The Earthnet Data Assessment Pilot Project: Paving the Way for New Space Players

In recent years, the increasing range of applications of Earth Observation data products and availability of low-cost satellites has resulted in an increasing number of commercial satellite systems. These services may provide complementary capabilities to those of Space Agencies.  Adoption of these data products for many applications requires that they meet an assured level of quality that is fit for the given purpose.  For the most efficient exploitation of EO data,  therefore,  assessment of data quality, calibration and validation are indispensable tasks,  forming  the basis for reliable scientific conclusions.  

 

In this context, the European Space  Agency has established the Earthnet  Data Assessment Pilot  (EDAP) project, which aims to enable maximum exploitation of growing data availability by performing early data assessment for various missions that fall into one of the following instrument domains number of  missions, in the Optical, SAR and atmospheric  domains. These assessments are intended to evaluate and report the quality of a satellite mission with respect to what is “fit for purpose” within the context of the its stated performance and application. This activity compliments similar activities from other international partners, including NASA. 

 

Such quality information is often  communicated to users  in an ill-defined or incomplete manner.  We show the development of a generic satellite mission quality assessment framework, developed within EDAP, which is designed  provide a  thorough  review  of  all important  aspects of  mission quality. The assessment results are  conveye d ata top  level  to the user  as a quality assessment matrix diagram. The framework  itself  is based on  the principles of CEOS QA4EO (Quality Assurance for Earth Observation)  and  builds  on the experience  of  several  European projects that worked towards  practically  implementing them. 

 

In a wider context,  such a  framework has  potential for  more general use  in both institutional and commercial Earth Observation  –  helping  mission providers  to understand  the  information their  users  need and  empowering  users  to make informed decisions about which data is fit for their purpose.  As such, there is potential for international collaboration, between space agencies, to synergise quality assessment approaches and to work towards the development of a common standard.