A comprehensive calibration site for high resolution remote sensors dedicated to quantitative remote sensing and its applications

Abstract

：The increasingly developing information age puts forward urgent need for stable and precise quantitative remote sensing information. The accuracy of ground object information retrieved by remote sensing technology is essentially decided by the sensor performance and timely evaluation of its variation occurred during long-term operational running. Since the"11th Five-Year Plan" , the Key Laboratory of Quantitative Remote Sensing Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has organized relevant domestic advantageous institutions to design and realize the comprehensive calibration technical system for high resolution remote sensors which is dedicated to quantitative remote sensing, and built up the"Baotou Comprehensive Calibration Site for High Resolution Remote Sensors" (the Baotou site, for short). From the top-level viewing, the Baotou site consists of five main systems: (1) the standard test targets system, which contains a variety of permanent artificial optical targets, portable artificial optical targets, optical geometric control point targets, permanent bases for SAR corner reflector, SAR corner reflectors and natural scene targets. Within these miscellaneous targets, the knifeedge/greyscale dual functional target is a natural-material-paved permanent target for simultaneous evaluation of sensor radiometric/spatial/ spectral characteristics, which is the first one in China and the largest one in the world; the microwave/optical dual functional artificial target is dedicated to directly detecting SAR/optical image resolution, which is the first one in the world. (2) the ground/atmospheric truth measurement system, which contains the automatic observation system for target characteristics, the automatic measurement system for atmospheric environment parameters, the surface flux automatic observation system, other ground feature measurement devices and the realtime monitoring system of automatic observation data. (3) the aerial flight test technical system, which contains the flight test standard sensors, the flight control & management system, the sensor ground calibration & testing system and the aerial flight data in-situ fast processing system. (4) the observation data processing and analysis system, which contains the RadCalNet automated radiometric calibration data processing system, the sensor performance analysis & evaluation system and the target characteristics knowledge base. ( 5) the basic guarantee facilities, which contains the test flight guarantee facilities, the ground test guarantee facilities and the logistical guarantee facilities. The rich types of optical/microwave targets and diverse environment measurement devices assure the polyfunctionality and flexibility of the site shown in various RS calibration/validation tasks. In general, the Baotou site can afford field comprehensive calibration for airborne/spaceborne high resolution remote sensors, which involves rigorous test flight for sensor performance, sensor on-orbit calibration and performance evaluation, and remote...