
LST: Local Solar Time – the time of satellite
equator overpass
Longitude (for geostationary orbits)
Ascending/descending: whether the satellite
crosses the equator in a northbound(ascending) or southbound (descending)
direction

URL

For further information via internet1238 Catalogue of satellite missions
No fewer than 23 missions are planned for launch before
the end of 2005:
MissionAgencyLaunchMeteor-M No1

ROSHYDROMET/ROSKOSMOS

Jan 2005

Vulkan-Kompas-2

ROSKOSMOS

Jan 2005

MTSAT-1R (Multi-functional
Transport Satellite)

JMA

Feb 2005

CARTOSAT-1 (Indian Remote
Sensing Satellite – P5)

ISROMar 2005

CRYOSAT (CryoSat (Earth
Explorer Opportunity Mission))

ESA

Mar 2005

NOAA-N (National Oceanicand Atmospheric
Administration – N)

NOAA

Mar 2005

GOES-N (Geostationary
Operational Environmental
Satellite – N)

NOAA

Apr 2005

Monitor-E

ROSKOSMOS

Apr 2005

CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol
Lidar and Infrared
Pathfinder Satellite
Observations)NASA / CNES

Apr 2005

CloudSatNASA

Apr 2005

DMSP F-17 (Defense
Meteorological Satellite
Program F-17)

NASA

Apr 2005

TopSat (Optical Imaging
Satellite)

BNSC

May 2005

METEOSAT-9 (Meteosat
Second Generation-2)

EUMETSAT

Jun 2005

Resurs DKROSKOSMOS

Jun 2005

ALOS (Advanced Land
Observing Satellite)

JAXA

Sep 2005

KOMPSAT-2 (Korea
Multi-Purpose Satellite 2)

KARI

Oct 2005

TerraSAR-X

DLR

Oct 2005

METEOR-3M N2ROSHYDROMET/ROSKOSMOS

Dec 2005

METOP-1 (Meteorological
Operational Polar Satellite – 1)

EUMETSAT

Dec 2005

Baumanets

ROSKOSMOS

Dec 2005

CARTOSAT-2

ISRO

Dec 2005

RADARSAT-2 (Radar satellite-2) CSA

Dec 2005

NSAU

Dec 2005

SICH-2

8.3 Current missions
68 different Earth observation satellite missions are
estimated to be currently operating (January 2005).
Many of these comprise series of missions planned toprovide the continuity which is essential for manyobservations and applications. The principal satellite
series are highlighted below:
Geostationary meteorological satellites:
There is a world-wide network of operational
geostationary meteorological satellites which provide
visible and infra-red images of the Earth's surface andatmosphere. Countries/regions with current
geostationary operational meteorological satellites are
the USA (GOES series), Europe (METEOSAT series),
Japan (GMS series), India (INSAT and Kalapana series),and China (FY series). Russia will follow-on from theprevious GOMS series by launching the first satellite in
the Elektro-L series in 2006.
Crustal motion and gravitational field series:
A number of small satellite missions designed tomeasure the Earth’s crustal motion and the Earth’s
gravitational field have been launched – since as long
ago as 1967. The space segment typically comprises
corner cube laser retroreflectors and the groundsegment is a global network of transportable laser sites.
The design life of the space segment is many thousandsof years. These missions include the Diademe andStarlette series (CNES) and the LAGEOS series (NASA &ASI). More recently, missions such as CHAMP (DLR) and
GRACE (NASA) have been launched to provide highprecision measurements of the Earth’s gravitational field.
DMSP series:
The long-term meteorological programme of the US
Department of Defense (DoD) – with the objective ofcollecting and disseminating worldwide atmospheric,oceanographic, solar-geophysical, and cloud cover dataon a daily basis.
NOAA polar orbiters:
The current series of operational polar orbiting
meteorological satellites is provided by NOAA. Twosatellites are maintained in polar orbit at any one time,
one in a “morning” orbit and one in an “afternoon”
orbit. The series provides a wide range of data ofinterest, including sea surface temperature, cloud cover,data for land studies (notably the AVHRR sensor) ,temperature and humidity profiles and ozone
concentrations.
TOPEX/POSEIDON and JASON series:
These satellites form a joint NASA/CNES precision radar
altimetry mission to measure ocean topography andhence, the speed and direction of ocean currents.
ERS & Envisat series:
ERS-1 was launched by ESA in July 1991, ERS-2 in April
1995, and Envisat in March 2002. This series124

8 Catalogue of satellite missions

concentrates on global and regional environmental
issues, making use of active microwave techniques thatenable a range of measurements to be made of land, sea
and ice surfaces independent of cloud cover andatmospheric conditions. In addition, the ATSR/AATSR
instruments on these missions provides images of thesurface or cloud top and the GOME instrument on ERS-2
provides measurements of ozone levels. ERS-1 and ERS-2
operated in tandem for around 1 year in 1995 and 1996
providing data for topographic applications such as
differential interferometry. Envisat features a range of
new sensors for land surface and atmospheric studies.
IRS series:
The Indian IRS satellites (which include the
RESOURCESAT and CARTOSAT missions) provide highresolution imagery in a range of visible and infra-red
bands. Their primary objectives are in support ofagriculture, disaster management, land and water
resource management. Latest in the series was
RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS-P6) launched in October 2003.
METEOR series:
Roshydromet maintains these missions – mainly for
operational meteorological purposes. Other applications
include experimental measurement of ozone and Earthradiation budget.
RADARSAT series:
launched in November of 1995, RADARSAT provides
researchers and operational users with a range of SAR
data products which are used for marine applications
such as ship routing, and ice forecasting as well as land
applications such as resource management andgeological mapping. Data continuity will be ensured
through the proposed launch of RADARSAT-2.
SPOT and Landsat series:
The SPOT satellites (lead agency CNES), and theLandsat satellites (lead agency USGS) provide highresolution imagery in a range of visible and infra-red
bands. They are used extensively for high resolution
land studies. Data from these satellites is supplemented
by availability of very high resolution imagery (up to1m) from various commercial satellites.
CBERS series:
A joint mission series of China and Brazil, aimed atenvironmental monitoring and Earth resources. The
latest in the series was launched in October 2003.
KOMPSAT series:
Korean missions aimed at cartography, land use andplanning and ocean and disaster monitoring – startingfrom December 1999.
NASA’s EOS missions:
Carrying the latest advanced sensors and each mission
dedicated to investigation of particular Earth System
issues – including the Terra, Aqua and Aura missions.
NASA has also launched a number of missions aimed atdeveloping understanding of the sun’s influence on our
climate, and its variability – including the ACRIMSAT,SORCE, and TIMED programmes.

8.4 Future missions
Current plans supplied by CEOS agencies estimate thatof order 100 new satellite missions will be launched for
operation between 2005 and 2020. The next few years
mark a significant era for satellite Earth observations,with half of these new missions to be launched by
April 2007.
These new programmes will ensure continuity of key
measurements, provide improved resolutions andaccuracies, and introduce several exciting new
capabilities. Some of the highlights are described below:
Gravity and magnetic field studies:
The GRACE and GOCE missions are dedicated toproviding more precise measurements of the geoid,
while DEMETER (currently in orbit), Kanopus-Vulkan,
and Vulkan-Kompas-2 will study links between
electromagnetic fields and earthquake predictability.
Polar ice cap studies:
Given, the significance of information on changes in thecontinental ice sheets, two missions have been
dedicated to their study: NASA’s ICESat (alreadylaunched Jan 2003) and ESA’s Cryosat (Mar 2005).
Cloud properties and climate links:
By April 2005, a multiple satellite constellation will be inplace (comprising CloudSat, Aqua, Aura, CALIPSO and
PARASOL) and will fly in orbital formation to gather
data needed to evaluate and improve the way clouds
are represented in global models, and to develop a
more complete knowledge of their poorly understoodrole in climate change and the cloud-climate feedback.
Operational meteorology:
The current geostationary programmes will continue
operationally. With the launch of the METOP series latein 2005, EUMETSAT and NOAA will share responsibility
for the provision of polar orbiting meteorologicalsatellites. The NOAA series of satellites will evolve to
become NPOESS, featuring more advanced sensors andnew capabilities. China will also operate the FY-3 seriesof polar orbiting satellites from early 2006.
Atmospheric studies:
New data on the chemistry and dynamics of the Earth’s
atmosphere will be gathered by missions from many
countries, including the recently launched Aura (USA),as well as future missions such as GOSAT and GCOM
(Japan). ADM-Aeolus (ESA) will provide new
information on winds.
Radiation budget:
Continuity and new capabilities are provided by NASA’s
SORCE (launched in 2003) and DSCOVR (early 2008)
missions, by the PICARD mission (early 2008) of CNES,

125

8 Catalogue of satellite missions

and by operational meteorology missions, such as the
MSG and NPOESS series.
Ocean observations:Continuity and improvements in many current
measurements have been assured with the launch of
missions such as Envisat and Aqua. SMOS (2007) and
SAC-D/Aquarius (2008) are worthy of special note –since they will provide new capabilities for measurementsof ocean salinity. Ocean surface wind and topographymeasurements – pioneered by the Topex-Poseidon and
ERS missions – will be continued operationally by
sensors on the METOP and NPOESS series.
Land surface observations:
A range of different sensors are planned for land
surface observations, including advanced SAR systems
such as ALOS and TerraSAR-X & –L. SMOS willmeasure soil moisture from 2007.
Hyperspectral observations:
A new generation of sensors is emerging, featuring 100’sof different spectral bands, and with the capability –using spectral-libraries - to remotely sense the chemicalcomposition of surfaces. Such sensors (including on
ASI’s ‘Hyperspectral Mission’ and China’s ‘HJ-1A’) are
expected to provide new and exciting capabilities for
Earth observation of land, sea, and atmosphere.

8.5 CEOS/WMO Database
The information presented in the CEOS Handbook is amuch condensed summary of the information provided
in the CEOS/WMO Database. This database contains
extensive information on the capabilities of bothsatellite and in-situ observing system capabilities, andrelates them in some detail to the requirements of key
user programmes. The database is maintained by WMO
in co-operation with ESA.
The database was established to support planning of
future observing systems, with the primary aim of
improving the extent to which space system capabilities
meet user requirements for observations. Althoughmany possible uses have been identified for the
database, its structure and level of detail are designed
primarily to assist in the assessment of conformance
between users' requirements for observations and thepotential capability of the space segments of satellite
systems. To this end, the following information is
included in the Database:- from the user communities ("Users"), a summary of
their observational requirements, as available to CEOS
through its partnerships with many user communities;- from the in situ observing system operators and space
agencies ("Providers"), a summary of the potential
performances of their in situ and satellite instruments,
expressed in the same terms as the user requirements;- instrument and mission descriptions sufficiently
detailed to support the evaluation of theirperformances;- programmatic information to permit assessment ofservice continuity aspects.
Those interested in obtaining a copy of the database(available as an MS Access stand-alone application on
CD-ROM) for more detailed investigation areencouraged to contact Dr Don Hinsman at WMO:
dhinsman@wmo.int
http://alto-stratus.wmo.ch/sat/stations/SatSystem.html
The information contained in the Earth Observation
Handbook is also available on-line at the following
address, and contains searchable tables of missions andinstruments with internal hyperlinks for ease ofnavigation:www.eohandbook.com

126

List of satellite missions (by year and sponsoring agency)
LaunchYear

EO Satellite Mission(and sponsoring agency)

LaunchYear

EO Satellite Mission(and sponsoring agency)

LaunchYear

EO Satellite Mission(and sponsoring agency)

1967

Diademe 1&2 (CNES)

2003

2007

1975

STARLETTE (CNES)

1976

LAGEOS-1 (NASA)1984

Landsat-5 (USGS)ERBS (NASA)

1990

SPOT-2 (CNES)

ICESat (NASA)
SORCE (NASA)
INSAT-3A (ISRO)SCISAT-1 (CSA)
UK-DMC (BNSC)RESOURCESAT-1 (ISRO)DMSP F-16 (NOAA)CBERS-2 (CAST / INPE)

1991

METEOSAT-5 (EUMETSAT)NOAA-12 (NOAA)UARS (NASA)

2004

1992

Topex-Poseidon (NASA / CNES)
LAGEOS-2 (NASA / ASI)

DEMETER (CNES)
Aura (NASA)
FY-2C (NRSCC)
PARASOL (CNES)
SICH-1M (NSAU / ROSKOSMOS)

1993

SCD-1 (INPE)
STELLA (CNES)

2005

2008

1993

METEOSAT-6 (EUMETSAT)1994

NOAA-14 (NOAA)

1995

GMS-5 (JAXA / JMA)
ERS-2 (ESA)
GOES-9 (NOAA)
RADARSAT-1 (CSA)1997

DMSP F-13 (NOAA)
GOES-10 (NOAA)METEOSAT-7 (EUMETSAT)DSCOVR (NASA)
ESA Future Missions (ESA)PICARD (CNES)GOSAT (JAXA)METEOSAT-10 (EUMETSAT)
Pleiades 1 (CNES)
SAC-D/Aquarius (CONAE / NASA)
SAOCOM 1B (CONAE)
GOES-P (NOAA)CBERS-3 (CAST / INPE)NOAA-N' (NOAA)FY-3C (NRSCC)

1998

SPOT-4 (CNES)NOAA-15 (NOAA)
SCD-2 (INPE)

2009

1999

INSAT-2E (ISRO)
Landsat-7 (USGS)
IRS-P4 (ISRO)QuikSCAT (NASA)DMSP F-15 (NOAA)
Terra (NASA)
ACRIMSAT (NASA)
KOMPSAT-1 (KARI)

Meteor-M No1(ROSHYDROMET / ROSKOSMOS)
Vulkan-Kompas-2 (ROSKOSMOS)MTSAT-1R (JMA)NOAA-N (NOAA)
GOES-N (NOAA)CARTOSAT-1 (ISRO)CRYOSAT (ESA)
Monitor-E (ROSKOSMOS)
CALIPSO (NASA / CNES)
CloudSat (NASA)DMSP F-17 (NOAA)
TopSat (BNSC)METEOSAT-9 (EUMETSAT)
Resurs DK (ROSKOSMOS)
ALOS (JAXA)KOMPSAT-2 (KARI)
TerraSAR-X (DLR)
METEOR-3M N2(ROSHYDROMET / ROSKOSMOS)
METOP-1 (EUMETSAT)
Baumanets (ROSKOSMOS)
CARTOSAT-2 (ISRO)RADARSAT-2 (CSA)
SICH-2 (NSAU)

Meteor-M No2(ROSHYDROMET / ROSKOSMOS)
OCEANSAT-2 (ISRO)
RapidEye (DLR)
SMOS (ESA)
GOES-O (NOAA)
HJ-1C (CAST)THEOS (GISTDA)
OCO (NASA)
SAOCOM 1A (CONAE)
ADM-Aeolus (ESA)DMSP F-18 (NOAA)
SAC-F (CONAE)
Glory (NASA)
SSR-1 (INPE)

GCOM-W (JAXA)Hyperspectral Mission (ASI)
MEGHA-TROPIQUES (CNES / ISRO)
Swarm (ESA)DMSP F-19 (NOAA)GPM Core (NASA)
SAC-E/SABIA (CONAE)
NPOESS-1 (NOAA)FY-2E (NRSCC)
METOP-2 (EUMETSAT)
Pleiades 2 (CNES)

2010

2000

GOES-11 (NOAA)CHAMP (DLR)
NOAA-16 (NOAA)NMP EO-1 (NASA)
SAC-C (CONAE)

GCOM-C (JAXA)GPM Constellation (NASA)
HYDROS (NASA)
FY-3D (NRSCC)

2011

NPOESS-2 (NOAA)DMSP F-20 (NOAA)CBERS-4 (CAST / INPE)METEOSAT-11 (EUMETSAT)2012

SAOCOM-2B (2) (CONAE)
GOES-R (NOAA)
SSR-2 (INPE)
FY-3E (NRSCC)

2013

NPOESS-3 (NOAA)SAOCOM-2B (1) (CONAE)

2014

METOP-3 (EUMETSAT)
FY-3F (NRSCC)

2015

NPOESS-4 (NOAA)

2016

FY-3G (NRSCC)

2018

NPOESS-5 (NOAA)

2019

NPOESS-6 (NOAA)

2006

2001

2002

Odin (SNSB)GOES-12 (NOAA)
BIRD (DLR)
TES (ISRO)
Jason (NASA / CNES)
TIMED (NASA)
METEOR-3M N1(ROSHYDROMET / ROSKOSMOS)
Envisat (ESA)
GRACE (NASA)
Aqua (NASA)
SPOT-5 (CNES)NOAA-17 (NOAA)METEOSAT-8 (EUMETSAT)KALAPANA (ISRO)FedSat (CSIRO / CRCSS)

BelKA (ROSKOSMOS)BISSAT (ASI)
FY-3A (NRSCC)
IGPM (ASI)
Kanopus-Vulkan (ROSKOSMOS)
LAGEOS-3 (NASA / ASI)
TerraSAR-L (BNSC)MTSAT-2 (JMA)
GOCE (ESA)
INSAT-3D (ISRO)RESOURCESAT-2 (ISRO)RISAT-1 (ISRO)NMP EO-3 GIFTS (NASA)
CBERS-2B (CAST / INPE)
NPP (NOAA)
Elektro-L(ROSHYDROMET / ROSKOSMOS)
HJ-1A (CAST)
HJ-1B (CAST)
HY-1B (CAST)
Jason-2 (NASA / CNES)COSMO - SkyMed (ASI)
FY-2D (NRSCC)
FY-3B (NRSCC)

127

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Diademe 1&2
STARLETTELAGEOS 1-3
Landsat-5, 7
ERBS
SPOT-2, 4, 5
METEOSAT-5-11
NOAA-12, 14-17, N, N'
UARSTopex-Poseidon
SCD-1, 2
STELLA
GMS-5
ERS-2
GOES-9-12, N-P, R
RADARSAT-1, 2
DMSP F-13, 15-20
INSAT-2E
IRS-P4
QuikSCATTerra
ACRIMSATKOMPSAT-1, 2
CHAMP
NMP EO-1
SAC-C, D
Odin
BIRD
TES
Jason-1,2
TIMED
METEOR-3M N1, N2
Envisat
GRACE
Aqua
KALAPANAFedSat
ICESatSORCE
INSAT-3A, D
SCISAT-1
UK-DMCRESOURCESAT-1,2
CBERS-2, 2B, 3, 4
DEMETER
Aura
FY-2 C-E
PARASOL
SICH-1M,2Meteor-M No1, 2
Vulkan-Kompas-2
MTSAT-1R, 2
CARTOSAT-1, 2
CRYOSATMonitor-E
CALIPSO
CloudSatTopSatResurs DK
ALOSTerraSAR-X
METOP-1-3
Baumanets
BelKA
BISSAT
FY-3A-G
IGPM
Kanopus-Vulkan
TerraSAR-L
GOCE
RISAT-1
NMP EO-3 GIFTSNPPElektro-L
HJ-1A-C
HY-1B
COSMO - SkyMed
OCEANSAT-2
RapidEye
SMOS
THEOS
OCO
SAOCOM 1A, 1B
ADM-Aeolus
SAC-F, E
Glory
SSR-1,2
DSCOVRESA Future Missions
PICARD
GOSAT
Pleiades 1, 2
GCOM-W, C
Hyperspectral Mission
MEGHA-TROPIQUES
Swarm
GPM
NPOESS-1-6
HYDROS
SAOCOM-2B 1,2

CURRENT/APPROVED
PLANNED/CONSIDERED

128

2018

2019

List of satellite missions (chronological)

MissionStatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

ACRIMSAT(Active Cavity
Radiometer
Irradiance
Monitor)Currently
being flown

20 Dec 99

01 Oct 07

Will sustain long-term
ACRIM III
solar luminosity databaseby providing
measurements of total
solar irradiance and thesolar constant

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 716 km
Period: 90 mins
Inclination: 98.13 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1050
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: acrim.jpl.nasa.gov

Approved

15 Oct 07

15 Oct 10

Will provide wind profile ALADIN
measurements for global
3-D wind field products
used for study of
atmospheric dynamics,
including global transport
of energy, water, aerosols,and chemicals

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 408 km
Period:Inclination: 96.99 deg
Repeat cycle: 7 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/aeolus.html

Approved

01 Sep 05

01 Sep 10

Cartography, digital
AVNIR-2,
terrain models,
PALSAR, PRISM
environmental
monitoring, disastermonitoring, civil
planning, agriculture andforestry, Earth resources,
land surface

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 692 km
Period: 98.7 mins
Inclination: 98.16 deg
Repeat cycle: 3 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: alos.jaxa.jp/index-e.html

Currently
being flown

04 May 02

04 May 07

AIRS, AMSR-E,
Atmospheric
dynamics/water andAMSU-A, CERES,
energy cycles, cloud
HSB, MODIS
formation, precipitation
and radiative properties,
air/sea fluxes of energy
and moisture, sea ice
extent and heat exchangewith the atmosphere.
Option of 705km or
438km orbit altitude.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1330
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: eos-pm.gsfc.nasa.gov

Currently
Aura(Aura (formerly being flown
EOS Chemistry))

15 Jul 04

15 Jul 10

Chemistry and dynamics HiRDLS, MLS(EOS-Aura), OMI,of Earth’s atmospherefrom the ground through TES
the mesosphere.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1345
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: aura.gsfc.nasa.gov

Planned05 Dec 05

31 Dec 06

Experimental satellite for OEA
data transmission,
remote sensing, andspacecraft management.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 700 km
Period:Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.federalspace.ru

Planned

01 Jan 06

31 Dec 11

Regular imaging ofterrestrial sites in visible
and near IR ranges withhigh spatial resolution

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 505 km
Period:Inclination: 97.4 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.federalspace.ru

NASA

ADM-Aeolus(Atmospheric
Dynamics
Mission (Earth
Explorer Core
Mission))
ESA

ALOS(Advanced Land
Observing
Satellite)
JAXA

Aqua
(Aqua (formerly
EOS PM-1))
NASA

NASA

Baumanets
ROSKOSMOS

BelKA
ROSKOSMOS

Instruments

MSS(Roskosmos),PSS

Orbit details & URL

129

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

BIRD(Bi-spectral
Infrared
Detection)

Currently
being flown

22 Oct 01

31 Dec 05

Small satellite mission
with technical andscientific objectives(Study of thermal
processes on the Earthsurface)HSRS,
WAOSS-B

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 572 km
Period:Inclination: 97.8 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.fire.unifreiburg.de/iffn/tech/tech_9.htm

Considered

01 Jan 06

01 Jan 08

Evaluation of bistatic radar BISSAT
cross section of natural andman-made targets, image
classification, land surface.
Receive-only satellite information with main
mission COSMO-Skymed

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD

Approved

15 Apr 05

15 Apr 08

Measurements of aerosol CALIOP, IIR,
& cloud properties for
WFCclimate predictions, using a
3 channel lidar and passive
instruments in formation
with Aqua and CloudSat forcoincident observations ofradiative fluxes andatmospheric state

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1330
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov/

CARTOSAT-1
Approved(Indian Remote
Sensing Satellite- P5)

15 Mar 05

01 Jul 09

High precision large-scale PAN (Cartosat-1)
cartographic mapping of
1:10000 scale andthematic applications(with merged XS data) at
1:4000 scales

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 630 km
Period: 97.178 mins
Inclination: 97.87 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

31 Dec 05

01 Jan 10

High precision large-scale HR-PAN
cartographic mapping of
1:10000 scale andthematic applications(with merged XS data) at
1:4000 scales

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

22 Oct 03

18 Aug 07

Earth resources,
environmental
monitoring, land surface

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 778 km
Period: 100.26 mins
Inclination: 98.5 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/ &www.cbers.inpe.br/en/programas/cbers1-2.htm

DLR

BISSAT((Bistatic SAR
mission))ASICALIPSO(Cloud-Aerosol
Lidar andInfrared
Pathfinder
Satellite
Observations)NASA / CNESISROCARTOSAT-2

Approved

ISRO

CBERS-2
Currently(China Brazil
being flown
Earth Resources
Satellite - 2)
CAST / INPE

130

CCD (CBERS),DCS (CAST),
IR-MSS, WFIMission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

20 Oct 06

20 Oct 08

Earth resources,
environmental
monitoring, land
surface

CCD (CBERS),DCS (CAST),
IR-MSS, WFI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 778 km
Period:Inclination: 98.5 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/ &www.cbers.inpe.br/en/programas/cbers1-2.htm

20 Oct 08

20 Oct 11

Earth resources,
environmental
monitoring, land
surface

DCS (CAST), IRS, Type: Sun-synchronous
MUX, PAN, WFI-2 Altitude: 778 km
Period: 100.26 mins
Inclination: 98.5 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/ &www.cbers.inpe.br/en/programas/cbers3-4.htm

Approved

20 Oct 11

20 Oct 14

Earth resources,
environmental
monitoring, land
surface

DCS (CAST), IRS, Type: Sun-synchronous
MUX, PAN, WFI-2 Altitude: 778 km
Period: 100.26 mins
Inclination: 98.5 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/ &www.cbers.inpe.br/en/programas/cbers3-4.htm

Currently
being flown

15 Jul 00

15 Jul 05

Gravity field, Precise
geoid, Magnetic field,
Atmospheric physics

CHAMP GPSSounder, CHAMP
gravity package(Accelerometer+GPS), CHAMP
magnetometry
package (1 Scalar+ 2 Vector
Magnetometer)

Approved

15 Apr 05

15 Feb 07

CloudSat will use
CPR (Cloudsat)
advanced radar to "slice"
through clouds to see
their vertical structure,providing a completely
new observational
capability from space.
One of first satellites tostudy clouds on global
basis. Will fly information with Aquaand CALIPSO.

CBERS-2B
Approved(China Brazil
Earth Resources
Satellite - 2B)
CAST / INPE

CBERS-3
Approved(China Brazil
Earth Resources
Satellite - 3)
CAST / INPE

CBERS-4(China Brazil
Earth Resources
Satellite - 4)
CAST / INPE

CHAMP
(Challenging
Mini-Satellite
Payload forGeophysicalResearch andApplication)
DLR

CloudSat(CloudSat)
NASA

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 470 km
Period:Inclination: 87 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: op.gfz-potsdam.de/champ/index_CHAMP.html

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1335
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/

131Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

31 Dec 06

31 Dec 20

Environmental
SAR 2000monitoring, surveillance
and risk management
applications,environmental
resources
management, maritime
management, earth
topographic mapping,law enforcement,
informative / science
applications

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 619 km
Period: 97.86 mins
Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL:
www.alespazio.it/program/tlr/cosmo/cosmo.htm

Approved

31 Mar 05

31 Mar 08

A radar altimetry
DORIS-NG, Laser
mission to determine reflectors (ESA),
variations in the
SIRAL
thickness of the
Earth’s continental ice
sheets and marine ice
cover. Primaryobjective is to test theprediction of thinning
arctic ice due toglobal warming

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 717 km
Period:Inclination: 92 deg
Repeat cycle: 369 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/cryosat.html

Approved
DEMETER(Detection ofElectro-Magnetic
Emissions
Transmitted from
Earthquake
Regions)

29 Jun 04

29 Jun 06

Micro-satellite to study; IAP, ICE, IDP,
IMSC, ISL
ionosphericdisturbances related toseismic activity,
ionosphericdisturbances related tohuman activity, pre andpost-seismic effects in
the ionosphere, global
information on the
Earth's electromagnetic
environment

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 800 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: smsc.cnes.fr/DEMETER/index.htm

COSMO - SkyMed Planned(COnstellation ofsmall Satellites
forMediterranean
basin
Observation)ASI

CRYOSAT(CryoSat (Earth
Explorer
Opportunity
Mission))
ESA

Orbit details & URL

Diademe 1&2
CNES

Currently
being flown

15 Feb 67

31 Dec 50

RRA
Geodetic
measurements using
satellite laser ranging

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 1200 km
Period: 108 mins
Inclination: 40 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:
ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite_missions/list_of_satellites/diademe

DMSP F-13(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-13)

Currently
being flown

01 Mar 97

30 Sep 05

The long-term
OLS, SSB/X-2,
meteorological
SSIES-2, SSJ/4,
programme of the US SSM, SSM/I,
Department of
SSM/T-1, SSM/TDefense (DoD) - with 2, SSZ
the objective to collectand disseminate
worldwide
atmospheric,oceanographic, solargeophyscial, andcloud cover data on adaily basis. (Primary
operational satellite)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1812
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

NOAA

132

Instruments

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

DMSP F-15(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-15)

Currently
being flown

12 Dec 99

30 Sep 06

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis. (Primary
operational satellite)

OLS, SSB/X-2,
SSIES-2, SSJ/4,
SSM, SSM/I,
SSM/T-1, SSM/T2, SSZ

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.9 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 2029
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

Approved

15 Oct 03

15 Oct 07

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis.

Type: Sun-synchronous
OLS, SSB/X-2,
SSIES-2, SSIES-3, Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
SSJ/4, SSJ/5,
Inclination: 98.9 deg
SSM, SSM/I,
SSM/T-1, SSM/T- Repeat cycle:
2, SSMIS, SSULI, LST: 2132
Longitude (if geo):
SSUSI, SSZ
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

Approved

15 Apr 05

01 Jun 08

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis.

