The Surface Characterisation and Validation from Ground-Based Networks and Space Workshop took place on 21–22 May 2025 at the GRASP offices in Lille, France. The event brought together key experts and stakeholders from across the Earth observation and remote sensing community for two days of intensive exchange and collaboration.
The workshop served as a forum to assess the current state of surface reflectance validation, tackle pressing challenges, and explore pathways toward more harmonised and scalable methodologies in support of satellite missions.
Key Topics and Themes
Throughout the event, participants engaged in discussions on:
Evaluation of current validation methods and reference datasets for surface reflectance products.
Challenges in spatial representativeness, sampling strategies, and data upscaling, particularly in heterogeneous landscapes.
Standardising terminology and definitions around Analysis Ready Data (ARD) to promote interoperability and consistency.
Operational strategies and tools, including HYPERNETS, GRASP, and Eradiate, to support forthcoming missions such as CHIME, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-3 Next Generation.
The workshop emphasised the critical role of integrated ground-based and satellite observations in delivering trustworthy, actionable data for a range of applications—from climate monitoring to land management.
Aknowledgments
We extend our sincere thanks to all participants, both in-person and virtual, for their valuable insights and contributions. Special recognition goes to our collaborators from:
European Space Agency (ESA)
NASA
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Rayference
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
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