• Mission Statement
• Membership
• Objectives
• Implementation
• Structure & Procedures
• Definitions

To ensure long-term confidence in the accuracy and quality of Earth observation data and products, the WGCV provides a forum for calibration and validation information exchange, coordination, and cooperative activities. The WGCV promotes the international exchange of technical information and documentation, joint experiments, and the sharing of facilities, expertise and resources. The WGCV seeks to be the recognized first point of contact for the international user-community as far as calibration and validation is concerned. To this end, WGCV addresses the need to standardize ways of combining data from different sources to ensure the interoperability required for effective use of existing and future Earth observing systems.

 Membership

Membership in the WGCV is open to all members of CEOS as defined in the CEOS Terms of Reference, including observers and affiliates. Members may include in their delegations to WGCV meetings any participants who have relevant expertise to contribute to the objectives of the WGCV.

 Objectives

The objectives of the WGCV are to enhance coordination and complementarity, to promote international cooperation, and to focus activities in the calibration and validation of Earth observations for the benefit of the CEOS members and the international user community.

Specific objectives include:

• Sensor-specific calibration and validation -- To document and establish forums for the assessment and recommendation of current techniques and standards for pre- and post-launch characterizations and calibration.
• Geophysical validation -- To document and establish forums for the assessment and recommendation of techniques for validation of geophysical parameters derived from Earth observation satellite systems.

Meeting these objectives will include the promotion of:

• exchange of technical information and documentation;
• investigation of possibilities for technical coordination and cooperation for space and ground segments;
• coordination of calibration and validation campaigns and programs optimizing and sharing of available facilities, expertise, and resource as appropriate; and
• agreements on common terminology.

 Implementation

Strategies and activities to meet the objectives and goals stated above will be fully defined in a five year plan to be submitted to CEOS Plenary for endorsement and for subsequent annual updating. WGCV Chair will report to each CEOS Plenary on the progress for review and guidance by Plenary bringing forward recommendations and proposals as appropriate.

 Structure & Procedures

The current WGCV structure is shown below:

Working Group on Cal/Val (WGCV)

• Chair: Mr. P. Lecomte, ESA
• Vice Chair: Mr. G. Stensaas, USGS
• Technical Secretariat: Dr. M. Greening, Greening Consulting

WGCV Subgroups

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
      Chair: Dr. S. Srivastava, CSA
• Infrared Visible Optical Sensors (IVOS)
      Chair: Dr. N. Fox, NPL
• Microwave Sensors (MWS)
      Chairs: Dr. C. Buck, ESA and Dr. X. Dong, CSSAR
• Terrain Mapping (TMSG)
      Chair: Prof. J. P. Muller, UCL
• Land Product Validation (LPV)
      Chair: Dr. F. Baret, INRA
      Vice Chair: Dr. S. Garrigues, CNES
• Atmospheric Chemistry (ACSG)
      Chair: Dr. B. Bojkov, ESA
      Vice Chair: Dr. J-C. Lambert, IASB/BIRA

 Selected Procedures:

• The WGCV shall meet when appropriate, at least once per year, rotating venue among its members.
• The chairman, vice-chairman and secretariat for the WGCV will be designated by the CEOS Plenary and shall rotate among WGCV members every 2 years. The chairman and secretariat shall prepare and distribute minutes for each meeting. At each meeting of the WGCV, the time, place, and host for the next meeting shall be established.
• For each meeting of the WGCV, each member shall prepare a report on the member's current and planned calibration and validation activities.
• The CEOS WGCV shall coordinate its work with other international groups involved in related activities, as described in the CEOS Terms of Reference.
• Subgroups may be established by consensus of WGCV to perform detailed technical work in specific areas. Each Subgroup Chair will be appointed by WGCV, based on nominations from the Subgroup. The WGCV will approve Terms of Reference for each Subgroup. At each WGCV meeting, the Chairs of the Subgroups will report on the Subgroup's progress and plans.
• Each CEOS member is invited to designate a point of contact for WGCV correspondence, otherwise correspondence will be addressed to the agency's main point-of-contact with CEOS.
• The WGCV will coordinate its work with other CEOS working groups, and in particular with the Chair of SIT, who has overall responsibility for CEOS elations with Geo and its subsidiary committees and secretariat.
• The WGCV shall develop additional procedures as may be required.
• The WGCV may propose modifications to these Terms of Reference and such modifications will be submitted for approval to the next CEOS Plenary.

 Definitions