Sentinel-2 Calibration and Validation :

from the Instrument to Level 2 Products

Vincent Lonjoua, Thierry Tremasa, Sophie Lachéradea, Cécile Dechoza, Florie Languillea, Aimé
Meygreta, Olivier Hagollea, Béatrice Petruccia, Julien Nosavana, Philippe Martimortb, Claudia Isolab

aCentreNational D’Etudes Spatiales, 18 Av Edouard Belin,

31401 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
bESA/ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1,

PO Box 299 – 2200 AG Noordwijk ZH, The Netherlands

 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 Outline

• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products

• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 SENTINEL-2 mission
• Copernicus, ex “Global Monitoring for Environment and
Security” (GMES) programme.

Sentinel family :
Information services to the European Union and its Member States

• Sentinel-1 – radar-imaging mission for land and ocean services

• Sentinel-2 – high-resolution and optical imaging mission for land services

• Sentinel-3 – global ocean and land monitoring mission

• Sentinel-4 – geostationary atmospheric monitoring mission

• Sentinel-5 – low-orbiting atmospheric monitoring mission

 SENTINEL-2 mission
• Main features:
– Spatial resolution:10m, 20m, 60m
– 13 spectral bands: VNIR & SWIR (443nm – 2190nm)
– 5 days revisit with 2 satellites under the same viewing
conditions
– Global coverage of land surfaces (56°S to 84°N)
– Swath: 290km
Sentinel-2 ground tracks

• Mission implementation:
– Near polar sun synchronous orbit (inclination=98.5°)
– Cycle: 14.3 orbits/day
– Equator crossing time: 10.30 am
– Altitude: 786km
– Extented mode: roll 20.6°, OZA<35°
– Lifetime: 7 years (propellant sized for 12 years)
 Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI)
Primary mirror

Secondary mirror

Tertiary mirror

 Telescope: TMA (Tri Mirror Anastigmat)

 Push-broom imager
 Pupil: 150mm
 Focal length: 0.598m
 FOV: 20.6°
 Focal plane array:
Si CMOS VNIR detectors
HgCdTe SWIR detectors (passively cooled)
 Radiometric resolution: 12 bits
 SENTINEL-2 Project
• Project organisation
– European commission Copernicus programme
– ESA/ESTEC : space segment
• Prime contractor : Airbus Defense and Space
– ESA/ESRIN : ground segment & data distribution
– CNES supports ESA on mission performances through the
development of :
• Image Simulation and Analysis Tool
• Ground Processing Prototype
• Sentinel-2 Technical Expertise Center ( calibration + level-2 )

• Project status
– All MSI performance & qualification tests were successfully completed
in April 2014 by AirbusDS France
– Instrument under integration on plateform
– Launch readiness : 30/04/2015
 Sentinel-2 products
Level 0 Level 1A Level 1B Level 1C Level 2A

Init_loc_Prod
Radiometric Geometric Resampling Atmospheric
correction
model + Masks Correction +
• Equalization calibration Masks
• non-linearity •Sampling grid
• Crosstalk •Temporal and •Splines •Aerosol AOT,
spectral interpolation water vapor, …
Decompression • Defective registration of all
pixels the images taken •Radiometric •Terrain
• Restoration over any target model correction
• Binning inversion •Cloud & shadow
masks

Reference DEM
images
 Sentinel-2 products
Level 0 Level 1A Level 1B Level 1C Level 2A

Init_loc_Prod
Radiometric Geometric Resampling Atmospheric
correction
model + Masks Correction +
• Equalization calibration Masks
• non-linearity •Sampling grid
• Crosstalk •Temporal and •Splines •Aerosol AOT,
spectral interpolation water vapor, …
Decompression • Defective registration of all
pixels the images taken •Radiometric •Terrain
• Restoration over any target model correction
• Binning inversion •Cloud & shadow
masks

Sentinel-2 Technical
Expertise Center Image quality processor
CNES Toulouse, France

COMMISSIONNING
 Sentinel-2 products
Level 0 Level 1A Level 1B Level 1C Level 2A

Init_loc_Prod
Radiometric Geometric Resampling Atmospheric
correction
model + Masks Correction +
• Equalization calibration Masks
• non-linearity •Sampling grid
• Crosstalk •Temporal and •Splines •Aerosol AOT,
spectral interpolation water vapor, …
Decompression • Defective registration of all
pixels the images taken •Radiometric •Terrain
• Restoration over any target model correction
• Binning inversion •Cloud & shadow
masks

Radiometry Geometry Radiometry Inversion

Sentinel-2 Technical
Expertise Center Image quality processor
CNES Toulouse, France

COMMISSIONNING
 Sentinel-2 products
Level 0 Level 1A Level 1B Level 1C Level 2A

Init_loc_Prod
Radiometric Geometric Resampling Atmospheric
correction
model + Masks Correction +
• Equalization calibration Masks
• non-linearity •Sampling grid
• Crosstalk •Temporal and •Splines •Aerosol AOT,
spectral interpolation water vapor, …
Decompression • Defective registration of all
pixels the images taken •Radiometric •Terrain
• Restoration over any target model correction
• Binning inversion •Cloud & shadow
masks

ROUTINE
 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 Radiometric requirements

 Radiometry
 Absolute 3 (5) %
 Cross-band 3 (5) %
 Multi-temporal 1%
 Cross satellite 3%
 Stability 0.5% over the day part of the orbit
 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 Radiometric calibration : Sun diffuser

• Diffuser lighting the complete FOV

• > 700 x 250 mm2 ensuring calibration of each pixel into the FoV
• Non uniformity calibration (non-linearity)
• Absolute calibration over the sun
• all bands
• ~ weekly
 Outline

• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products

• Radiometric calibration
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 Radiometric calibration : Vicarious
Molecular diffusion PICS :
Deserts
& Dome

Ak Ak

time time

Absolute calibration ( for short Temporal evolution + intercalibration ( all bands )

wavelengths B1–B4 )
 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 Radiometric calibration : in –situ calibration
using LACRAU robotic station (ROSAS)

• 380 - 1650nm (9=>12 bands)

• Ground + atmosphere caracterisation

Proc. SPIE 8153, Earth Observing Systems XVI, 815311, 2011

Measured Modelled Simulated • Simulated TOA reflectance

ground reflectance ground reflectance TOA reflectance
Sensor TOA reflectance
• Absolute calibration (all
bands except B9, B10 & B12)
• 10 days revisit
atmosphere • RadCalNet ( ESA-CNES site
under selection )
 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 GEOMETRIC Calibration
 Geometric performances
 Pointing accuracy: 2km (3)
 Geo-location
 20m (2 ) without GCP
 12.5m (2 ) with GCP
 Multi-spectral registration 0.3 pixels (3)
 Multi-temporal registration 0.3 pixels (2)

 Geometric calibrations during IOT

 Geometric biases computation
using ground control points

Focal plane cartography :

 Absolute lines of sight calibration using supersites
 Relative lines of sight calibration
 GEOMETRIC Calibration

 Geometric Reference Image

GCPS
Tie points
Sentinel2 segments,
adjusted by spatiotriangulation
Raw geolocation Adjustment of
before geolocation
spatiotriangulation

• Any L1 production includes a

geometric refining over this reference
• Ensures the multi-temporal
registration of S2 products
 Outline
• Sentinel-2 mission, project status and products
• Radiometric calibration
– Requirements
– Sun diffuser calibration
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ calibration
• Geometric calibration
• Level-2 validation
 L2 validation
Level 2 = Level 1 + inversion
=> « Level 2 validation » is a combined validation of the level-1
product and the atmospheric correction

• Field campaign
• 1 campaign planned during commissionning
• Reflectance
• AOT

• Point station
• AOT with AERONET (many)
• Reflectance (few)
• ROSAS ( SPOT4 / Take5 )
• RadCalNet

• Product intercomparison
• BDRF / timing effects to be taken into account
• Under study
Exemple of BOA reflectance validation using LACRAU
robotic station ROSAS on SPOT4/Take5 data

~ 5% en B1, B2, B4
~ 7-8% en B3

http://www.cesbio.ups-tlse.fr/multitemp/?page_id=406
 Conclusion
• Complete radiometric calibration scheme
– On-board diffuser
– Vicarious calibration
– In-situ ( TOA – BOA )
• L1 & L2 validation synergy
• Hopefully, Sentinel-2 first light before next CALCON