Summary Results from:

Global Surface Albedo Product Validation Best Practices Protocol
As they relate to the validation of MOD43

Authors: Wang, Z., Schaaf, C., Lattanzio, A., Carrer, D., Grant, I., Román, M., Camacho, F., Yu, Y., Sánchez-Zapero, J. and Nickeson, J.

Source: Best Practice for Satellite Derived Land Product Validation (p. 45): Land Product Validation Subgroup (WGCV/CEOS), 2019.

Link to: Access Publication

Abstract:

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) has specified the need to systematically produce and validate surface albedo products. This document provides the recommendations for best practices to be used for the validation of global surface albedo products. Internationally accepted definitions of surface albedo and associated quantities are also provided to ensure thematic compatibility across products and reference datasets. A survey of current validation capacity indicates that progress is being made in terms of spatial representativeness and in situ measurement methods, but there continues to be insufficient standardization with respect to performance metrics and the reporting of statistically robust comparisons. Three albedo validation approaches are identified here: (1) direct point-to-pixel validation, which involves comparisons of satellite products with albedo measured from in situ, tower-based instruments, accounting for spatially representativeness; (2) indirect validation, consisting of intercomparison of various satellite-derived albedo products that vary both temporally and spatially; and (3) upscaling of pixel-to-pixel validation, that relies on high spatial resolution airborne or satellite albedo datasets to assess satellite products at coarser resolution. Finally, the need for an open access facility for performing albedo product validation is identified, as well as a portal for accessing reference albedo datasets.