News - Success Stories

Trailblazing ERS-2 mission enables climate change applications

As ESA’s ERS-2 satellite approaches Earth’s atmosphere for reentry, it’s time to reflect on the mission’s great achievements in powering climate-related applications.

News - Operational News

Change of access to FTP-S for ERS and Envisat atmospheric and low-rate data

As of 13 December 2023, access to a series of ERS and Envisat atmospheric and low rate data collections changed from simple FTP to FTP-S.

Event - Conference

Dragon 3 2014 Symposium

The Dragon 3 2014 Symposium was part of the Dragon 3 Programme, focussed on exploitation of ESA, ESA's Third Party Missions and Chinese Earth observation data for geo-science and applications development in land, ocean and atmospheric applications.

Event - Conference

Dragon 3 2015 Symposium

The Dragon 3 2015 Symposium was part of the Dragon 3 Programme, focussed on exploitation of ESA, ESA's Third Party Missions and Chinese Earth observation data for geo-science and applications development in land, ocean and atmospheric applications.

Event - Conference

Dragon 3 2016 Symposium

The Dragon 3 2016 Symposium served as the close of the Dragon 3 Cooperation Programme (2012 to 2016) and formal kick off for Dragon 4 Cooperation projects.

Activity - Projects

Dragon 3 Cooperation Programme

The Dragon 3 Programme focussed on the exploitation of ESA, ESA's Third Party Missions and Chinese Earth observation data for geo-science and applications development in land, ocean and atmospheric applications.

News - Thematic area articles

Transforming space data into climate action

ESA’s Earth observation activities are playing a key role in the revitalised global drive to combat climate change.

Activity - Projects

Dragon 2 Cooperation Programme

The Dragon 2 Programme focussed on the exploitation of ESA, ESA's Third Party Missions and Chinese Earth observation data for science and applications development in land, ocean and atmospheric applications.

News - Success Stories

ERS' Contribution to Altimetry

Satellite radar altimetry missions have transformed the way we see Earth and its oceans. Using the ranging capability of radars, they measure the surface topography profile along a satellite’s track.

News - Data Release news

New reprocessing of datasets celebrates 30 years of ERS

The ERS programme celebrated its 30th anniversary on 17 July. Today, we are still exploiting ERS data and experts continue to work on improving the altimeter, radiometer and SAR data the programme acquired.

News - Success Stories

ERS Heritage Data allow for 30 years of science

At their time of launch thirty years ago, the two ERS satellites were the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe.

Tools - Apps

Heritage Missions app for iOS

Download the Heritage Missions application to discover what the missions were about, how it worked and what the elements of the space and ground segment that make these missions unique.

Tools - Apps

Heritage Missions app for Android

Download the Heritage Missions application to discover what the missions were about, how it worked and what the elements of the space and ground segment that make these missions unique.

Document - Product Specifications

wind-scatterometer-processing-requirements-from-sigma-nought-triplets-to-dealiased-wind.pdf

This document defines the ground processing algorithms for the ERS-1 AMI wind mode (Scatterometer) from the sigma nought triplets to the wind speed and direction, including the wind retrieval and the ambiguity removal processing.

Document - Publication - Paper

Calibration strategy for ERS scatterometer data reprocessing.pdf

Paper included in the Proceedings of SPIE Remote Sensing of the Ocean and Sea Ice 2005 - vol.5977- Brugge (Belgium): Calibration strategy for ERS scatterometer data reprocessing. WS Cal/Val.

Document - Product Cal/Val Plan/Report

ECMWF Report on ERS-2 scatterometer - cycle 74

Document - Product Cal/Val Plan/Report

ECMWF Report on ERS-2 scatterometer - cycle 53

Tools - Visualisation

EVDC Orbit Prediction Tool

The EVDC Orbit Prediction and Overpass Tool generates and visualises satellite's overpasses.