OLS, SSIES-3,
SSJ/5, SSM,
SSM/T-1, SSMIS,
SSULI, SSUSI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 850 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

Approved

15 Oct 07

15 Oct 10

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis.

OLS, SSIES-3,
SSJ/5, SSM,
SSM/T-1, SSMIS,
SSULI, SSUSI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 850 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

Approved

15 Apr 09

15 Apr 12

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis.

OLS, SSIES-3,
SSJ/5, SSM,
SSM/T-1, SSMIS,
SSULI, SSUSI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

Approved

15 Oct 11

15 Oct 14

The long-term
meteorologicalprogramme of the US
Department of Defense(DoD) - with theobjective to collect anddisseminate worldwide
cloud cover data on adaily basis.

OLS, SSIES-3,
SSJ/5, SSM,
SSM/T-1, SSMIS,
SSULI, SSUSI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 850 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: dmsp.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp.html

NOAA

DMSP F-16(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-16)
NOAA

DMSP F-17(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-17)
NOAA

DMSP F-18(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-18)
NOAADMSP F-19(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-19)
NOAADMSP F-20(Defense
Meteorological
Satellite
Program F-20)
NOAA

133

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

01 Jan 08

01 Jan 12

Continuously observes
EPIC, NISTAR,the sunlit Earth (full disk) Plasma-Mag– transmitting an image
every 15 minutes for
distribution by internet.
Studies how solar
radiation affects climate.
Will be positioned at theLangrange point between
Earth and sun.

Approved

01 Dec 06

31 Dec 12

Type: Geostationary
Hydrometeorology,
DCS
climatology, disaster(ROSHYDROMET), Altitude: 36000 km
management, space
GGAK-E, MSU-GS Period:
Inclination:
environment, ice andRepeat cycle:snow, land surface,
LST:
space environment, data
Longitude (if geo): -76
collection andAsc/desc: N/A
communication.
URL: sputnik1.infospace.ru/

Currently
being flown

01 Mar 02

01 Mar 07

Physical oceanography,
land surface, ice andsnow, atmosphericchemistry, atmospheric
dynamics/water andenergy cycles

AATSR, ASAR,
ASAR (imagemode), ASAR
(wave mode),
DORIS-NG,
ENVISAT Comms,
GOMOS, MERIS,MIPAS, MWR(BNSC), RA-2,
SCIAMACHY

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 782 km
Period: 100.5 mins
Inclination: 98.52 deg
Repeat cycle: 35 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: envisat.esa.int/

Currently
ERBS(Earth Radiation being flown
Budget Satellite)

05 Oct 84

30 Apr 05

Earth radiation budget
measurements.

ERBE, SAGE II

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 585 km
Period: 96.3 mins
Inclination: 57 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/erbe/erbs.html

21 Apr 95

31 Dec 05

Earth resources plus
physical oceanography,
ice and snow, land
surface, meteorology,
geodesy/gravity,
environmental
monitoring, atmosphericchemistry

AMI/SAR/Image,
Type: Sun-synchronous
AMI/SAR/wave,
Altitude: 782 km
AMI/scatterometer Period: 100.5 mins
, ATSR/M, ATSR- Inclination: 98.52 deg
2, ERS Comms,
Repeat cycle: 35 days
GOME, MWR
LST: 1030(BNSC), RA
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:
www.esa.int/export/esaEO/SEMGWH2VQUD_index_0_m.html

01 Jan 08

01 Jan 18

Physical Oceanogreaphy, ATLID, CPR,
land surface, ice and
MASTER,snow, atmospheric
SPECTRAdynamics/water andenergy cycles

DSCOVR
Approved(formerly Triana)NASA

Elektro-L(Geostationary
Operational
Meteorological
Satellite - 2)
ROSHYDROMET /ROSKOSMOS

Envisat(Environmental
Satellite)
ESA

Instruments

NASA

Currently
ERS-2
being flown(EuropeanRemote Sensing
satellite - 2)
ESA

ESA Future
Missions
ESA

134

Considered

Orbit details & URL

Type: TBD
Altitude: 1500000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: triana.gsfc.nasa.gov/home/wwwpm.larc.nasa.gov/triana.html

Type: TBD
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/index.html

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

FedSat(Federation
Satellite)

Currently
being flown

14 Dec 02

14 Dec 05

Communications, data
relay, near Earthenvironment, upper
atmospheric physics,
meteorology

Communications
payload (Ka andUHF band),Fluxgate
magnetometer,
GPS receiver

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 803 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.6 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.crcss.csiro.au/

Currently
being flown

19 Oct 04

19 Oct 07

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IVISSR (FY-2)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -105
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

Planned31 Dec 06

31 Dec 09

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IVISSR (FY-2)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -105
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

Planned31 Dec 09

31 Dec 12

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IVISSR (FY-2)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -105
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

Planned

01 Jan 06

01 Jan 08

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IRAS, MERSI,
MWRI, MWTS,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Planned31 Dec 06

31 Dec 08

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IRAS, MERSI,
MWRI, MWTS,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Planned31 Dec 08

31 Dec 10

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IMWTS, IRAS,
MERSI, MIRAS,
MWHS, MWRI,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

CSIRO / CRCSS

FY-2C(FY-2C
Geostationary
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-2D
(FY-2D
Geostationary
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-2E
(FY-2E
Geostationary
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-3A
(FY-3A Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-3B
(FY-3B Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-3C
(FY-3C Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

135

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

FY-3D(FY-3D Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)

Planned31 Dec 10

31 Dec 12

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IMWTS, IRAS,
MERSI, MIRAS,
MWHS, MWRI,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Planned31 Dec 12

31 Dec 14

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IMWTS, IRAS,
MERSI, MIRAS,
MWHS, MWRI,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Planned31 Dec 14

31 Dec 16

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IMWTS, IRAS,
MERSI, MIRAS,
MWHS, MWRI,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Planned31 Dec 16

31 Dec 18

Meteorology andenvironmental monitoring.
Data collection andredistribution

IMWTS, IRAS,
MERSI, MIRAS,
MWHS, MWRI,
OP, TOM, VIRR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 890 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 98.728 deg
LST: 1010
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Considered

01 Jan 10

01 Jan 15

Atmospheric andterrestrial observation

GLI follow-on

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 800 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1330
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

Considered

01 Jan 09

01 Jan 14

Sea surface observation

AMSR follow-on,
Scatterometer(JAXA)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 800 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1330
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

NRSCC

FY-3E
(FY-3E Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-3F
(FY-3F Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

FY-3G
(FY-3G Polarorbiting
Meteorological
Satellite)
NRSCC

GCOM-C(Global Climate
Observation
Mission-C)
JAXA

GCOM-W(Global Climate
Observation
Mission-W)
JAXA

136

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Glory

Planned01 Dec 07

01 Dec 10

Concentration and nature APS, TIM
of both natural andanthropogenic aerosols(BC, sulfates, etc.) withaccuracy and coveragesufficient forquantification of theaerosol effect on climate,
the anthropogenic
component of this effect,
and the long-term changeof this effect caused bynatural andanthropogenic factors

Currently
being flown

18 Mar 95

01 Jun 05

Meteorology

15 Feb 06

15 Feb 08

Research in steady-state EGG, GPS (ESA),
ocean circulation, physics Laser reflectors(ESA)of Earth's interior andlevelling systems (basedon GPS). Will also
provide unique data set
required to formulate
global and regionalmodels of the Earth's
gravity field and geoid.

Currently
being flown

23 May 95

15 Jan 05

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection, platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 255
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Currently
being flown

25 Apr 97

15 Jan 06

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 135
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Currently
being flown

03 May 00

15 Jul 11

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 103
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

NASA

GMS-5
(Geostationary
Meteorogical
Satellite - 5)
JAXA / JMAApproved
GOCE(Gravity Field
and Steady-State
Ocean
Circulation
Explorer (Earth
Explorer Core
Mission))ESA

GOES-9(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - 9)
NOAA

GOES-10(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - 10)
NOAA

GOES-11(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - 11)
NOAA

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 824 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 1030 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

DCS (JAXA), GMS Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Comms, VISSR
Period:(GMS-5)
Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -140
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: spaceinfo.jaxa.jp/db/kaihatu/eisei/eisei_e/
gms_5_e.html
Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 250 km
Period:Inclination: 96.5 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/goce.html

137

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

GOES-12(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - 12)

Currently
being flown

23 Jul 01

15 Jan 11

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
SXI, WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 75
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Approved

14 Apr 05

14 Apr 17

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
SXI, WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 75
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Approved

07 Apr 07

07 Apr 19

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 75
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Approved

15 Oct 08

15 Oct 20

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAX

DCS (NOAA),GOES Comms,
Imager, S&R(GOES), SEM(GOES), Sounder,
SXI, WEFAX

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 135
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/goes/

Approved

31 Oct 12

31 Oct 20

Meteorology (primary
mission), search andrescue, spaceenvironment monitoring,data collection platform,
data gathering, WEFAXABI, EHIS, EUVS,
Geomicrowave
sounder, GLM,
HES,
Magnetometer(NOAA), MPS,
SGPS, SXI, SXS

Type: Geostationary
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 135
Asc/desc:
URL: www.osd.noaa.gov/goes_R/index.htm

GOSAT
Planned(Greenhousegases Observing
Satellite)

01 Feb 08

01 Feb 13

Observation ofGreenhouse gases

Cloud Sensor,
GHG Sensor

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 666 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 3 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.jaxa.jp/missions/projects/sat/eos/gosat/
index_e.html

NOAA

GOES-N(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - N)
NOAA

GOES-O(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - O)
NOAA

GOES-P(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - P)
NOAA

GOES-R(Geostationary
Operational
Environmental
Satellite - R)
NOAA

JAXA

138

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

GPM
Constellation(GlobalPrecipitation
Measurement
MissionConstellation
spacecraft)

Planned

01 Nov 10

01 Nov 14

Study of global
GMI
precipitation, evaporation,and cycling of water arechanging. The mission
comprises a primary
spacecraft with active andpassive microwave
instruments, and anumber of ‘constellation
spacecraft with passive
microwave instruments.

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 600 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Planned

01 Nov 09

01 Nov 13

Study of global
DPR, GMI
precipitation, evaporation,and cycling of water arechanging. The mission
comprises a primary
spacecraft with active andpassive microwave
instruments, and anumber of ‘constellation
spacecraft with passive
microwave instruments

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 400 km
Period:Inclination: 65 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Currently
being flown

17 Mar 02

01 Mar 07

Extremely high precision GPS (GRACE),
gravity measurements
HAIRS
for use in construction ofgravity field models

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 400 km
Period: 94 mins
Inclination: 89 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.csr.utexas.edu/grace/

Planned01 Dec 06

01 Dec 09

Disaster andEnvironment Monitoringand Forecast

CCD (HJ, HY), HSI Type: Sun-synchronous(HJ-1A)
Altitude: 649 km
Period:Inclination: 97.9 deg
Repeat cycle: 31 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/

Planned01 Dec 06

01 Dec 09

Disaster andEnvironment Monitoringand Forecast

CCD (HJ, HY), IR(HJ-1B)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 649 km
Period:Inclination: 97.9 deg
Repeat cycle: 31 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/

Planned01 May 07

01 May 10

Disaster andEnvironment Monitoringand Forecast

S-band SAR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 499 km
Period:Inclination: 97.3 deg
Repeat cycle: 31 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/

NASA

GPM Core(GlobalPrecipitation
Measurement
Mission Core
spacecraft)
NASA

GRACE
(Gravity
Recovery andClimateExperiment)

Instruments

NASA

HJ-1A
(Disaster andEnvironment
Monitoring and
Forecast Small
Satellite A)
CAST

HJ-1B
(Disaster andEnvironment
Monitoring and
Forecast Small
Satellite B)
CAST

HJ-1C
(Disaster andEnvironment
Monitoring and
Forecast Small
Satellite B)
CAST

Orbit details & URL

139

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

HY-1B(Ocean color
satellite B)

Planned01 Dec 06

01 Dec 09

Detecting ocean colorand sea surface
temperature

COCTS, CZI

Type:Altitude: 798 km
Period:Inclination: 98.6 deg
Repeat cycle: 7 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.cast.cn/

Planned01 Dec 10

01 Dec 14

Measure soil moisture
content and freeze-thaw
state

HYDROS

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 670 km
Period:Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: hydros.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Considered

01 Jan 09

31 Dec 14

Land surface, agriculture CIA, HYC
and forestry, regional
geology, land use
studies, water resources,
vegetation studies,coastal studies and soils

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 620 km
Period: 97 mins
Inclination: 91.87 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1000
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.ifac.cnr.it/ot/hyperspectral_workshop_
2004.html

Currently
being flown

12 Jan 03

30 Jun 05

Monitors mass balance of GLAS
polar ice sheets and theircontribution to global sea
level change. Secondary
goals: cloud heights
and vertical structure ofclouds/aerosols;
roughness, reflectivity,
vegetation heights,
snow-cover.

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 600 km
Period: 97 mins
Inclination: 94 deg
Repeat cycle: 183 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Considered

01 Jan 06

01 Jan 08

IGPM radiometer,
To detect and measure
IGPM rain radarrain and snowfall, todemonstrate thefeasibility of high quality
measurements of lightrain and snow from space

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 510 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1430
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

Currently
being flown

03 Apr 99

04 Mar 11

Meteorology, datacollection andcommunication, searchand rescue

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -83
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.isro.org/

CAST

HYDROS(HydrosphereState)NASA

Hyperspectral
Mission(Hyperspectral
Earth Observer)
ASI

ICESat(Ice, Cloud, andLand Elevation
Satellite)
NASA

IGPM
ASI

INSAT-2E(Indian National
Satellite - 2E)
ISRO

140

CCD camera,
VHRR

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

INSAT-3A(Indian National
Satellite - 3A)

Currently
being flown

10 Apr 03

10 Apr 13

Meteorology, datacollection andcommunication, searchand rescue

CCD camera,
VHRR)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -94
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.isro.org/

Approved

01 Jul 06

01 Jul 15

Meteorology, datacollection andcommunication, searchand rescue

Imager (INSAT),Sounder (INSAT)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -83
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.isro.org/

Currently
being flown

26 May 99

31 Dec 06

Ocean biology, physicaloceanography

MSMR, OCM,
WiFS

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 720 km
Period: 99.31 mins
Inclination: 98.28 deg
Repeat cycle: 2 days
LST: 1215
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

Currently
being flown

07 Dec 01

01 Oct 07

Physical oceanography,
geodesy/gravity, climate
monitoring, marine
meteorology

DORIS-NG, JMR, Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
LRA, POSEIDON-2 Altitude: 1336 km(SSALT-2), TRSR Period: 112.4 mins
Inclination: 66 deg
Repeat cycle: 10 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/
jason-1.html

07 Dec 06

07 Dec 11

Physical oceanography,
geodesy/gravity, climate
monitoring, marine
meteorology

DORIS-NG, JMR,
LRA, POSEIDON3, TRSR

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 1336 km
Period: 112.4 mins
Inclination: 66 deg
Repeat cycle: 10 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: topexwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/mission.html

09 Dec 02

09 Dec 12

Meteorologicalapplications

VHRR

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -83
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.isro.org/

ISRO

INSAT-3D(Indian National
Satellite - 3D)
ISRO

IRS-P4(OCEANSAT-1)
ISRO

Jason
(Ocean surface
topography)
NASA / CNES

PlannedJason-2 (alsoknown as OSTM)(Ocean Surface
Topography
Mission)NASA / CNES

KALAPANA(Meteorologicalsatellite)
ISRO

Currently
being flown141

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

Kanopus-Vulkan

Planned

01 Jan 06

31 Dec 11

Hydrology,hydrometeorology,
monitoring man-madeand natural accidents,
research into short-term
forecasting ofearthquakes

ECHO-V,
GID-12T, MTVZAOK, NVK, RBE,
RCHA

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 700 km
Period:Inclination: 97 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.federalspace.ru

Currently
being flown

21 Dec 99

21 Dec 05

Cartography, land use
and planning, disastermonitoring, Global
marine resource andenvironmental
monitoring, oceancontamination andchlorophyll detection

EOC, OSMI

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 685 km
Period: 98.5 mins
Inclination: 28 deg
Repeat cycle: 1050 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: kompsat.kari.re.kr/english/index.asp

Approved

01 Oct 05

01 Oct 08

Cartography, land use
and planning, disastermonitoring

MSC

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 685 km
Period: 98.5 mins
Inclination: 28 deg
Repeat cycle: 1050 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: kompsat.kari.re.kr/english/index.asp

Currently
being flown

04 May 76

04 May 16

Geodesy, crustal motion
and gravity fieldmeasurements by laser
ranging

LRA (LAGEOS)

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 6000 km
Period: 225 mins
Inclination: 110 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:
ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite_missions/list_of_satellites/
lagoes.html

Currently
being flown

22 Oct 92

22 Oct 32

Geodesy, crustal motion
and gravity fieldmeasurements by laser
ranging

LRA (LAGEOS)

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 5900 km
Period: 223 mins
Inclination: 52 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:
ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellite_missions/list_of_satell
ites/lagoes.htmlNASA\NASA_Agency_Missions1x
2.doc

Planned

01 Jan 06

01 Jan 46

Geodesy, crustal motion
and gravity fieldmeasurements by laser
ranging. Launch TBD dates given are forillustration only.

LRA (LAGEOS)

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 5900 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:
www.laeff.esa.es/eng/laeff/activity/lageos3.html

ROSKOSMOS

KOMPSAT-1(KoreaMulti-Purpose
Satellite 1)
KARI

KOMPSAT-2(KoreaMulti-Purpose
Satellite 2)KARI

LAGEOS-1(LaserGeodynamics
Satellite - 1)
NASA

LAGEOS-2(LaserGeodynamics
Satellite - 2)
NASA / ASI

LAGEOS-3(LaserGeodynamics
Satellite - 3)
NASA / ASI

142

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

Landsat-5

Currently
being flown

01 Mar 84

31 Dec 09

Earth resources, land
surface, environmental
monitoring, agriculture
and forestry, disastermonitoring andassessment, ice andsnow coverLandsat Comms,
MSS, TM

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.9 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 945
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: landsat7.usgs.gov/

Currently
being flown

15 Apr 99

31 Dec 10

Earth resources, land
surface, environmental
monitoring, agriculture
and forestry, disastermonitoring andassessment, ice andsnow coverETM+, Landsat
Comms

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1000
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: landsat7.usgs.gov/

Approved

01 Jan 09

01 Jan 14

Study of the inter-tropical MADRAS,
zone and its convective SAPHIR, ScaRaB
systems (water andenergy cycles).

Currently
being flown

10 Dec 01

31 Dec 05

KGI-4C, Klimat,
Hydrometeorology,
Type: Sun-synchronous
climatology, land surface, MIVZA, MRAltitude: 1018 km
physical oceanography, 2000M1, MSTE-5E, Period: 105.3 mins
MSU-E, MSU-SM, Inclination: 99.6 deg
heliogeophysics and
MTVZA, SAGE III, Repeat cycle:
space environment,
SFM-2
sounding of theLST:atmosphere, agriculture.
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: sputnik1.infospace.ru/

Approved

01 Dec 05

31 Dec 09

DCS
Hydrometeorology,
Type: Sun-synchronous
climatology, land surface, (ROSHYDROMET),
Altitude: 1024 km
physical oceanography, IKFS-2, KMSS,
Period: 105.3 mins
MSGI-MKA, MSU- Inclination: 99.6 deg
heliogeophysics andspace environment, data MR, MTVZA, SAR Repeat cycle:(ROSHYDROMET),
collection, sounding of
LST:
the atmosphere,
Longitude (if geo):
agriculture
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: sputnik1.infospace.ru/

Planned

01 Jan 05

01 Jan 12

Meteorology, hydrology,
climate andenvironmental
monitoring

USGS

Landsat-7
USGS

MEGHATROPIQUES
CNES / ISROMETEOR-3M N1
ROSHYDROMET /ROSKOSMOS

METEOR-3M N2ROSHYDROMET /ROSKOSMOS

Meteor-M No1
ROSHYDROMET /ROSKOSMOS

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 867 km
Period: 100 mins
Inclination: 20 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:

GALS-M, GGAK- Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 835 km
M,
IKFS-2, IKOR-M, Period:
Inclination: 98.8 deg
KMSS, MSGIRepeat cycle:
MKA, MSS-BIO,
MSU-MR, MTVZA, LST:Radiomet, RIMS- Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
M, SKL-M
URL: www.federalspace.ru

143

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Meteor-M No2

Planned

01 Jan 07

01 Jan 14

Meteorology, hydrology,
climate andenvironmental
monitoring

GALS-M, GGAK- Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 835 km
M,
IKFS-2, IKOR-M, Period:
Inclination: 98.8 deg
KMSS, MSGIRepeat cycle:
MKA, MSS-BIO,
MSU-MR, MTVZA, LST:Radiomet, RIMS- Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
M, SKL-M
URL: www.federalspace.ru

Currently
being flown

02 Mar 91

31 Dec 05

Meteorology,
METEOSAT
climatology, Atmospheric Comms, MVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat
1-7 are first generation.
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -63
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: umetsat.de/en/dps/news/spacecraft.html

Currently
being flown

20 Nov 93

01 Jun 08

Meteorology, climatology, METEOSAT
AtmosphericComms, MVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 9
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:
www.eumetsat.de/en/dps/news/spacecraft.html

ROSHYDROMET /ROSKOSMOS

METEOSAT-5
EUMETSATMETEOSAT-6
EUMETSAT

Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase
METEOSAT-7
EUMETSAT

Currently
being flown

03 Sep 97

01 Jun 09

Meteorology, climatology, METEOSAT
AtmosphericComms, MVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

METEOSAT-8(Meteosat
SecondGeneration-1)

Currently
being flown

13 Aug 02

13 Aug 09

Meteorology, climatology, GERB, MSG
AtmosphericComms, SEVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.

EUMETSAT
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

METEOSAT-9(Meteosat
SecondGeneration-2)

Approved

01 Jun 05

01 Jun 12

Meteorology, climatology, GERB, MSG
AtmosphericComms, SEVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.

EUMETSAT
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

144

Orbit details & URL

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 0
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/mtp/index.html

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 0
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic1.html

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 0
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic1.html

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

METEOSAT-10(Meteosat
SecondGeneration-3)

Approved

01 Jun 08

01 Jun 15

Meteorology, climatology, GERB, MSG
AtmosphericComms, SEVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.

Instruments

EUMETSAT
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

METEOSAT-11(Meteosat
SecondGeneration-4)

Approved

01 Dec 11

01 Dec 18

Meteorology, climatology, GERB, MSG
AtmosphericComms, SEVIRI
dynamics/water andenergy cycles. Meteosat 17 are first generation.

EUMETSAT
Meteosat 8-11 aresecond generation andknown as MSG in thedevelopment phase

METOP-1(Meteorological
Operational
Polar
Satellite - 1)

01 Dec 10

Meteorology,
climatology

AMSU-A, ARGOS,ASCAT, AVHRR/3,
GOME-2, GRAS,
HIRS/4, IASI,
MCP, MHS, S&R(NOAA)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 840 km
Period: 101.7 mins
Inclination: 98.8 deg
Repeat cycle: 5 days
LST: 930
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic2.html

Approved

31 Dec 09

31 Dec 14

Meteorology,
climatology

AMSU-A, ARGOS,ASCAT, AVHRR/3,
GOME-2, GRAS,
HIRS/4, IASI,
MCP, MHS, S&R(NOAA), SEM(POES)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 930
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic2.html

Approved

01 Jun 14

01 Jun 19

Meteorology, climatology AMSU-A, ARGOS,ASCAT, AVHRR/3,
GOME-2, GRAS,
HIRS/4, IASI,
MCP, MHS

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 840 km
Period: 101.7 mins
Inclination: 98.8 deg
Repeat cycle: 5 days
LST: 930
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic2.html

Planned

01 Apr 05

31 Dec 10

Agriculture and forestry, PSA, RDSA
hydrology, environmental
monitoring,hydrometeorology, ice
and snow, land surface,meteorology

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 540 km
Period:Inclination: 97.5 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 540
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.federalspace.ru

EUMETSAT

Monitor-E
ROSKOSMOS

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 0
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic1.html

01 Dec 05

EUMETSATMETOP-3(Meteorological
Operational
Polar
Satellite - 3)

Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): 0
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.eumetsat.de/en/area4/topic1.html

Approved

EUMETSATMETOP-2(Meteorological
Operational
Polar
Satellite - 2)

Orbit details & URL

145

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

01 Feb 06

31 Dec 15

IMAGER/MTSAT- Type: Geostationary
Meteorology,
aeronautical applications 2, MTSAT Comms Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -140
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:

Currently
being flown

21 Nov 00

30 Sep 05

Land surface, earth
resources

NMP EO-3 GIFTS Considered(New Millenium
Program EO-3 Geosynchronous
Imaging Fourier
Transform
Spectrometer)

01 Oct 06

01 Oct 08

Continuous observation of GIFTS
atmospheric temperature,
water vapour content anddistribution, and theconcentration of certain
other atmospheric gases
as a function of altitude
over time - providing a
new way to observe
weather and the changing
atmosphere.

14 May 91

31 Dec 05

ARGOS, AVHRR/2, Type: Sun-synchronous
Meteorology, agriculture
and forestry, environmental HIRS/2, MSU,
Altitude: 850 km
NOAA Comms,
monitoring, climatology,
Period: 101.3 mins
SEM (POES), SSU Inclination: 98.5 deg
physical oceanography,
volcanic eruption
Repeat cycle:
monitoring, ice and snow
LST: 449
cover, space environment,
Longitude (if geo):
solar flux analysis, searchAsc/desc: Descending
and rescue
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/

30 Dec 94

31 Dec 05

ARGOS, AVHRR/2, Type: Sun-synchronous
Meteorology, agriculture
and forestry, environmental HIRS/2, MSU,
Altitude: 850 km
NOAA Comms,
monitoring, climatology,
Period: 102.1 mins
S&R (NOAA),
physical oceanography,
Inclination: 99.1 deg
SBUV/2, SEM
volcanic eruption
Repeat cycle:
monitoring, ice and snow (POES), SSU
LST: 1752
cover, space environment,
Longitude (if geo):
solar flux analysis, searchAsc/desc: Ascending
and rescue
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/

01 May 98

31 Dec 06

Meteorology, agriculture
AMSU-A, AMSU- Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 813 km
and forestry, environmental B, ARGOS,
monitoring, climatology,
AVHRR/3, HIRS/3, Period: 101.4 mins
Inclination: 98.6 deg
physical oceanography,
NOAA Comms,
Repeat cycle:
volcanic eruption
S&R (NOAA),LST: 708
monitoring, ice and snow SBUV/2, SEM
Longitude (if geo):
cover, space environment, (POES)
Asc/desc: Descending
solar flux analysis, search
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/and rescue

MTSAT-2
Approved(Multi-functional
Transport
Satellite)JMA

NMP EO-1(New Millenium
Program Earth
Observing-1)

Instruments

ALI, Hyperion,
LAC

NASA

NASA

Currently
NOAA-12
being flown(National
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - 12)
NOAA

Currently
NOAA-14
being flown(National
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - 14)
NOAA

NOAA-15
Currently(National
being flown
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - 15)
NOAA

146

Orbit details & URL

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 99 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: eo1.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Type: Geostationary
Altitude: 36000 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo): -83
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/eo3/index.html

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

21 Sep 00

31 Dec 06

Meteorology, agriculture
AMSU-A, AMSU- Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 870 km
and forestry, environmental B, ARGOS,
monitoring, climatology,
AVHRR/3, HIRS/3, Period: 102 mins
Inclination: 98.8 deg
physical oceanography,
NOAA Comms,
Repeat cycle:
volcanic eruption
S&R (NOAA),LST: 1354
monitoring, ice and snow SBUV/2, SEM
Longitude (if geo):
cover, total ozone studies, (POES)
Asc/desc: Ascending
space environment, solar
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/
flux analysis, search andrescue10 Mar 05

30 Nov 08

Meteorology, agriculture
AMSU-A, ARGOS, Type: Sun-synchronousand forestry, environmental AVHRR/3, HIRS/4, Altitude: 870 km
Period: 102.1 mins
monitoring, climatology,
MHS, NOAA
Inclination: 98.75 deg
physical oceanography,
Comms, S&R
volcanic eruption(NOAA), SBUV/2, Repeat cycle:
LST: 1400
monitoring, ice and snow SEM (POES)
Longitude (if geo):
cover, total ozone studies,
Asc/desc: Ascending
space environment, solar
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/
flux analysis, search andrescueApproved

11 Feb 05

30 Nov 08

AMSU-A, ARGOS, Type: Sun-synchronous
Meteorology, agriculture
and forestry, environmental AVHRR/3, HIRS/4, Altitude: 870 km
MHS, NOAA
monitoring, climatology,
Period: 102.1 mins
Comms, S&R
physical oceanography,
Inclination: 98.75 deg(NOAA), SBUV/2, Repeat cycle:
volcanic eruption
monitoring, ice and snow SEM (POES)
LST: 1400
Longitude (if geo):
cover, total ozone studies,
space environment, solar
Asc/desc: Ascending
flux analysis, search and
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/
rescueApproved
NOAA-N'(National
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - N')

30 Nov 08

01 Dec 11

AMSU-A, ARGOS, Type: Sun-synchronous
Meteorology, agriculture
and forestry, environmental AVHRR/3, HIRS/4, Altitude: 870 km
MHS, NOAA
monitoring, climatology,
Period: 102.1 mins
Comms, S&R
physical oceanography,
Inclination: 98.75 deg(NOAA), SBUV/2, Repeat cycle:
volcanic eruption
monitoring, ice and snow SEM (POES)
LST: 1400
cover, total ozone studies,
Longitude (if geo):
space environment, solar
Asc/desc: Ascending
flux analysis, search and
URL: www.oso.noaa.gov/poes/
rescueApproved

30 Nov 09

01 Nov 15

Meteorological, climatic, A-DCS, APS,
CMIS, SARSAT,
terrestrial,
VIIRS
oceanographic, andsolar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 2130 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

Approved

30 Jun 11

01 Jun 17

Meteorological, climatic,
terrestrial,
oceanographic, andsolar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 1330 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

NOAA-16
Currently(National
being flown
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - 16)
NOAA

NOAA-17
Approved(National
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - 17)
NOAA

NOAA-N(National
Oceanic andAtmospheric
Administration - N)
NOAA

NOAA

NPOESS-1(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 1)
NOAA

NPOESS-2(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 2)
NOAA

Instruments

A-DCS, ATMS,
CERES, CMIS,
CrIS, OMPS, S&R(NOAA), SARSAT,SESS, VIIRS

Orbit details & URL

147

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

NPOESS-3(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 3)

Approved

04 Jun 13

09 Jun 18

Meteorological, climatic,
terrestrial,
oceanographic, andsolar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

Type: Sun-synchronous
A-DCS, ALT,
CMIS, ERBS, S&R Altitude: 833 km(NOAA), SARSAT, Period: 101 mins
SESS, TSIS, VIIRS Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 1730 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

Approved

01 Nov 15

06 Nov 20

Meteorological, climatic, A-DCS, APS,
terrestrial,
CMIS, SARSAT,
oceanographic, andSESS, VIIRS
solar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 2130 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

Approved

01 Jan 18

01 Jun 23

Meteorological, climatic,
terrestrial,
oceanographic, andsolar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

A-DCS, ATMS,
CERES, CMIS,
CrIS, OMPS, S&R(NOAA), SARSAT,SESS, VIIRS

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 1330 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

Approved

09 May 19

01 May 24

Meteorological, climatic,
terrestrial,
oceanographic, andsolar-geophysicalapplications; global andregional environmental
monitoring, search andrescue, data collection.

