This centre is a service function to SITES. The main aim is to provide the research stations included in SITES with support to maintain their spectral data collection activities. These activities serve to bridge the the gap with the remote sensing community and to enable upscaling of process data to larger areas. It also provides input data for increased process knowledge related to vegetation productivity and phenology. Primary tasks for the centre are to:
- Collect data from the regular UAV campaigns carried out at the stations. The centre will process the imagery resulting from the UAV campaigns into geographically co-registered image products, e.g. orthophotos, DEMs, and vegetation indices.
- Collect data from fixed multispectral sensors. These sensors record spectral data in visible, near-IR and shortwave-IR wavelengths. The centre aids with the organization of the data, and the generation of calibrated products, e.g. spectral reflectance and vegetation indices.
- Phenological camera data collection. The centre organizes imagery and computes greenness indices for observation of vegetation phenology.
- Satellite imagery. The centre gathers regular observations of all the stations using data from the Landsat, Sentinel-2 and MODIS systems. From these, generation of user-friendly products indicating vegetation seasonality and productivity are generated.
All data are made available to the public and to other researchers through the ICOS Carbon Portal.
For more detailed information please visit the official page of SITES Spectral.