Partners of the FRM4SOC Phase 2 consortium, EUMETSAT, and NASA gathered online on 1 June 2026 to kick off another extension of the project, continuing efforts to develop and consolidate the tools to underpin the validation of satellite ocean colour products.
The extension builds on five years of development under FRM4SOC Phase 2, during which the consortium established a suite of community tools and databases supporting fiducial reference measurements for above-water radiometry. These include the calibration database FidRadDB, the processing software HyperCP, the Copernicus Ocean Colour Database OCDB, and the satellite matchup tool ThoMaS — together forming the backbone of the FRMOCnet validation workflow.
Illustration of the FRMOCnet workflow developed during the FRM4SOC - Phase 2.
- FRMOCnet — Network of Ocean Colour Fiducial Reference Measurements.
- FidRadDB — Copernicus Fiducial Radiometer Database, holding absolute radiometric calibration coefficients and comprehensive instrument characterisations.
- HyperCP — Hyperspectral In Situ Community Processor, an end-to-end processing tool for determining remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) from field above-water radiometry. HyperCP applies community-agreed data reduction schemes and metrological principles for uncertainty quantification, drawing directly on calibration parameters stored in FidRadDB.
- OCDB — Copernicus Ocean Colour Database, interoperable with NASA's SeaWiFS Bio-optical Archive and Storage System (SeaBASS), enabling long-term archiving and open publication of field measurements.
- ThoMaS — tool for generating matchups between ocean colour products and Sentinel-3/OLCI data, producing performance metrics that account for uncertainties in both in situ and satellite Rrs.
Beyond tool development, the project has supported field inter-comparison exercises, organised training events with a focus on early-career scientists, and provided free access to fully characterised and calibrated above-water radiometers to the wider Ocean Colour Validation (OC-Val) community.
What the extension will deliver
The new work package focuses on consolidating the FRMOCnet into an operational validation network for Sentinel-3 and multi-mission ocean colour products. Planned activities include:
- Consolidation and further development of the FRMOCnet workflow and associated expertise
- Enhancements to OCDB and HyperCP
- A Field Inter-Comparison Experiment in 2026 (FICE 2026)
- Integration of AERONET-OC into the FRMOCnet framework
- Direct technical and scientific support to EUMETSAT, including independent scrutiny of the OC System Vicarious Calibration Phase 4 (OC-SVC Phase 4) Critical Design Review
- Stakeholder engagement, outreach, and project management
Free instrument access and free calibration— third call
The extension also opens a third call for short-term free rental of an ocean colour radiometric system, as well as free radiometer calibration for eligible users. Details will be published soon at frm4soc2.eumetsat.int.
