Automated Generation of Value-Added Products for the Validation of Remote Sensing Information Based on In-Situ Data

Abstract

Available in situ (IS) data are an essential prerequisite for the validation of remote sensing (RS) data and information products. Due to the fact that IS data supply is very labour- and cost-intensive, ground-truth data acquisition needs to be operational and automated. Moreover, measurements should be taken simultaneously to data acquisition by operational RS systems. To be able to deliver representative and validated IS data applied to the validation of complimentary operational RS data, locations of measurement stations will have to be optimised to be representative for a particular geographical space. This paper presents a novel approach to provide complementary IS data simultaneously to RS data acquisition. It outlines the installation and operation of an automated IS measurement network for environmental parameters in the DEMMIN (Durable Environmental Multidisciplinary Monitoring Information Network) test site. To process the data, an operational processing chain has been implemented and used for IS data volumes. IS data measurements are evaluated to establish a basis for generating and validating value-added RS products.