SENTINEL-2 image quality and level 1 processing

Aimé Meygret; Simon Baillarin; Ferran Gascon; Emmanuel Hillairet; Cécile Dechoz; Sophie Lacherade; Philippe Martimort; François Spoto; Patrice Henry; Riccardo Duca

doi:10.1117/12.826184

Translator Disclaimer

21 August 2009 SENTINEL-2 image quality and level 1 processing

Aimé Meygret, Simon Baillarin, Ferran Gascon, Emmanuel Hillairet, Cécile Dechoz, Sophie Lacherade, Philippe Martimort, François Spoto, Patrice Henry, Riccardo Duca

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7452, Earth Observing Systems XIV; 74520D (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826184
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

In the framework of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, the European Space Agency (ESA) in partnership with the European Commission (EC) is developing the SENTINEL-2 optical imaging mission devoted to the operational monitoring of land and coastal areas. The Sentinel-2 mission is based on a twin satellites configuration deployed in polar sun-synchronous orbit and is designed to offer a unique combination of systematic global coverage with a wide field of view (290km), a high revisit (5 days at equator with two satellites), a high spatial resolution (10m, 20m and 60 m) and multi-spectral imagery (13 bands in the visible and the short wave infrared spectrum). SENTINEL-2 will ensure data continuity of SPOT and LANDSAT multispectral sensors while accounting for future service evolution. This paper presents the main geometric and radiometric image quality requirements for the mission. The strong multi-spectral and multi-temporal registration requirements constrain the stability of the platform and the ground processing which will automatically refine the geometric physical model through correlation technics. The geolocation of the images will take benefits from a worldwide reference data set made of SENTINEL-2 data strips geolocated through a global space-triangulation. These processing are detailed through the description of the level 1C production which will provide users with ortho-images of Top of Atmosphere reflectances. The huge amount of data (1.4 Tbits per orbit) is also a challenge for the ground processing which will produce at level 1C all the acquired data. Finally we discuss the different geometric (line of sight, focal plane cartography, ...) and radiometric (relative and absolute camera sensitivity) in-flight calibration methods that will take advantage of the on-board sun diffuser and ground targets to answer the severe mission requirements.

Citation Download Citation

Aimé Meygret, Simon Baillarin, Ferran Gascon, Emmanuel Hillairet, Cécile Dechoz, Sophie Lacherade, Philippe Martimort, François Spoto, Patrice Henry, and Riccardo Duca "SENTINEL-2 image quality and level 1 processing", Proc. SPIE 7452, Earth Observing Systems XIV, 74520D (21 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826184

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE