New Radiometric Calibration Site Located At Gobabeb, Namib Desert

A new permanently instrumented radiometric calibration site for high/medium resolution imaging satellite sensors is currently under development, focussing on the visible and near infra-red parts of the spectrum. The site will become a European contribution to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) initiative RadCalNet (Radiometric Calibration Network). This paper describes the site characterisation that was carried out, both to define the exact location of permanent monitoring instrumentation, and to provide an initial detailed assessment of the site's properties. The characterisation involved a range of tests, using an ASD FieldSpec spectroradiometer, and the Gonio Radiometric Spectrometer System, a hyperspectral, multi-angle HDRF instrument. Teams from NPL and CNES each performed parts of this characterisation, working together to acquire the data and generate the final outcome.