SmallSat Data Quality Assurance in the Transition from Research to Operations

The proliferation of small satellite launches in recent years, with Earth observation payloads aimed at supporting weather missions, presents great opportunities for both data providers and the weather community. The advantages and benefits of smallsat data have just begun to be recognized. At the same time, smallsat data also poses significant challenges for their operational use in numerical weather prediction. This paper discusses the significant roles of calibration/validation to ensure the smallsat data quality before they can be assimilated in weather models. The smallsat data quality in terms of sensor data record, radiometric, spectral, geospatial, temporal, latency, and reliability are evaluated. The experimental processes for the data quality assurance is explored using available data from smallsat microwave and radio occultation missions. The NOAA integrated calibration/validation system (ICVS) is used as a tool to perform data quality assessments of the smallsat data delivered by vendors. The current operational satellite observations are used as references for evaluating the smallsat data. The goal is to ensure the data quality of smallsat data meet the requirements of data assimilation to facilitate the transition of smallsat research to operations, and to establish consistency in global observations in conjunction with the WMO Global Space-based Intercalibration System.