title: Optical Passive Sensor Calibration for Satellite Remote Sensing and the Legacy of NOAA and NIST Cooperation.
abstract: This paper traces the cooperative efforts of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to improve the calibration of operational satellite sensors for remote sensing of the Earth's land, atmosphere and oceans. It gives a chronological perspective of the NOAA satellite program and the interactions between the two agencies' scientists to address pre-launch calibration and issues of sensor performance on orbit. The drive to improve accuracy of measurements has had a new impetus in recent years because of the need for improved weather prediction and climate monitoring. The highlights of this cooperation and strategies to achieve SI-traceability and improve accuracy for optical satellite sensor data are summarized.
authors.affiliation: NOAA Affiliate, ERT, Inc., Laurel, MD 20707.
authors.forename: Raju
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Datla
authors.affiliation: NOAA NSOF/E/OSD, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinreb
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.
authors.forename: B Carol
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shirley
authors.affiliation: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR, College Park, MD 20737.
authors.forename: Changyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cao
keywords: climate change; integrating sphere; irradiance standard; ocean color; radiance standard; radiometry; remote sensing sensor calibration; weather satellites