The Very High-resolution Radar & Optical Data Assessment (VH-RODA) 2026 Workshop will be held in ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Italy), from 16-20 November 2026.

The 7th Edition of the VH-RODA Workshop will provide an open forum (for the new space, commercial and institutional space sectors) to present and discuss about the current status and future developments related to Earth Observation (EO) data quality, calibration and validation of space-borne very high-resolution SAR, Optical, and atmospheric constellations, sensors and data products, with a dedicated focus on commercial EO data providers and related Cal/Val activities, synergies between optical, SAR and atmospheric communities, presentation of standards and best practices for data quality.

Workshop Topics

• Calibration Techniques (requirements, definitions, database, methodologies)
• Calibration Sites (cross-Cal/Val, intercalibration, field campaigns)
• Fiducial Reference Measurements
• Analysis Ready Data, Digital Elevation Models and Ground Control Points
• Quality Control, Product Validation, and Best Practices
• EO Data Veracity and Certification Approaches
• Processing and Algorithms (including Artificial Intelligence for Cal/Val)
• Cal/Val and Data quality for Constellations and Big Data
• Calibration of Future Missions (Innovative instrument concepts)

"New Workshop Topic: EO Data Veracity and Certification Approaches"

Although traditionally regarded as a highly reliable source, satellite imagery is increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated alterations and cyber threats. In an era marked by the rise in fake news and widespread use of AI, ensuring the veracity of EO data has become vital. Building trust into EO supply chains requires evaluation of the provenance and authenticity of EO data and products. Additionally, comprehensive Data Certification frameworks/schemes are increasingly needed to validate and certify the accuracy, reliability, and fitness-for-purpose of EO satellite data. Utilizing standards like QA4EO, ESA employs rigorous calibration and validation (Cal/Val) techniques alongside Fiducial Reference Measurements to ensure dataset traceability. This process builds user trust and scientific integrity across the Earth Observation community, representing one of the baseline elements potentially underpinning a more comprehensive Certification Scheme. 

This session invites contributions on all aspects of EO data certification and veracity, methodologies to certify data quality, to detect and protect against interference, and approaches to guarantee the veracity of EO data.

VH-RODA Community

The VH-RODA community is invited to gather online on the SLIDO platform to participate and contribute by sharing ideas, asking questions, providing answers, and exchanging thoughts. This space is designed to foster active engagement and collaboration in support of VH-RODA and the scientific community. Seed questions will be shared by the committee to trigger the discussion and ideas exchanges. The SLIDO platform will be accessible before, during, and after the workshop to support ongoing discussions and knowledge sharing.

The VH-RODA 2026 SLIDO platform.

Schedule and Deadlines

The detailed schedule and deadlines will be published soon.

Agenda (with Abstracts, Presentations and Posters) 

View the agenda and material for the workshop. 

VH-RODA Templates

• VH-RODA2026_A0 Poster Template
• VH-RODA 2026 PPT Template

Training Session

LANDHYPERNET-RadCalNet Joint User Workshop (20 November 2026, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM CET)

Join this LANDHYPERNET-RadCalNet workshop, right after the end of VH-RODA 2026, to explore how fiducial reference measurement data can support satellite optical mission calibration, validation, and algorithm development. The event is aimed at current and prospective users, including satellite validation teams, remote sensing scientists, and atmospheric correction developers.

LANDHYPERNET-RadCalNet joint user workshop Tickets, Friday, November 20  •  2 PM - 4 PM | Eventbrite

Venue

ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN) will host the conference. It is located in Frascati, a small town 20 km south-east of Rome in Italy.

Please click here for information about how to travel to ESRIN.

Location Address:

ESA-ESRIN
Largo Galileo Galilei, 1
00044 Frascati (RM), Italy

Accommodation

Please find below a list of suggested hotels in the centre of Frascati. Rooms can be booked upon availability by contacting the hotels directly: 

Organisation

Workshop Scientific Committee

• Philippe Goryl (ESA)
• Valentina Boccia (ESA)
• Clément Albinet (ESA)
• Leonardo De Laurentiis (ESA)
• Morgane Chapelier (CNES)
• Nigel Fox (UKSA)
• Nadine Gobron (JRC)
• Patrizia Sacco (ASI)
• Manilo Monaco (ASI)
• Ricardo Díaz-Delgado (AEE)
• Peter Strobl (JRC)
• Laura La Porta (DLR)

   
 

Workshop Organising Committee

• Philippe Goryl (ESA)
• Clément Albinet (ESA)
• Peggy Fischer (ESA)
• Leonardo De Laurentiis (ESA)
• Chloe Helenè Martella (SERCO)
• Andrea Apuzzo (SERCO)
• Sabrina Pinori (SERCO)
• Valentina Boccia (ESA)
• Muriel Pinheiro (ESA)
• Montserrat Del Riego Gelabert (SOLENIX)
• Matteo Alparone (STARION)
• Paola Sabbatini (SERCO)

 

Contact Information

For any information about the VH-RODA Workshop, please email events.organisation@esa.int

VH-RODA Zenodo Community

Search VH-RODA Community | Zenodo

Previous Editions

VH-RODA 2025

VH-RODA 2024

VH-RODA 2023

VH-RODA 2022

VH-RODA 2021

VH-RODA and CEOS SAR workshop 2019