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  • Commercial data quality activities to receive a boost at VH-RODA 2024

    World-leading experts, New Space data providers, international space agencies and the scientific community will present the status of state-of-the-art satellite products and explore the latest developments in Calibration/Validation (Cal/Val) at ESA’s fifth VH-RODA workshop.

  • 5 reasons to be excited about Cryo2ice

    We are living in a golden age of satellite altimetry. ESA’s CryoSat mission, with its unbroken 14-year (and counting) radar altimeter record of global ice and water, is right at the heart of it.

  • FDR4ATMOS - New ESA FDR for Atmospheric composition dataset from ERS-2 GOME and Envisat SCIAMACHY

    In addition to releasing new datasets for Envisat SCIAMACHY, the European Space Agency (ESA) has advanced the earth observation capabilities by developing an experimental product under the ESA FDR4ATMOS project (Fundamental Data Records in the domain of satellite Atmospheric Composition).

  • Fundamental Data Record for Atmospheric Composition [ATMOS__L1B]

    The Fundamental Data Record (FDR) for Atmospheric Composition UVN v.1.0 dataset is a cross-instrument Level-1 product [ATMOS__L1B] generated in 2023 and resulting from the ESA FDR4ATMOS project. The FDR contains selected Earth Observation Level 1b parameters (irradiance/reflectance) from the nadir-looking measurements of the ERS-2 GOME and Envisat SCIAMACHY missions for the period ranging from 1995 to 2012. The data record offers harmonised cross-calibrated spectra with focus on spectral windows in the Ultraviolet-Visible-Near Infrared regions for the retrieval of critical atmospheric constituents like ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column densities, alongside cloud parameters. The FDR4ATMOS products should be regarded as experimental due to the innovative approach and the current use of a limited-sized test dataset to investigate the impact of harmonization on the Level 2 target species, specifically SO2, O3 and NO2. Presently, this analysis is being carried out within follow-on activities. The FDR4ATMOS V1 is currently being extended to include the MetOp GOME-2 series. Product format For many aspects, the FDR product has improved compared to the existing individual mission datasets: GOME solar irradiances are harmonised using a validated SCIAMACHY solar reference spectrum, solving the problem of the fast-changing etalon present in the original GOME Level 1b data; Reflectances for both GOME and SCIAMACHY are provided in the FDR product. GOME reflectances are harmonised to degradation-corrected SCIAMACHY values, using collocated data from the CEOS PIC sites; SCIAMACHY data are scaled to the lowest integration time within the spectral band using high-frequency PMD measurements from the same wavelength range. This simplifies the use of the SCIAMACHY spectra which were split in a complex cluster structure (with own integration time) in the original Level 1b data; The harmonization process applied mitigates the viewing angle dependency observed in the UV spectral region for GOME data; Uncertainties are provided. Each FDR product provides, within the same file, irradiance/reflectance data for UV-VIS-NIR special regions across all orbits on a single day, including therein information from the individual ERS-2 GOME and Envisat SCIAMACHY measurements. FDR has been generated in two formats: Level 1A and Level 1B targeting expert users and nominal applications respectively. The Level 1A [ATMOS__L1A] data include additional parameters such as harmonisation factors, PMD, and polarisation data extracted from the original mission Level 1 products. The ATMOS__L1A dataset is not part of the nominal dissemination to users. In case of specific requirements, please contact EOHelp. Please refer to the README file for essential guidance before using the data. All the new products are conveniently formatted in NetCDF. Free standard tools, such as Panoply, can be used to read NetCDF data. Panoply is sourced and updated by external entities. For further details, please consult our Terms and Conditions page. Uncertainty characterisation One of the main aspects of the project was the characterization of Level 1 uncertainties for both instruments, based on metrological best practices. The following documents are provided: General guidance on a metrological approach to Fundamental Data Records (FDR) Uncertainty Characterisation document Effect tables NetCDF files containing example uncertainty propagation analysis and spectral error correlation matrices for SCIAMACHY (Atlantic and Mauretania scene for 2003 and 2010) and GOME (Atlantic scene for 2003) reflectance_uncertainty_example_FDR4ATMOS_GOME.nc reflectance_uncertainty_example_FDR4ATMOS_SCIA.nc

  • Showcasing ESA's HEDAVI Earth observation tool

    ESA's HEDAVI (HEritage DAta VIsualiation) is a platform that allows users to freely access over 40 years of ESA Earth observation Heritage, Third Party Missions and some Copernicus data.

  • New Sea Ice and Snow Depth datasets, plus new geospatial coverage features on cs2eo

    New features have been added to the CryoSat data platform cs2eo.

  • CryoSat data platform cs2eo features new interface and datasets

    The latest updates to cs2eo, a high performance platform to access, compare and download datasets from CryoSat, ICESat-2, CRYO2ICE, CryoVEx, Cryo-TEMPO-EOLIS and Operation IceBridge, were released on 13 August.

  • HydroGNSS

    HydroGNSS is a microsatellite mission, which is part of the Scout framework, and consists of a GNSS-R (Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry) constellation that primarily addresses land. Scout missions are a new element in ESA's Earth Observation FutureEO Programme.

  • Showcasing success stories from ESA's CryoSat mission

    ESA's ice mission, CryoSat, was launched in 2010 and carried an advanced radar altimeter to measure Earth's cryosphere.

  • Spotlight on Third Party Mission provider: Airbus

    Airbus' space technologies have a growing impact on people's daily life: from deep-space exploration and scientific missions, to today's most reliable secure telecommunications and Earth observation (EO) satellites.