Data - Data Description

GRACE-A and GRACE-B Level 1B, Level 1B combined and Level 2 Data Products

Level-1A Data Products are the result of a non-destructive processing applied to the Level-0 data at NASA/JPL. The sensor calibration factors are applied in order to convert the binary encoded measurements to engineering units. Where necessary, time tag integer second ambiguity is resolved and data are time tagged to the respective satellite receiver clock time. Editing and quality control flags are added, and the data is reformatted for further processing. The Level-1A data are reversible to Level-0, except for the bad data packets. This level also includes the ancillary data products needed for processing to the next data level. The Level-1B Data Products are the result of a possibly destructive, or irreversible, processing applied to both the Level-1A and Level-0 data at NASA/JPL. The data are correctly time-tagged, and data sample rate is reduced from the higher rates of the previous levels. Collectively, the processing from Level-0 to Level-1B is called the Level-1 Processing. This level also includes the ancillary data products generated during this processing, and the additional data needed for further processing. The Level-2 data products include the static and time-variable (monthly) gravity field and related data products derived from the application of Level-2 processing at GFZ, UTCSR and JPL to the previous level data products. This level also includes the ancillary data products such as GFZ's Level-1B short-term atmosphere and ocean de-aliasing product (AOD1B) generated during this processing. GRACE-A and GRACE-B Level-1B Data Product: Satellite clock solution [GA-OG-1B-CLKDAT, GB-OG-1B-CLKDAT, GRACE CLKDAT]: Offset of the satellite receiver clock relative to GPS time, obtained by linear fit to raw on-board clock offset estimates GPS flight data [GA-OG-1B-GPSDAT, GB-OG-1B-GPSDAT, GRACE GPSDAT]: Preprocessed and calibrated GPS code and phase tracking data edited and decimated from instrument high-rate (10 s (code) or 1 s (phase)) to low-rate (10 s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) Accelerometer Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-ACCHKP, GB-OG-1B-ACCHKP, GRACE ACCHKP]: Accelerometer proof-mass bias voltages, capacitive sensor outputs, instrument control unit (ICU) and sensor unit (SU) temperatures, reference voltages, primary and secondary power supply voltages (1 file per day, level-1 format) Accelerometer data [GA-OG-1B-ACCDAT, GB-OG-1B-ACCDAT, GRACE ACCDAT]: Preprocessed and calibrated Level-1B accelerometer data edited and decimated from instrument high-rate (0.1 s) to low-rate (1s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) Intermediate clock solution [GA-OG-1B-INTCLK, GB-OG-1B-INTCLK, GRACE INTCLK]: derived with GIPSY POD software (300 s sample rate) (1 file per day, GIPSY format) Instrument processing unit (IPU) Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-IPUHKP, GB-OG-1B-IPUHKP, GRACE IPUHKP]: edited and decimated from high-rate (TBD s) to low-rate (TBD s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) Spacecraft Mass Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-MASDAT, GB-OG-1B-MASDAT, GRACE MASDAT]: Level 1B Data as a function of time GPS navigation solution data [GA-OG-1B-NAVSOL, GB-OG-1B-NAVSOL, GRACE NAVSOL]: edited and decimated from instrument high-rate (60 s) to low-rate (30 s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) OBDH time mapping to GPS time Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-OBDHTM, GB-OG-1B-OBDHTM, GRACE OBDHTM]: On-board data handling (OBDH) time mapping data (OBDH time to receiver time Star camera data [GA-OG-1B-SCAATT, GB-OG-1B-SCAATT, GRACE SCAATT]: Preprocessed and calibrated star camera quaternion data edited and decimated from instrument high-rate (1 s) to low-rate (5 s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) Thruster activation Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-THRDAT, GB-OG-1B-THRDAT, GRACE THRDAT]: GN2 thruster data used for attitude (10 mN) and orbit (40 mN) control GN2 tank temperature and pressure Housekeeping data [GA-OG-1B-TNKDAT, GB-OG-1B-TNKDAT, GRACE TNKDAT]: GN2 tank temperature and pressure data Oscillator frequency data [GA-OG-1B-USODAT, GB-OG-1B-USODAT, GRACE USODAT]: derived from POD product GRACE-A and GRACE-B Combined Level-1B Data Product Preprocessed and calibrated k-band ranging data [GA-OG-1B-KBRDAT, GB-OG-1B-KBRDAT, GRACE KBRDAT]: range, range-rate and range-acceleration data edited and decimated from instrument high-rate (0.1 s) to low-rate (5 s) samples for science use (1 file per day, level-1 format) Atmosphere and Ocean De-aliasing Product [GA-OG-1B-ATMOCN, GB-OG-1B-ATMOCN, GRACE ATMOCN]: GRACE Atmosphere and Ocean De-aliasing Product. GRACE Level-2 Data Product: GAC [GA-OG-_2-GAC, GB-OG-_2-GAC, GRACE GAC]: Combination of non-tidal atmosphere and ocean spherical harmonic coefficients provided as average over certain time span (same as corresponding GSM product) based on level-1 AOD1B product (1file per time span, level-2 format) GCM [GA-OG-_2-GCM, GB-OG-_2-GCM, GRACE GCM]: Spherical harmonic coefficients and standard deviations of the long-term static gravity field estimated by combination of GRACE satellite instrument data and other information for a dedicated time span (multiple years) and spatial resolution (1 file per time span, level-2 format) GAB [GA-OG-_2-GAB, GB-OG-_2-GAB, GRACE GAB]: Non-tidal ocean spherical harmonic coefficients provided as average over certain time span (same as corresponding GSM product) based on level-1 AOD1B product (1file per time span, level-2 format) GAD [GA-OG-_2-GAD, GB-OG-_2-GAD, GRACE GAD]: bottom pressure product - combination of surface pressure and ocean (over the oceans, and zero over land). Spherical harmonic coefficients provided as average over certain time span (same as corresponding GSM product) based on level-1 AOD1B product (1file per time span, level-2 format) GSM [GA-OG-_2-GSM, GB-OG-_2-GSM, GRACE GSM]: Spherical harmonic coefficients and standard deviations of the static gravity field estimated from GRACE satellite instrument data only for a dedicated time span (e.g. weekly, monthly, multiple years) and spatial resolution (1 file per time span, level-2 format).

