CRYOLAND Copernicus Snow and Land Ice Service. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th PERIOD

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1 CRYOLAND Copernicus Snow and Land Ice Service SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th PERIOD Author: Thomas Nagler / ENVEO, Project Coordinator USER REQUIREMENTS AND USER SUPPORT, PRODUCT AND SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS An important role in the project was the establishment of links to potential users of CryoLand products and to assess their product and service requirements as basis for product specifications and for design of the architecture and interfaces of the CryoLand system. In order to assess the requirements for products and services 4 user requirement workshops were organized, an online survey was designed and carried out, and personal interviews with selected users were made. User requirement workshops, dedicated to Nordic, Alpine and Central/Eastern European countries, were held in Vienna, Oslo, Helsinki and Bucharest. The specifications of the various snow, glacier and lake / river ice products were assessed in detail and the capabilities of interfaces for accessing the products were discussed with users. The product specifications were consolidated at the User Coordination Meeting held in May 2012 in Stockholm and are given in the Product Design Document (Version 2). The basis for the workshop was the CryoLand Pilot Snow Service running for the period February to March The updated products and services were provided to users in the second Pilot Services held in the period December 2012 to June 2013, which enabled the users to test and evaluate the concept of the CryoLand System and to provide feedback to Service developers. At the Interim User Validation Workshop, held in Copenhagen in June 2013, users provided feedback and a first evaluation of the services which was used for final adjustment of the services and products. In preparation for the demonstration phase in winter 2013/14 the CryoLand team organized and held user trainings at various places in Europe (Norway, Finland, Austria, Romania, Sweden) for accessing and downloading CryoLand products and they supported the various users for integrating CryoLand Services in their applications. By January 2015 the CryoLand User Group included in total more than 69 organisations from 15 nations in Europe, and 3 European Agencies. A scientific paper on the user requirements and the methods was compiled and the manuscript was submitted for publication in the scientific journal The Cryosphere in January CRYOLAND SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND INTERFACES Based on the requirements the architecture and interfaces of the CryoLand server system was designed and implemented. Figure 1 shows the overall CryoLand service level concept and the dataflow. The Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 1

2 System design follows recommendations provided by GIGAS (GEOSS, INSPIRE and GMES an Action in Support), which enables the interoperability with wider global geospatial infrastructures (e.g. GEOSS, GLIMS). The CryoLand Server was designed as a distributed processing system with project partners acting as product providers. This system follows the architecture and interface design definitions and was installed by February 2011, earlier as foreseen in the project plan. It was updated according to feedback received at User Coordination Workshop, where the Pilot Services were discussed with users. Figure 1: CryoLand Multi-provider and Distributed Network. The second version of the CryoLand server has been implemented with significant performance improvements in the backend sever (support tiling of products) with two types of interfaces, an interactive Web-Tool and the WCS 2.0 / EO-WCS access points. Additionally, improved backplane maps have been implemented. The redesigned GeoPortal WebGUI supports various Pan-European and regional snow and lake ice products and glacier information. Viewing capabilities were extended by providing a 10-days aggregated Pan-European Snow Extent and a 10-days aggregated Lake Ice product which are less affected by clouds. The CryoLand Geoportal provided access (viewing, downloading) to archived and near real time snow and land ice products. In response to user recommendations at the Dissemination Workshops in Oslo and Innsbruck in October and December 2014, the final version of the Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 2

3 CryoLand Server System was implemented including further performance improvements in handling large data sets of products and an updated Geoportal for viewing, selecting and downloading products. SNOW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES The CryoLand Snow services include the fractional snow extent, the extent of melting snow, snow water equivalent (coarse resolution), snow surface wetness classes and temperature, generated from optical satellite images, SAR data and Passive Microwave data. The specifications of the products are listed in Table 1. The methods and processing lines for generation of the products have been improved and adapted to support CryoLand Product Format specifications according to the Product Design Document. The Pan-European Fractional Snow Extent (FSC) and Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) products from medium resolution optical and passive microwave data have been implemented and were provided in near real time. These products were reprocessed back to 2000 in order to support European users and are available through the CryoLand Geoportal. An extensive validation dataset was compiled using very high (Ikonos, Quickbird, etc.) and high resolution optical satellite data (SPOT-5, Landsat TM), retrieved through the GMES Data Warehouse mechanism. Additionally, intercomparison with products from other sources, e.g. NASA MODIS snow maps, was performed for evaluating the quality of the Pan-European FSC product. Extensive development and implementation of processing chains were carried out to operate the homogenized Pan-European Snow Services automatically in near real time. (a) Figure 2: Pan European snow products: (a) Fractional Snow Cover map, 4 March (b) Snow Water Equivalent map, 4 March (b) Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 3