A-DCS, ALT,
Type: Sun-synchronous
CMIS, ERBS, S&R Altitude: 833 km(NOAA), SARSAT, Period: 101 mins
SESS, TSIS, VIIRS Inclination: 98.75 deg
Repeat cycle: 1730 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.npoess.noaa.gov/

Approved
NPP(NPOESS(National
Polar-orbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite System)
Preparatory
Project)

31 Oct 06

26 Oct 11

Meteorological, climatic, ATMS, CrIS,OMPS, VIIRS
terrestrial, andoceanographic
applications; global andregional environmental
monitoring. (Joint
mission with NASA)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 833 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 1030 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/

01 Jan 07

01 Jan 11

Ocean and atmosphereapplications

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 720 km
Period: 99.31 mins
Inclination: 98.28 deg
Repeat cycle: 2 days
LST: 1200
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

NOAA

NPOESS-4(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 4)
NOAA

NPOESS-5(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 4)
NOAA

NPOESS-6(National Polarorbiting
Operational
Environmental
Satellite
System - 4)
NOAA

Orbit details & URL

NOAA
OCEANSAT-2(Oceansatellite-2)
ISRO

148

Planned

OCM,
Scatterometer(ISRO)Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

01 Aug 07

01 Aug 09

High resolution carbon
OCO
dioxide measurements tocharacterize sources andsinks on regional scales
and quantify theirvariability over theseasonal cycle

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: essp.gsfc.nasa.gov/oco/index.html

20 Feb 01

30 Mar 05

Atmospheric research,
stratospheric ozone
chemistry, mesosphericozone science, summer
mesospheric science

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 590 km
Period: 97.6 mins
Inclination: 97.8 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1800
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.ssc.se

18 Dec 04

18 Dec 06

POLDER-P
Micro-satellite with theaim of characterisation of
the clouds and aerosols
microphysical andradiative properties,
needed to understandand model the radiative
impact of clouds andaerosols.

Approved

06 Jan 08

01 Aug 10

Simultaneous
measurements of solar
diameter, differential
rotation, solar constant,and variability

PREMOS,SODISM, SOVAP

Type: TBD
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www-projet.cst.cnes.fr:8060/PICARD/
index.html

Approved

01 Jul 08

01 Jul 13

Cartography, land use,
risk, agriculture andforestry, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models, defence

Pleiades HR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 694 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: smsc.cnes.fr/PLEIADES/Fr/index.htm

Approved

31 Dec 09

31 Dec 14

Cartography, land use,
risk, agriculture andforestry, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models, defence

Pleiades HR

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 694 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: smsc.cnes.fr/PLEIADES/Fr/index.htm

OCO
Planned(Orbiting Carbon
Observatory)
NASA

Odin
SNSB

Currently
being flown

Approved
PARASOL(Polarization andAnisotropy ofReflectances for
Atmospheric
Science coupled
withObservations
from a LIDAR)

Instruments

OSIRIS, SMR

Orbit details & URL

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 700 km
Period: 98.8 mins
Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1200
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: smsc.cnes.fr/PARASOL/index.htm

CNES
PICARD
CNES

Pleiades 1
CNES

Pleiades 2
CNES

149

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

QuikSCAT(QuickScatterometer)

Currently
being flown

19 Jun 99

01 Oct 07

Acquires accurate, high- SeaWinds
resolution, global
measurements of seasurface wind vectors in 1
to 2 day repeat cycles forstudies of tropospheric
dynamics and air-sea
interaction processes,
including air-sea
momentum transfer. Endof life date TBD

Currently
being flown

04 Nov 95

31 Dec 05

Environmental
monitoring, physicaloceanography, ice andsnow, land surface

RADARSAT DTT, Type: Sun-synchronous
RADARSAT TTC, Altitude: 798 km
SAR (RADARSAT) Period: 100.7 mins
Inclination: 98.594 deg
Repeat cycle: 24 days
LST: 1800
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL:
www.space.gc.ca/csa_sectors/earth_environment/ radarsat/default.asp

Approved

31 Dec 05

31 Dec 12

Environmental
monitoring, physicaloceanography, ice andsnow, land surface

SAR (RADARSAT- Type: Sun-synchronous
2)
Altitude: 798 km
Period: 100.7 mins
Inclination: 98.6 deg
Repeat cycle: 24 days
LST: 1800
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL:
www.space.gc.ca/csa_sectors/earth_environment/radarsat2/default.asp

Approved

01 Jan 07

01 Jan 14

System of 5 satellites for MSI
cartography, land
surface, digital terrain
models, disastermanagement,
environmental
monitoring.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 600 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.rapideye.de/01 Oct 03

01 Oct 08

Natural Resources
AWiFS,
Management;
LISS-III,
Agricultural applications; LISS-IV
Forestry

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 817 km
Period: 102 mins
Inclination: 98.72 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

01 Jul 06

01 Jul 11

Natural Resources
AWiFS,
Management;
LISS-III,
Agricultural applications; LISS-IV
Forestry

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 817 km
Period: 102 mins
Inclination: 98.72 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

NASA

RADARSAT-1(Radarsatellite-1)
CSA

RADARSAT-2(Radarsatellite-2)
CSA

RapidEye(RapidEye)DLR

RESOURCESAT-1 Currently(Resource
being flown
satellite-1)
ISRORESOURCESAT-2 Planned(Resource
satellite-2)
ISRO

150

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 803 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.6 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL:
winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Resurs DK

Planned01 Jun 05

31 Dec 08

Agriculture and forestry, Arina, Geoton-L1,hydrology, environmental Pamela
monitoring,hydrometeorology, ice
and snow, land surface,meteorology

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 480 km
Period:Inclination: 70.4 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: sputnik1.infospace.ru/

Approved

01 Jul 06

01 Jul 11

Land surface, agriculture SAR (RISAT)and forestry, regional
geology, land use studies,water resources,
vegetation studies,coastal studies and soils especially during cloud
seasonType: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 586 km
Period: 96.5 mins
Inclination: 12 deg
Repeat cycle: 600 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

Currently
being flown

21 Nov 00

31 Dec 05

Earth Observation,
studies the structure anddynamics of the Earth’s
surface, atmosphere,
ionosphere andgeomagnetic field

GOLPE, HRTC,
HSTC, ICARE,
INES, IST, MMP,
MMRS, WTE

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 9 days
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/Approved

11 Sep 08

11 Sep 11

Earth observation
studies; measurement ofocean salinity;
emergency management

Aquarius, HSC,ICARE, MWR(CONAE), NIRST,ROSA, SODAD

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 9 days
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/

Planned

21 Nov 09

01 Dec 14

Food production;
MOC
environmental
monitoring; inner coastal
and water quality

Planned

21 Nov 07

01 Dec 11

Earth observation
studies; emergency
management;
landscape epidemiology

ROSKOSMOSRISAT-1(Radar Imaging
Satellite)
ISRO

SAC-C
CONAE

SAC-D/Aquarius
CONAE / NASA

SAC-E/SABIA
CONAE

SAC-F
CONAE

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 9 days
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/

Type: Sun-synchronous
HRMS, HSMS,
HSS, TIS (CONAE) Altitude: 705 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 9 days
LST: 1015
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/151

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

SAOCOM 1A

Approved

01 Oct 07

01 Oct 11

Earth Observation and
IR Camera
Emergency management (SAOCOM), SAR
with an L-band SAR(SAOCOM)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 629 km
Period: 96 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/Approved

01 Oct 08

01 Oct 12

Earth Observation and
IR Camera
Emergency management (SAOCOM), SAR
with an L-band SAR(SAOCOM)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 629 km
Period: 96 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/

Planned

01 Oct 13

01 Oct 17

Earth Observation and
IR Camera
Emergency management (SAOCOM), SAR
with an L-band SAR(SAOCOM)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 629 km
Period: 96 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/

Planned

01 Oct 12

01 Oct 16

IR Camera
Earth Observation andEmergency management (SAOCOM), SAR
with an L-band SAR(SAOCOM)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 629 km
Period: 96 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.conae.gov.ar/Currently
being flown

09 Feb 93

01 Dec 05

Data collection andcommunication

DCP (SCD)

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 750 km
Period: 100 mins
Inclination: 25 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.inpe.br/programas/mecb/default.htm

Currently
being flown

22 Oct 98

01 Dec 05

Data collection andcommunication

DCP (SCD)

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 750 km
Period: 100 mins
Inclination: 25 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.inpe.br/programas/mecb/default.htm

CONAE

SAOCOM 1B
CONAE

SAOCOM-2B (1)CONAE

SAOCOM-2B (2)
CONAE

SCD-1
(Data Collecting
Satellite 1)

Instruments

INPE

SCD-2
(Data Collecting
Satellite 2)
INPE

152

Orbit details & URL

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

SCISAT-1(SCISAT-I/ACE)

Currently
being flown

12 Aug 03

20 Dec 07

To improve ourunderstanding of thedepletion of the ozone
layer, particularly overCanada and the Arctic

ACE-FTS,
MAESTRO

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 650 km
Period:Inclination: 74 deg
Repeat cycle: 15 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.space.gc.ca/scisat1

Approved

24 Dec 04

31 Dec 07

Physical Oceanography, MSU-EU, MSU-M, Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 650 km
Hydrometeorology, Land MTVZA-OK,
Period: 98 mins
Observation
RLSBO, RM-08
Inclination: 82.5 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

Planned31 Dec 05

31 Dec 10

Land Observation

Approved

15 Feb 07

15 Feb 10

MIRAS (SMOS)
Overall objectives are toprovide global
observations of two crucial
variables for modelling theweather and climate, Soil
Moisture and Ocean
Salinity. It will also monitor
the vegetation watercontent, snow cover andice structure.

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 756 km
Period:Inclination: 98.45 deg
Repeat cycle: 165 days
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/smos.html

25 Jan 03

25 Jan 09

SIM, SOLSTICE,
Continues the precise,long-term measurements TIM, XPS
of total solar irradiance at
UV and VNIR
wavelengths. Daily
measurements of solar
UV. Precise
measurements of visible
solar irradiance forclimate studies.

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 600 km
Period:Inclination: 40 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/

22 Jan 90

31 Dec 05

Cartography, land
surface, agriculture andforestry, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models,environmental
monitoring

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 832 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:
www.spotimage.fr/html/_167_224_229_.php

CSA

SICH-1M
NSAU /ROSKOSMOS

SICH-2

MBEI, MIREI

NSAU

SMOS
(Soil Moisture
and Ocean
Salinity (Earth
Explorer
Opportunity
Mission))ESA

Currently
SORCE(Solar Radiation being flown
and Climate
Experiment)
NASA

SPOT-2Currently(Satellite Pour
being flownl'Observation dela Terre - 2)
CNES

DORIS, HRV

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 668 km
Period: 98 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle: 4 days
LST: 1050
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL:

153

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

Instruments

Orbit details & URL

24 Mar 98

31 Dec 05

Cartography, land
surface, agriculture andforestry, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models,environmental
monitoring

DORIS, HRVIR,VEGETATION

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 832 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:
www.spotimage.fr/html/_167_224_229_.php

04 May 02

04 May 07

Cartography, land
surface, agriculture andforestry, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models,environmental
monitoring

DORIS-NG, HRG,
HRS,
VEGETATION

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 832 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle: 26 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL:
www.spotimage.fr/html/_167_224_229_.php

01 Dec 07

01 Dec 11

Earth resources,
OBA
environmental
monitoring, land surface

01 Dec 12

01 Dec 15

L-band SAR, OBA Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Earth resources,
environmental
Altitude: 905 km
monitoring, land surface
Period: 103 mins
Inclination: 0 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.inpe.br/programas/mecb/default.htm

Currently
being flown

06 Feb 75

31 Dec 50

Geodesy/gravity Study of Laser reflectors
the Earth’s gravitational
field and its temporalvariations

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 812 km
Period: 104 mins
Inclination: 49.83 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:

Currently
being flown

30 Sep 93

31 Dec 50

Geodesy/gravity Study of Laser reflectors
the Earth’s gravitational
field and its temporalvariations

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 830 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL:

SPOT-4Currently(Satellite Pour
being flownl'Observation dela Terre - 4)
CNES

SPOT-5Currently(Satellite Pour
being flownl'Observation dela Terre - 5)
CNES

Approved
SSR-1(Remote Sensing
Satellite 1)
INPE

Planned
SSR-2(Remote Sensing
Satellite 2)
INPE

STARLETTE
CNESSTELLA
CNES

154

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 905 km
Period: 103.2 mins
Inclination: 0 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: www.inpe.br/programas/mecb/default.htm

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

01 Jan 09

01 Jan 13

To provide the best ever ACC, ASM, EFI,
survey of the
GPS (ESA), STR,
geomagnetic field and its VFM
temporal evolution, andgain new insights into
improving our knowledgeof the Earth’s interior andclimate.

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 450 km
Period:Inclination: 87.4 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 600
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.esa.int/export/esaLP/swarm.html

Currently
being flown

18 Dec 99

18 Dec 05

Atmospheric
ASTER, CERES,
dynamics/water and
MISR, MODIS,
energy cycles,
MOPITT
Atmospheric chemistry,
Physical and radiative
properties of clouds,
airland exchanges ofenergy, carbon and water,
vertical profiles of CO andmethane vulcanology

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 705 km
Period: 99 mins
Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle: 16 days
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: terra.nasa.gov/

Considered

01 Jan 06

01 Jan 11

SAR imagery in support L-SAR
of agriculture, forestry etc.

Type: TBD
Altitude: 660 km
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.infoterra-global.com/terrasar.html

Approved

27 Oct 05

01 Mar 11

Cartography, land
surface, civil planningand mapping, digitalterrain models,environmental
monitoring.

Currently
being flown

22 Oct 01

31 Dec 05

For demonstrating manysatellite technologies for
future Cartosat satellites

Approved

01 Jul 07

01 Jul 12

Earth Resources, Landsurface and Disaster
Monitoring, Civil
Planning

Swarm
Approved(Earth's
Magnetic Field
and Environment
Explorer;
Constellation of
three satellites)
ESA

Terra
(formerly EOS
AM-1)
NASA

TerraSAR-L(TerraSAR L
band)

Instruments

BNSC

TerraSAR-X(TerraSAR X
band)
DLR

TES
(Technology
Experimental
Satellite)

TerraSAR-X

GISTDA

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 514 km
Period: 94.85 mins
Inclination: 97.4 deg
Repeat cycle: 11 days
LST: 1800
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Ascending
URL: www.terrasar.de/
Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude:
Period:Inclination:
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.isro.org/

ISRO

THEOS
(Thailand Earth
Observation
System)Orbit details & URL

MS (GISTDA),PAN (GISTDA)

Type: Sun-synchronous
Altitude: 822 km
Period: 101 mins
Inclination: 98.7 deg
Repeat cycle: 35 days
LST: 1000
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: Descending
URL: www.gistda.or.th155

Mission

StatusLaunch
date

EOL
date

Applications

TIMED(Thermosphere
Ionosphere
Mesosphere
Energetics andDynamics
mission)Currently
being flown

07 Dec 01

07 Dec 20

Investigates the
SABER
influences of the sun andhumans on the least
explored and understoodregion of the Earth's
atmosphere - themesosphere and lower
thermosphere/
ionosphere (MLTI)

Topex-Poseidon Currently(Topographic
being flown
Experiment/Pose
idon)

10 Aug 92

01 Oct 05

Physical oceanography,
geodesy/gravity

01 May 05

01 May 06

Prototype low-cost high- TOPSAT telescope Type: Sun-synchronous
resolution imager
Altitude: 600 km
Period:Inclination: 98 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST: 1030
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.qinetiq.com/industries/space/
spacecraft_technology/case_study_topsat/index.asp

Currently
being flown

15 Sep 91

30 Apr 05

Atmospheric chemistry
ACRIM II, CLAES, Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous(middle to upper
HALOE, HRDI,
Altitude: 585 km
atmosphere), atmospheric ISAMS, PEM,
Period: 95.9 mins
dynamics/water and
SOLSTICE, SUSIM Inclination: 57 deg
energy cycles. HALOE,(UARS), WINDII Repeat cycle:
HRDI, MLS, PEM
LST:instruments still
Longitude (if geo):
functioning. End date TBD.
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: umpgal.gsfc.nasa.gov/uars-science.html

Currently
being flown

27 Sep 03

31 Dec 06

Medium resolution
visible imager forsupport of disastermanagement

DMC Imager

Type: TBD
Altitude: 785 km
Period:Inclination: 98.2 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: TBD
URL: www.sstl.co.uk/index.php?loc=113

01 Jan 05

31 Dec 06

Monitoring of Earth's
seismic activity forearthquake and volcanic
eruption forecasting

DRF, GID-12T,
NVK, RBE, RCHA

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 500 km
Period:Inclination: 79 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.federalspace.ru

NASA

NASA / CNES

Approved
TopSat(Optical Imaging
Satellite)
BNSC

UARS
(UpperAtmosphere
Research
Satellite)NASA

UK-DMC(UK Disaster
Monitoring
Constellation)

Instruments

ROSKOSMOS

156

Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
Altitude: 625 km
Period:Inclination: 74.1 deg
Repeat cycle:
LST:Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc:
URL: www.timed.jhuapl.edu/

DORIS, GPSDR, Type: Inclined, non-sunsynchronous
LRA, POSEIDON-1 Altitude: 1336 km(SSALT-1), TMR, Period: 112.4 mins
Inclination: 66 deg
TOPEX
Repeat cycle: 10 days
LST:
Longitude (if geo):
Asc/desc: N/A
URL: topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/tplaunch.html

BNSC

Vulkan-Kompas-2 Planned

Orbit details & URL

9 Catalogue of satellite instruments
This section contains an alphabetical list of all
instruments on the missions listed in section 8. For each
instrument the following information is given:
Instrument nameInstrument acronym
Full instrument nameMissions

A list of missions that the instrument is
expected to fly on

StatusShort description of the status of the
instrument (eg whether being developed or
currently operational)

Type

Instrument type – using the categories
outlined in section 6

Measurements/
applications

Primary measurements and applicationsof the instrument

Technical
characteristics

WavebandSpatial resolution
Swath width
Accuracy

The descriptions of waveband adopt the following
conventions for defining which parts of the spectrum
are measured:
Frequency
RegionAcronym
Sub-region

Wavelength range
from

to

Ultraviolet

UV~0.01µm~0.40µm

VisibleVIS~0.40µm~0.75µm

Near
Infrared

NIR~0.75µm~1.3µmShort Wave
InfraredSWIR~1.3µm

~3.0µmMid Wave
InfraredMWIR~3.0µm

~6.0µmThermalInfraredTIR~6.0µm

~15.0µm

Far
InfraredFIR~15.0µm~0.1cmMW~0.1cm~100cmInfrared

Microwave

157

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Multiple direction/
polarisation
radiometers

Measurements of sea surface Waveband:
VIS - NIR: 0.555, 0.659,
temperature, land surface
0.865µm,SWIR: 1.6µm,
temperature, cloud top
MWIR: 3.7µm, TIR: 10.85,
temperature, cloud cover,
12µm
aerosols, vegetation,
Spatial resolution: IR ocean channels: 1km x
atmospheric water vapour and
1km, Visible land channels:
liquid water content
1km x 1km
Swath width:
500 km
Accuracy:
Sea surface temperature:<0.5K over 0.5 deg x 0.5 deg(lat/long) area with 80%
cloud cover Land surface
temperature: 0.1K (relative)

GOES-R

Approved

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures cloud cover,atmospheric radiance, winds,
atmospheric stability, rainfall
estimates. Used to provide
severe storm warnings/
monitoring day and night(type, amount, storm features)

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection ofproperty, and ultimately, economic health anddevelopment.

Swarm

Operational

Gravity &Spaceenvironment

Measures the non-gravitational
accelerations, caused forexample by air-drag, winds,
Earth albedo and solar
radiation pressure acting on
the satellites. In-situ air density
measurements together withmagnetic data can be used toobtain new insights on thegeomagnetic forcing of theupper atmosphere.

Waveband:N/A
Spatial resolution: 0.1nm/s2
Swath width:
N/A
0.1nm/s2
Accuracy:

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Objective is to measure andunderstand the chemical
processes that control the
distribution of ozone in the
Earth's atmosphere, especiallyat high altitudes.

Waveband:

AATSR
EnvisatAdvanced Along-Track
Scanning Radiometer
BNSC

ABI
Advanced Baseline
ImagerNOAA

ACC
AccelerometerESA

SCISAT-1
ACE-FTS
Atmospheric Chemistry
Experiment (ACE)
mission
CSA

SWIR - TIR: 2 - 5.5 µm,
5.5 - 13 µm(0.02cm-1 resolution)

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

UARS

Not
operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measurements of solar
luminosity and solar constant.
Data used as record of ime
variation of total solar
irradiance, from extreme UV
through to infra-red

Waveband:
UV-FIR:1nm-50µm
Spatial resolution: Not applicable
Swath width:
Not applicable
Accuracy:
Measures integrated flux ofsolar radiation to <0.1%

ACRIMSAT

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measurements of solar
luminosity and solar constant.
Data used as record of time
variation of total solar
irradiance, from extreme UV
through to infra-red

Waveband:UV - MWIR: 0.15 - 5 µm
Spatial resolution: 5 deg FOV
Swath width:
55 mins per orbit of full solar
disk data
0.1% of full scale
Accuracy:

NPOESS-1,
A-DCS
ARGOS-Data Collection NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-3,
System
NPOESS-4,
NOAA
NPOESS-5,
NPOESS-6

Beingdeveloped

Data collection

Data collection andcommunication system forreceiving and retransmitting
data from ocean and landbased remote observing
platforms/transponders

The Argos DCS is a data collection relay system
and not an Earth observing instrument.

ACRIM II
Active Cavity
Radiometer Irradiance
MonitorNASA

ACRIM III
Active Cavity
Radiometer Irradiance
MonitorNASA

158

Technical characteristics

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

AIRS
Atmospheric Infra-red
Sounder

Aqua

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

High spectral resolution
measurement of temperatureand humidty profiles in theatmosphere. Long-wave Earthsurface emissivity. Cloud
diagnostics. Trace gas profiles.
Surface temperatures.

Waveband:

LidarsPrimary objective is to provide
wind profile measurements for
an improved analysis of global
3-D wind fields. Measures
Doppler shift information frommolecules and particles
advected by the wind

Waveband:UV: 355nm
Spatial resolution: 50km (footprint: 70m)
Swath width:
Accuracy:
0.5ms-1(0 to 2km),
1ms-1(2 to 16km), 2ms-1(above 16km)

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Measurement of Earth surface
reflectance. Will validate newtechnologies contributing tocost reduction and increased
capabilities for future
missions. ALI comprises awide field telescope andmultispectral andpanchromatic instrument

Waveband:10 bands: VIS&NIR: 0.4800.690µm, 0.433-0.453µm,
0.450-0.515µm,
0.525-0.605µm,
0.630-0.690µm,
0.775-0.805µm,
0.845-0.890µm,
1.200-1.300µm,
SWIR: 1.550-1.750µm,
2.080-2.350µm
Spatial resolution: PAN: 10m, VNIR&SWIR: 30m
Swath width:
37km
Accuracy:
SNR @ 5% surf refl Pan:220,
Multi 1: 215,
Multi 2: 280,
Multi 3: 290,
Multi 4:240,
Multi 4':190,
Multi 5':130,
Multi 5:175, Multi 7:170(prototype instrument exceeds
ETM+ SNR by a factor of 4 - 8)

Beingdeveloped

Radar altimeters

Obtains precise altimeterheight measurements overworld's oceans

13.6 and 5.3 GHZ
Waveband:Spatial resolution: Along track 15km
Swath width:
15km
Accuracy:
SST height 4cm

Operational

Imaging
All-weather images of ocean,microwave radars ice and land surfaces.
Monitoring of coastal zones,
polar ice, sea state, geologicalfeatures, vegetation (including
forests), land surface
processes, hydrology.

Waveband:Operational

Imaging
Provides measurements of
microwave radars ocean wave spectra

Waveband:NASA

ALADIN
Atmospheric Laser
Doppler Instrument

ADM-Aeolus Prototype

ESA

ALI
NMP EO-1
Advanced Land Imager
NASA

ALT
Altimeter

NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-6

NOAA

AMI/SAR/Image
ERS-2
Active Microwave
Instrumentation. Image
Mode
ESA

ERS-2
AMI/SAR/wave
Active Microwave
Instrumentation. Wave
mode
ESA

VIS - TIR: 0.4 - 1.7µm, 3.4 15.4µm, Has approximately
2382 bands from VIS to TIR
Spatial resolution: 1.1 degree (13X13 Km atnadir)
Swath width:+/-48.95 degrees
Accuracy:
Humidity: 20%,
Temperature: 1K

Microwave: 5.3 GHz, C band,
VV polarisation, bandwidth
15.5 ± 0.06 MHz
Spatial resolution: 30m
100km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Landscape topography: 3m,
Bathymetry: 0.3m, Sea ice
type: 3 classes

Microwave: 5.3GHz (C-band),VV polarisation
Spatial resolution: 30m
Swath width:
Sea surface wind speed: 3m/s,
Accuracy:
Significant wave height: 0.2m

159

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Operational

Scatterometers

Provides measurements ofwind fields at the ocean
surface, wind direction (range
0-360 deg), wind speed(range 1m/s - 30m/s)

Waveband:Prototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Provides measurements ofWaveband:Microwave: 6.925, 10.65,
water vapour, cloud liquid
18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 50.3, 52.8,
water, precipitation, winds,
89.0 GHzsea surface temperature, sea Spatial resolution: 5-50km (dependent on
ice concentration, snow cover,frequency)
soil moisture
Swath width:
1600km
Accuracy:
Sea surface temparature:
0.5K, Sea ice cover: 10%,
Cloud liquid water:
0.05kg/m2, Precipitation rate:
10%, Water vapour: 3.5kg/m2
through total column, Sea
surface wind speed 1.5m/s

Prototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Provides measurements ofwater vapour, cloud liquidwater, precipitation, winds,
sea surface temperature, sea
ice concentration, snow coverand soil moisture

Aqua,
METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Microwave: 15 channels,
Provides all weather night-day Waveband:
temperature sounding to an
23.8-89.0GHz
altitude of 45km
Spatial resolution: 48km
Swath width:
2054km
Accuracy:
Temperature profile: 2K,
Humidity: 3kg/m2,
Ice & snow cover: 10%

NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides all weather night-day Waveband:
humidity sounding

Glory,
NPOESS-1,
NPOESS-4

Proposed

Atmosphericchemistry

Global distribution of naturaland anthropogenic aerosolsfor quantification of theaerosol effect on climate, theanthropogenic componentof this effect, and thelong-term change of this effectcaused by natural andanthropogenic factors

AMI/scatterometer
ERS-2
Active Microwave
Instrumentation. Wind
mode
ESA

AMSR follow-on
Advanced Microwave
Scanning Radiometer
follow-on

GCOM-W

JAXA

AMSR-E
Aqua
Advanced Microwave
Scanning RadiometerEOSJAXA (NASA)

AMSU-A
Advanced Microwave
Sounding Unit-A
NOAA (BNSC)

AMSU-B
Advanced Microwave
Sounding Unit-B
NOAA (BNSC)

APS
Aerosol Polarimetry
Sensor
NOAA

160

Microwave: 5.3GHz (C-band),VV polarisation
Spatial resolution: Cells of 50km x 50km at 25km
intervals
Swath width:
500km
Accuracy:
Sea surface wind speed: 3m/s,
Sea ice type: 2 classes

Waveband:Microwave: 6.925, 10.65,
18.7, 23.8, 36.5, 89.0 GHz
Spatial resolution: 5-50km (dependent on
frequency)
Swath width:
1445kmSea surface temparature:
Accuracy:
0.5K, Sea ice cover: 10%,
Cloud liquid water: 0.05kg/m2,
Precipitation rate: 10%, Water
vapour: 3.5kg/m2 throughtotal column, Sea surface
wind speed 1.5m/s

Microwave: 89GHz, 150GHz,
183.3± 1.0 GHz (2bands),
183.3± 3.0 GHz (2bands),
183.3± 7.0 GHz (2bands)
Spatial resolution: 16km
2200kmSwath width:
Accuracy:
Humidity profile: 1kg/m2,

Waveband:Microwave: 89GHz, 150GHz,
183.3± 1.0 GHz (2bands),
183.3± 3.0 GHz (2bands),
183.3± 7.0 GHz (2bands)
Spatial resolution: 16km
Swath width:
2200km
Accuracy:
Humidity profile: 1kg/m2,

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Aquarius
NASA (CONAE)

SAC-D/
Aquarius

Proposed

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave) &Scatterometers

The Aquarius mission willmeasure global sea surface
salinity with unprecedented
resolution. The instruments
include a set of three
radiometers that are sensitive
to salinity (1.413 GHz; Lband). The scatterometercorrects for the ocean's
surface roughness.