  • Release of new Envisat SCIAMACHY reprocessed data

    ESA's Envisat SCIAMACHY mission, which ended operations in 2012, continues to yield valuable scientific insights through ongoing data reprocessing efforts.

  • Envisat SCIAMACHY Level 2 [SCI_____2P]

    This Envisat SCIAMACHY Level 2 Total column densities and stratospheric profiles v7.1 dataset is generated from the full mission reprocessing campaign completed in 2023 under the ESA FDR4ATMOS project. It provides atmospheric columnar distributions and stratospheric profiles for various trace gases based on the Level 1b version 10 products. This SCIAMACHY Level 2 dataset contains total column densities of O3, NO2, OClO, H2O, SO2, BrO, CO, HCHO, CHOCHO and CH4 retrieved from Nadir measurements. Additionally, cloud parameters (fractional coverage, top height, optical thickness) and an aerosol absorption indicator are enclosed. Stratospheric profiles of O3, NO2, and BrO are derived from limb measurements, along with flagging information for different cloud-types. Tropospheric NO2 and BrO columns are retrieved combining limb and nadir measurements. This SCIAMACHY Level 2 dataset version 7.1 replaces the previous version 6.01. Users are strongly encouraged to make use of the new datasets for optimal results. For limb O3 profiles, a separate product derived from the previous Version 6 processor is provided distinctly -> SCIAMACHY Level 2 - Limb Ozone [SCI_LIMBO3]. This is because the V7.1 limb ozone data is unsuitable for long-term change studies due to its divergent behavior from earlier processor versions, particularly from 2009 onwards. This divergence stems from residual deficiencies in the Level 1, resulting in a vertical oscillating pattern in the drift and bias profiles. In contrast, Version 6 limb ozone data does not exhibit these oscillations in bias and drift. Further details on this issue can be found in the latest README file. The new products are conveniently formatted in NetCDF. Free standard tools, such as Panoply, can be used to read NetCDF data. Panoply is sourced and updated by external entities. For further details, please consult our Terms and Conditions page. Please refer to the README file for essential guidance before using the data.

  • Envisat SCIAMACHY Level 2 - Limb Ozone [SCI_LIMBO3]

    This Envisat SCIAMACHY Ozone stratospheric profiles dataset has been extracted from the previous baseline (v6.01) of the SCIAMACHY Level 2 data. The dataset is generated in the framework of the full mission reprocessing campaign completed in 2023 under the ESA FDR4ATMOS project. For optimal results, users are strongly encouraged to make use of these specific ozone limb profiles rather than the ones contained in the SCIAMACHY Level 2 dataset version 7.1. The new products are conveniently formatted in NetCDF. Free standard tools, such as Panoply, can be used to read NetCDF data. Panoply is sourced and updated by external entities. For further details, please consult our Terms and Conditions page. Please refer to the README file (L2 v6.01) for essential guidance before using the data.

  • How ESA's Third Party Missions support European commercialisation

    ESA's Third Party Missions programme consists of Earth observation satellites that are owned by commercial and public organisations around the world.

  • Envisat SCIAMACHY Level 1b [SCI_____1P]

    This Envisat SCIAMACHY Level 1b Geo-located atmospheric spectra V.10 dataset is generated from the full mission reprocessing campaign completed in 2023 under the ESA FDR4ATMOS project. This data product contains SCIAMACHY geo-located (ir)radiance spectra for Nadir, Limb, and Occultation measurements (Level 1), accompanied by supplementary monitoring and calibration measurements, along with instrumental parameters detailing the operational status and configuration throughout the Envisat satellite lifetime (2002-2012). Additionally, calibrated lunar measurements, including individual readings and averaged disk measurements, have been integrated into the Level 1b product. The Level 1b product represents the lowest level of SCIAMACHY data made available to the users. The measurements undergo correction for instrument degradation applying a scan mirror model and m-factors. However, spectra are partially calibrated and require a further step to apply specific calibrations with the SCIAMACHY Calibration and Extraction Tool [SciaL1c]. For many aspects, the SCIAMACHY Level 1b version 10 product marks a significant improvement with respect to previous mission datasets, supplanting the Level 1b dataset version 8.0X with product type SCI_NL__1P. Users are strongly encouraged to make use of the new datasets for optimal results. The new products are conveniently formatted in NetCDF. Free standard tools, such as Panoply, can be used to read NetCDF data. Panoply is sourced and updated by external entities. For further details, please consult our Terms and Conditions page. Please refer to the README file for essential guidance before using the data.

  • New stories on change detection and ERS-2 re-entry in HEDAVI

    Two new stories are now available in ESA’s HEDAVI (HEritage DAta VIsualisation) tool. HEDAVI visualises Earth observation data from satellites in ESA’s Heritage and Third Party Missions programme, and includes some data from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites.

  • Life beyond re-entry: new Aeolus data a breath of fresh air

    Aeolus data are still improving our understanding of weather and atmospheric science. In Spring 2024, the Aeolus data, science and innovation cluster (DISC) released a new public data update (Baseline 16), with a range of exciting new features.

  • Meet the future of Earth Observation: Super-Resolution Data

    SUREDOS24 (Super-Resolution and Downscaling for Earth Observation and Earth Science) - provided a deep dive into how recent SR techniques are leveraging deep learning and artificial intelligence to push the boundaries of remote sensing.

  • New Announcement of Opportunity for GNSS Reflectometry data from Spire

    ESA is offering access to Global Navigation Satellite System data in a new Announcement of Opportunity for Spire.

  • Transition from FTP to FTPS for GOSAT data dissemination system - Reminder

    With the aim of improving security in ESA dissemination systems, access to the GOSAT data will be changed from simple FTP to FTPS