Final workshop

The main objectives of the workshop were to present the major findings and recommendations of the FRM4SOC project, to present other recent relevant work (see topics of interest below), and to discuss the future of FRMs in ocean colour to help formulate a scientific roadmap to 2020 and beyond.

This workshophad the following general scope / main sessions:

1. Introduction / the need for FRMs
2. Presentation of the agencies needs for the validation of satellite ocean colour to be based on FRM
   (ESA, EUMETSAT, EC (Copernicus-CMEMS), NASA)
3. FRM4SOC major findings
   – Ocean colour radiometry (OCR) calibration source inter-comparisons
   – Lab based OCR inter-comparisons
   – Field based OCR inter-comparisons
   – SI-traceability and end-to-end uncertainty budgets (from calibration to field measurements)
4. Improvements in ocean colour radiometers, their calibration and characterisation.
5. Satellite ocean colour validation measurements and their uncertainties
6. Improvements in technology that could help to meet these needs going forward.
7. Best examples of FRM in practice to date (AERONET-OC, MOBY, BOUSSOLE).
8. FRMs in the context of ocean colour system vicarious calibration.
9. Towards FRMs for all validation of satellite ocean colour data
   (discussion session and break-out groups for drafting of scientific roadmap).
10. Consensus summary and farewell

Poster and Oral presentations were accepted for the following topics of interest:

• improvements in ocean colour radiometers, their calibration and characterisation;
• uncertainty budgets in ocean colour;
• SI-traceable field measurements for the validation of satellite ocean colour data;
• in situ FRMs for ocean colour system vicarious calibration;
• existing ocean colour validation networks and cruises.

Submission of abstracts is closed.

Poster session

Please note, the poster session will take place on digital screens (see the photo left).

For that purpose, please prepare your poster as a vertical high quality pdf file.

Please send your file beforehand by the end of the business day on Monday 1st October to

Garry Hensey <garry.hensey [at] npl.co.uk.>

Also, just for backup, bring the file along on an USB stick.

The FRM4SOC project, with funding from ESA, has been structured to provide support for evaluating and improving the state of the art in ocean colour validation through a series of comparisons under the auspices of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Calibration & Validation and in support of the CEOS ocean colour virtual constellation. FRM4SOC also strives to help fulfil the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) in situ ocean colour radiometry white paper objectives and contribute to the relevant IOCCG working groups and task forces (e.g. the working group on uncertainties in ocean colour remote sensing and the ocean colour satellite sensor calibration task force).

This is the FRM4SOC final workshop and will present the major findings and recommendations of the FRM4SOC project, other recent relevant work and discuss the future of FRMs in ocean colour. It is likely to include sessions on: the results of the laboratory and field intercomparisons and end-to-end uncertainty evaluation conducted within the project; FRMs in the context of ocean colour system vicarious calibration; validation plans for satellite OC sensors, in particular Sentinel-2 MSI, Sentinel-3 OLCI, but could also include non-ESA sensors (e.g. MODIS; VIIRS; GOCI; PACE etc.); an FRMOC network within the Copernicus programme.

The workshop will take place in NPL, Teddington, London, UK.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the United Kingdom’s national metrology institute, an internationally respected and independent centre of excellence in research, development and knowledge transfer in measurement. Founded in 1900 by the Royal Society, NPL is located in Teddington, London because that same year Bushy House and its grounds were given to NPL by Queen Victoria. NPL currently operates as a government company and employs over 800 people, with more than 550 of them technical and scientific experts spanning a wide range of disciplines, who annually deliver a turnover of appx. £80million in research and knowledge transfer programmes.

Participants can stay in a number of hotels located around NPL during the duration of this Workshop. A list of local hotels is provided below.

HOTELS AROUND NPL

Heathrow airport is the nearest airport to NPL, being about 10 miles away. There is good public transport linking Heathrow airport and NPL. For example, No 285 bus starts from Heathrow Central Bus Station and passes outside the NPL main reception. The X26 bus provides a faster service from Heathrow airport but stops in Broad Street in Teddington, a five minute walk from NPL. Taxis can be used but they are expensive (about £50). It is cheaper to book a minicab to collect you from Heathrow and bring you to NPL or to your chosen hotel. The cost of a minicab to take you from Heathrow airport to Teddington would be around £25.

Flights are also available to other UK airports but the only other airport which could be considered is Gatwick airport, being some 35 miles away from NPL. However, public transport from Gatwick airport is not as good as from Heathrow. Visitors have to travel from Gatwick airport to Teddington by train, via Clapham Junction. This takes longer, it is more complicated and it is more expensive. A minicab can be booked to bring you to Teddington but the costs is likely to be just over £50.

You can find directions to NPL for different modes of transport (car, train etc.) on the NPL website: http://www.npl.co.uk/location . A map of the area around NPL can be found on http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/npl-map-col.pdf.