Waveband:
L Band (1.413-1.260 GHz
Spatial resolution: 100km
Swath width:
300km
Accuracy: .
2 psu

ARGOS
CNES (NASA)

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
NOAA-12,
NOAA-14,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Data collection &Precision orbit

Provides location data by
Doppler measurements

The Argos DCS is a data collection relay system
and not an Earth observing instrument.

Arina
ROSKOSMOS

Resurs DK

Space
Environment

Space particle detection
experiment

Arina is an instrument for observation of solar
magnetosphere variations of charged particle
fluxes.

ASAR
Advanced SyntheticAperture Radar

EnvisatOperational

Microwave: C-band, with
Provides all weather images of Waveband:
Imaging
choice of 5 polarisation modes
microwave radars ocean, land and ice for(VV, HH, VV/HH, HV/HH, ormonitoring of land surface
VH/VV)
processes, sea and polar ice,
Spatial resolution: Image, wave and alternating
sea state, and geological andpolarisation modes: approx
hydrological applications. Has 2
30m x 30m,
stripmap modes (Image andWide swath mode: 150m x 150m,
Wave (for ocean wave spectra))Global monitoring mode:and 3 ScanSAR modes
950mm x 950m
Swath width:
Image and alternating
polarisation modes:
up to 100km,
Wave mode: 5km,
Wide swath and global
monitoring modes: 400km
or moreAccuracy:
Radiometric resolution in
range: 1.5-3.5 dB,
Radiometric accuracy: 0.65 dB

ASAR (image mode) Envisat
Advanced Synthetic
Aperture Radar (Image
mode)

Operational

Provides all weather images
Imaging
microwave radars of ocean, land and ice formonitoring of land surface
processes, sea and polar ice,sea state, and geological andhydrological applications

See above.

Operational

ASAR (wavemode)
Advanced
Synthetic
Aperture Radar(Wave mode)
ESA

See above.

ESA

ESA

ASAR (wave mode)
Advanced Synthetic
Aperture Radar (Wave
mode)
ESA

Envisat

Provides measurements ofocean wave spectra

161

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

ASCAT
Advanced
Scatterometer

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3

Being
developed

Scatterometers

Provides sea ice cover, sea ice
type and wind speed over sea
surface measurements. Air
pressure over ocean, Polar ice
contours, Ice/snow imagery,
Soil moisture

Waveband:

Swarm

Being
developed

Magnetic field

The objective of the Absolute
Scalar Magnetometer (ASM)
is to calibrate the vector fieldmagnetometer (VFM) to
maintain the absoluteaccuracy in the multi-year
geomagnetic field mission

Waveband:N/A
Spatial resolution: 0.016pT
Swath width:
N/A
Accuracy:
0.3nT

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Surface and cloud imaging
with high spatial resolution,
stereoscopic observation of
local topography, cloudheights, volcanic plumes, andgeneration of local surface
digital elevation maps.
Surface temperature andemissivity

Waveband:ESA Future
Missions

Prototype

LidarsProvides measurements ofcloud top heights, aerosol
properties, troposphereheight, vertical distribution ofcloud, boundary layer height

UV: 355nm
Waveband:Spatial resolution: footprint: 30m
Swath width:
Nadir
Accuracy:
Detection of cirrus cloud with
optical thickness 1 with 15%
error

NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-5,
NPP

Approved

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Collects microwave radiancedata that when combined with
the CrIS data will permit
calculation of atmospherictemperature and water vapor
profilesWaveband:

ERS-2

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Part of the ATSR payload on
board ERS1 and ERS2

See ATSR-2.

ERS-2

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Multiple
direction/
polarisation
radiometers

Provides measurements ofWaveband:VIS-SWIR: 0.65, 0.85, 1.27,
sea surface temperature, landand 1.6µm, SWIR-TIR: 1.6,
surface temperature, cloud
3.7, 11 and 12µm, Microwave:
top temperature and cloud
23.8, 36.5GHz (bandwidth ofcover, aerosols, vegetation,
400MHz)atmospheric water vapour and Spatial resolution: IR ocean channels: 1km x
liquid water content
1km, Microwave near-nadir
viewing: 20km instantaneous
field of view
Swath width:
500km
Accuracy:
Sea surface temperature to<0.5K over 0.5 deg x 0.5 deg(lat/long) area with 80% cloud
cover, Land surface
temperature: 0.1K

EUMETSAT (ESA)

ASM
Absolute Scalar
Magnetometer
ESA (CNES)

Terra
ASTER
Advanced Spaceborne
Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer
METI (Japan) (NASA)

ATLID
ATmospheric LIDar
ESA

ATMS
Advanced Technology
Microwave Sounder
NOAA (NASA)

ATSR/M
CNES

ATSR-2
Along Track ScanningRadiometer - 2
BNSC (CSIRO)

162

Microwave: C Band,
5.256Ghz
Spatial resolution: Hi-res mode: 25-37km,
Nominal mode: 50km
Swath width:
Continuous
Accuracy:Wind speeds in range
4-24m/s: 2m/s anddirection accuracy of 20deg

VIS&NIR: 3 bands in 0.520.86µm, SWIR: 6 bands in
1.6-2.43µm, TIR: 5 bands in
8.125-11.65µm
Spatial resolution: VNIR: 15m, stereo: 15mhorizontally and 25m vertical,
SWIR: 30m, TIR: 90m
Swath width:
60km
Accuracy:
VNIR and SWIR: 4%(absolute), TIR: 4K,
Geolocation: 7m

Microwave: 22 bands, 23184 GHz
Spatial resolution: 5.2 deg - 1.1 deg
Swath width:
2300 km
Accuracy:
0.75 K - 3.60 K

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

AVHRR/2
Advanced Very High
Resolution
Radiometer/2

NOAA-12,
NOAA-14

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provides measurements ofland and sea surface
temperature, cloud cover,snow and ice cover, soil
moisture and vegetation
indices. Data also used forvolcanic eruption monitoring

Waveband:

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provides measurements ofland and sea surface
temperature, cloud cover,snow and ice cover, soil
moisture and vegetation
indices. Data also used forvolcanic eruption monitoring

Waveband:

ALOS

Being
developed

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution multi-spectral
imager for land applications
which include environmental
monitoring, agriculture andforestry, disaster monitoring

Waveband:RESOURCE- Operational
SAT-1,RESOURCESAT-2

High resolution
optical imagers

Vegetation and crop
monitoring, resource
assessment (regional scale),
forest mapping, land cover/land use mapping, andchange detection

Waveband:Evaluation of bistatic radar
Imaging
microwave radars cross section of natural andman-made targets, image
classification, land surface.
Passive instrument flown withmain SAR mission

Waveband:NOAA

AVHRR/3
Advanced Very High
Resolution
Radiometer/3
NOAA

AVNIR-2
Advanced Visible andNear Infra-red
Radiometer type 2
JAXA

AWiFS
Advanced Wide Field
SensorISROBISSAT
Bissat Passive Radar

BISSATTBDASICALIOP
Cloud-Aerosol Lidarwith Orthogonal
Polarization

CAST

VIS: 0.42-0.50µm, 0.520.60µm, 0.61-0.69µm,
NIR: 0.76-0.89µm
Spatial resolution: 10m
Swath width:
70km
Accuracy:

VIS: 0.52-0.59 & 0.620.68µm, NIR:0.77-0.86µm,
SWIR: 1.55-1.7µm
Spatial resolution: 55m
Swath width:
730km
Accuracy:
10 bit data

Microwave: X-band(passive)

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Approved

Lidars

532 nm (polarizationTwo-wavelength, polarization Waveband:sensitive), 1064 nm, VIS - NIR
lidar capable of providing
aerosol and cloud profiles and Spatial resolution: Vertical sampling: 30 m,
0 – 40 km
properties
Swath width:
333 m along-track
Accuracy:
5% (532 nm)

CBERS-2,
CBERS-2B

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Provides measurements ofcloud type and extent andland surface reflectance, andused for global land surface
applications

Waveband:High resolution
optical imagers

Land surface applications

Waveband:0.43-0.90µm
Spatial resolution: 30m
Swath width:
360km (per set)700km(two sets)
Accuracy:

CAST (INPE)

CCD (HJ, HY)
CCD camera

VIS: 0.58-0.68µm, NIR: 0.7251.1µm, SWIR: 1.58-1.64µm,
MWIR: 3.55-3.93µm, TIR:
10.3-11.3µm, 11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 1.1km
3000km approx, Ensures full
Swath width:
global coverage twice daily
Accuracy:

CALIPSONASA

CCD (CBERS)High Resolution CCD
Camera

VIS: 0.58-0.68µm,
NIR: 0.725-1.1µm,
MWIR: 3.55-3.93µm,
TIR: 10.3-11.3µm, 11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 1.1km
Swath width:
3000km approx
Accuracy:

HJ-1A,HJ-1B

VIS: 0.45-0.52µm, 0.520.59µm, 0.63-0.69µm,
NIR: 0.77-0.89µm,
PAN: 0.51-0.71µm
Spatial resolution: 20m
Swath width:
113km
Accuracy:

163

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

CCD camera

INSAT-2E,
INSAT-3A

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Cloud and Vegetation
monitoring

Waveband:

CERES
Aqua,
Cloud and the Earth's NPOESS-2,
Radiant Energy System NPOESS-5,
Terra
NASA

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometerLong term measurement of
the Earth's radiation budget
and atmospheric radiationfrom the top of theatmosphere to the surface;provision of an accurate andself-consistent cloud andradiation database

Waveband:CHAMP GPS Sounder CHAMP
GPS TurboRogue
Space Receiver (TRSR)

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Precision orbit

Temperature and water vapour Uses GPS frequencies for sounding of
profilestemperature and water profiles of theatmosphere. CHAMP provides temperature
profiles in the troposphere up to the middle
stratosphere, and water vapour profiles in the
troposphere only.

CHAMP

Operational

Gravity

Earth gravity fieldmeasurements

Since the advent of CHAMP, the first in a series of
low-altitude satellites being almost continuously
and precisely tracked by GPS, a new generation of
long-wavelength gravitational geopotential models
have been derived.

CHAMP
CHAMP
magnetometry
package (1 Scalar + 2
VectorMagnetometer)
Overhauser
Magnetometer andFluxgate Magnetometer

Operational

Magnetic field

Earth gravity fieldmeasurements

A high performance Fluxgate magnetometer set
measuring the three components of the ambient
magnetic field in the instrument frame combinedwith a star camera determining the attitude of theassembly with respect to a stellar frame and a
Overhauser scalar magnetometer serving as
magnetic reference.

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Pancromatic andHyperspectral data forcomplex land ecosystem
studies

Waveband:

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures many of thechemical species which are
involved in stratosphericchemistry as well as global
distribution of statosphericaerosols

Waveband:Cloud profile andrain radars

Will contribute to GOSAT main No data yet available.
mission of CO2 profile
measurement - which requires
detection and removal ofcontaminating signals fromclouds and aerosols

ISRO

NASA (DLR)

CHAMP
gravity package(Accelerometer+GPS)
STAR Accelerometer
CNES (DLR)

VIS: 0.62-0.68µm,
NIR: 0.77-0.86µm,
SWIR: 1.55-1.69µm
Spatial resolution: 1X1km
Swath width:
Normal: 6000km (N-S) X
6000km (E-W) anywhere on
earth disc, Program: 6000km(N-S) X (n X 300) km (E-W) :n and number of frames
programmable
Accuracy:
3 channels: 0.3-5 µm, 0.3 100 µm, 8-12 µm, UV-FIR
Spatial resolution: 20km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
0.5%, 1%, 1% (respectively
for the 3 channels)

DLR

CIA
Advanced
Hyperspectral camera

Hyperspectral
MissionASI

CLAES
Cryogenic Limb Array
Etalon Spectrometer
instrument

UARS

Not
operational

NASA

Cloud Sensor
Cloud and aerosol
sensor
JAXA

164

GOSAT

HYC spectral range + MIR
and TIR channels
Spatial resolution: Improved (wrt HYC)
resolution PAN 2-3m
Greater swath
Swath width:
Accuracy:

SWIR: 3.5µm, 6µm,
TIR: 8µm, 12.7µm
Spatial resolution: Vert 2.8km, Horiz 480km
Swath width:
50.7km vert limb
Accuracy:
20%, 3K

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

CMIS
Conical-scanning
Microwave
Imager/Sounder

NPOESS-1,
NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-4,
NPOESS-5,
NPOESS-6

Beingdeveloped

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave) &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Collects microwave radiometry
and sounding data. Data types
include atmospherictemperature and moistureprofiles, clouds, sea surface
winds, and all-weather
land/water surfaces.

Waveband:Microwave: 190Ghz
Spatial resolution: 15-50km depending on
frequency
Swath width:
1700km
Accuracy:
Temperature Profiles to 1.6K,
water vapor 20%

HY-1B

Being
developed

Ocean colour
instruments

Ocean chlorophyll, Ocean
yellow substance absorbance,
Sea-ice surface temperature

Waveband:Communications
FedSatpayload (Ka and UHF
band)

Operational

Communications

ESA Future
Missions

Prototype

Cloud profile andrain radars

Measures cloud
characteristics including baseheightWaveband:Microwave: 94GHz
Spatial resolution: 750m
Swath width:
nadir only
Accuracy:
98% detection of radiatively
significant ice cloud

CloudSat

Approved

Cloud profile andrain radars

Primary goal is to provided
data needed to evaluate andimprove the way clouds are
represented in global climate
models. Measures verticalprofile of clouds

Waveband:Microwave: 94Ghz
Spatial resolution: Vertical: 500m, Cross-track:
1.4km, Along-track: 2.5km
Swath width:
Instantaneous Footprint < 2km
Cloud liquid water
Accuracy:
content<=50%; ice watercontent within +100%, -50%;
detect all single layer clouds
with optical depth>=1.0

NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-5
NPP

Prototype

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

MWIR-TIR: 3.92-4.4µm, 5.7Daily measurements of vertical Waveband:
8.62µm, 9.1-14.7µm, 1300
atmospheric distribution ofspectral channels
temperature, moisture, andSpatial resolution: IFOV 14km diameter,pressure
1km vertical layer resolution
Swath width:
2200kmTemperature profiles: to 0.9K,
Accuracy:
Moisture profiles: 20-35%,
Pressure profiles: 1%

HY-1B

Being
developed

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Coastal Zone monitoring andenvironmental applications

Waveband:

SCD-1,
SCD-2

Operational

Data collection

Environmental data collection
from ground based datacollecting platforms

Data collection and relay system.

NOAA

COCTS
Ocean colour scanner
CAST

B1: 0.402-0.422, B2: 0.4330.453, B3: 0.480-0.500, B4:0.510-0.530, B5: 0.555-0.575,
B6: 0.660-0.680, B7: 0.7400.760, B8: 0.845-0.885, B9:10.30-11.40, B10: 11.4012.50µm
Spatial resolution: 1.1km
Swath width:
3083km
Accuracy:
Waveband:up 313.55MHz,
down 400.4MHz

CSIRO

CPR
Cloud Profiling RadarESA

CPR (Cloudsat)
Cloud Profiling Radar
NASA

CrIS
Cross-track InfraredSounder
NOAA (NASA)CZICoast region imager
CAST

DCP (SCD)
Data Collecting
Platform Transponder

B1: 0.433-0.453, B2: 0.5550.575, B3: 0.655-0.675, B4:
0.675-0.695_m
Spatial resolution: 250m
500km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

INPE

165

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

DCS (CAST)
SCD-1,
Operational
Data Collecting System SCCBERS-2,
Transponder (CAST)
CBERS-2B,
CBERS-3,
CAST
CBERS-4D-2

Data collection

Data collection andcommunication

Data collection and relay system.

DCS (JAXA)
GMS-5
Data Collection System(JAXA)

Prototype

Data collection

Data Collection System,
Receives in-situ data fromdata collection platforms
worldwide and transmits toground station

Data collection and relay system.

Operational

Data collection

Collects data on temperature(air/water), atmosphericpressure, humidity and windspeed/direction, speed anddirection of ocean and rivercurrents

Data collection and relay system.

Elektro-L,
Operational
METEOR-3M
N2

Data collection

Collects data on temperature(air/water), atmosphericpressure, humidity and windspeed/direction, speed anddirection of ocean and rivercurrents

Data collection and relay system.

UK-DMCOperational

High resolution
optical imagers

Visible and NIR imagery insupport of disastermanagement

VIS and NIR
Waveband:Spatial resolution: 32m
2 beams of 300km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

SPOT-2,
SPOT-4,TopexPoseidon

Operational

Precision orbit

Orbit determination

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Orbit error ~2.5cm

Operational
CRYOSAT,
Envisat,Jason, Jason2 (also known
as OSTM),
SPOT-5

Precision orbit

Precise orbit determination
Real time onboard orbit
determination (navigation)

Waveband:
401.25MHz, 2036.25MHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
FOV :130 degrees
Accuracy:
Orbit error ~1cm

GPM Core

Cloud profile andrain radars

Measures rain rate classified
by rain and snow, in latitudes
up to 70 degrees

Waveband:VulkanKompas-2

Space
Environment

Space radiation and ultraviolet Waveband:
UV: 0.2-0.35µm, Ee>30keV,
measurements
Ep>7keV
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

KanopusVulkan

Space
Environment

Space particle detection
experiment

JAXA

DCS (NOAA)
GOES-9,
Data Collection System GOES-10,(NOAA)
GOES-11,
GOES-12,NOAA
GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-RDCS(ROSHYDROMET)
Data Collection System
ROSHYDROMET(ROSKOSMOS)DMC Imager
Disaster Management
Constellation Imager
BNSC

DORIS
Doppler Orbitography
and Radio-positioning
Integrated by Satellite
CNES

DORIS-NG
Doppler Orbitography
and Radio-positioning
Integrated by SatelliteNG
CNES

DPR
Dual-frequency
Precipitation RadarTBDJAXA (NASA)DRF
ROSKOSMOS

ECHO-VROSKOSMOS

166

Microwave: 13.6 GHz (Ku band)and 35.5 GHz (Ka band)
Spatial resolution: Range resolution: 4-5 km
Horizontal
Swath width:
245 km (Ku-band), 100km(Ka band)Accuracy:
rainfall rate 0.2mm/h

Waveband:Ee 3-30MeV, Ee 30-100MeV
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

EFI
Electric Field
Instrument

Swarm

Being
developed

Gravity &Spaceenvironment

Measures ion density, drift
velocity and electric field

Waveband:N/A
Spatial resolution: 0.3mV/m
Swath width: N/A
Accuracy:<3mV/mGOCE

Beingdeveloped

Gravity &Precision orbit

The main objective of EGG is
to measure the 3 componentsof the gravity-gradient tensor(ie gradiometer data)

Designed specifically for determining thestationary gravity field. The measured signal isthe difference in gravitational acceleration at
the test-mass location inside the spacecraft
caused by gravity anomalies from attracting
masses of the Earth.

GOES-R

Approved

Space
Environment

Space particle detection

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection of property,
and ultimately, economic health and development.

EnvisatOperational

Communications

Communication package
onboard ENVISAT series
satellites

Data communication only.

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution stereo imager
for land applications ofcartography and disastermonitoring

Waveband:

Proposed

Atmosphericchemistry

Measures ozone amounts,
aerosol amounts, cloud heightand phase, hotspot land
properties, and UV radiation
estimates at the Earth's surface

Waveband:Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Radiation budget
measurements - Total energyof Sun's radiant heat and light,
Reflected solar radiation, Earthemitted radiation

Waveband:
UV-FIR
Spatial resolution: Narrow: 250km;
Wide: 1000km
Swath width:
Medium and wide
earth views
Accuracy:
Shortwave- 15%,
Longwave- 5%

TBD

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures Earth radiation gains
and losses on regional, zonal
and global scales

Waveband:
0.3-50µm
Spatial resolution: 25km
2200KmSwath width:
Accuracy:
DLR/DSR10 watts/m2
net solar 3w/m2OLR 5w/m2

Operational

Communications

Communication package
onboard ERS series satellites

Data communication only.

ESA (CSA)

EGG
3-Axis Electrostatic
Gravity Gradiometer
ESA

EHIS
Energetic Heavy Ion
SensorNOAAENVISAT Comms
Communications
package on ENVISATESAKOMPSAT-1
EOC
Electro-Optical Camera
KARI

EPIC
Earth PolyChromatic
Imaging Camera

DSCOVR

NASA

ERBS
ERBE
Earth Radiation Budget
Experiment (nonscanner)
NASA

NPOESS-3,
ERBS
Earth Radiation Budget NPOESS-6
SensorNOAA

ERS Comms
Communication
package for ERS

ERS-2

Panchromatic VIS: 0.510.73µm
Spatial resolution: 6.6m
17km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

UV-NIR: 0.317-0.905µm
10 bands
Spatial resolution: 8km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

ESA

167

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

ETM+
Enhanced Thematic
Mapper Plus

Landsat-7

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures surface radianceand emittance, land coverstate and change (egvegetation type). Used as
multi-purpose imagery forland applications

Waveband:GOES-R

Approved

Other

Solar EUV radiation is adominant energy source forthe upper atmosphere and theionizing radiation produces
the ionosphere. Solar
variability at thesewavelengths is one of the
primary drivers ofthermospheric/ ionosphericvariability. EUVS will measure
this radiation

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection ofproperty, and ultimately, economic health anddevelopment.

FedSatApproved

Magnetic field

Measures electrical currents
and perturbations in the
Earth's magnetic field in therange 0.1Hz to 1kHz

A high precision instrument designed to measuremagnetic fields at all latitudes at an 800 km
altitude over a range of ±65,000 nT.

Meteor-M
No1,
Meteor-M
No2

TBD

Space
Environment

Space environment
monitoring

Waveband:GOES-R

Approved

USGS

EUVS
Extreme Ultraviolet
Sensor
NOAA

Fluxgate
magnetometer
CRCSS

GALS-M
Galactic space rays
detector
ROSHYDROMET

Geomicrowave
sounderAtmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

For geo oribit, will provides
atmospheric soundings anddata on atmospheric stability
and thermal gradient winds

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection ofproperty, and ultimately, economic health anddevelopment.

Resurs DK

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Natural resource surveying,environmental monitoring

Waveband:0.5-0.8µm
Spatial resolution: 1-3m
Swath width:28.3-42km
Accuracy:

METEOSAT-8, Operational
METEOSAT-9,
METEOSAT-10,
METEOSAT-11

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures long and shortwave radiation emitted andreflected from the Earth's
surface, clouds and top of
atmosphere. Full Earth disk,
all channels in 5 mins

Waveband:

UV-MWIR: 0.32-4.0µm,
UV-FIR: 0.32-30µm
Spatial resolution: 44.6km x 39.3km
Full Earth disk
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Emitted radiation:
0.12-1.3 W/m2,
Reflectance: 1%

Elektro-L

Magnetic field &Space
environment

Electromagnetic fieldmeasurements

Electro-L carries an array of solar and magnetic
sensors providing data on solar activity andradiation levels needed for near-earth
environment forecasts.

Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Magnetic field &Space
environment

Electromagnetic fieldmeasurements

A complex of heliogeophysical instruments

ROSKOSMOSGERB
Geostationary Earth
Radiation Budget
EUMETSAT (ASI)GGAK-E
Heliogeophysicalhardware complex
ROSKOSMOS

GGAK-M
Heliogeophysicalhardware complex
ROSKOSMOS

168

protons fluxes density >600 MeV

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

NOAA

Geoton-L1

VIS-TIR: 8 channels:
0.45-12.5µm,
Panchromatic channel:
VIS 0.5-0.9µm
Spatial resolution: Pan: 15m, Vis-SWIR: 30m,
TIR: 60m
Swath width:
185km
Accuracy:
50-250m systematicallycorrected geodetic accuracy

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

GHG Sensor
Greenhouse gases
observing sensor

GOSAT

TBD

Atmosphericchemistry

This mission is in response to No data yet available.
the Kyoto Protocol - and aims
to observe Green House
Gases (GHGs) including CO2
with 1% relative accuracy in
sub-continental spatial
resolution and to identify the
GHGs sources and sinks inconjunction with data fromground instruments

Magnetic field &Space
environment

Electromagnetic fieldmeasurements

Waveband:
1200MHz, 1600MHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Waveband:

JAXA

GID-12T
ROSKOSMOS

GIFTS
Geosynchronous
Imaging Fourier
Transform
Spectrometer

KanopusVulkan,
VulkanKompas-2

Technical characteristics

NMP EO-3
GIFTS

Proposed

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measures temperature, water
vapour, tracer winds, chemicalcomposition with high spatial
and temporal resolution for
considerable improvements inweather observations and air
quality monitoring. Tests
next-generation met
observing systems.

ICESatOperational

LidarsVIS-NIR: Laser emits at
Provision of data on ice sheet Waveband:
1064nm (for altimetry) andheight/thickness, land altitude,
532nm (for atmosphericaerosol height distributions,
measurements)
cloud height and boundary
Spatial resolution: 66m spots separated
layer heightby 170m
N/A
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Aerosol profile: 20%,
Ice elevation: 20cm,
Cloud top height: 75m, Landelevation: 20cm, geoid: 5m

GCOM-C

Prototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Ocean colour
instruments

Waveband:VIS&NIR: 23 bands (380Measures water vapour,
830nm),
aerosols, cloud cover, cloud
NIR-SWIR: 6 bands (1050top height/temp, ocean colour,
2215nm),sea surface temperature, land
MWIR-TIR: 7 bands (3.75surface temparature, glacier11.95µm)
extent, icebergs, sea ice andsnow cover, photosynthetically Spatial resolution: 1km for 28 bands,
250m for 6 bands
active radiation, vegetation
Swath width:
1600kmtype and land cover
Accuracy:Specific humidity profile:
0.5g/m2 through total column,
Surface temp 0.4-0.5K, Cloud
top temp: 0.5K,
Cloud cover: 3%,
Cloud top height: 0.5km,
Ice and snow cover: 5%

GOES-RGLM
GEO Lightning Mapper

Approved

Lightning imager

NASA

GLAS
Geoscience Laser
Altimeter System
NASA

GLI follow-on
Global Imager
follow-on
JAXA

NOAA

MWIR-TIR: 1724 channels
in the bands 4.45-6.06µm
and 8.85-14.6µm
Spatial resolution: Visible: 1km x 1km,
IR: 4km x 4km
Swath width:
Full Earth disk
Accuracy:

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomenathat directly affect public safety, protectionof property, and ultimately, economic healthand development.

169

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

GMI
GPM Microwave
ImagerStatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

GPM
Proposed
Constellation,
GPM Core

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Measures rainfall rates overoceans and land, combined
rainfall structure and surface
rainfall rates with associatedlatent heating. Used to
produce three hour, daily, andmonthly total rainfall maps
over oceans and land

Waveband:

GMS-5

PrototypeCommunications

Communication package
onboard GMS series satellites

Data communication only.

