ESA has been collecting and processing EO data from ESA missions (for example ERS-1/2, Envisat), and ESA TPM (for example AVHRR, Landsat, ALOS) for nearly three decades. To facilitate the various end-user and science applications, there is a need for the agency to support and maintain the quality aspects across missions with similar sensors. The SPPA team multi-sensor activities focus primarily on the sensor Fundamental Data Records (FDR), i.e. the level-1 data, on the instrument's core products, as outlined in the Mission Requirements Documents (MRD) of each mission, and on some select additional geophysical parameters that facilitate the improvements of the sensor FDR.
 

The Quality Control framework for Earth Observation, which consists of a set of seven guidelines, is endorsed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, and has been developed by the satellite calibration and validation (Cal/Val) communities to meet the needs of the Earth Observation communities. These QA4EO guidelines have been written with the aid of national metrology institutes of the United States and Europe and, where appropriate, are based on best practices of the wider EO and non-EO communities. Within this context, the SPPA team manages a series of projects addressing sensor calibration and traceability, as well as end-to end product traceability and uncertainty estimations.

Fiducial Reference Measurements (FRM) are a suite of independent, fully characterized, and traceable ground measurements that follow the guidelines outlined by the GEO/CEOS Quality Assurance framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO). These FRM provide the maximum Return On Investment (ROI) for a satellite mission by delivering, to users, the required confidence in data products, in the form of independent validation results and satellite measurement uncertainty estimation, over the entire end-to-end duration of a satellite mission. Within this context, the SPPA team manages a series of projects targeting the validation of ESA altimetry, atmosphere, land, and ocean products.