The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) developed the concept of virtual, space-based Constellations to leverage inter-Agency collaboration and partnerships to address observational gaps, sustain the routine collection of critical observations, and minimize duplication/overlaps in observations of a particular parameter of the Earth system. The Ocean Colour Radiometry Virtual Constellation (OCR-VC) was established in 2009 to produce sustained data records of well-calibrated and validated satellite ocean colour datasets from measurements obtained from multiple satellites. All IOCCG Agencies serving on the IOCCG Committee support some aspect of OCR-VC and are taking a leadership role in its activities.
Key scientific and societal goals supported by the OCR-VC include:
- understanding and predicting synoptic states and information for the global ocean, coastal and inland waters related to biological, ecological and biogeochemical processes
- facilitating aquatic applications including monitoring and managing water quality, living marine resources and other crucial ecosystem goods and services
- understanding and predicting the impacts and feedbacks of climate variability and change on aquatic biology, ecology, and chemistry, and reducing the uncertainty on the estimates of carbon sequestration by the biological carbon pump
In 2012, OCR-VC published the International Network for Sensor Inter-comparison and Uncertainty assessment for Ocean Colour Radiometry, or INSITU-OCR, white paper, and to support the white paper recommendations, established the OCR Implementation Team (OCR-IT) to prepare a rolling implementation plan.
Read the CEOS News article: OCR-VC: What Have They Been Up To?
CEOS Ocean Colour Radiometry Virtual Constellation (OCR-VC)
Co-Chairs
- Ewa Kwiatkowska (EUMETSAT, Germany)
- Marie-Hélène Rio (ESA-ESRIN, Italy)
OCR-VC Agency Representatives
- Menghua Wang (NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, USA)
- Laura Lorenzoni (NASA, HQ, USA)
- Hiroshi Murakami (JAXA, Japan)
- Joo-Hyung Ryu (KIOST, South Korea)
- Mini Raman (ISRO, India)
- CEOS-SIT- 2018 Technical Workshop (Germany, Sept, 2018)
- CEOS SIT-33, Update on OCR-VC (Boulder, April 2018)
- Update on OCR-VC Activities & Actions (March 2016)
- OCR-VC Update, CEOS SIT Technical Workshop (Sept 2015)
- OCR-VC Progress, CEOS SIT-30 Meeting (April 2015)
- OCR-VC Progress, CEOS SIT-29 Meeting (April 2014)
- OCR-VC presentation, IOCCG-19 meeting (Jan. 2014)
- Terms of Reference for OCR-VC (Dec. 2013)
- Timeline for OCR-VC Implementation (Oct.2009)
- OCR-VC White Paper (OceanObs’09)
- OCR-VC Implementation Plan (Sept. 2009)
- Presentation, SIT-24 Meeting (Sept. 2009)
- Minutes Full Steering Group (April 2009)
- Presentation, SIT-22 Meeting (Sept. 2008)
- Workshop Agenda
- OCR-VC and INSITU-OCR – Mark Dowell
- GCOM-C Cal/Val – Hiroshi Murakami
- JRC Cal/Val – Giuseppe Zibordi
- MERIS Cal/Val – Philippe Goryl
- CoastColour approach – Carsten Brockmann
- EUMETSAT Ocean Colour – Anne O’Carroll
- GOCI Cal/Val – Joo-Hyung Ryu
- CNES calibration approaches – Bertrand Fougnie
- Cal/Val in Australia – Vittorio Brando
- Using SIMBADA – Robert Frouin
- NASA’s sensors calibration – Gerhard Meister
- NOAA Contributions to OCR-VC – Chris Brown
- INSITU OCR-VC discussions – Mark Dowell
The fifth International Ocean Colour Science (IOCS) meeting will take place in St. Petersburg, FL, USA from 14 – 17 November 2023, and will be convened by the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) in partnership with the University of South Florida, and thanks to sponsorship from several sponsors.