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

PrototypeCommunications

SAC-C

Operational

Precision orbit &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measurements of atmosphericeffects on GPS signals, andprecise positioning
information to assist
gravitational measurements

Waveband:
Uses GPS frequencies.
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
0.05 K or better appears
attainable

ERS-2
GOME
Global Ozone
Monitoring Experiment

Prototype

Atmosphericchemistry

Measures concentration of
O3, NO, NO2, BrO, H2O,
O2/O4, plus aerosols andpolar stratospheric clouds,
and other gases in special
conditions

UV-NIR: 0.24-0.79µm(resolution 0.2-0.4nm)
Spatial resolution: Vertical: 5km (for O3),
Horizontal: 40 x 40 km to
40 x 320 km
120-960km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Prototype

Atmosphericchemistry

Measurement of total column
amounts and stratosphericand tropospheric profiles ofozone. Also amounts of H20,
NO2, OClO, BrO, SO2 andHCHO

Waveband:Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Provides stratospheric profiles Waveband:of temparature and of ozone,
NO2, H20, aerosols and othertrace species

NASA

GMS Comms
Communications
package on GMS

Microwave: 10.65, 19.4, 21.3,
37, and 85.5 GHz
Spatial resolution: Horizontal: 36 km cross-trackat 10.65 GHz (required Primary Spacecraft, goal Constellation Spacecraft);
10 km along-track and crosstrack (goal - Primary Spacecraft)
Swath width:
800km (Primary Spacecraft)
1300 km (Constellation
Spacecraft)
Accuracy:
NEDT 0.5 K - 1.0 K

JAXA (JMA)

GOES Comms
Communications
package on GOES
NOAA

GOLPE
GPS Occultation andPassive reflection
Experiment
NASA

ESA

METOP-1,
GOME-2
METOP-2,
Global Ozone
Monitoring Experiment METOP-3-2
EUMETSAT (ESA)GOMOS
Global Ozone
Monitoring by
Occultation of Stars
ESA (CNES)

170

EnvisatData communication only.

Waveband:

UV-NIR: 0.24-0.79µm(resolution 0.2-0.4nm)
Spatial resolution: Horizontal: 40 x 40 km(960km swath) to 40 x 5 km
(for polarization monitoring)120-960km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Cloud top height: 1km (rms),
Outgoing short wave radiationand solar irradiance: 5W/m2,
Trace gas profile: 10-20%,
Specific humidity profile: 1050g/kg

Spectrometers: UV-Vis: 248371nm & 387-693nm,NIR:
750-776nm & 915-956nm,
Photometers: 644-705nm &466-528nm
Spatial resolution: 1.7km vertical
Swath width:
Not applicable
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

GPS (ESA)GPS receiver

GOCE,
Swarm

TBD

Precision orbit

Satellite positioning

Used for precision satellite positioning only –not an Earth observing instrument.

Microwave: 1227.60MHz,
1575.42MHz

Used for precision satellite positioning only –not an Earth observing instrument.

ESA

GPS (GRACE)
Global Positioning
System Receiver

GRACE

NASA

GPS receiver

FedSatOperational

Precision orbit &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Sounding data for study ofphysics of upper atmosphere,
and water vapour, temparatureand refractivity profiles

Waveband:Spatial resolution: 1 sample every 30 secs
Swath width:
Accuracy:

TopexPoseidon

Operational

Precision orbit &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides precise continuous
tracking data of satellite todecimeter accuracy

Used for precision satellite positioning only –not an Earth observing instrument.

METOP-1,
GRAS
METOP-2,
GNSS Receiver for
Atmospheric Sounding METOP-3

Prototype

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Precision orbit

GNSS receiver foratmospheric temperature andhumidty profile sounding

Waveband:Spatial resolution: Vertical: 150m
(trophosphere) and 1.5km(stratosphere),
Horizontal: 100km approx(troposphere), 300km
approx (stratosphere)
Altitude range of 5-30km
Swath width:
Temperature sounding to
Accuracy:
1K rmsGRACE

Operational

GravityRanging instrument between
the 2 GRACE spacecraft - toderive Earth gravity fieldmeasurements

Waveband:Microwave: K Band, Ka Band
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
10 microns total at twice
Accuracy:
per revolution

UARS

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Provides data on vertical
distributions of hydrofluoric
and hydrochloric acids,
methane, water vapour andmembers of the nitrogenfamily. It also provides
atmospheric temperature
versus pressure profiles fromobservations of carbon dioxide

Waveband:channels between 2.4µm 10µm, SWIR - TIR
Spatial resolution: 2km-4km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
HCL: 12-24%, HF: 15-27%,
CH4: 6-27%, NO: 14-30%,
H2O: 14-30%, O3: 9-25%,
NO2: 9-21%:
Temperature: 3-5K,
Aerosol Extinction: < 30%

GOES-R

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Will sense emitted thermalenergy and reflected solar
energy from sampled areas of
the Earth's surface andatmosphere. These data areused to compute verticalprofiles of temperature andmoisture, surface and cloudtop temperatures, and winds,and provide information about
the Earth surface and oceans

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection ofproperty, and ultimately, economic health anddevelopment.

CRCSS

GPSDR
GPS Demonstration
Receiver
CONAE (NASA)

EUMETSAT (ESA)HAIRSHigh Accuracy Intersatellite Ranging
SystemNASA

HALOE
Halogen Occultation
Experiment
NASA

HES
Hyperspectral
Environmental Suite
NOAA

171

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

HiRDLSHigh Resolution
Dynamics Limb
Sounder

Aura

Approved

Atmosphericchemistry

Measures atmospherictemperature, concentrationsof ozone, water vapour,
methane, NOx, N2O, CFCs andother minor species, aerosol
concentration, location ofpolar stratospheric clouds andcloud tops

Waveband:

TIR: 6.12-17.76µm(21 channels)
Spatial resolution: Vertical: 1km,
Horizontal: 10km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Trace gas: 10%,
Temparature: 1K,
Ozone: 10%

NOAA-12,
NOAA-14

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measures atmospherictemperature, concentrationsof ozone, water vapour,
methane, NOx, N2O, CFCs andother minor species, aerosol
concentration, location ofpolar stratospheric clouds andcloud tops

Waveband:

NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides atmospherictemperature profiles and dataon cloud parameters,
humidity soundings, water
vapour, total ozone content,
and surface temperatures

Waveband:

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides atmospherictemperature profiles and dataon cloud parameters, humidity
soundings, water vapour, totalozone content, and surface
temperatures. Same as
HIRS/3, with 10km IFOV

Waveband:

UARS

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Daytime wind measurements
below 50km from Doppler
shifts of molecular oxygen
absorption lines. Day and nightwind measurements above
about 60km from Doppler
shifts of neutral and ionised
atomic oxygen emission lines.
Also measures temperature

Waveband:
0.557-0.776µm
Spatial resolution: Vertical (limb): 4km,
Horizontal (limb): 80km
Swath width:
5 to 100km (vertical coverage)
Accuracy:
Vector winds in the stratosphere,
mesosphere and lower
thermosphere during the day,and the lower thermosphere atnight to an accuracy of 5 m/s

SPOT-5

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution multispectral
Waveband:VIS: B1:0.50-0.59µm,
mapper. 2 HRG instruments on
B2: 0.61-0.68µm,
this mission can be processed
NIR: B3: 0.79-0.89µm, SWIR:
to produce simulated imagery
1.50-1.75µm,
of 2.5m. Images are 60km x
Panchromatic: 0.49-0.69µm
60km in size
Spatial resolution: Panchromatic: 2, 5m,
Multispectral:
10m
Swath width:
60km (1 instrument), 117km (2instruments). Same as SPOT 4
with off-track steering capability(±27 deg)
Accuracy:

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

NASA (BNSC)

HIRS/2High Resolution
Infra-red Sounder/2
NOAA

HIRS/3High Resolution
Infra-red Sounder/3
NOAA

HIRS/4High Resolution
Infra-red Sounder/4
NOAA

HRDI
High Resolution
Doppler Imager
NASA

HRG
High Resolution
Geometry
CNES

SAC-F
HRMS
High Resolution Multispectral Scanner
CONAE

172

VIS-TIR: 0.69-14.95µm(20 channels)
Spatial resolution: 20.3km
Swath width:
2240km
Accuracy:

VIS-TIR: 0.69-14.95µm(20 channels)
Spatial resolution: 20.3km
Swath width:
2240km
Accuracy:

VIS-TIR: 0.69-14.95µm(20 channels)
Spatial resolution: 20.3km
2240kmSwath width:
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

HR-PANHigh Resolution
Panchromatic Camera

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

CARTOSAT-2 Prototype

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution stereo images
for large scale (better than
1:0000) mapping applications,urban applications, GIS ingest

Waveband:VIS: 0.5-0.75µm
Spatial resolution: 1 m
Swath width:
12 km
Accuracy:

SPOT-5

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution stereo
instrument

Waveband:
Panchromatic: VIS 0.49-0.69µm
Spatial resolution: Panchromatic: 10m,
Altitude: 15m
Swath width:
120km
Accuracy:

SAC-C

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution eath imagery
to complement MMRS on thesame mission

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 400-900nm
Spatial resolution: 35m
Swath width:
90km
Accuracy:

SPOT-2
HRV
High Resolution Visible

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

2 HRV instruments on thisWaveband:VIS: B1:0.5-0.59µm,
mission provide 60km x 60km
B2:0.61-0.68µm,
images for a range of land
NIR: B3:0.79-0.89µm,
and coastal applications
Panchromatic: VIS 0.51-0.73µm
Spatial resolution: 10m (panchromatic) or 20m
Swath width:
117km (ie 60km + 60km with
3km overlap) - steerable up to±27 deg off-track
Accuracy:

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

2 HRVIR instruments on this Waveband:
mission provide 60km x 60km
images for a range of landand coastal applications

Aqua

Not
operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Humidity soundings forclimatological andatmospheric dynamics
applications

SAC-D/
Aquarius

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

HJ-1A

Being
developed

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

SAC-F

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)ISROHRSHigh Resolution
Stereoscopy
CNES

HRTC
High Resolution
Panchromatic Camera
CONAE

CNES

SPOT-4HRVIR
High Resolution Visible
and Infra-red
CNES

HSB
Humidity
Sounder/Brazil
INPE (NASA)

HSC
High Sensitivity
CameraCONAE

HSI (HJ-1A)
Hyper Spectrum
ImagerCAST

HSMSHigh Swath Multispectral Scanner
CONAE

VIS: B1: 0.50-0.59µm, B2:
0.61-0.68µm,
NIR: 0.79-0.89µm,
SWIR: 1.58-1.75µm,
Panchromatic:(B2) 0.61-0.68µm
Spatial resolution: 10m (0.64µm) or 20m
Swath width:
117km (ie 60km + 60km with
3km overlap). Steerable up to±27 deg off-track
Accuracy:
Waveband:Microwave: 5 discreet
channels in the range of150-183 MHz
Spatial resolution: 13.5km
Swath width:
1650km
Accuracy:
Temperature: 1.0-1.2k
coverage of land and ocean
surfaces, Humidity: 20%

Waveband:
PAN: VIR-NIR: 450-900 nm
Spatial resolution: 200-300m> 700 kmSwath width:
Accuracy:

Hyperspectral imaging

Waveband:0.45-0.95µm
Spatial resolution: 100m
50km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

173

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

HSRS
Hot Spot Recognition
System

BIRD

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Hot spot Detection (vegetation Waveband:
MWIR: 3.4-4.2µm,
fires, volcanic activities,
TIR: 8.4-9.3µm
burning oil wells or coal seams Spatial resolution: 370m
Swath width:
190km
Accuracy:

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Hyperspectral imaging

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provides data to Monitor
forest fires, electrical storms
and geophysical studies ofaurora borealis

Waveband:
PAN: VIS-NIR: 450-850nm
Spatial resolution: 250m
900km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Pancromatic andWaveband:Hyperspectral data for complex
land ecosystem studies

DLR

SAC-F
HSS
Hyper-spectral Scanner
CONAE

HSTC
High Sensitivity
Technological Camera

SAC-C

CONAE

HYC
Hyperspectral TBD
HYperspectral Camera Mission
ASI

VIS-NIR:400-900 nm, 4001000nm;
SWIR: 900-2500nm;
Spectral resolution 10 nm,
220 bands
Spatial resolution: PAN: 5m ; VNIR-SWIR:20m;
Swath width:
20 Km
Accuracy:

HYDROS

ProposedMultiple
direction/
polarisation
radiometers

Microwave measurement ofsoil moisture and freeze/thaw
timeline

NMP EO-1

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Hyperspectral imaging of land Waveband:surfaces

IAP
DEMETER
Instrument for plasma
analysis

OperationalSpace
Environment

Density, temperatures, speeds Waveband:
Spatial resolution:of major ions
Swath width:
Ion density: +5%,
Accuracy:
Temperature +5%, Speed +5%

Being
developed

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Atmosphericchemistry
instruments

Measures troposphericmoisture and temperature,column integrated contents ofozone, carbon monoxide,
methane, dinitrogen oxide andother minor gases which
affect tropospheric chemistry.
Also measures sea surface
and land temperature

HYDROS
NASA

Hyperion
Hyperspectral Imager
NASA

CNES

IASI
Infra-red AtmosphericSounding
Interferometer
CNES (EUMETSAT)

174

Technical characteristics

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3

Waveband:1.26 GHz for the radar and1.41 GHz for the radiometer
and will be capable of bothhorizontal and verticalpolarizations
Spatial resolution: Radar 3km&10km,
Radiometer 40km
1000kmSwath width:
Accuracy:

VIS-NIR: 400-1000nm;
NIR-SWIR: 900-2500nm;
10nm spectral resolution for
220 bands
Spatial resolution: 30m
Swath width:
7.5km
SNR @ 10% refl target:
Accuracy:vis 10-40 swir 10-20

Waveband:

MWIR-TIR: 3.4-15.5µm withgaps at 5µm and 9µm
Spatial resolution: Vertical: 1-30km,
Horizontal: 25km
Swath width:
2052km
Accuracy:
Temperature: 0.5-2K,
Specific humidity: 0.1-0.3g/kg,
Ozone, trace gas profile: 10%

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

OperationalSpace
Environment

Improvement of risk
estimation models on latest
generation of integrated
circuits technology

Will measure high energy radiation environment,
trapped particle intensities and energy
distribution and correlate them with advanced
electronic components degradation. ICARE will beable to conduct regular environment
characterization campaigns for ten days every six
months and exceptional ones during solar events.

OperationalSpace
Environment

Electric field

Waveband:DC to 3MHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
DC field +3mV/m

OperationalSpace
Environment

Energy spectrum of electrons

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

IGPM

TBD

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Global water and energy cycle

No data available yet.

IGPM

TBD

Cloud profile andrain radars

Global water and energy cycle

No data available yet.

CALIPSO

TBD

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)Radiometer optimized for
combined IIR/lidar retrievalsof cirrus particle size

Waveband:Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Atmospheric temperature andhumidity sounding andradiation budget assessment

Waveband:5-15µm, 1300 spectral channels
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
2500km
1K
Accuracy:

ICARE
SAC-C,
Influence of SpaceSAC-D/
Radiation on Advanced Aquarius
Components
CNES

DEMETER
ICE
Instrument for Electric
Field
CNES

IDP
DEMETER
Instrument For Plasma
Detection
CNES

IGPM radiometer
IGPM microwave
radiometer
ASI

IGPM rain radar
ASI

IIR
Imaging infrared
radiometer
CNES

IKFS-2
Fourier spectrometer
ROSHYDROMETMETEOR-3M TBD
N2,Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Meteor-M No1,
IKOR-M
The modernized
Meteor-M No2
measuring instrumentof short-wave reflectedradiation

TIR: 8.7, 10.5, and 12.0 µm(08.µm resolution)
Spatial resolution: 1km
64km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
1K

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures cloud cover,Waveband:
GOES 8-12; N,O,P: VIS: 1
atmospheric radiance, winds,
channel (8 detectors), IR: 4
atmospheric stability, rainfall
channels: 3.9, 6.7, 10.7 andestimates. Used to provide
12µm, GOES 12-Q: VIS: 1
severe storm warnings/
channel (8 detectors), IR: 4
monitoring day and nightchannels: 3.9, 6.7, 10.7 and(type, amount, storm features)
13.3µmSpatial resolution: 1km in visible 4km in IR (8km
for 13.3µm band (water vapour))
Swath width:
Full Earth disk
Accuracy:

ROSKOSMOS

ImagerNOAA

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

Operational

175

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Imager (INSAT)INSAT-3D

TBD

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Cloud cover, severe storm
warnings/monitoring day andnight (type, amount, storm
features), atmosphericradiance winds, atmosphericstability rainfall

Waveband:

MTSAT-1RPrototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures cloud cover, cloudWaveband:VIS-SWIR: 0.55-0.90µm,
motion, cloud height, water
MWIR-TIR: 3.5-4µm, 6.5-7µm,
vapour, rainfall, sea surface
10.5-11.3µm, 11.5-12.5µm
temparature and Earth radiation Spatial resolution: Visible: 1km, TIR: 4km
Swath width:
Full Earth disk every hour
Accuracy:

MTSAT-2

Prototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Waveband:Measures cloud cover, cloud
VIS-SWIR: 0.55-0.90µm,
motion, cloud height, water
MWIR-TIR: 3.5-4µm,
vapour, rainfall, sea surface
6.5-7µm, 10.5-11.3µm, 11.5temparature and Earth radiation
12.5µmSpatial resolution: Visible: 1km, TIR: 4km
Swath width:
Full Earth disk every hour
Accuracy:

DEMETER
IMSC
Instrument Search Coil
Magnetometer

Operational

Magnetic field

Magnetic field

10Hz - 17.4kHz
Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Approved

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Atmospheric temperaturesoundings for meteorologicalapplications

Waveband:

SAC-C

Operational

Precision orbit

Composed of GPS Tensor and
GNSS Lagrange Receiver toperform navigation experimenton precise orbit determination

Precision positioning only – not an Earthobserving instrument.

HJ-1B

Being
developed

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Global environmental
applications

Waveband:IR Camera (SAOCOM) SAOCOM 1A, Being
SAOCOM 1B, developed
CONAE
SAOCOM-2B(1),
SAOCOM-2B(2)

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Fires monitoring

NIR-TIR
Waveband:Spatial resolution: 200m
Swath width:
Accuracy:

ISRO

IMAGER/MTSAT-1R
Imager/MTSATJMAIMAGER/MTSAT-2
Imager/MTSAT
JMA

CNES

IMWTS
Improved MicroWave
Temperature Sounder
NRSCC (CAST)

INES
Italian Navigation
ExperimentASI

IR (HJ-1B)
Infrared Camera
CAST

176

VIS: 0.55-0.75µm,
SWIR: 1.55-1.7µm,
MWIR: 3.80-4.00µm,
6.50-7.00µm,
TIR: 10.2-11.3µm, 11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 1x1km (VIS & SWIR), 4x4km(MWIR, TIR), 8x8km (in 6.507.00µm)
Swath width:
Full Earth disc and spacearound, Normal Frame (50deg. N to 40 deg. S and full EW coverage), Program Frame(Programmable, E-W Fullcoverage)
Accuracy:

Microwave: 50-57GHz(4channels)
Spatial resolution: 50km
±48º
Swath width:
Accuracy:

0.75~1.10, 1.55~1.75, 3.50
~3.90, 10.5 ~12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 300m (10.5~12.5_m),
150m (the other bands)
Swath width:
720km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

IRAS
InfraRed AtmosphericSounder

FY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Approved

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Atmospheric sounding forweather forecasting

Waveband:

CBERS-2,
CBERS-2B

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Used for fire detection, fire
extent and temperature
measurement

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.5-1.1µm,
NIR-SWIR: 1.55-1.75µm,
2.08-2.35µm,
TIR: 10.4-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: Visible, NIR, SWIR: 78m,
TIR: 156m
Swath width:
120km
Accuracy:

CBERS-3,
CBERS-4

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Used for fire detection, fire
extent and temperature
measurement

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.5-1.1µm,
NIR-SWIR: 1.55-1.75µm,
2.08-2.35µm,
TIR: 10.4-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: Visible, NIR, SWIR: 78m,
TIR: 156m
Swath width: 120km
Accuracy:

Not
operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Concentrations of nitrogenchemical species, ozone,
water vapour, methane, andcarbon monoxide. Aerosols.
Atmospheric temperature

SWIR-TIR: 4.6-16.6µm
Waveband:Spatial resolution: vert 2.6km, horiz: 18km
Swath width:
65km
Accuracy:

DEMETER

OperationalSpace
Environment

Density of the plasma andelectron temperature

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Relative ion and electron
density <5%,
Absolute temperature <5%,
Potential 10mV Ion
direction +15°

SAC-C

Operational

Precision orbit

Test of a fully autonomous
system for attitude andorbit determination using astar tracker

Precision positioning only – not an Earthobserving instrument.

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Meteorological

VIS-TIR: 0.55-0.9, 10.3-11.3,
11.5-12.5, 6.5-7.0, 3.5-4.0µm(5 channels)
Spatial resolution: 1.4km, 5km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(passive
microwave))

Provides altimeter data tocorrect for errors caused bywater vapour and cloud-cover.
Also measures total water
vapour and brightness
temperature

Waveband:

NRSCC (CAST)

IR-MSSInfrared Multispectral
Scanner
CAST (INPE)

IRS
CAST (INPE)

UARS
ISAMS
Improved Stratosphericand MesosphericSounder instrument
NASA

ISL
Langmuir probes
CNES

IST
Italian Star Tracker
ASI

IVISSR (FY-2)
FY-2C,
Improved Multispectral FY-2D,
Visible and Infra-red
FY-2E
Spin Radiometer (5channels)
NRSCC (CAST)JMRJASON Microwave
RadiometerNASA

Operational
Jason,
Jason-2 (alsoknown asOSTM)

VIS-TIR: 0.65-14.95µm(26 channels)
Spatial resolution: 1.254km
Swath width:±49.5ºAccuracy:

Waveband:Microwave: 18.7GHz,
23.8GHz, 34GHz
Spatial resolution: 41.6km at 18.7GHz, 36.1km at
23.8GHz, 22.9km at 34GHz
120 deg cone centred on nadir
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Total water vapour: 0.2g/sq cm,
Brightness temperature: 0.15 K

177

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

KGI-4C
Module forGeophysicalMeasurements

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

METEOR-3M Prototype
N1

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures particle flux andelectromagnetic emissions

Waveband:METEOR-3M Operational
N1

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provides images of cloud, ice
and snow. Measures sea
surface temperature

Waveband:
TIR: 10.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 0.45km x 0.9km
Swath width:
1300km
Accuracy:

METEOR-3M Operational
N2,
Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Moderate resolution imaging
applications

Waveband:NMP EO-1

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Corrects high spatial resolution Waveband:
256 bands, NIR-SWIR:
multispectral imager data for
0.89-1.58µm
atmospheric effects
Spatial resolution: 250m
Swath width:
185km
Accuracy:

Landsat-5,
Landsat-7

Operational

Communications

STARLETTE,STELLA

Operational

Precision orbit

Measures distance between
the satellite and the laser
tracking stations

24cm sphere covered in 60 retro-reflectors

TBD

Precision orbit

Measures distance between
the satellite and the laser
tracking stations

Cluster of 9 laser reflectors provide orbit
determination with cm accuracy using laser
ground stations.

SSR-2

Proposed

Imaging
Microwave imaging of land
microwave radars and ice for use inenvironmental monitoring,
agriculture and forestry,disaster monitoring, Earthresource management andinterferometry

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

RESOURCESAT-1,
RESOURCESAT-2

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Data used for vegetation typeassessment, resource
assessment, crop stressdetection, crop production
forecasting, forestry, land use
and land cover change

Waveband:RESOURCESAT-1,
RESOURCESAT-2

Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

Vegetation monitoring,
improved crop discrimination,
crop yield, disaster monitoring
and rapid assessment of
natural resources

Waveband:ROSHYDROMET

KlimatScanning IR
radiometer
ROSHYDROMET

KMSS
Medium range multispectral scanner
ROSHYDROMET(ROSKOSMOS)

LAC
Laser Atmospheric
Corrector
NASA

Landsat Comms
Communications
package for Landsat

Electron flux density range:
0.15-3.2MeV, proton flux
density range: 5- 90MeV,
Protons density of energy
more that 600 MeV (5-10channels)
Spatial resolution: 8-12km
Swath width:
3100km
Accuracy:
1.6K

Microwave:0.45-0.50, 0.5350.575, 0.63-0.68, 0.76-0.9µm
Spatial resolution: 70m
Swath width:
1000-1200km
Accuracy:

Data communications only.

USGS

Laser reflectors
CNES

Laser reflectors (ESA) CRYOSAT,GOCE
Laser reflectors
ESA

L-band SAR
INPE

LISS-III
Linear Imaging Self
Scanner - III
ISRO

LISS-IV
Linear Imaging Self
Scanner - IV
ISRO

178

VIS: Band 2: 0.52-0.59µm,
Band 3: 0.62-0.68µm,
NIR: Band 4: 0.77-0.86µm,
SWIR: Band 5: 1.55-1.75µm
Spatial resolution: Bands 2, 3 & 4: 23.5m,
Band 5: 70.5m
Swath width:
140km
Accuracy:
VIS: 0.52-0.59µm, 0.62-0.68µm,
NIR: 0.77-0.86µm,
Spatial resolution: 5.8m
Swath width:
70km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

LRA
Laser Retroreflector
Array
NASA (ASI)

LRA (LAGEOS)
Laser Retroreflector
Array

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Operational
Jason,
Jason-2 (alsoknown as
OSTM),
TopexPoseidon

Precision orbit

Provides baseline tracking
data for precision orbit
determination and/or geodesy.
Also for calibration of radar
altimeter bias. Several types
used on various missions.
(ASI involved in LAGEOS 2
development)

The LRA is an array of mirrors that provide atarget for laser tracking measurements from theground. By analyzing the round-trip time of thelaser beam, we can locate very precisely where
the satellite is on its orbit.

LAGEOS-1,
LAGEOS-2,
LAGEOS-3

Being
developed

Precision orbit

Provides baseline tracking
data for precision geodesy.
Also for calibration of radar
altimeter bias. Several types
used on various missions.
(ASI involved in LAGEOS 2
development)

The LAGEOS satellites are passive vehicles
covered with retro-reflectors designed to reflectlaser beams transmitted from ground stations.
Accuracy:
2cm overhead ranging

TerraSAR-L

Prototype

Imaging
L-Band Sar for agriculture and Waveband:
Microwave: L-band (2GHz)
microwave radars forestry
Spatial resolution: 5m
Swath width:10-200km depending on mode
Accuracy:

MEGHATROPIQUES

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Studies precipitation andclouds properties

Data not yet available.

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Will aid in the SCISAT-1 overall
mission of increasing ourunderstanding of the chemical
processes involved in thedepletion of the ozone layer

Waveband:GOES-R

Approved

Magnetic field

Measures magnitude anddirection of Earth's ambient
magnetic field in threeorthogonal directions in an
Earth referenced coordinate
system. Will provide a map of
the space environment that
controls charged particle
dynamics in the outer regionof the magnetosphere

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection of property,
and ultimately, economic health and development.

ESA Future
Missions

TBD

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Atmosphericchemistry
instruments

Data for study of exchangemechanisms between
stratosphere/troposphere, andinformation for studies on
global change. Measures
upper troposphere/ lower
stratosphere profiles of O3,
H2O, CO, HNO3, SO2, N2O,
pressure and temperature

Waveband:

SICH-2

Approved

High resolution
optical imagers

Multispectral scanner imagesof land surface

Waveband:NASA (ASI)

L-SAR
L-Band SAR
BNSC

MADRASCNESSCISAT-1
MAESTRO
Measurements of
Aerosol Extinction in
the Stratosphere andTroposphere Retrieved
by Occultation

UV-NIR: 0.285 to 1.03um(1-2nm spectral resolution)
Spatial resolution: Approx 1km vertical
Swath width:
Accuracy:

CSA

Magnetometer(NOAA)NOAA

MASTERESA

MBEI
Multi-band Earth
ImagerNSAU

Microwave: 199-207, 296-306,
318-326, 342-348GHz
Spatial resolution: 3km
Swath width:199-207GHz channel: 1K,
Accuracy:
Other channels: 1.5K, 50MHz
resolution, 0.3 secs integrationtime

VIS-NIR: 0.50-0.885µm,
VIS: 0.50-0.59, 0.605-0.68µm,
NIR: 0.785-0.885µm
Spatial resolution: 7.8m
Swath width:46.6km pointable ±35° fromnadir
Accuracy:

179

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

MCP
MeteorologicalCommunications
Package (MCP)

METOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3

TBD

Communications

Meteorological
Data communication only.
Communications Package(MCP) onboard METOP series
satellites

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Main objective is monitoring
Waveband:VIS-NIR: 15 bands selectablemarine biophysical andacross range: 0.4-1.05µm
biochemical parameters.
(bandwidth programmable
Secondary objectives are
between 0.0025 and 0.03µm)
related to atmospheric
Spatial resolution: Ocean: 1040m x 1200 m,
properties such as cloud andLand & coast: 260m x 300m
water vapour and to vegetation Swath width:
1150km, global coverage
conditions on land surfaces
every 3 days
Accuracy:
Ocean colour bands typical
S:N = 1700

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures surface temperatureand cloud and ice cover. Usedfor snow and flood
monitoring and surface
temperature

Waveband:METEOSAT-5, Prototype
METEOSAT-6,
METEOSAT-7

Communications

Communication package
onboard METEOSAT series
satellites

Data communication only.