4 Local and regional snow extent products were generated for Central Europe, Baltic region and Scandinavia to match the needs for local and regional users. Experimental products, including multisensor and multi-temporal FSC product in Scandinavia, surface wetness and temperature, were improved and processing chains were automatized. Processing lines of SAR wet snow mapping were adapted towards Radarsat SAR and Sentinel-1 SAR. Table 1 Specification of CryoLand snow products, implemented for demonstration phase. Product type Spatial resolution Temporal Coverage Coverage Latency time EO sensors Status Snow extent, Pan-European 500 m Daily, full year 35N 72 N 11W 50E <1 day MODIS, (Sentinel S3) Operational Daily, full year Alps, MODIS, ASAR Snow extent, regional 250 m 500 m Daily, Spring Daily, Spring Nordic, Baltic Sea area <1 day (archived), Sentinel S1, S3 Operational Snow Water Equivalent (Low res) Pan-European km Daily, dry snow season 35N 72 N 11W 50 E <2 day SSMI/S, AMSR2 Operational Wet snow area 100 m Daily, melting period Regional, local <1 day Radarsat-2 ASAR (archived), Sentinel S1 Operational (Norway using Radarsat) Requires S1 Snow Surface Wetness 1000 m Daily Regional <1 day MODIS, Sentinel S3 Demonstration product Snow Surface Temperature 1000 m Daily Regional <1 day MODIS, Sentinel S3 Demonstration product GLACIER AND LAKE / RIVER ICE PRODUCTS Glacier products include glacier outlines (area), extent of snow / ice areas on glaciers, ice velocity maps and glacier lake extent. Input for product generation were very high and high resolution optical and SAR satellite data. The methods and processing lines for generation of the products have been updated and implemented to support CryoLand Product Format specifications according to the Product Design Document. Glacier products were generated on user request for selected regions in the Alps in Austria, Norway, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan, and Bhutan. Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 4

5 Figure 3: Examples of glacier products generated within CryoLand. Lake / river ice products include novel lake ice product from optical satellite data and monitoring of ice jams and related flood extent (Figure 4). The lake ice product is generated in near-real time for the Baltic region from optical satellite data and provides information on 4 classes (fully snow covered lake ice; partly snow covered lake ice or white ice; clear lake ice; open water). River ice is monitored using SAR data and has been generated on request during the main ice breakup period for selected rivers. Figure 4: Examples of lake and river ice products generated within CryoLand. Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 5

6 Table 2: Glacier and lake / river ice products. Coverage, projection and latency time of products are also given. Product type Coverage Grid / Projection Latency time Sensor Status Glacier outlines Local, regional (on user request) Lat/Lon / WGS84, UTM / WGS84 3 months High resolution Optical, SAR Operational (on user request) Snow/ice area on glaciers Local, regional (on user request) Lat/Lon / WGS84, UTM / WGS84 3 months High resolution Optical, SAR Operational (on user request) Glacier Ice velocity Local (on user request) Lat/Lon / WGS84, UTM / WGS84 3 months SAR Operational (on user request) 3 months, Glacier lakes Local (on user request) Lat/Lon / WGS84, UTM / WGS84 10 days (quick analysis, High resolution Optical, SAR Operational (on user request) hours (emergency) Lake ice extent (4 classes) Regional (Baltic Sea area) Lat/Lon / WGS84 < 1 days High and midresolution optical Operational River ice jam, flood inundation area TBD Lat/Lon / WGS84 3 days (ice jams: < 1 day) High res. SAR (1-30 m) on user request and data availability IN-SITU DATA INTEGRATION CryoLand supports the use of in-situ data for local validation of products or, if needed, for product generation. Therefore, a CryoLand data model for in-situ measurements has been developed and guidelines for homogenisation of data have been defined. For defining the data model the project partners, hosting in-situ data, were asked for available data sets which can be used for testing the data model. The CryoLand data model was designed based on existing data models at SYKE, SMHI, and NMA, and follows the INSPIRE directives. INTEGRATION OF CRYOLAND SERVICES INTO HYDROLOGICAL RUNOFF MODELS The integration of CryoLand Services in hydrological model production systems and the impact of using up-to-date satellite based snow information on stream flow simulations was assessed using the hydrological model HYPE developed and operated at the project partner SMHI for basins and sub-basins in Sweden. In several basins the use of EO data provided improvements in the stream flow simulations. Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 6

