VIIRS Science Team

VIIRS Science Team
Name	VIIRS Science Team
Abbreviation	VST
Formation	2011
Headquarters	Greenbelt, Maryland
Parent organization	National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

VIIRS Science Team The VIIRS Science Team is a consortium of researchers and specialists coordinating scientific development, calibration, validation, and applications for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. The Team brings together investigators from agencies, universities, and research centers to advance remote sensing for Earth science, meteorology, oceanography, climatology, and environmental monitoring. Members collaborate with instrument engineers, program managers, and international partners to maximize utility of VIIRS data across operational and research communities.

Overview

The Team functions as an interdisciplinary advisory and research body linking National Aeronautics and Space Administration programs such as Landsat, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, Aqua, Terra, and ICESat-2 with operational entities including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration centers like National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Satellite Applications Facility, and NOAA Satellite and Information Service. Its scope spans spectral calibration, radiometric validation, algorithm development, and user engagement with stakeholders such as Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Maryland, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Interpretation and international agencies including European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Mission and Objectives

The Team's mission aligns with priorities set by Earth Science Decadal Survey, President's Budget, and interagency directives to ensure continuity between sensors like VIIRS and predecessors such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and successors in the Joint Polar Satellite System. Objectives include improving sensor calibration against standards maintained by National Institute of Standards and Technology, enhancing cloud and aerosol retrievals for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, and supporting hazard response coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and national disaster offices.

Instruments and Methodology

Work centers on VIIRS instrument channels, onboard calibration systems like the solar diffuser and blackbody, and methodologies bridging radiometry, spectral characterization, and geolocation. Techniques reference laboratory standards from National Metrology Institute of Japan, cross-calibration with instruments aboard NOAA-20, DMSP, and international platforms such as Sentinel-3, and field campaigns tied to sites like Mendenhall Glacier, Surface Radiation Budget Network, and Mauna Loa Observatory. The Team employs algorithmic frameworks developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Colorado Boulder, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

Key Projects and Research Areas

Major initiatives include aerosol optical depth retrievals with links to Aerosol Robotic Network, surface reflectance and vegetation indices used by MODIS-era projects, sea surface temperature and ocean color products for NOAA Fisheries, night-time lights and urban studies intersecting with United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and cryosphere monitoring for National Snow and Ice Data Center assessments. Research areas encompass radiometric stability studies informing Climate Data Records used by World Meteorological Organization, fire detection and burned-area mapping supporting Global Fire Monitoring Center, and air quality monitoring coordinated with Environmental Protection Agency teams.

Organizational Structure and Membership

Membership comprises principal investigators, calibration scientists, algorithm developers, and data product managers drawn from institutions such as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Naval Research Laboratory, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and international partners including CSIRO and Centre National d'Études Spatiales. Governance follows charters recommended by panels like the NASA Advisory Council and technical reviews by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees. Working groups coordinate calibration, validation, and applications with liaisons to program offices at NOAA and NASA.

Data Products and Applications

The Team supports a portfolio of VIIRS-derived products: top-of-atmosphere radiances, surface reflectance, normalized difference vegetation index and enhanced vegetation index, sea surface temperature, ocean color chlorophyll, aerosol optical depth, active fire and thermal anomalies, cloud mask and properties, nighttime lights, and snow/ice extent. Applications include crop monitoring for Food and Agriculture Organization, fisheries management for National Marine Fisheries Service, urban growth analysis for World Bank programs, disaster response for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and climate trend analysis used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Global Climate Observing System initiatives.

History and Notable Contributions

Formed during the operational commissioning of VIIRS on Suomi NPP and later integrated with JPSS missions, the Team played a central role in early vicarious calibration campaigns, cross-sensor harmonization with MODIS and AVHRR, and algorithm maturation that enabled operational use by NOAA National Weather Service. Notable contributions include improvements in night-time lights detection influencing studies by Duke University and University of Oxford, refinement of sea surface temperature products adopted by Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature, and aerosol retrieval enhancements cited in assessments by World Health Organization and United Nations Environment Programme.

Category:Earth observation organizations