Report from USGS 17th GSICS Executive Panel, Biot, 2-3 June 2016 Thomas Stone U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona USA GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20161

Overall agency update Overall satellite planning – Status: Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 are both currently operational – Events: Landsat-7 is approaching end-of-life, due to fuel depletion Launched 15 April 1999 — more than 17 years in orbit ! – Forthcoming: Landsat-9 is scheduled for launch in 2020 – Events: Landsat-8 TIRS Scene Select Mirror positioning anomaly: Anomaly occurred 01 November 2015; SSM encoder was powered down Alternative operations concept developed to determine the mirror position Reprocessed TIRS level-1 products are now available Other major events affecting the agency or its participation in GSICS – Tom Stone has joined the GRWG, supported by USGS Land Remote Sensing Program GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20162

Participation in EP, GDWG, GRWG Points of contacts/meeting participants: – EP: Greg Stensaas; EP-17 participant: Tom Stone – GDWG: no USGS representative – GRWG: Ron Morfitt, Tom Stone Main contribution to GDWG actions – Satellite landing pages for Landsats – Landsat-8 data input to GSICS Lunar Observation Dataset (GLOD) Main contribution to GRWG actions – Validation of the GSICS Implementation of ROLO model (GIRO) Tom Stone is the primary developer of lunar calibration tools and techniques – Establishing a reference solar spectrum for use with VIS/NIR (reflective solar) sensors Comments, feedback – USGS intends to increase involvement with GSICS Lunar calibration is a major component of GSICS for VIS/NIR sensors; further research and development work on lunar calibration and inter-calibration is actively continuing at USGS GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20163

Current and prospective GSICS Products ProductStatusComments USGS currently has no formal GSICS products developed Prospective products: – ATBD and guidelines on lunar inter-calibration lunar calibration is an interactive procedure, not a database – others, TBC GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20164

Highlights of other USGS calibration activities of interest to the EP Cross-calibration of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2A Multispectral Instrument (MSI) – MSI and OLI are complementary instruments; Sentinel-2 plus Landsat-8 gives 3-4 day repeat Earth coverage – cross-calibration compared measurements of Libya-4 PICS used Hyperion spectral data acquired on the same days for SBAFs – part of collaborative efforts between ESA and USGS: Sentinel-2 level-1C data hosted at USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, currently available free: Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) efforts – USGS partnership with NASA, NOAA, U.S. Department of Agriculture – analysis and independent verification of commercial image data quality including consistent calibration GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20165

Feedback on GSICS deliverables Satellite data users – Current project to apply consistent reflectance-based calibration to the complete series of Landsats Applying vicarious calibration using ground test sites GSICS products not explicitly used, but potentially will be generated As a satellite operator – USGS is highly engaged with sharing assets – Calibrated Landsat data, including views of test sites: available free – USGS hosts online catalog of calibration test sites: – Online: Landsat Updates: GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20166

Other issues for discussion by the EP CGMS-43 WG-II Action: “GSICS to establish the requirements for absolute lunar calibration and prepare a white paper describing the tentative way to meet those requirements in case they go beyond current lunar calibration capabilities.” – CGMS Working Paper was written by USGS on behalf of GSICS distributed to GRWG (and GDWG) for review and approval submitted to CGMS secretariat for discussion at CGMS-44 (next week) GSICS-EP-17, Biot, 2-3 June 20167