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This document outlines the recent history and advancements of the NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility, emphasizing the importance of calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of field portable spectroradiometers. Since its transfer from Southampton to Edinburgh in 2004, the facility has focused on maintaining rigorous standards through refurbishment and user surveys. Key benefits of Cal/Val include improved data credibility, enhanced comparisons to historical and international datasets, and increased user confidence. The future will involve extensive surveys of UK-based instruments, ensuring quality assurance and accurate data collection.
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The NERC Field Spectroscopy Facility Tim Malthus and Chris MacLellan
Recent history • Pool of field portable spectroradiometers • Supporting instruments for atmospheric properties • Transferred from Southampton to Edinburgh in 2004 • Emphasis on maintaining standards set • A programme of refurbishment and upgrading of existing equipment • ‘Procedurising’ major functions including QA and calibration • Modifications to the QA/Cal process to improve user confidence • Surveying users
What does cal/val mean to us? • Calibration and traceability • Stability monitoring • Standards (radiance, irradiance, reflectance) • Quality assurance (dark signal, linearity, radiometric and wavelength accuracies) • User reassurance • Role of instruments in ‘MM2’ • The use of FSF equipment in validation of data products from other sources (e.g. NERC ARSF data products)
Benefits of cal/val to FSF • Adds credence to the measurement data • Increases confidence in the accuracy of the data • Improves comparison to historical data sets • Provides a credible comparison to international data • Sets a high standard / benchmark for the field spectroscopy community throughout the UK • Enables the facility to participate in UK laboratory inter-comparison studies • Enhances the reputation of the facility • Encourages others to use the facility
Issues • Cal/Val seen as vitally important to our function • Procedures which ensure rigour in our own practice • Increasing numbers of instruments in the UK, with potentially variable degrees of maintenance and calibration • Awareness-raising and a service role beyond our own users
User survey • Partly to find out: • Use and satisfaction with equipment and quality of it that FSF provides • Degree to which users are increasingly relying on their own instrumentation • The extent to which they undertake their own QA and Cal procedures
User survey results • High level of satisfaction with FSF equipment • ~60% respondents have their own instruments • Field spectroradiometers to Ocean Optics • ~60% of these were calibrated less than once every two years • Considerable interest in • Calibration • QA and calibration
The future… • More extensive survey of UK-based field instrumentation, in conjunction with NCAVEO • Participation in Cal/Val programmes • Accuracy improvment • Establishing measures of equipment performance and limitations • FTIR instrument • Awareness