ESA workshop investigates how different data from global space
agencies can work together This week over 50 scientists from all
over the world gathered at ESA's establishment in the
Netherlands to address the pressing issue of how to make
different Earth Observation data compatible. Carol Johnson from
the US National Institute of Standards and Technology explained
that in order to effectively monitor our planet, it is essential
that the multitude of observations made by different satellites
from different space agencies are comparable, so that data can
be efficiently combined to generate better products. "Evidence
for the claim that our climate is rapidly changing can only be
given when uncertainties in satellite data are at an absolute
minimum", agreed Nigel Fox from the National Physical Laboratory
in the UK. The continuous observation of Earth from space is
crucial if we are to monitor and understand our changing
climate, and to that end a range of space-borne instruments is
currently providing us with a w