Prototype

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Waveband:Microwave: 89, 166GHz and 3
Provides atmosphericchannels near 183Ghz
humidity profiles, cloud cover,Spatial resolution: Vertical: 3-7km,
cloud liquid, water content,
Horizontal: 30-50km
ice boundaries and1650kmSwath width:
precipitation data
Accuracy:
Cloud water profile: 10g/m2,
Specific humidity profile: 10-20%

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry
instruments &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides data on stratospherechemistry (global/polarozone), climate research(trace gases/clouds),
transport dynamics,
tropospheric chemistry.
Primary/secondary species:
O3, NO, NO2, HNO3, N2O5,
ClONO2, CH4

Waveband:FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,
FY-3G

Prototype

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Atmospheric sounding forweather forecasting

No data available

SMOS

ProposedMultiple
direction/polarisat
ion radiometers &Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Objective is to demonstrateobservations of sea surface
salinity and soil moisture insuport of climate,meteorology, hydrology, andoceanography applications.

Waveband:Technical characteristics

EUMETSAT
Envisat
MERIS
Medium-Resolution
Imaging Spectrometer
ESA

MERSI
Moderate Resolution
Spectral Imager
NRSCC (CAST)METEOSAT Comms
Communications
package for
METEOSATFY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,
FY-3G

VIS-TIR: 0.47-12.5µm (20channels)
Spatial resolution: 250m-1.1km
Swath width:
3200km
Accuracy:

EUMETSATMHSMicrowave Humidity
Sounder
EUMETSATMETOP-1,
METOP-2,
METOP-3,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Envisat
MIPAS
Michelson
Interferometric Passive
Atmosphere Sounder
ESA

MIRAS
Multichannel Infrared
Atmospheric Sounder
NRSCC (CAST)MIRAS (SMOS)
2-D Passive L-Band
Microwave
Interferometer
ESA

180

MWIR-TIR: between 4.15 and14.6µmSpatial resolution: Vertical resolution: 3km,
vertical scan range 5-150km,
Horizontal: 3km x 30km,
Spectral resolution:
0.035 lines/cm
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Radiometric precision: 685970cm-1: 1%, 2410 cm-1: 3%

Microwave: L-Band 1.41GHz(based on MIRAS concept)
Spatial resolution: Requirements: Soil moisture:
30km (desired), Sea surface
salinity: 200km (desired)
934km (at 756km altitude),
Swath width:allowing a 3 day revisit time at
the equator
Accuracy:
Radiometric accuracy: 3.5K
for land, 2.5K for sea

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Approved

High resolution
optical imagers

Scanner images of land surface Waveband:
NIR: 1.55-1.7µm
Spatial resolution: 39.5m
Swath width:55.3 km pointable ±35° fromnadir
Accuracy:

Operational

Multiple
direction/
polarisation
radiometers

Provides measurements ofWaveband:VIS: 0.44, 0.56, 0.67µm,
global surface albedo, aerosol
NIR: 0.86µm
and vegetation properties. Also Spatial resolution: 275m, 550m or 1.1km,
provides multi-angle
Summation modes available
bidirectional data (1% angle-toon selected cameras/bands:
angle accuracy) for cloud cover
1x1, 2x2, 4x4, 1x4. 1 pixel =and reflectances at the surface
275m x 275m
and aerosol opacities. Global
Swath width:
360km common overlap of all
and local modes
9 cameras
Accuracy:
0.03% hemispherical albedo,
10% aerosol opacity, 1-2%
angle to angle accuracy inbidirectional reflectance

METEOR-3M Prototype
N1

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Microwave radiometer for
humidity sounding of
atmosphere

Waveband:

Aura

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Atmosphericchemistry
instruments

Provides data on emissions ofchlorine monoxide, water
vapour and ozone. Data also
used for determination of
atmospheric pressure andtemperatures as a function ofaltitude from observations ofmolecular oxygen emissions

Waveband:

SAC-C

Operational

Magnetic field

Measurement of the Earth’s
magnetic field with a vector
and a scalar magnetometer

Waveband:

SAC-C

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Applications related toagriculture, environment,
forestry, hydrology,
oceanography, mineralogy andgeology, desertification,
contamination and protectionof ecosystems.

Waveband:

SICH-2
MIREI
Middle IR Earth Imager
NSAU

MISR
Multi-angle Imaging
SpectroRadiometer

Terra

NASA

MIVZA
Microwave scanningradiometer
ROSHYDROMET

MLS
Microwave Limb
SounderNASA

MMP
Magnetic Mapping
PayloadCONAE (DSRI(Denmark))

MMRS
Multispectral Medium
Resolution Scanner
CONAE

MOC
Multi-spectral Optical
CameraCONAE

SAC-E/SABIA Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Technical characteristics

Microwave:22-94 GHz,
5 channels
Spatial resolution: 25-100km
Swath width:
1500m
Accuracy:

118GHz, 190GHz, 240GHz,
640GHz, 2.5THz
Spatial resolution: Measurements are performed
along the sub-orbital track,and resolution varies fordifferent parameters; 5 km
cross-track x 500 km alongtrack x 3 km vertical are
typical values.
Swath width:
1.5 km vertical x 3 km crosstrack x 300 km along-track at
the limb tangent point
Depends on measurement
Accuracy:

Scalar (SHM) 1nTeslaVectorial
3-5 nT
Spatial resolution: Res angular 20 sec arc
Vector 0.5 nT
Swath width:
Accuracy:

VIS-NIR: 480 - 500nm,
540-560nm, 630-690nm,
795-835nm,
SWIR: 1550-1700nm
Spatial resolution: 175m
360kmAccuracy:
Swath width:

Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

181

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Ocean colour
instruments

Data on biological andphysical processes on thesurface of the Earth and in thelower atmosphere, and on
global dynamics. Surface
temperatures of land andocean, chlorophyll
fluorescence, land covermeasurements, cloud cover(day and night)

Waveband:Terra

Prototype

Atmosphericchemistry

Measurements of greenhousegases (CO, methane) in the
troposhere

Waveband:
SWIR-MWIR: 2.3, 2.4 and 4.7µm
Spatial resolution: CO profile: 4km vertical, 22 x
22km horizontal, CO,CH4 column: 22x22km
horizontal
Swath width:
616km
Accuracy:
Carbon monoxide (4km layers):
10%, Methane column: 1%

GOES-R

Approved

Space
Environment

Studies of natural radiation
hazard to humans at highaltitudes and in space, as wellas risk assessment andwarning of episodes of surface
charging, deep dielectriccharging, and single event
upset of satellite systems

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection of property,
and ultimately, economic health and development.

METEOR-3M Prototype
N1

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)TV camera images of cloud,snow and ice

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.5-0.8µm
Spatial resolution: 1.5km
Swath width:
3100km
Accuracy:

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)Land surface applications

Waveband:0.45-0.52, 0.53-0.60, 0.62-0.69,
0.77-0.90µm
Spatial resolution: 15m
Swath width:
90km
Accuracy:

Beingdeveloped

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution imager forland applications ofcartography and disastermonitoring

Waveband:METEOSAT-8, Being
METEOSAT-9, developed
METEOSAT-10,
METEOSAT-11

Communications

Communication package
onboard MSG series satellites

Data communication only.

METEOR-3M TBD
N2,Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Other

Geoactive corpuscularemissions measurements

The MSGI-MKA instrument features four channels
for the measurement of the following parameters:
Electron fluxes in the energy range of 0.1-15 keV(high-sensitivity channel); Ion (proton) fluxes in theenergy range of 0.1-15 keV (high-sensitivity
channel); Electron fluxes in the energy range of 0.115 keV (low-sensitivity channel); Monitoring ofintegral electron fluxes with a threshold energy of 40
keV. The Field of View is 10º x 10º for each channel(3) and 20º x 20º for the integral electron flux.

MODerate-Resolution Aqua, Terra
Imaging
SpectroradiometerNASA

MOPITT
Measurements Of
Pollution In The
Troposphere
CSA

MPS
MagnetosphericParticle Sensor
NOAA

MR-2000M1
Scanning visible
radiometer
ROSHYDROMET

MS (GISTDA)
Multi spectral imager

THEOS

GISTDAKOMPSAT-2
MSC
Multi-Spectral Camera
KARI

MSG Comms
Communications
package for MSG
EUMETSAT

MSGI-MKA
Spectrometer
ROSHYDROMET

182

VIS-TIR: 36 bands in range
0.4-14.4µm
Spatial resolution: Cloud cover: 250m (day) and
1000m (night), Surface
temperature: 1000m
Swath width:
2330km
Accuracy:Long wave radiance:
100nW/m2, Short wave
radiance: 5%, Surface
temperature of land: <1K,
Surface temperature of ocean:<0.2K, Snow and ice cover: 10%

VIS-NIR: 0.50-0.92µm,
VIS: 0.45-0.52µm, 0.520.60µm, 0.63-0.69µm,
NIR: 0.76-0.90µm
Spatial resolution: Pan: 1m, VNIR: 4m
Swath width:
15km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

MSI
Multi Spectral Imager

RapidEyeApproved

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution images withshort observing cycle forcommercial and scientificapplications

Waveband:4 VIS + 1 NIR band: 440-510nm,
520-590nm, 630-685nm,
690-730nm, 760-850nm
Spatial resolution: 6.5m
Swath width:
78km
Accuracy:
2-3%

IRS-P4

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Sea state and meteorologicalparameter monitoring (seasurface temperature, surface
wind speed, water vapour
over ocean and liquid watercontent of the cloud)Waveband:Landsat-5

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures surface radiance.
Data mostly used for land
applications

Waveband:0.5-1.1µm
Spatial resolution: 82m
Swath width:
185km
Accuracy:

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)Land surface applications

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.54-0.6, 0.63-0.69,
0.69-0.72, 0.75-0.86µm
Spatial resolution: 12m
Swath width:
20km
Accuracy:

Ocean colour
instruments

Ocean biology applications

Waveband:0.43-0.48, 0.5-0.58, 0.6-0.68,
0.7-0.9, 2.0-2.3µm
Spatial resolution: 60-100m
Swath width:
520km
Accuracy:

Other

Geoactive Emission
Measurements

Waveband:

DLR

MSMR
Multifrequency
Scanning Microwave
Radiometer
ISRO

MSS
Multispectral Scanner
USGS

MSS (Roskosmos)
Multispectral filmmaking system

BelKA

ROSKOSMOS

Meteor-M No1,
MSS-BIO
Meteor-M No2
Polyzonal scanningsystem of bioefficiencyof sea water areas
ROSKOSMOS

METEOR-3M
MSTE-5E
Multichannel system of N1
geoactive
measurements

TBD

ROSHYDROMETMSU
Microwave Sounding
Unit

ROSHYDROMET

Ions energetic spectrum:
0.1 – 15 keV, 3 channels,
Energy of electrons: 0.05 – 20
keV and more than 40 keV,
4 channels

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

NOAA-12,
NOAA-14

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides temperaturesounding through cloud up to20km in altitude

4 channels: 50.3 to 57.95 GHz
Waveband:Spatial resolution: 109.3 km
2348 km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

METEOR-3M
N1

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Multispectral scanner imagesof land surface and ice cover

Waveband:

NOAA

MSU-E
Multispectral highresolution electronic
scanner

Microwave: 6.6, 10.6, 18 and
21GHz
Spatial resolution: 40m at 21GHz to 120m at
6.6GHz,Wind speed: 75 x 75km,
Sea surface temperature: 146
x 150km
Swath width:
1360km
Accuracy:
Sea surface temparature:
1.5K, Sea surface wind speed:
1.5 m/s

VIS: 0.5-0.6, 0.6-0.7µm,
NIR: 0.8-0.9µm
Spatial resolution: 35-45m
Swath width:
45km for one scanner, 80km
for two scanners (pointable±30 deg from nadir)Accuracy:

183

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

MSU-EUMulti-Spectral
Radiometer with High
Resolution

SICH-1M

Being
developed

High resolution
optical imagers

Multispectral scanner imagesof land surface

Waveband:

TBD

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measurements of cloud cover,cloud top height, precipitation,
cloud motion, vegetation,
radiation fluxes, convection,
air mass analysis, cirrus cloud
discrimination, tropopausemonitoring, stability
monitoring, total ozone andsea surface temparature

Waveband:Prototype

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provide images of ocean
surface and ice sheets

Waveband:METEOR-3M TBD
N2,Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Images of clouds, snow, ice
and land cover

Waveband:

Visible: 0.5-0.7µm,
NIR: 0.7-1.1µm,
SWIR: 1.6-1.8µm, MWIR: 3.54.1µm, TIR: 10.5-11.5µm,
11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 1km
Swath width:
3000km
Accuracy:
VIS: 0.5%, IR: 0.1K

METEOR-3M TBD
MSU-SM
Multi-Spectral Medium N1
Resolution Scanning
SystemImaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Images of clouds, snow, ice
and land cover

Waveband:VIS: 0.5-0.7µm, NIR: 0.7-1.1µm
Spatial resolution: 225m
2250kmSwath width:
Accuracy:

NSAU

MSU-GS
Elektro-L
Multispectral scanning
imager-radiometer
ROSHYDROMET

MSU-M
Multi-Spectral Low
Resolution Scanning
SystemSICH-1M

NSAU

MSU-MR
Images of clouds,
snow, ice and land
cover
ROSHYDROMET

VIS: 0.5-0.6, 0.6-0.7µm,
NIR: 0.8-0.9µm
Spatial resolution: Visible: 24x34m
Swath width:
48km or 105km; pointable±30° from nadir
Accuracy:
VIS: 0.5-0.65, 0.65-0.8µm,
NIR: 0.9µm, SWIR: 1.5µm,
MWIR: 3.5-4.01µm, TIR: 5.77.0, 8-8.7, 9.7, 10.2-11.2,
11.2-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 1km (at SSP) for visible and 4
km for IR channels
Full Earth disk
Swath width:
Accuracy:
VIS: 0.5-0.6, 0.6-0.7µm,
NIR: 0.7-0.8, 0.8-1.1µm
Spatial resolution: 1.7km x 1.8km
Swath width:
1930km
Accuracy:

ROSHYDROMETMTSAT Comms
Communications
package for MTSAT

PrototypeCommunications

METEOR-3M Prototype
N1,
METEOR-3M
N2,
Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provision of atmospherictemparature and humidity
profilesWaveband:

KanopusVulkan,
SICH-1M

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Multi-Spectral Scanner
Images of Earth Surface

Waveband:

MTSAT-1R,
MTSAT-2

Data communication only

JMA (JAXA)MTVZAScanning microwave
radiometer
ROSHYDROMETMTVZA-OK
Scanning microwave
radiometer
ROSHYDROMET184

Approved

Microwave:18.7-183 GHz,
52-55 GHz, 19 channels
Spatial resolution: 12x22km to 75x136km
2200kmSwath width:
Accuracy:

MW: 6.9, 10.6, 18.7, 23.8,
31.5, 36.7, 42, 48, 52.3-57.0,
89, 183.32 GHz,
VIS: 0.37-0.45, 0.45-0.51,
0.58-0.68, 0.68-0.78µm,
MWIR:3.55-3.93µm
Spatial resolution: MW: 12-260km,
VIS: 0.96km,
MWIR:1.1km
Swath width:
MW: 2000km
VIS: 1280km,
MWIR: 1850km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

MUX
Multispectral CCD
CameraCBERS-3,
CBERS-4

Being
developed

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Earth resources,
environmental monitoring,land use

Waveband:Spatial resolution: 20m
Swath width:
Accuracy:

METEOSAT-5, Operational
MVIRI
METEOSAT Visible and METEOSAT-6,
Infra-Red Imager
METEOSAT-7

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measures cloud cover,Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.5-0.9µm,
motion, height, upper
TIR: 5.7-7.1µm (watertropospheric humidity and sea
vapour), 10.5-12.5µm
surface temperature
Spatial resolution: Visible: 2.5km, Water vapour:
5km (after processing),
TIR: 5 km
Swath width:
Full Earth disk in all threechannels, every 30 minutes
Accuracy:
Cloud top height: 0.5km,
Cloud top/ sea surface
temperature: 0.7K, Cloud
cover 15%

Approved

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Meteorological applications

Microwave: 150-183GHz(5channels)
Spatial resolution: 15km
Swath width:±48ºAccuracy:

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave) &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

To provide multispectral
analysis of hydrological,
oceanographic, land use
and meteorologicalparameters. Global imager &SST. Ocean colour

Waveband:Microwave: 23.8 and 36.5GHz
Spatial resolution: 20km
20km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Temparature: 2.6K

Approved

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

The Aquarius mission willmeasure global sea surface
salinity with unprecedented
resolution. The instruments
include a set of three
radiometers that are sensitive
to salinity (1.413 GHz; Lband). The scatterometercorrects for the ocean's
surface roughness

Waveband:Ka Band (23.8 and 36.56 GHz)
Spatial resolution: 400km
300km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
5K

FY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Approved

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Meteorological applications

Waveband:
10.65-89GHz (10channels)
Spatial resolution: 15-80km
Swath width:
1400km
Accuracy:

FY-3A,FY-3B

Approved

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Meteorological applications

Waveband:

CAST (INPE)EUMETSAT (ESA)

MWHS
MicroWave Humidity
Sounder
NRSCC (CAST)FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,
FY-3G

Envisat,
MWR (BNSC)
Microwave Radiometer ERS-2
BNSC

SAC-D/MWR (CONAE)
Microwave radiometer Aquarius
CONAE

MWRI
MicroWave Radiation
Imager
NRSCC (CAST)

MWTS
MicroWave
Temperature Sounder
NRSCC (CAST)

Waveband:Microwave: 50-57GHz(4channels)
Spatial resolution: 50km
Swath width:±48ºAccuracy:

185

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

NIRST
New Infrared Sensor
Technology

SAC-D/
Aquarius

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Fire area, Fire Temperature,
Volcanic ash

Waveband:

3.5-4.5µm, 10.5-11.5µ,11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 150m
Swath width:
Normal mode: 75km,
Accessible swath width: 700km
Accuracy:

DSCOVR

Approved

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures radiance output
from the sunlit Earth over abroad spectrum (UV and VIS
reflected and IR emitted) todetect energy balance changes
in support of climate studies

Waveband:CONAENISTARNIST Advanced
Radiometer
NASA

NOAA Comms
Communications
package for NOAA
NOAA

NVK
Low-frequency wave
complex
ROSKOSMOS

OBA
Observador Brasileiro
da Amazonia

NOAA-12,
NOAA-14,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Prototype

Waveband:1Hz - 25kHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Used for fire extent detection
and temperature
measurement, coastal andvegetation monitoring, land
cover and land use mapping

Waveband:

IRS-P4,
Operational
OCEANSAT-2

Ocean colour
instruments

Ocean colour information,
coastal zone monitoring, land
resources monitoring

Waveband:OCO

Atmosphericchemistry

Precise global maps of carbon
dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's
atmosphere. Scientists will
analyse OCO data to improve
our understanding of the naturalprocesses and human activities
that regulate the distribution of
CO2 in the atmosphere

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) is asingle instrument consisting of three highresolution grating spectrometers that flies on a
dedicated spacecraft. Each spectrometer detects
the intensity of radiation within a very specificnarrow band at Near Infrared (NIR) wavelengths.

Baumanets

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

SSR-1,
SSR-2

ApprovedNASA

OEA
Optical-electronicequipment
ROSKOSMOS

186

Data communication only.

Geomagnetic applications
related to volcanoes andearthquakes

ISRO

OCO
Orbiting Carbon
Observatory

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Full Earth disk
Accuracy:
Total Earth reflected andemitted power to within 0.1%

Other

KanopusVulkan,
VulkanKompas-2

INPE

OCM
Ocean Colour Monitor

Communications

UV-FIR: 0.2-100µm, 0.2-4µm,
0.7-4µm, 0.3-1µm

VIS: 0.45-0.50µm, 0.52-0.57µm,
0.63-0.69µm,
NIR: 0.76-0.90µm,
MWIR: 3.4-4.2µm
Spatial resolution: VIS-NIR: 100m,
MIR: 300m
Swath width:
2200km (equatorial belt fromlatitude 5N to 15S)
Accuracy:

VIS-NIR: 0.40-0.88µm(8 channels)
Spatial resolution: 236m x 360m
Swath width:
1440km
Accuracy:

0.5-0.9µm
Waveband:Spatial resolution: 50m
Swath width:
100km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

OLS
Operational Linescan
SystemDMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Day and night cloud coverimagery

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.4-1.1µm,
TIR: 10.0-13.4µm, and0.47-0.95µm
Spatial resolution: 0.56km (fine), 5.4km(stereo products)
Swath width:
3000km
Accuracy:

Aura

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Mapping of ozone columns,
key air quality components(NO2, SO2, BrO, OClO andaerosols), measurements ofcloud pressure and coverage,
global distribution and trends
in UV-B radiation

Waveband:UV: 270-314nm & 306-380nm,
VIS: 350-500nm
Spatial resolution: 13km x 24km or 36km x 48km
depending on the product.
Also has zoom modes (13km
x 13km) for example for urban
pollution detection
2600kmSwath width:
Accuracy:

NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-5,
NPP

Being
developed

Atmosphericchemistry

Measures total amount ofozone in the atmosphere andthe ozone concentration
variation with altitude

Waveband:FY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Being
developed

Atmosphericchemistry

Ozone chemistrymeasurements

Waveband:UV
Spatial resolution: 200km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Prototype

Atmosphericchemistry

Spectrograph: UV-NIR:
Waveband:
Detects aerosol layers and0.28-0.80µm, IR Imager, NIR:
abundance of species such as
1.26µm, 1.27µm, 1.52µm
O3, NO2, OClO, and NO.
Consists of spectrograph and Spatial resolution: Spectrograph 1km at limb,
Imager 1km in vertical
IR imager. Measures
Swath width:
N/A, but measures in thetemperature for altitudes
altitude range 5-100 km
above 30km
Depends on species
Accuracy:

KOMPSAT-1

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Ocean colour
instruments

Ocean color measurements
for biological oceanography

ALOS

Being
developed

ImagingHigh resolution microwave
microwave radars imaging of land and ice foruse in environmental
monitoring, agriculture andforestry, disaster monitoring,
Earth resource management
and interferometry

NOAA (US DoD)

OMI
Ozone Measuring
Instrument
NASA (NIVR(Netherland))

OMPS
Ozone Mapping andProfiler Suite
NOAA

OP
Ozone Profiler
NRSCC (CAST)

Odin
OSIRIS
Optical Spectrographand Infra-Red Imaging
SystemCSA

OSMI
Ocean Scanning
Multispectral Imager
KARI

PALSAR
Phased Array typeL-band Synthetic
Aperture Radar
JAXA (METI (Japan))

Nadir Mapper: UV 0.3-0.38µm,
Nadir profiler: UV 0.25-0.31µm,
Limb soundings:
UV-TIR 0.29-10µm
Spatial resolution: Mapper: 50km, Profiler:
250km, Limb: 1km vertical
Swath width:
Mapper: 2800km, Profiler:
250km, Limb: 3 vertical slits
along track +/- 250km
Accuracy:
Total Ozone: 15 Dobson units.
Profile Ozone: 10% between
15 and 60km, 20% between
Tropopause and 15km

Waveband:VIS: 0.412µm, 0.443µm,
0.490µm, 0.555µm,
NIR: 0.765µm, 0.865µm
Spatial resolution: 1km
800km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Waveband:Microwave: L-Band 1270MHz
Spatial resolution: Hi-res: 7-44m or 14-88m(depends on polarisation andlooks), ScanSAR mode:<100m, Polarimetry 24-88m
High resolution mode: 70km,
Swath width:
Scan SAR mode: 250-360km,
Polarimetry: 30km
Accuracy:
Radiometric: ±1dB

187

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

PamelaResurs DK

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Space
Environment

Measures the energy spectrumof antiprotons and positrons in
the cosmic radiation. Will allow
significant comparisons
between competing models of
antimatter production in ourgalaxyPAMELA consists of a time-of-flight / trigger
system, transition radiation detector, a magnetic
spectrometer with silicon tracking, ananticoincidence system, a silicon-tungsten
imaging electromagnetic calorimeter, a showertail catcher and a neutron counter.

Being
developed

High resolution
optical imagers

Provides measurements ofcloud type and extent andland surface reflectance, andused for global land surface
applications

Waveband:

CARTOSAT-1 Operational

High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution stereo images
for study of topography, urban
areas, development of DTM,
run-off models etc. Urban
sprawl, forest cover/timbervolume, land use change

Waveband:
Panchromatic VIS: 0.5-0.75µm
Spatial resolution: 2.5m
Swath width:
Accuracy:

THEOS

Approved

High resolution
optical imagers

Land surface applications

Waveband:0.45-0.90µm
Spatial resolution: 2m
Swath width:
22km
Accuracy:

UARS

Operational

Magnetic field

PEM measures UV andcharged particle energy inputs:
determines type, amount,energy and distribution of
charged particles injected into
Earth's thermosphere,
mesosphere and stratosphere

There are four PEM ‘instruments’, AXIS, HEPS,
MEPS, and VMAG. Their purpose is to provide
quantitative measurements of both local andglobal energy inputs into the Earth's atmosphereby charged particles and Joule dissipation – via
measurements of x-rays, charged particles, andthe magnetic field.

DSCOVR

Proposed

Magnetic field &Space
environment

Sun-viewing instrument tomeasure the solar wind andmagnetic field parameters.
Also serves as early-warningfor solar-event storms that
could damage satellites andequipment on Earth

Plasma-Mag contains a triaxal fluxgate
magnetometer that will investigate solar- windmagnetic fields with a sensitivity level of better
than 0.1nT.

High resolution
optical imagers

Cartography, land use,
risk,agriculture and forestry,
civil planning and mapping,
digital terrain models, defense

Waveband:ROSKOSMOS

PAN
Panchromatic andmultispectral imager

CBERS-3,
CBERS-4

CAST

PAN (Cartosat-1)
Panchromatic sensor
ISRO

PAN (GISTDA)
Panchromatic imager
GISTDAPEM
Particle Environment
MonitorNASA

Plasma-Mag
NASA

Pleiades HR
Pleiades 1,
High Resolution Optical Pleiades 2
Imaging
CNES

POLDER-P
POLarization and
Directionality of the
Earth's Reflectances(PARASOL version)
CNES

188

PARASOL

Approved

VIS: 0.52-0.59µm, 0.63-0.69µm,
NIR: 0.77-0.89µm,
PAN: 0.51-0.85µm
Spatial resolution: 5m panchromatic and 10m
multispectral
Swath width:
60 km
Accuracy:

4 bands:Near IR, Red, Green,Blue
Spatial resolution: <1m
Swath width:in vertical: 20km
Accuracy:

Multiple
Measures polarization, andWaveband:VIS-NIR: 0.490, 0.670 and
direction/polarisat directional and spectral
0.865µm at 3 polarisations,
ion radiometerscharacteristics of the solar lightand 0.49, 0.565, 0.763, 0.765,
reflected by aerosols, clouds,
0.91µm, and 1.02µm with nooceans and land surfaces
polarisation
Spatial resolution: 5.5km x 5.5km
Swath width:
1600kmRadiation budget, land surface,
Accuracy:
Reflectance: 2%

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Operational

Radar altimeters

Nadir viewing sounding radarfor provision of real-time highprecision sea surface
topography, ocean circulation
and wave height data

Waveband:Microwave: Ku-band (13.575GHz)
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Operational

Radar altimeters

Nadir viewing sounding radarfor provision of real-time highprecision sea surface
topography, ocean circulation
and wave height data

Waveband:

Jason-2 (also Operational
POSEIDON-3
Positioning Ocean Solid known as
OSTM)
Earth Ice Dynamics
Orbiting Navigator(Single frequency solidstate radar altimeter)

Radar altimeters

Nadir viewing sounding radarfor provision of real-time highprecision sea surface
topography, ocean circulation
and wave height data

Waveband:

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Solar UV and visible flux inselected wavelength bands

Waveband:High resolution
optical imagers

High resolution panchromaticstereo imager for land
applications which include
cartography, digital terrain
models, civil planning,
agriculture and forestry

Waveband:

Monitor-E

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)High resolution thematic
mapping, agriculture andforestry

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.51-0.85µm
Spatial resolution: 8m
Swath width:
90/730km
Accuracy:

BelKA

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)High resolution mapping,environmental, and resource
survey applications

Waveband:VIS-NIR: 0.52-0.85µm
Spatial resolution: 3.2m
Swath width:
23km
Accuracy:

POSEIDON-1 (SSALT-1) TopexPositioning Ocean
PoseidonSolid Earth Ice
Dynamics Orbiting
Navigator (Single
frequency solid stateradar altimeter)
CNES

POSEIDON-2 (SSALT-2) Jason
Positioning Ocean
Solid Earth Ice
Dynamics Orbiting
Navigator (Single
frequency solid stateradar altimeter)
CNES

CNES

PREMOS
PREcision Monitoringof Solar variability

PICARD

TBD

Being
developed

JAXA

PSA
Panchromatic filmmaking equipment
ROSKOSMOS

PSS
Panchromatic filmmaking system
ROSKOSMOS

Microwave: Ku-band(13.575GHz), C-band (5.3GHz)
Spatial resolution: Basic measurement: 1/sec(6km along track), Raw
measurement: 10/sec (600m
along track)
Swath width:
On baseline
TOPEX/POSEIDON orbit (10day cycle): 300km between
tracks at equator
Sea level: 3.9cm, Significant
Accuracy:
waveheight: 0.5m, Horizontal
sea surface wind speed: 2m/s
UV: 230nm, 311nm, 402nm;
VIS: 548 nm

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

CNES

ALOS
PRISM
Panchromatic Remotesensing Instrument for
Stereo Mapping

Microwave: Ku-band(13.575GHz), C-band (5.3GHz)
Spatial resolution: Basic measurement: 1/sec(6km along track), Raw
measurement: 10/sec (600m
along track)
Swath width:
On baseline
TOPEX/POSEIDON orbit (10day cycle): 300km between
tracks at equator
Accuracy:
Sea level: 3.9cm, Significant
waveheight: 0.5m, Horizontal
sea surface wind speed: 2m/s

VIS-NIR: 0.52-0.77µm(panchromatic)
Spatial resolution: 2.5m
35km (triplet stereo
Swath width:
observations),
70km (nadir observations)
Accuracy:

189

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

RA
Radar Altimeter

ERS-2

Operational

Radar altimeters

Measures wind speed,
significant wave height, sea
surface elevation, ice profile,land and ice topography, andsea ice boundaries

Waveband:Microwave: Ku-band: 13.8GHz
Spatial resolution: Footprint is 16-20km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Wave height: 0.5m or 10%(whichever is smaller)
Sea surface elevation: better
than 10cm

ERS-2

Operational

Radar altimeters

Measures wind speed,
significant wave height, sea
surface elevation, ice profile,land and ice topography, andsea ice boundaries

Waveband:

ESA

RA-2
Radar Altimeter - 2
ESA

RADARSAT DTT
X band (downlink of
payload)Microwave: 13.575Ghz(Ku-Band) & 3.2GHz (S-Band)

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Altitude: better than 4.5cm,
Wave height: better than 5%
or 0.25m

RADARSAT-1 Operational

Communications

Data communication only.

