Calibration and validation of satellite data and products to determine and improve consistency and accuracy in various environments

Globally, improving satellite characterization of geophysical and biophysical properties is of paramount importance for a variety of applications. Satellite products such as Land cover, FaPAR, LAI, above-ground biomass, and fire disturbance, are regarded as essential climate variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Moreover, these are critical to support the implementation and monitoring and reporting for global and regional mandates such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) and African Union-Agenda 2063 (AU-A2063). The consistency and accuracy of these products are uncertain, especially in Africa, where such studies are rare. Furthermore, quantifying uncertainties in satellite products is useful for users and developers interested in the operational use of the product and further development.
The aim of this project is to assess the accuracy and consistency of various satellite data products including analysis-ready-data (ARD) and Vegetation indices and ECVs.