Data - Fast Registration with immediate access (Open)

ERS-2 SCATTEROMETER Surface Soil Moisture Time Series and Orbit product in High and Nominal Resolution [SSM.H/N.TS - SSM.H/N]

Surface soil moisture records are derived from the backscatter coefficient measured by the Scatterometer on-board the European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-2) using the Technische Universität (TU) Wien soil moisture retrieval algorithm called WARP (WAter Retrieval Package). In the WARP algorithm, the relative surface soil moisture estimates, given in degree of saturation Sd, range between 0% and 100% are derived by scaling the normalized backscatter between the lowest/highest backscatter values corresponding to the driest/wettest soil conditions. Surface Soil Moisture - Time Series product: The products generated are the surface soil moisture time series, where for each grid point defined in a DGG (Discrete Global Grid) is stored the time series of soil moisture and its noise, the surface state flag, the geolocation and the satellite parameters. The spatial resolution of the products is about 25 km x 25 km (high resolution) or 50 km x 50 km (nominal resolution) geo-referenced on the WARP grid. The location of the points can be viewed interactively with the tool DGG Point Locator. Surface Soil Moisture - Orbit product: In addition to WARP, a second software package, referred to as WARP orbit, was developed in response to the strong demand of soil moisture estimates in satellite orbit geometry. The Level 2 soil moisture orbit product contains a series of Level 1 data information, such as the backscatter, the incidence angle and the azimuth angle for each triplet together with the surface soil moisture and its noise, normalized backscatter at 40° incidence angle, parameters useful for soil moisture, the geolocation and the satellite parameters. The soil moisture orbit product is available in two spatial resolutions with different spatial sampling distances: Spatial sampling on a regular 12.5 km grid in orbit geometry with a spatial resolution of about 25 km x 25 km (High resolution) Spatial sampling on a regular 25 km grid in orbit geometry with a spatial resolution of about 50 km x 50 km (Nominal resolution). The spatial resolution is defined by the Hamming window function, which is used for re-sample of raw backscatter measurements to the orbit grid in the Level-1 ground processor. Please consult the Product Quality Readme file before using the ERS-2 Surface Soil Moisture data.