RADARSAT-1 Operational

Communications

Data communication only.

Meteor-M No1,
Meteor-M No2

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Atmospheric sounding forweather forecasting

Waveband:3cm, 32cm
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

KanopusVulkan,
VulkanKompas-2

Magnetic field &Space
environment

Geomagnetic applications
related to volcanoes andearthquakes

Waveband:
150MHz, 400MHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Other

ROSKOSMOS

KanopusVulkan,
VulkanKompas-2

Geomagnetic applications
related to volcanoes andearthquakes

Waveband:
50kHz -15MHz
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

RDSA

Monitor-E

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

VIS-NIR: 0.54-0.59,
Thematic mapping, agriculture Waveband:
0.63-0.68, 0.79-0.9µm
and forestry
Spatial resolution: 20/40m
160/890km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Meteor-M No1, TBD
Meteor-M No2

Other

Ion composition in upper
atmosphere

CSA

RADARSAT TTC
S band (Tracking,Telemetry andCommand)
CSA

Radiomet
ROSKOSMOS

RBE
ROSKOSMOSRCHA

ROSKOSMOS

RIMS-M
Mass-spectrometer
ROSHYDROMET

SICH-1M
RLSBO
Side looking microwave
radar
ROSKOSMOS (NIIRI)

190

Prototype

Imaging
Provides images of ocean
microwave radars surface and ice sheets

Waveband:1-4 a.e.m., 5-20 a.e.m
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

Waveband:Microwave: 0.8cm
Spatial resolution: 25x25km
550km
Swath width:
3K temperature sensitivity"
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

RM-08
Scanning Microwave
Radiometer

SICH-1M

Prototype

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Passive microwave images ofocean surface and ice sheets

Waveband:Microwave: 0.8cm
Spatial resolution: 25x25km
Swath width:
550km
Accuracy:
3K temperature sensitivity

SAC-D/
Aquarius

TBD

Precision orbit &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

GPS Receiver. Including
specialized version equippedwith limb sounding antenna
and dedicated signal tracking
capability for metereological,
climate and space weather
applications

Uses observations of GPS satellite occultations
in order to supply information about theatmosphere temperature, pressure and water
vapour content.

Precision orbit

Satellite laser ranging for
geodynamic measurements

The RRA consist of 2 flattened truncated cones
with 77 cube corners per cone for a total of 144
cube corners.

ROSHYDROMET(NSAU)

ROSA
formerly called
Lagrange
ASI

RRA
Retroreflector Array

Diademe 1&2

CNES

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

Prototype

Other

Satellite and ground based
system to detect and locate
aviators, mariners, and landbased users in distressCommunications payload.

S&R (NOAA)METOP-1,
METOP-2,
Search and Rescue
Satellite Aided Tracking NOAA-14,
NOAA-15,NOAA
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Other

Satellite and ground based
system to detect and locate
aviators, mariners, and landbased users in distressCommunications payload.

SABER
Sounding of the
AtmosphereusingBroadband
Emission Radiometry

TIMED

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders &Atmosphericchemistry
instruments

SABER provides
measurements of themesosphere and lower
thermosphere globally tosupport investigations into thefundamental processes
governing the energetics,
chemistry, dynamics, andtransport of the atmosphericregion extending from 60 km
to 180 km

Waveband:SAGE II
ERBS
Stratospheric Aerosol
and Gas Experiment-II

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Profiles of ozone, aerosols,
NO2, and water vapor. Data
suitable for atmosphericchemistry, ozone trend, andclimate studies

Waveband:S&R (GOES)
Search and Rescue
NOAA

NASA

NASA

NIR-FIR: 1.27µm - 17µm
(10 channels)
Spatial resolution: 2km vertical resolution
Swath width:
Accuracy:

7 channels, UV-NIR:
0.385 - 1.02 µm
Spatial resolution: 0.75 km
Swath width:
N/AO3- 4%, Aerosol – 1%,
Accuracy:
NO2 – 15%, H2O- 20% inlower stratosphere191

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusSAGE IIIMETEOR-3M Operational
Stratospheric Aerosol N1and Gas Experiment-III

Type

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

Atmosphericchemistry

Profiles of ozone, water vapor,
NO2, NO3, OCIO, aerosols,
temperature and pressure foratmospheric chemistry andclimate studies using a 809
element CCD-based grating
spectrometer and discrete
photodiode channel at 1550 nm

Waveband:
UV-NIR: 0.29-1.55µm
Spatial resolution: 1-2km vertical resolution
Swath width:
N/A
Accuracy:
Temperature: 2K, Ozone: 6%,
Humidity: 3-10%, Aerosol andtrace gases: 5-10%

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Cross-track sounder with theobjective of measuring water
vapour profiles in the
troposphere in six layers from
2-12km altitudes

Waveband:NASA (ROSKOSMOS)

SAPHIR
CNES (ISRO)SAR (RADARSAT)
Synthetic Aperture
Radar (CSA) C band

MEGHATROPIQUESApproved

RADARSAT-1 Operational

Imaging
Provides all-weather images
Waveband:Microwave: C band: 5.3GHz,
microwave radars of ocean, ice and land
HH polarisation
surfaces. Used for monitoring Spatial resolution: Standard: 25 x28 m (4 looks),of coastal zones, polar ice,
Wide beam (1/2):48-30 x
sea ice, sea state, geological
28m/ 32-25 x 28m (4 looks),
features, vegetation and land
Fine resolution: 11-9 x 9m (1surface processeslook), ScanSAR (N/W): 50 x
50m/ 100 x 100m (2-4/4-8
looks), Extended (H/L): 2219x28m/ 63-28 x 28m (4 looks)
Swath width:Standard: 100km Wide:
150km Fine: 45km ScanSAR
Narrow: 300km ScanSAR
Wide: 500km Extended (H):75km Extended (L):170kmWide: 150km
Fine: 45km
ScanSAR Narrow: 300km
ScanSAR Wide: 500km
Extended (H): 75km
Extended (L): 170km
Accuracy:
Geometric distortion: < 40m,
Radiometric: 1.0dB

RADARSAT-2 Being
developed

Imaging
Microwave: C band 5.405
Waveband:
Provides all-weather images
microwave radars of ocean, ice and land
GHz: HH, VV, HV, VH
polarisation - includes fully
surfaces. Used for monitoringpolarimetric imaging modes,of coastal zones, polar ice,and left- and right-looking
sea ice, sea state, geologicalcapability
features, vegetation and land
Spatial resolution: Standard: 25 x28 m (4 looks),surface processes
Wide beam (1/2):48-30 x
28m/ 32-25 x 28m (4 looks),
Fine resolution: 11-9 x 9m (1look), ScanSAR (N/W): 50 x
50m/ 100 x 100m (2-4/4-8
looks), Extended (H/L): 2219x28m/ 63-28 x 28m (4looks), Ultrafine: 3m
Standard: 100km (20-49deg),
Swath width:
Wide beam (1/2): 165km/
150km (20-31/ 31-39deg),
Fine resolution: 45km (3748deg), ScanSAR (W): 510km(20-49deg), Extended (H/L):
75km/170km (50-60/ 1023deg), Ultrafine: 10-20km
Accuracy:
Geometric distortion: < 40m,
Radiometric: 1.0dB

CSA

SAR (RADARSAT-2)
Synthetic Aperture
Radar (CSA) C band
CSA

192

Microwave: 183.3GHz(6 channels)
Spatial resolution: 10km
Swath width:
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

SAR (RISAT)RISAT-1

Proposed

Radar backscatter
Imaging
Waveband:
C-Band (5.350 Ghz)
microwave radars measurements of land, water Spatial resolution: 3-6m (FRS-1), 9-12m
and ocean surfaces for(FRS-2), 25/50m (MRS/CRS)
applications in soil moisture,
Swath width:
10km (HRS), 30km
crop applications (under cloud(FRS-1/FRS-2), 120/240km
cover), terrain mapping etc(MRS/CRS)
Accuracy:

ISRO

SAR
(ROSHYDROMET)
Synthetic Aperture
Radar

CONAE

SAR 2000
Multi-Mode Synthetic
Aperture Radar

Technical characteristics

METEOR-3M Operational
N2

Imaging
Provides all-weather images
microwave radars of ocean, ice and land
surfaces. Used for monitoringof coastal zones, polar ice,sea ice, sea state, geologicalfeatures, vegetation and land
surface processes

No data available.

SAOCOM 1A, Being
SAOCOM 1B, developed
SAOCOM-2B(1),
SAOCOM-2B(2)Land and Ocean Emergencies
Imaging
microwave radars

Waveband:Microwave: L-Band SAR
1.275 GHz
Spatial resolution: 10x10m - 100x100m
Swath width:
Accuracy:
70m

Imaging
All weather images of ocean,microwave radars land and ice for monitoring ofland surface processes, ice,environmental monitoring,risk management,
environmental resources,
maritime management, earth
topographic mapping

Waveband:ROSHYDROMET(ROSKOSMOS)

SAR (SAOCOM)
Synthetic Aperture
Radar (CONAE)

Measurements &applications

COSMO SkyMed

TBD

ASI

Microwave: X-band, withchoice of 4 polarisation modes(VV, HH, VV/HH, HV/HH).
Spatial resolution: Single polarisation mode;
Stripmap: few metres,
ScanSAR: from few tens toseveral tens of metres; Frame:
resolution: order of the mSwath width:

Two polarisation mode·PING
PONG: few metres
Single polarisation modes:
Stripmap (tens of km),
ScanSAR (hundreds of km),
Frame (spot width several
tens km2)
Two polarisation modes: PING
PONG (several tens of km)

Accuracy:

NPOESS-1,
SARSAT
NPOESS-2,
Search and Rescue
Satellite Aided Tracking NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-4,
NOAA
NPOESS-5,
NPOESS-6

TBD

Data collection

S-band SAR
S-band Synthetic
Aperture Radar

HJ-1C

Being
developed

Imaging
All weather microwave 3-D
microwave radars images

NOAA-14,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Satellite and ground based
system to detect and locate
aviators, mariners, and landbased users in distress

CAST

SBUV/2
Solar Backscattter
Ultra-Violet
Instrument/2
NOAA

Provides data on trace gases
including vertical profileozone, and solar irradianceand total ozone concentration
measurements

Waveband:UHF 406.0 MHZ

Waveband:Spatial resolution: 20m (4looks)
100km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
3dB

UV: 0.16-0.4µm (12 channels)
Waveband:Spatial resolution: 170km
Swath width:
Accuracy:
Absolute accuracy: 1%

193

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

ScaRaB
Scanner for Earth's
Radiation Budget

MEGHATROPIQUES

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures top-of-atmosphereshortwave radiation (0.24.0µm) and total radiation(0.2-50µm). Two additional
narrow-band channels (0.50.7µm and 11-12µm) allow
cloud detection and scene
identification

Waveband:

Scatterometers

Mainly for windmeasurements

Under definition.

TBD

Scatterometers

Ocean surface windmeasurements

Under definition.

EnvisatOperational

Atmosphericchemistry

Measures middle atmospheretemperature. Provides
tropospheric andstratospheric profiles of O2,
O3, O4, CO, N2O, NO2, CO2,
CH4, H2O, and troposphericand stratospheric profiles ofaerosols and cloud altitude

Waveband:QuikSCAT

Operational

Scatterometers

Microwave: 13.402 GHz
Measurement of surface wind Waveband:
Spatial resolution: 25 km
speed and direction; lost1600 kmpower on-orbit in October 2003 Swath width:
Accuracy:
Speed: 2-3.5 m/s Direction:
20 deg

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

OperationalSpace
Environment

Used for equipment failure
analysis, solar flux
measurement, solar storm
warning, and magnetic andelectric field measurement at
satellite

The SEM System consists of a three-axis vector
magnetometer, an Energetic Particle Sensor(EPS) and associated High-Energy Proton andAlpha Detector (HEPAD), and an X-Ray Sensor(XRS). This set of instruments is designed toprovide real-time measurement of solar activity,
the charged particle environment, and the Earth's
magnetic field at synchronous orbit.

METOP-2,
NOAA-12,
NOAA-14,
NOAA-15,
NOAA-16,
NOAA-17,
NOAA-N,NOAA-N'

OperationalSpace
Environment

Used for equipment failure
analysis, solar flux
measurement, solar storm
warning, and magnetic andelectric field measurement at
satellite

The SEM consists of two separate sensor units:
the Total Energy Detector (TED) and the Medium
Energy Proton and Electron Detector (MEPED).
The TED senses and quantifies the intensity inthe sequentially selected energy bands. The
particles of interest have energies ranging from0.05 keV to 20 keV. The MEPED senses protons,
electrons, and ions with energies from 30 keV tolevels exceeding 6.9 MeV.

NPOESS-2,
NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-4,
NPOESS-5,
NPOESS-6

BeingdevelopedSpace
environment &Magnetic field

Measures characteristics ofauroral boundary, auroralenergy deposition, auroral
imagery, electric field, electron
density profile, geomagnetic
field, in-situ plasma
fluctuations, ionospherescintillation. Data aids future
space system design

Multiple sensors to measure auroral
characteristics, geomagnetic field, electron
density profile, and total electron content, 10-km
vertical resolution from 60 km to 3000 km.

CNES (NPO"PLANETA")

Scatterometer (ISRO) OCEANSAT-2 TBD
ISROScatterometer (JAXA) GCOM-W
Scatterometer

VIS window channel: 0.5-0.7µm,
Solar channel UV-SWIR: 0.24µm, Total channel UV-FIR:
0.2-50µm, Thermal window
channel: 10.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 60km
Swath width:
2200km
Accuracy:
Absolute: ± 2.5W/m2/sr,
Relative: ± 0.7W/m2/sr

JAXA

SCIAMACHY
Scanning Imaging
Absorption
Spectrometer for
Atmospheric
Chartography
ESA

SeaWinds
NASA (JAXA)SEM (GOES)
Space Environment
MonitorNOAA

SEM (POES)
Space Environment
MonitorNOAASESSSpace Environmental
Sensor Suite
NOAA

194

UV-SWIR: 240-314, 309-3405,
394-620, 604-805, 785-1050,
1000-1750, 1940-2040 and
2265-2380nm
Spatial resolution: Limb vertical 3 x 132km,
Nadir horizontal 32 x 215km
Swath width:
Limb and nadir mode:
1000km (max)Accuracy:
Radiometric: <4%

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

SEVIRI
Spinning Enhanced
Visible and Infra-Red
ImagerStatusType

Measurements &applications

METEOSAT-8, Prototype
METEOSAT-9,
METEOSAT-10,
METEOSAT-11

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Measurements of cloud cover, Waveband:
VIS: 0.56-0.71µm, 0.5-0.9µm
cloud top height, precipitation,(broadband),NIR: 0.74cloud motion, vegetation,
0.88µm,SWIR 1.5-1.78µm,
radiation fluxes, convection,
SWIR: 3.48-4.36µm, TIR:
air mass analysis, cirrus cloud
5.35-7.15µm, 6.85-7.85µm,
discrimination, tropopause
8.3-9.1µm, 9.38-9.94µm, 9.8monitoring, stability
11.8µm, 11-13µm, 12.4monitoring, total ozone and14.46µm
sea surface temparature
Spatial resolution: 1km (at SSP) for one
broadband visible channel
HRV, 5km (at SSP) for allother channels
Swath width:
Full Earth disk
Accuracy:
Cloud cover: 10%, Cloud top
height: 1km, Cloud top
temparature: 1K, Cloud type: 8classes, Surface temparature:
0.7-2.0K, Specific humidity
profile: 10%, Wind profile(horizontal component): 210m/s, Long wave Earthsurface radiation: 5W/m2

METEOR-3M Operational
N1

Atmosphericchemistry

Global ozone monitoring

Waveband:UV-VIS: 0.2-0.51µm (4 channels)
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

EUMETSAT (ESA)

SFM-2
UV limb spectrometer
ROSHYDROMET

SGPS
Solar and Galactic
Proton Sensor

GOES-R

Approved

Space
Environment

Studies natural radiation
hazard to humans at highaltitudes and in space, as wellas risk assessment andwarning of episodes of surface
charging, deep dielectriccharging, and single event
upset of satellite systems

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection of property,
and ultimately, economic health and development.

SORCE

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures solar spectral
irradiance in the 200-2000nm
range

UV-SWIR: 200-2000nm
Waveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

CRYOSATBeing
developed

Radar altimeters

Objective is to observe ice
sheet interiors, the ice sheet
margins, for sea ice and othertopography

Waveband:Proton flux density

Waveband:

NOAA

SIM
Spectral Irradiance
MonitorNASASIRAL
SAR Interferometer
Radar Altimeter
ESA

Meteor-M No1, TBD
SKL-M
Solar ray spectrometer Meteor-M No2
ROSHYDROMET

Technical characteristics

Microwave: 13.575GHz(Ku-Band)Spatial resolution: Range resolution 45cm, alongtrack resolution 250m
Swath width:
Footprint 15km
Accuracy:
Arctic sea-ice: 1.6cm/year for
300kmx300km cells, Land ice(small scale): 3.3cm/year for
100km x 100km cells, Land ice(large scale): 0.17cm/year for
Antarctica size area

2, 4, 6 and > 6 MeV, 30, 50,
100, 300 and > 300 MeV

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

195

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

SMR
Submillimetre
Radiometer

Odin

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry
instruments &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measures global distributionsof ozone and species ofimportance for ozone
chemisty, ClO, HNO3, H2O,
N2O, (HO2, H2O2). Measurestemperature in the height
range 15-100km

Waveband:SAC-D/
Aquarius

Approved

TBD

Space Debris

Instrument for the measurement of the propertiesof micrometeorites and space debris.

TBD

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measures diameter anddifferential rotation of the sun- a whole Sun imager

Waveband:

SNSB

SODAD
Orbital System for an
Active Detection of
DebrisMicrowave: 118.7GHz + 4
bands in the region 480580GHz: Tunable measures 2-3
x 1GHz regions at a time
Spatial resolution: Vertical resolution 1.5-3km,
along track 600km
Swath width:
Altitudes of 5-100km
Accuracy:
2-40% depending on species
and altitude

CNES

PICARDSODISM
SOlar Diameter Imager
and Surface Mapper

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

CNES

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Provides data on UV andcharged particle energy inputs,
and on time variation of fulldisk solar UV spectrum.
Measures solar UV radiation(115 to 430nm) with resolutionof 0.12nm. Compares solar UV
output with UV radiation of
stable bright blue stars

Waveband:UV: 115-180nm & 170-320nm
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:1%

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides atmosphericsoundings and data on
atmospheric stability andthermal gradient winds

Waveband:

INSAT-3D

TBD

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Atmospheric soundings,
atmospheric stability, thermal
gradient winds

Waveband:Being
developed

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Total solar irradiancemeasurements

Waveband:
Total irradianceSpatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

SORCE,SOLSTICEUARS
SOLar STellar
Irradiance Comparison
Experiment
NASA

Sounder
NOAASounder (INSAT)ISROPICARD
SOVAP
SOlar Variability Picard
radiometer
CNES

196

UV: 230nm, VIS: 548nm,
Active regions: 160nm plus
Lyman alpha detector

GOES 8-12; N,O,P: VIS-TIR:
19 channels
Spatial resolution: 10km
Swath width:
Horizon to horizon
Accuracy:

SWIR: 3.74-4.74µm,
MWIR: 6.51-11.03µm,
TIR: 12.02-14.71µm,
VIS: 0.55-0.75µm
Spatial resolution: 10x10 km
Swath width:
Full (Full Earth disc sounding),
Program (Options provided
for for Sector Scans)
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

OperationalSpace
Environment

Detects the location, intensity, Array-based system.
and spectrum of X-rays
emitted from the Earth's
atmosphere

OperationalSpace
Environment

Measurement of the ambient
electron density andtemperatures, the ambient ion
density, and ion temperatureand molecular weight

Consists of an electron sensor (Langmuir probe)
and an ion sensor mounted on a 2.5 meterboom. The ion sensor is a planar aperture, planarcollector sensor oriented to face the spacecraft
velocity vector at all times. In addition to theLangmuir probe and planar collector, has aplasma drift meter and a scintillation meter.

TBD

Space
Environment

Measurement of the ambient
electron density andtemperatures, the ambient ion
density, and ion temperatureand molecular weight

Consists of an electron sensor (Langmuir probe)
and an ion sensor mounted on a 2.5 meterboom. The ion sensor is a planar aperture, planarcollector sensor oriented to face the spacecraft
velocity vector at all times. In addition to theLangmuir probe and planar collector, has aplasma drift meter and a scintillation meter.

Prototype

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(vis/IR) &Multiple
direction/
polarisation
radiometers

Data for study of land surface
processes

Waveband:DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16

Operational

Magnetic field

Measurement of transfer
energy, mass, and momentumof charged particles throughthe magnetosphereionosphere in the Earth's
magnetic field

Consists of four electrostatic analyzers that record
electrons and ions between 30 eV and 30 KeV as
they flow past the spacecraft toward the Earth.
The instruments "look" toward the satellite zenith.

DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

TBD

Magnetic field

Measurement of transfer
energy, mass, and momentumof charged particles throughthe magnetosphereionosphere in the Earth's
magnetic field

Consists of four electrostatic analyzers that record
electrons and ions between 30 eV and 30 KeV as
they flow past the spacecraft toward the Earth.
The instruments "look" toward the satellite zenith.

DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

Operational

Magnetic field

Measures geomagnetic
A triaxial fluxgate magnetometer
fluctuations associatedwithMeasures geomagnetic
fluctuations associated withsolar geophysical phenomena.
With SSIES and SSJ provides
heating and electron density
profiles in the ionosphere

DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16

Operational

Imaging multispectral
radiometers(passive
microwave)

Measures atmospheric, ocean
and terrain microwave
brightness temperatures toprovide: sea surface winds,
rain rates, cloud water,
precipitation, soil moisture,
ice edge, ice age

SSB/X-2DMSP F-13,
Special Sensor Gamma DMSP F-15,
Ray Particle Detector DMSP F-16
NOAA (US DoD)SSIES-2DMSP F-13,
Special Sensor
DMSP F-15,
Ionospheric Plasma
DMSP F-16
Drift/Scintillation Meter
NOAA (US DoD)SSIES-3
Special Sensor
Ionospheric Plasma
Drift/Scintillation Meter
NOAA (US DoD)DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

ESA Future
SPECTRA
Surface Processes and Missions
Ecosystem Changes
Through Response
Analysis
ESA

SSJ/4
Special Sensor
Precipitating Plasma
MonitorNOAA (US DoD)

SSJ/5Special Sensor
Precipitating Plasma
MonitorNOAA (US DoD)

SSM
Special Sensor
Magnetometer
NOAA (US DoD)

SSM/I
Special Sensor
Microwave Imager
NOAA (US DoD)

Technical characteristics

VIS-SWIR: 450-2350 nm and
TIR: 10.3-12.3 micron
Spatial resolution: Spatial sampling interval
approx 50m, along track
pointing ±30 deg
Swath width:
50km
Accuracy:

Waveband:Microwave: 19.35, 22.235, 37,
85 GHzSpatial resolution: 15.7km x 13.9km to 68.9 x
44.3km (depends onfrequency)
Swath width:
1400km
Accuracy:

197

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

SSM/T-1
Special Sensor
Microwave
Temperature Sounder

DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measures Earth's surface andatmospheric emission in the
50-60GHz oxygen band

Waveband:Microwave: 7 channels in the
50-60GHz range
Spatial resolution: 174km diameter beam
Swath width:
1500km
Accuracy:

DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Water Vapour profiler

Waveband:Microwave: 91.6, 150, 183.31(3 channels) (Total 5 channels)
Spatial resolution: approx 48km
Swath width:
1500km
Accuracy:

DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Measures thermal microwave
radiation. Global
measurements of air temp
profile, humidity profile, ocean
surface winds, rainoverland/ocean, ice
concentration/age, ice/snow
edge, water vapour/clouds overocean, snow water content,
land surface temperature

Waveband:Microwave: 19 - 183GHz(24 frequencies)
Spatial resolution: Varies with frequency:
25x17km to 70X42km
Swath width:
1700km
Accuracy:

Operational

Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides temperature profiles
in stratosphere, top-ofatmosphere radiation from25km to 50km altitude

Waveband:DMSP F-16,
SSULI
DMSP F-17,
Special Sensor
Ultraviolet Limb Imager DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
NOAADMSP F-20

TBD

Space
Environment

Measures vertical profiles of
the natural airglow radiationfrom atoms, molecules andions in the upper atmosphereand ionosphere

SSULI makes measurements from the extreme
ultraviolet (EUV) to the far ultraviolet (FUV)(80nm-170nm with 1.5 nm resolution). Uses aspectrograph fed by a mirror capable of scanning
below the satellite horizon from 10-27 deg, every
90 seconds (which gives a vertical slice ofEarth's atmosphere from 750-50km in altitude).

SSUSI
Special Sensor
Ultraviolet
Spectrographic Imager

DMSP F-16,
DMSP F-17,
DMSP F-18,
DMSP F-19,
DMSP F-20

TBD

Space
Environment

Monitors the composition andstructure of the upper
atmosphere and ionosphere,
as well as auroral energetic
particle inputs, with
spectrographic imaging andphotometry

A scanning imaging spectrograph whose field-ofview is scanned from horizon to horizon and anadir-looking photometer system. The SIS
produces simultaneous multispectral images
over the spectral range 115-180nm.

DMSP F-13,
DMSP F-15,
DMSP F-16

OperationalSpace
Environment

Laser threat detector

The SSZ is a static Earth viewing sensor,
monitoring electro magnetic radiation.

Swarm

Operational

Precision orbit

Precise satellite orbit andattitude determination

Waveband:N/A
Spatial resolution: <1arcsec
Swath width:
N/A
Accuracy:<0.7arcsec

UARS

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Provides data on UV andcharged particle energy
inputs, and on time variationof full-disk solar UV spectrum

Waveband:UV: 0.12-0.4µm
Spatial resolution: Not applicable
Spectral resolution: 0.15nm
Accuracy:
1%
Swath width:
Looks at sun

NOAA (US DoD)

SSM/T-2
Special Sensor
Microwave Water
Vapor Sounder
NOAA (US DoD)SSMISSpecial Sensor
Microwave Imager
Sounder
NOAA (US DoD)NOAA-12,SSU
Stratospheric Sounding NOAA-14
Unit
NOAA

NOAA

SSZ
NOAA (US DoD)STRStar Tracker
ESA

SUSIM (UARS)
Solar Ultraviolet
Irradiance Monitor
NASA

198

669.99, 669.63 and 669.36/cm(carbon dioxide)
Spatial resolution: 147.3km at nadir
Swath width:±40 deg scan
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

SXI
Solar X-ray Imager

GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-P,
GOES-R

PrototypeSpace
Environment

Obtains data on structure ofsolar corona. Full disk
imagery also provides
warnings of geomagnetic
storms, solar flares, andinformation on active regionsof sun and filaments

Waveband:GOES-R

Approved

Space
Environment

Studies of natural radiation
hazard to humans at highaltitudes and in space, as wellas risk assessment andwarning of episodes of surface
charging, deep dielectriccharging, and single event
upset of satellite systems.

