Jean-Claude Roger, Research Professor from Geographical Sciences, convened and chaired a session at the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU) 2018 Conference ( May 20-24, 2018) in Chiba, Japan. 2 oral presentations (J.C. Roger and S. Skakun) and 5 posters were contributed by Geographical  Sciences faculty and GSFC-collaborators, showcasing various NASA-funded research projects being undertaken by the GSFC-based team of Eric Vermote (Adjunct Professor).

The session was a collaborative effort between UMD, NASA/GSFC, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and European Space Agency (ESA), focused on “Satellite Land Physical Processes Monitoring at Medium and High Resolution”. The session was well-attended and well-received and reaffirms our strong linkage with ESA and opens new collaborations with JAXA. The ESA Sentinel-2 Project Manager and the JAXA ALOS-2 Project Manager attended the session.

The Session focused on the use of earth observation products in agricultural monitoring applications; atmospheric corrections; agriculture monitoring algorithm description; data integration and harmonized products from different sensors; theoretical studies for sensors capabilities enhancements to future sensors for agriculture application; development and use of new vegetation indices (i.e. red edge) and other products for agriculture applications; evaluation or validation of potential products with ground measurements and official statistics; international initiatives to enhance Earth-Observing-based agricultural information (GEOGLAM and NASA EOFSAC). GEOG researchers gave 2 oral presentations on “Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Land Surface Reflectance from LaSRC” (J.-C. Roger) and “Agricultural monitoring with remote sensing” (S. Skakun). The 5 posters with GEOG researchers involved, were also highlighted on “Harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2 Reflectance Products for Land Monitoring” (on behalf of J. Masek, NASA/GSFC), “Multi-spectral misregistration of Sentinel-2A/MSI images” (S. Skakun), “HLS Surface Albedo Estimation and Evaluation Against In Situ Measurements” (B. Franch) and “Improving the cross-calibration of Landsat 8, Sentinel 2 and MODIS sensors through spectral adjustment methods” (on behalf of J.-L. Villaescusa, GEOG PhD student).