EOS Validation Program

Dear Interdisciplinary Science Investigator:

The purpose of this letter is to advise you of the EOS Project Science Office game plan with respect to EOS Science Data Validation Plans and to request your active participation in this process.

Recently a letter was sent to the instrument teams giving detailed guidance and a scedule for development of their validation plans for instrument data products. Please note the Event Schedule and, in particular, the Science Data Validation Workshop to be conducted in May 1996.

A key to the successful validation of EOS science data will be the coordination of activities within EOS, including active partnerships between instrument teams and interdisciplinary science (IDS) investigations, as well as coordination with other non-EOS programs (MTPE or non-NASA). Therefore, the principal objectives of the validation workshop are (i) to facilitate the formation of appropriate partnerships and to coordinate planned validation activities among the various instrument teams and, very importantly, (ii) to fully engage the IDS teams in planned validation activities. Even though the IDS teams are not charged with submitting a Validation Plan per se, many of the IDS studies and the associated ancillary data will be extremely valuable for validation of EOS data products. Similarly, instrument team field activities to collect validation data will provide unique opportunities for coordinated science investigations by the IDS Teams.

In order to facilitate the review and integration of EOS validation activities (and what can be accomplished at the workshop), please prepare and submit a set of charts summarizing your relevant studies and ancillary data plans, specifically, your list of data products along with information as follows:

1. describe the approaches for establishing scientific validity,
2. describe how your investigation plans to assess the accuracies of any validation data,
3. list required EOS and non-EOS experimental activities,
4. list required and planned correlative measurements, and,
5. describe archival plans for validation information.

Please submit these charts as soon as practical, but no later than March 1996. The charts will be distributed to all participants prior to the workshop.

We encourage each of you to play a significant role in the development of the best possible validation plans for EOS. The ultimate success of EOS is highly dependent upon the quality of our data products, both real and perceived. Validation is a critical step in establishing the factual basis for demonstrating the data quality. We must convince first ourselves and then the world that EOS data products are of the highest quality and appropriate for understanding and monitoring the Earth system.

Sincerely,

David O'C. Starr
EOS Validation Scientist
Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences

Michael D. King
EOS Senior Project Scientist
Earth Sciences Directorate

Jon Ranson
Terra Project Scientist
Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics