The anticipated implementation steps are:
The U.S. LTER Network Office would initiate a request to potential sites/networks for latitude and longitude data (to the nearest second) for a minimum area of 3 km x 3 km that best represents the research site and local vegetation type. A more ideal area would be 10 km x 10 km and sites would be encouraged to develop this larger area of research in subsequent phases of this demonstration project. The site location co-ordinates would be used by the U.S. LTER Network Office to develop extraction software for the MODIS satellite imagery. Requests for co-ordinate data will be initiated August 1, 1998. These data will also be added to the TEMS database. Dr. John Vande Castle from the U.S. LTER Network Office will lead this effort;
The U.S. LTER Network Office will request additional information on site descriptions, associated research projects, and site facilities. This information will be added to the TEMS database and archived as companion information to the satellite and validation data sets. James Brunt will lead this effort;
The U.S. LTER Network Office will develop an automated extraction routine to be used for each site. The extracted imagery will be archived by the LTER Network Office and distributed or made available to sites by the most appropriate method (e.g., ftp, diskettes, hard copy). Imagery will be extracted every 8 days from the EROS DAAC for MODIS Land products. Implementation will begin at the AM-1 launch date plus 4 months. Dr. Vande Castle will lead this effort;
Participating sites will receive AVHRR derived global 1 km land cover data that is the at-launch EOS standard for their defined area. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) or SPOT imagery will be provided to complement AVHRR data for high resolution land cover validation for sites that do not have this imagery. The U.S. LTER Network Office will be responsible for providing this imagery by the most appropriate procedures after sites provide site co-ordinates and associated site information. Dr. Vande Castle will lead this effort;
Participating sites will be requested to validate the land cover map for their study region during the summer of 1999. The methods and classification logic used for the land cover maps can be located on the web site at the EOS Distributed Active Archive Centre (DAAC) of the EROS Data Centre that accompanies these data sets. The U.S. LTER Network Office will provide this information for sites that cannot access this information. Validation data will be sent to the U.S. LTER Network Office by October 1, 1999 or made accessible on a site/network server for retrieval by the U.S. LTER Network Office. Dr. Vande Castle will lead this effort;
Participating sites will be required to validate LAI imagery with a sampling design and methodology appropriate to their site (i.e., relative to vegetation type and site heterogeneity). These sampling protocols will be developed by a small group of experts in geostatistical sampling and LAI measurements at a workshop in the winter of 1998-99. The frequency of LAI sampling will be determined by seasonal dynamics of the vegetation type. Sampling protocols will be made available through web sites or mailings as appropriate. Training in methodology and sampling protocols will be ascertained on a case by case basis. LAI sampling and validation will commence after the AM-1 launch plus 4 months. Dr. Gosz and Dr. Running will lead the workshop effort on sampling and methodology protocols. John Vande Castle will lead the acquisition of the LAI validation data that will be archived in the U.S. LTER Network Office as companion data sets to the LAI imagery;
The MODIS Land Team will access site validation data sets from the U.S. LTER Network Office archive to provide the direct validation of the imagery.
