Ground-viewing radiometers

Ground-Viewing Radiometers

Ground-based vicarious calibration is presently the most accurate method to independently perform the absolute radiometric calibration of airborne and spaceborne Earth-observing sensors. The one obvious limitation is that personnel and equipment must be deployed to the test site to measure surface and atmospheric properties during the sensor overpass. The Remote Sensing Group has developed a methodology for vicarious calibration where personnel are no longer required to be present during a sensor overpass. The atmospheric and meteorological properties are measured using a suite of equipment that remains permanently situated at Railroad Valley Playa, Nevada. The surface bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) is measured using an array of inexpensive, robust, all-weather ground-viewing radiometers (GVRs).