1. CEOS Sea Surface Temperature Virtual Constellation (SST-VC)
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
CEOS Sea Surface Temperature Virtual Constellation (SST-VC)
Kenneth S. Casey/NOAA and Anne O’Carroll/EUMETSAT, SST-VC Co-Chairs
CEOS SIT-33
Session 3: Virtual Constellations, Agenda Item 3.2
Boulder, CO, USA
24 – 25 April 2018

2. SST-VC Related Action Items
CEOS Work Plan and Action Status for the SST-VC (1 of 2)
SST-VC Action Status
SST-VC Related Action Items
Est. Date
Action
Status
CEOS-31-06
End 2017
LSI-VC to provide CEOS VCs with a CARD4L package to stimulate their feedback on the Framework and to allow the VCs to assess the applicability to their work. LSI-VC will utilize feedback to inform their recommendations for a broader ARD strategy.
Complete. Comments provided during SIT Tech Workshop 2017 on complementarity between CARD4L and SST-VC/GHRSST Regional-Global Task Sharing Framework (R/GTS) and GHRSST Data Specification (GDS). Written response provided to A. Siqueira last week to close action.
CEOS-31-07
CEO to establish a CEOS Work Plan task to track the sea surface temperature passive microwave radiometer continuity issue, and encourage all agencies to support the forthcoming workshops on this matter in North America and Europe.
Complete. “VC-35: Passive microwave radiometer continuity” CEOS Work Plan item created. See next slide for Work Plan item status.
SITTWS
Apr 2018
CEOS agencies to support continuity and redundancy of PMW for SST via the upcoming PMW workshop (April 2018, USA TBC)
No progress. Meeting not scheduled to our knowledge.
Provide max total of five slides to address these points in your final presentation
Suggestion - 1 slide each to address
Linkages to CEOS Work Plan (e.g. action numbers), open SIT and Plenary actions
Indication of required decisions and discussion points
Team Achievements and Planned Outcomes [See slide 9]
Synergies amongst teams (e.g. VC-VC, VC-WG, WG-VC, WG-WG, other) [See slide 10]
Sustainable commitment [See slide 11]
Proactive Consideration of Plenary and SIT TWS deliverables and discussion items
CARD4L: CEOS Analysis Ready Data For Land

3. Background Information
CEOS Work Plan and Action Status for the SST-VC (2 of 2)
SST-VC CEOS Work Plan Status
CEOS Work Plan Item
Est. Date
Background Information
Status
VC-19: Documented plan for the SST Virtual Constellation
Q3 2018
Building on Donlon, et al (2010) … .the SST-VC will describe and justify the requirements and design for the modern virtual constellation for SST...
Complete draft to be circulated in early May 2018 for review prior to SST-VC meeting in Darmstadt in June. On schedule for issue in Q
VC-35: Passive microwave radiometer continuity
Q4 2018
Coordinate inter-agency efforts to seek continuity and redundancy of Passive Microwave Radiometer observations for SST.
Presentation to ECMWF/ESA workshop on using low frequency PMW in research & operations. See: AMSR-2 follow-on mission discussion. Copernicus High Priority Candidate Missions (HPCM): ESA coordinating mission requirements for the Polar Ice and Snow Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR). Two parallel Phase A/B1 contracts are now being negotiated; 1st CIMR MAG has met; Consolidated MRD by kick-off of industrial contracts expected in May.
Provide max total of five slides to address these points in your final presentation
Suggestion - 1 slide each to address
Linkages to CEOS Work Plan (e.g. action numbers), open SIT and Plenary actions
Indication of required decisions and discussion points
Team Achievements and Planned Outcomes [See slide 9]
Synergies amongst teams (e.g. VC-VC, VC-WG, WG-VC, WG-WG, other) [See slide 10]
Sustainable commitment [See slide 11]
Proactive Consideration of Plenary and SIT TWS deliverables and discussion items
CIMR: Polar Ice and Snow Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer
MAG: Mission Advisory Group
MRD: Mission Requirements Document

4. SST-VC Team Achievements and Planned Outputs
Sea Surface Temperature is a designated ECV
Currently ~90 GHRSST-compliant products in the SST-VC catalog and CWIC, with numerous data discovery standards (CSW, OpenSearch, schema.org) and access standards (OPeNDAP, TDS, WCS, WMS)
Six of the GHRSST datasets are considered climate data records (four AVHRR Pathfinder products at Levels 2 and 3, and two Level 4 Daily OISST products), and extend back into the early 1980s
Items that can be followed-up in the next year:
SST constellation white paper
GHRSST XIX and SST-VC-7
Workshop on understanding SSTs Over and Around Reefs (SOAR) in planning and hosted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science and NOAA Coral Reef Watch (27-31 Aug 2018, Townsville)
Ongoing efforts by GHRSST/SST-VC in both data management and constellation definition can contribute to future CEOS coordination and agency planning efforts
For clarity on the team contribution to the global observing architecture and national planning purposes, please summarise major past achievements and planned future outputs, especially in terms of:
Specific datasets, products, or standards
ECVs
Architecture studies
Gap analyses / advocacy
And comment on the availability of these to contribute to future coordination efforts by CEOS or mission planning activities of its agencies
Identify items that can be followed-up in the next year

5. SST-VC Perspectives on Synergies Among Teams
For the SST-VC, natural synergies exist with WGISS, WG-Climate, and the other ocean VCs
Synergies also exist with other VCs interested in PMW radiometry, like the Precipitation-VC
SST-VC believes there could be more synergies and commonalities around data format standards and data content standards, to achieve greater interoperability across VCs and relevant applications
Brainstorming results:
Coordinated efforts with CARD4L, to link GHRSST Data Specification and CARD4L product specifications?
Closer collaboration with WGISS, cross-VC common data standards?
More active and direct involvement in COVERAGE and/or Blue Planet?
...
For your team, please identify synergies that exist, or should exist, between the VCs and the WGs to support the broader CEOS objectives
including opportunities for the framework provided by WG activities to align with and support the thematic activities and aspirations of your VC or all VCs
Identify also any obstacles/barriers to progress and suggestions for how to overcome those obstacles/barriers.

6. The SST-VC and Sustainable Commitment
BoM/CSIRO, CMA, ESA, EUMETSAT, ISRO, JAXA, KMA, NASA, NOAA, SANSA, and UKSA comprise the SST-VC
All agencies listed are actively participating, and we consider this a viable team. Participation levels and intensities vary based on the particular topics being addressed.
BoM, ESA, EUMETSAT, JAXA, NOAA, and NASA all actively create GHRSST-compliant data. The others are active in the discussions and meetings, but are not yet submitting GHRSST-compliant data
SST-VC meets in person once each year, collocated with GHRSST Science Team meetings. Ad hoc teleconferences held as needed.
Travel support to get people to the annual face-to-face meeting is the single biggest obstacle. This challenge is felt mostly by the US agencies, but other agencies sometimes struggle with this aspect.
Identify the active agencies in your team and whether this implies a viable team for your objectives
How frequently does your team physically meet?
Are their any obstacles to the future viability of your team meeting its objectives?
A full and frank understanding of the status and outlook for each group will help CEOS understanding of their potential contribution to the observing strategy

7. Thanks! Any Questions? Questions? Kenneth.Casey@noaa.gov