7 CRYOLAND SYSTEM VALIDATION PROCEDURES Validation and verification procedures are important in the life cycle of a service like CryoLand and include various aspects. A web-based system for tracking the validation tests of the CryoLand server system has been setup. Four validation approaches were identified (i) technical validation tests, (ii) inquiry (dialog with end-users in workshops and interviews); (iii) inspections, and (iv) demonstrations. Protocols of the validation tests were generated, including automatic and manual tests. 65 manual test cases were specified and performed with support of 9 users of the services. The results of the test were summarized and were the basis for further improvement of the CryoLand system. TOOLS FOR SENTINEL BASED SNOW AND LAND ICE PRODUCTS The Copernicus Sentinel satellite series are the main source of EO data for the CryoLand services. The algorithms and methods were adapted to make use of the improved imaging capabilities of the Sentinel satellites. Sentinel-1 was successfully launched in April 2014, after commissioning phase and ramp-up phase Sentinel-1 data will be operational available in Quarter 1 / First snow, glacier and lake / river ice products were generated to test the processing lines and to show the capabilities of Sentinel-1. Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 are planned for launch in Q2/Q3 and Q In preparation of Sentinel-3 we developed a method for mapping fractional snow making use of the advanced imaging capabilities (spectral, geometric) of SLSTR and OLCI. The processing line was tested using ENVISAT AATSR (similar as SLSTR) and MERIS (similar as SLSTR). Advancements are expected in the spatial resolution, which is important in complex terrain and in snow cloud discrimination by making use of additional spectral bands. Figure 5: Left: Wet snow extent on Svalbard from Sentinel-1 data, 3 rd October Right: Ice surface velocity map of the Upernavik area (red rectangle in left scene) overlaid the shaded relief of the Greenland Mapping Project (GIMP) DEM. Image width is about 250 km. Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 7

8 DEMONSTRATION ACTIVITIES The near real time pilot services were running for two periods (February to March 2011 and December 2012 to June 2013). They provided substantial input for receiving feedback on the quality of services and products and requests for improvements from users. The demonstration with final products and services was performed between December 2013 and July The CryoLand Services are also operational during the winter period 2014/15 beyond the project end in order to provide the user a transition time to the Snow Services which are according to the Implementation Plan of the Copernicus Work Programme (Rev. 22) planned to be implemented within the Land Monitoring Core Services. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES The CryoLand project was promoted at various international and national conferences and symposia, providing information on the products and services. Additionally, the CryoLand project showed up in regional and national newspapers and journals, informing decision makers and the public on the project activities. Under the lead of Thomas Nagler / ENVEO (CryoLand Coordinator), a Community White Paper on potential Copernicus Snow and Glacier Services has been compiled and submitted to the Copernicus Office. CryoLand Dissemination Workshops were held in Oslo (8 th October 2014) dedicated for user organisations operating in Nordic Countries, and in Innsbruck (4 th December 2014) for organisations in Central Europe. Overall, about 40 users participated in the workshops. The workshop in Innsbruck was organized in a wider context and was also the final presentation of the Project. Figure 6: Impressions from 1 st User Dissemination Workshop in Oslo (left) and 2 nd User Dissemination Workshop in Innsbruck (right). Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 8

9 COMPILATION OF EXPLOITATION PLAN The project team compiled draft and final versions of an extensive Exploitation Plan identifying the potential and chances for further running the CryoLand Services as Downstream Services for dedicated users. The main potential market for CryoLand Downstream Services was segmented into primary segments including (i) Hydropower companies, and other actors in the hydropower market, (ii) Energy brokers, analysis and consultancy services, (iii) public authorities responsible for water and energy management, (iv) hydrological offices (and other organizations doing Hydrological Flood and Drought Forecasting), (v) meteorological offices (and other organizations doing Numerical Weather Predictions), (vi) geotechnical engineering companies. These segments were discussed and evaluated for CryoLand services in detail. In addition to the primary market segments, also other application areas were mentioned which were classified as secondary market segments, including R&D, insurance and stocks, tourism, sports, snow-dependent access to areas with limited road-access (ecological and geological investigations, forestry and military). The sustainable service plan for the CryoLand Partners was outlined for various snow, glacier and lake / river ice products, and a commercial Business Model has been proposes. Each partner presented the exploitation activities and plans for the various products. PROJECT PARTNERS ENVEO IT GmbH (Project Coordinator), Innsbruck, AT EOX IT Services GmbH, Vienna, AT Finnish Environmental Institute, Helsinki, FI Finnish Meteorological Institute, Sodankylä, FI Kongsberg Satellite Services AS, Tromsø, NO Norwegian Computing Center, Oslo, NO Northern Research Institute AS, Tromsø, NO National Meteorological Administration, Bucharest, RO Gamma Remote Sensing AG, Gümligen, CH Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SE Date: Publishable Summary 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Period Page 9