The GOES-R Project is in the formulation phase.
The satellite will comprise improved spacecraft
and instrument technologies, which will result in
more timely and accurate weather forecasts, andimprove support for the detection andobservations of meteorological phenomena that
directly affect public safety, protection of property,
and ultimately, economic health and development.

TerraSAR-X

Approved

Imaging
Waveband:
9.65GHz, 300MHz bandwidth,High resolution images for
microwave radars monitoring of land surface andall 4 polarisation modes
Spatial resolution: Spotlight: 1,2m x 1-4m
coastal processes and forStripmap: 3m x 3-6m
agricultural, geological and
ScanSAR: 16m x 16m
hydrological applications
Swath width:
Spotlight: 5-10km x 10 km,
Stripmap: 30 km, ScanSAR:
100 km
Accuracy:

Operational

Atmosphericchemistry

3-D profiles on a global scaleof all infra-red active species
from surface to lower
stratosphere. Measures
greenhouse gas
concentrations, troposphericozone, acid rain precursors,
gas exchange leading tostratospheric ozone depletion

SWIR-TIR: 3.2-15.4µm
Waveband:Spatial resolution: In limb mode: 2.3km verticalresolution. In down-looking
mode: 50km x 5km (global),
5km x 0.5km (local)
Swath width:
Limb mode: global: 50km x
180km, local: 5km x 18km
Accuracy:
Ozone: 20ppb, Trace gases:
3-500ppb

Glory,
SORCE

Operational

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer

Measurement of total solar
irradiance directly traceable to
SI units with an absoluteaccuracy of 0.03% abd
relative accuracy of 0.001%
per yearWaveband:Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Looks at the sun every orbit,
providing 15 measurements
per day
Accuracy:

SAC-F

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Landsat-5

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)NOAA (USAF)

SXS
Solar X-Ray Sensor
NOAA

TerraSAR-X
X-Band Synthetic
Aperture Radar
DLR

Aura
TES
Tropospheric Emission
Spectrometer
NASA

TIM
Total Irradiance
MonitorNASA

TIS (CONAE)
Thermal IR Scanner
CONAE

TM
Thematic Mapper
USGS

GOES 12,N,P: X-Ray
0.6-6.0nm bandpass

Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
FWHM of ~10 arcsec
Accuracy:

Data not available

Measures surface radianceand emittance, lands coverstate and change (egvegetation type). Used as
multipurpose imagery for land
applications

0.45-12.50µm
Waveband:Spatial resolution: VIS-SWIR, 30m; TIR: 120m
Swath width:
185km
Accuracy:

199

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

TMR
TOPEX Microwave
Radiometer

TopexPoseidon

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Provides altimeter data tocorrect for errors caused bywater vapour and cloud-cover.
Also measures total water
vapour and brightness
temperature

Waveband:FY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Being
developed

Atmosphericchemistry

Ozone chemistrymeasurements

Waveband:UV
Spatial resolution: 50km
Swath width:
Accuracy:

TopexPoseidon

Operational

Radar altimeters

Measurement of global ocean
surface topography

Waveband:

NASA

TOM
Total Ozone Mapper
NRSCC (CAST)TOPEX
TOPEX NASA Radar
Altimeter

TopSatPrototypeHigh resolution
optical imagers

Experimental mediumWaveband:
Panchromatic VIS: 0.5-0.75µm.
resolution imaging satellite
3-band multi-spectral.
supporting a range of possible Spatial resolution: 2.5m pan. 5m multi-spectral.
land applications
Swath width:
10km-MS, 15km-Pan
Accuracy:

TBD
Jason,
Jason-2 (alsoknown asOSTM)Precision orbit &Atmospherictemperature andhumiditysounders

Provides precise continuous
tracking data of satellite todecimeter accuracy

Waveband:L-band:1228 and 1575MHz
Spatial resolution: Not applicable
Swath width:
Not applicable
Accuracy:

NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-6

Earth radiationbudgetradiometer0.2- 2 micron solar spectral
irradiance monitor

Waveband:
UV-SWIR: 0.2-2µm
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
1.5w/m2
Accuracy:

Magnetic fieldStudies of the ionosphere

Payload package which includes: an electricprobe, a wave probe, a Rogovsky coil, a Faraday
cup, a fluxgate magnetometer, and a dataacquisition unit.

BNSC

TRSR
Turbo-Rogue Space
Receiver
NASA

TSIS
Total Solar Irradiance
SensorBeing
developed

NOAA

Variant

SICH-1M

ROSKOSMOS

VEGETATION
CNES (EEC)

VFM
Vector Magnetometer
ESA

200

Microwave: 126 GHz and
5.3 GHzSpatial resolution:
Swath width:
6km
Accuracy:
2.4cm

NASA

TOPSAT telescope

Microwave: 18GHz, 21GHz,
37GHz
Spatial resolution: 44.7km at 18GHz, 37.4km at
21GHz, 23.6km at 37GHz
Swath width:
120 deg cone centred on nadir
Accuracy:
Total water vapour: 0.2g/sq cm,
Brightness temperature: 0.3 K

SPOT-4,SPOT-5

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Data of use for crop forecast
and monitoring, vegetation
monitoring, and biosphere/
geosphere interaction studies

Waveband:Swarm

Operational

Magnetic field

The VFM is the prime
instrument of the Swarm
mission. It will provide ultra
linear and low-noise
measurements of the Earth's
magnetic field vector
components

N/A
Waveband:Spatial resolution: <0.1nT
Swath width:
N/A
Accuracy:<0.5nT/15days

Operational mode: VIS:
0.61-0.68µm, NIR: 0.780.89µm, SWIR: 1.58-1.75µm,
Experimental mode: VIS: 0.430.47µm
Spatial resolution: 1.15km at nadir - minimal
variation for off-nadir viewing
Swath width:
2200km
Accuracy:Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

Technical characteristics

VHRR
Very High Resolution
Radiometer

INSAT-2E,
INSAT-3A,
KALAPANA

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Cloud cover, rainfall, windvelocity, sea surface
temperature, outgoing
longwave radiation, reflectedsolar radiation in spectral band
0.55-0.75µm, emitted radiationin 10.5-12.5µm range

Waveband:

NPOESS-1,
VIIRS
Visible/Infrared Imager NPOESS-2,
Radiometer Suite
NPOESS-3,
NPOESS-4,
NOAA (NASA)
NPOESS-5,
NPOESS-6,
NPP

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Global observations of land,
ocean, and atmosphereparameters: cloud/weather
imagery, sea-surface
temperature, ocean colour,
land surface vegetation indices

Waveband:

VIRR
Multispectral Visible
and Infra-red Scan
Radiometer (10channels)

FY-3A,
FY-3B,
FY-3C,
FY-3D,
FY-3E,
FY-3F,FY-3G

Being
developed

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Multispectral Visible and Infrared Scan Radiometer

Waveband:Spatial resolution: 1.1km
Swath width:
3200km
Accuracy:

GMS-5
VISSR (GMS-5)
Visible and Infra-red
Spin Scan Radiometer(GMS-5)

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Data used for cloud type andmotion detection wind. Also
measures sea surface
temperature and atmosphericwater vapour

Waveband:

BIRD

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Vegetation and Cloud coverage Waveband:

GOES-9,GOES-10,GOES-11,
GOES-12,GOES-N,GOES-O,GOES-P,
GOES-R

Operational

Communications

Weather Facsimile

Data communications

CALIPSO

Approved

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Acquires high spatial
resolution imagery formeteorological context

Waveband:VIS: 620 to 670 nm
Spatial resolution: 125m
Swath width:
60km
Accuracy:

CBERS-2,
CBERS-2B

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

VIS: 0.63-0.69µm,
Earth resources, environmental Waveband:
NIR: 0.77-0.89µm
monitoring, land use
Spatial resolution: 258m
Swath width:
890km
0.3pixels
Accuracy:

ISRO

NRSCC (CAST)JAXA (JMA)WAOSS-B
Wide-Angle
Optoelectronic Stereo
Scanner

NOAA

WFC
Wide Field Camera
NASA

WFI
Wide Field Imager
CAST (INPE)

VIS - TIR: 0.4-12.5µm(22 channels)
Spatial resolution: 400m-1.6km
Swath width:
3000km
Accuracy:
SST 0.35K

VIS: 0.55-0.9µm, TIR: 6.5-7,
10.5-11.5, 11.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: Visible: 1.25km, TIR: 5km
Swath width:
Full Earth disk in all channels,
every 1 hour
Accuracy:

VIS: 600-670nm,
NIR: 840-900nm
Spatial resolution: 185m
Swath width:
533km
Accuracy:

DLR

WEFAX
Weather Facsimile

VIS: 0.55-0.75µm,
NIR: 5.7-7.1µm,
TIR: 10.5-12.5µm
Spatial resolution: 2km in visible, 8km in IR
Swath width:
Full Earth disk every 30 minutes
Accuracy:201

Instrument & agency(& any partners)

Missions

StatusType

Measurements &applications

WFI-2
Wide Field Imager 2

CBERS-3,
CBERS-4

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Earth resources, environmental Waveband:
VIS: 0.45-0.52, 0.52-0.59,
monitoring, land use
0.63-0.69, 0.77-0.89µm
Spatial resolution: 73m
Swath width:
Accuracy:

IRS-P4

Operational

Imaging
multi-spectral
radiometers(vis/IR)

Vegetation monitoring,
environmental monitoring,drought monitoring, snow melt
run-off forecasting, global
green cover assessment, agroclimatic regional planning

VIS: 0.62-0.68µm
NIR: 0.77-0.86µm
SWIR: 1.55-1.7µm (IRS P3 only)
Spatial resolution: 188m
Swath width:
810km
Accuracy:

UARS

Not
operational

Atmosphericchemistry

Day and night windmeasurements between 80km
and 300km altitude. Measuresatmospheric temperature andconcentration of emitting
species. WINDII is no longer
operational on UARS

Waveband:
Visible-NIR:0.55-0.78µm
Spatial resolution: Vertical: 2km Horizontal: 25km
Swath width:70-310km
Accuracy:Wind speed: 10m/s

SAC-C

TBD

Data collection

Environmental data collection
systemData communication

SORCE

Operational

Other

Objective is to measure theextreme UV solar irradiancefrom 1-35nm

Waveband:UV: 1-35nm
Spatial resolution:
Swath width:
Accuracy:

CAST (INPE)

WiFS
Wide Field Sensor
ISRO

WINDII
CNES (NASA)

WTE
Whale Tracker
ExperimentTechnical characteristics

Waveband:

CONAE

XPS
XUV Photometer
SystemNASA

202

A Further information on CEOS
A.1 Overview

A.4 CEOS Plenary

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
was created in 1984, in response to a recommendationfrom a Panel of Experts on Remote Sensing from Space,under the aegis of the Economic Summit of Industrialised
Nations Working Group on Growth, Technology and
Employment. This group recognized the multidisciplinary
nature of satellite Earth observation and the value of
coordination across all proposed missions.

Currently, 23 space agencies along with 20 othernational and international organisations participate in
CEOS planning and activities. Participating agencies meetin Plenary annually, with activities and coordination
occurring throughout the year. The Plenary reviews
progress on the various projects and activities being
undertaken within CEOS. The Chair of CEOS rotates at
the annual Plenary. The CEOS Chair for 2005 is the
British National Space Centre (BNSC). For 2006, theComision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE),
of Argentina, will undertake CEOS Chairmanship.

CEOS combined the previously existing groups for
Coordination on Ocean Remote-Sensing Satellites(CORSS) and Coordination on Land Observation
Satellites (CLOS), and established a broad framework forcoordinating all spaceborne Earth observation missions.

A.2 Purpose
CEOS coordinates civil spaceborne observations of the
Earth. Participating agencies strive to address criticalscientific questions and not to plan satellite missions
which unnecessarily overlap each other.
CEOS has three primary objectives in pursuing this goal:- to optimise benefits of spaceborne Earth observations
through cooperation of its Members in mission
planning and in development of compatible data
products, formats, services, applications and policies;- to serve as a focal point for international coordinationof space-related Earth observation activities;- to exchange policy and technical information to
encourage complementarity and compatibility ofobservation and data exchange systems.

A.3 Participants

A.5 CEOS Secretariat
A permanent Secretariat, chaired by the current CEOS
host organisation, provides most of the coordination
between plenary sessions and is maintained by:- the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly with theEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of
Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT);- the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) jointly with the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States;- the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (MEXT) jointly with the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA);
and is chaired by the current CEOS host organisation in
support of the CEOS Plenary. As part of the ongoing
contribution to CEOS Secretariat activities, ESA is
responsible for the CEOS Handbook, NASA for the CEOS
Annual Report and WWW site content, and MEXT/JAXA
for the CEOS Newsletter, Brochure and maintenance ofthe WWW site.

Members: Governmental organisations that areinternational or national in nature and are responsible
for a civil spaceborne Earth observations program
currently operating, or at least in Phase B or equivalentof system development, will be eligible for membershipin CEOS.
Associates: CEOS Associates are either:- Governmental organisations that are international or
national in nature and currently have a civil spacesegment activity in Phase A/pre-Phase A or equivalentof system development, or a significant groundsegment activity that supports CEOS objectives; or- Other existing satellite coordination groups andscientific or governmental bodies that are internationalin nature and currently have a significant
programmatic activity that supports CEOS objectives.

203

A.6 CEOS Working Groups
Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV):The objectives of the WGCV are to enhancecoordination and complementarity, to promoteinternational cooperation and to focus activities in thecalibration and validation of Earth observations for the
benefit of CEOS Members and the international user
community. WGCV addresses sensor specificcalibration/validation and geophysical parameter/derived
products validation. WGCV meets approximately every
nine months. The subgroups of WGCV are as follows:- The Infrared and Visible Optical Sensors Subgroup;

Working Group on Education and Training (WGEdu): The
CEOS Working Group on Earth Observation, Education,
Training, and Capacity Building (WGEdu) has developed
a Strategy for EO Education and Training in order toestablish an effective coordination and partnershipmechanism among CEOS agencies and institutions
offering education and training around the world. The
key objective of the strategy is to facilitate activities
that substantially enhance international education andtraining in Earth System Science and the observation
techniques, data analysis and interpretation required for
its use and application to societal needs. The Group has
developed a CEOS Education portal to provide easy
access to data sets available for these purposes.

- The Microwave Sensors Subgroup;
http://wgedu.ceos.org- The SAR Subgroup;- The Terrain Mapping Subgroup;

A.7 Strategic Implementation Team- The Land Product Validation Subgroup

CEOS has established a Strategic Implementation Team
(SIT) with the responsibility to address the composition
and function of the space component of an IGOS.
(Further details in annex B). The SIT provides a forum
where the heads of space agencies can meet to develop
agreements on programme commitments - in order toaddress gaps or overlaps in mission planning.

- The Atmospheric Chemistry Subgroup.
http://wgcv.ceos.org
Working Group on Information Systems and Services(WGISS): The objective of WGISS is to facilitate dataand information management and services for users anddata providers in dealing with global, regional, andlocal issues. In particular, it addresses the capture,description, processing, access, retrieval, utilisation,
maintenance and exchange of spaceborne Earthobservation data and supporting ancillary and auxiliary
data and information, enabling improved
interoperability and interconnectivity of information
systems and services. WGISS meets approximately
every six months.
The two subgroups of WGISS are the ‘Technology &Services’, and the ‘Projects and Applications’Subgroups. WGISS has started a new initiative called the
WGISS Test Facility which offers a framework forpartnership with selected international science and EO
projects to test and develop information systems andservices to meet their requirements. The Global
Observation of Forest Cover (GOFC) international
science project was the first test of this concept. Morerecent implementations include WTF-CEOP – which aims
to provide assistance to the CEOP (CoordinatedEnhanced Observing Period) science community in thedevelopment of data services associated with satellite
data integration.
http://wgiss.ceos.org

204

In 2005, the SIT is Chaired by JAXA. ESA will commence
their 2-year chairmanship late in 2005.

A.8 Further information on CEOS activities
Refer to www.ceos.org
Or contact the nearest member of the CEOS Secretariat:
Europe:ESA
8-10, rue Mario Nikis
75738 Paris Cedex 15
France+33 1 5369 7707 (voice)+33 1 5369 7286 (fax)huw.hopkins@esa.int
EUMETSAT
Am Kavalleriesand 31
64295 Darmstadt
Germany+49 6151 807 603 (voice)+ 49 6151 807 555 (fax)dwilliams@eumetsat.de
United States:
NASA
300 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20546
USA

The CEOS Newsletter supplements the latest information
available on-line about CEOS and is distributed
internationally on a 6-monthly basis. Subscription
requests should be sent to:
Ms Kazuko Misawa
RESTEC+81 3 5561 4547 (voice)misawa@restec.or.jp

CEOS History
Plenary

Year

Venue

Host

1st Plenary

1984

Washington, DC, USA

NOAA

2nd Plenary 1986

Frascati, Italy

ESA

3rd Plenary

1988

Ottawa, Canada

CSA

4th Plenary

1990São José dos Campos, Brazil INPE

5th Plenary

1991

Washington, DC, USA

NASA/NOAA

6th Plenary

1992

London, UK

BNSC

7th Plenary

1993

Tsukuba, Japan

MEXT/NASDA

8th Plenary

1994

Berlin, Germany

DARA

9th Plenary

1995

Montreal, Canada

CSA

10th Plenary 1996

Canberra, Australia

CSIRO+1 202 358 1622 (voice)+1 202 358 2798 (fax)
devon.carroll@nasa.gov

11th Plenary 1997

Toulouse, France

CNES

12th Plenary 1998

Bangalore, India

ISRO

13th Plenary 1999

Stockholm, Sweden

EUMETSATNOAA1335 East-West Highway
20910-3226 Silver Spring, MD
USA

14th Plenary 2000

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

INPE

15th Plenary 2001

Kyoto, Japan

MEXT/NASDA

16th Plenary 2002

Frascati, Italy

ESA

17th Plenary 2003

Colorado Springs, USA

NOAA

18th Plenary 2004

Beijing, PR China

NRSCC

19th Plenary 2005

London, UK

BNSC

20th Plenary 2006

Argentina

CONAE+1 301 713 2024 (voice)+1 301 713 2032 (fax)brent.smith@noaa.gov
Japan:
MEXT*/JAXA
Earth Observation Research Center (EORC)
Harumi Triton Square X-tower 23F
1-8-10 Harumi, Chuoku, Tokyo, JAPAN+81 3 6221 9139 (voice)+81 3 6221 9180 (fax)ceos-jpn@jaxa.jp
ishida.chu@jaxa.jp* MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology

205

Committee on
Earth Observation Satellites(CEOS) Plenary
Members/Associates

Secretariat
ESA/EUMETSAT, NASA/NOAA,MEXT/JAXA

Strategic Implementation Team (SIT)JAXA Chair

Working Group on Calibration
and Validation(WGCV), NASA

Atmospheric
Chemistry

Microwave
Sensors

Infrared/Visible
Optical Sensors

SAR

Terrain
MappingLand Product
Validation

CEOS Structure

206

Working Group on Information
Systems & Services(WGISS), USGSTechnology& Services

Projects &Applications

Working Group on EO Education,
Training, and Capacity Building(WGEdu), UNOOSAB CEOS involvement in IGOS
B.1 The IGOS Partnership

B.2 Membership

The Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership(IGOS-P) was established in June 1998 by a formal
exchange of letters among the 13 founding Partners forthe definition, development and implementation of theIntegrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS). The
principal objectives of the IGOS are to address how welluser requirements are being met by the existing mix ofobservations, including those of the global observing
systems, and how they could be met in the future
through better integration and optimisation of remotesensing (especially space-based) and in situ systems.

The IGOS-P brings together the efforts of a number ofinternational bodies concerned with the observational
component of global environmental issues, both from a
research and a long-term operational programme
perspective. The partners are:

The IGOS serves as guidance to those responsible fordefining and implementing individual observing systems.
Implementation of the Strategy, i.e. the establishment
and maintenance of the components of an integrated
global observing system, lies with those governments
and organisations that have made relevant commitments,for example, within the governing councils of theobserving systems' sponsors. To aid the development of
the Strategy, the Partners have adopted an incremental"Themes" approach based on perceived priorities.
The IGOS brings together the major Earth and spacebased systems for global environmental observations of
the atmosphere, oceans and land in a strategic planning
process, in order to facilitate the necessary
harmonisation and achieve maximum cost-effectivenessfor the total set of observations. The relevant observing
systems encompass a broad range of different networksof satellite-borne and Earth-based sensors, including
ocean buoys, weather stations and atmosphericradiosondes. IGOS recognises that many of theseobserving systems are in need of improvements, somelack the necessary long-term continuity, and all require
strengthened links between the space-based and Earthbased components, as well as between the observing
programmes and the processes of scientific andenvironmental policy-making which define theinformation priorities.

- the Global Observing Systems: Within the last decade,the Global Observing System of the World Weather
Watch (WWW/GOS) and the Global Atmosphere Watch(GAW) have been complemented by the Global Ocean
Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Terrestrial
Observing System (GTOS) to produce a set of Global
Observing Systems integrating in-situ and remotelysensed data, with each focusing on a major
component of the Earth System. The Global Climate
Observing System (GCOS) has also been planned
and initiated to integrate the observing needs forclimate purposes;- the international agencies which sponsor the Global
Observing Systems: The Global Observing Systems aresponsored by a number of international agencies:
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International
Council for Science (ICSU), Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOCUNESCO), United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO) and World
Meteorological Organization (WMO);- the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS):CEOS coordinates the efforts of space agencies
worldwide in the planning of Earth observation
satellite missions and their applications;- the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global
Change Research (IGFA): National research funding
agencies and ministries involved in programming andfunding of global change research collaborate in IGFA;- the international global change research programmes:
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) andthe International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme(IGBP) are key international frameworks for nations
and institutions to cooperate in undertaking research
into broad planetary environmental issues and in thefunding of such research.
Other organisations prepared to contribute to thedevelopment of IGOS may be welcomed as Partners infuture and several already contribute to thedevelopment and implementation of the various IGOS
Themes. The Partnership provides a continuingmechanism to oversee the development of IGOS. The
IGOS-P Secretariat ensures continuity in the process,provides a focus for external interfaces, and helps topromote the visibility of the IGOS-P in key arenas, suchas the environmental conventions.

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B.3 IGOS Themes

B.5 Further information on IGOS

The IGOS Partners recognise that it is not practical toattempt to define a comprehensive global system thatwould in a single step satisfy all needs forenvironmental information. Rather, they have adopted aprocess - The IGOS Themes - which allows for thecoherent definition and development of an overall
global strategy for observing selected fields of common
interest among a group of the Partners. Selection of the
Themes is based on an assessment of the relevantscientific and operational priorities for overcoming
deficiencies in information, as well as analysis of thestate of development of relevant existing and planned
observing systems.

Extensive information on the activities of the IGOS
Partnership can be found on the WWW site.
www.igospartners.org
The IGOS brochure also contains the latest information
on each of the IGOS Themes and full contact
information for the Theme Teams:
ioc.unesco.org/igospartners/docs/brochure/IGOSbrochure
July03.pdf
You can also register to receive copies of the IGOS
Bulletin, distributed periodically by CNES:
Carole.Deniel@cnes.fr

In early 2005, the status of the IGOS Theme is as follows:
Theme

Lead agencies

StatusOcean

GOOS/NASA

In implementation

Geo-hazards

UNESCO/ESAIn implementation

Carbon Cycle

IGBP

In implementation

Water Cycle

WCRP

In implementation

Atmospheric Chemistry

WMO

In implementation

CoastalGOOS/GTOS

In implementation

Land

GTOS

In definition

Cryosphere

WCRP/ESAIn definition

B.4 CEOS involvement in IGOSCEOS has embraced the concept of an Integrated Global
Observing Strategy as a valuable initiative which
perfectly complements its own set of objectives, andwhich may be adopted by CEOS to derive greater
benefit from operating and planned observing systems.
Through working together, CEOS agencies are in aposition to plan their Earth observation programmeswith the minimum of unnecessary overlap and to devise
joint strategies for addressing serious gaps in theirobservation capabilities.
Strengthened links between space-based and Earthbased observing systems, and with scientific andenvironmental policy-making processes provide
compelling motivation for CEOS to take an active role in
IGOS Partnership activities. To reflect the significance of
IGOS work, and notably the progress of the IGOS
Themes within its efforts, CEOS established a Strategic
Implementation Team (SIT) – which has the
responsibility to address the composition and functionof the space component of an IGOS.
On a Theme by Theme basis, the SIT takes the lead rolein defining the requirements for, and capabilities of,existing and planned satellite-based observing systems
for specific measurements and applications forconsideration in IGOS-P.

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Scientificresearch

Operational
environmental
programmes

National-based
requirements

International
environmental
conventions

Requirements for Earth observations

Earth-based
observation
providersCommitmentsforHarmonisation

Space-based
observation
providersIntegrated Global Observing Strategy
IGOS brings together the major Earth and space-based
systems for global environmental observations
in a strategic planning process for maximum benefit

OutputComprehensive global, regional and national dataand information to support the environment
information needs of scientists, operational
environmental programmes and national andinternational decision-makers

International community urges the establishment of the strategy for integrated global observations
AGENDA 21 OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (1992)(d) Improvement of methods of data assessment and analysis“40.9 Relevant international organisations should develop practical recommendations for co-ordinated, harmonised collection and assessmentof data at the national and international levels.”
THE NINTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (CSD9: APRIL 2001)
Decision 9/2 (Atmosphere)“8. The commission emphasises the importance of:(d) Encouraging relevant international organisations especially the United Nations specialised agencies, to jointly plan and implement a
strategy for integrated global observations to monitor the Earth's atmosphere.”
Decision 9/4 (Information for Decision-making and Participation)“The commission; ...
(d) Urges strengthened co-operation among global observing systems and research programmes for integrated global observations taking into
account, the need for sharing, among all countries, of valuable data such as ground based observation data and satellite remote sensing data.”

209

C Abbreviations

210

ASI

Agenzia Spaziale Italiana

BNSC

British National Space Centre

CAST

Chinese Academy of Space Technology

CCRS

Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

CEOP

Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period

CEOS

Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

CFCs

chlorofluorcarbons

CGMS

Coordinating Group for Meteorological Satellites

CLIVAR

Climate Variability and Predictability

CNES

Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale

CONAE

Comisión de Actividates Espaciales

COP

Conference of the Parties

CRI

Crown Research Institute

CSA

Canadian Space Agency

CSD

United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development

CSIR

Satellite Applications Centre (SAC)/ Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

CSIRO

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

DEM

Digital Elevation Model

DLR

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt

DMSG

Ad Hoc Working Group on Disaster Management Support

DoD

US Department of Defense

EC

European Commission

ENSO

El Niño-Southern Oscillation

EO

Earth Observation

ESA

European Space Agency

ESCAP

Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific

EUMETSAT

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization

FIR

Far Infra-Red

FPAR

Fraction of absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation

GCOS

Global Climate Observing System

GEO

Ad-hoc Group on Earth ObservationsGEWEXThe Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment

GFMC

Global Fire Monitoring Center

GIS

Geographic Information Systems

GISTDA

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency

GLOSS

Global Sea Level Observing System

GOOS

Global Ocean Observing System

GPS

Global Positioning Satellites

GTOS

Global Terrestrial Observing System

ICSU

International Council for Science

IDNDRInternational Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

IGACO

The Integrated Global Atmospheric Chemistry Observations

IGBP

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme

IGCO

Integrated Global Carbon Observation

IGCO

Integrated Global Carbon Observations

IGOS

Integrated Global Observing Strategy

IGOS-P

Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership

IHDP

International Human Dimensions Programme

INPE

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais

IOCInter-governmental Oceanographic Commission

IOCCG

International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group

IPCC

International Panel on Climate Change

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IR

Infra-Red

ISDR

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

ISPRS

International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

ISRO

Indian Space Research Organisation

JAXA

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

KARI

Korea Aerospace Research Institute

KNMI

Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

LIDAR

LIght Detection And Ranging instruments

LST

Local Solar Time

MEXT

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

MWIR

Medium Wave Infra-Red

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASDA

National Space Development Agency of JapanNDVINormalised Difference Vegetation IndicesNGOs

Non-governmental organisations

NIR

Near Infra-Red

NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NRSC

Norwegian Space Centre

NRSCC

National Remote Sensing Center of China

NSAU

National Space Agency of Ukraine

NWP

Numerical Weather Prediction

OSTC

Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs

ROSHYDROMET

Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environment Monitoring

ROSKOSMOS

Russian Aviation and Space Agency

SAR

Synthetic Aperture Radar

SIT

Strategic Implementation TeamSNSB

Swedish National Space Board

SST

Sea surface temperature

SWIR

Short-wave Infra-Red

TCO

Terrestrial Carbon Observations

TIR

Thermal Infra-Red

TSI

Total solar irradiance

UNEP

United Nations Environment Programme

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNOOSA

United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs

USGS

United States Geological Survey

UV

Ultra-Violet

VIS

Visible

WCRP

World Climate Research Programme

WGCVWorking Group on Calibration and Validation

WGEdu

Working Group on Earth Observation Education, Training, and Capacity Building

WGISS

Working Group on Information Systems and Services

WMO

World Meteorological Organization

WWC

World Water Council

WWW

World Wide Web

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