Remote Sensing and Satellite Applications

Utilising specialist expertise from the EUMETSAT member states, Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) are dedicated centres of excellence for processing satellite data and forming an integral part of the distributed EUMETSAT Application Ground Segment.

The eight EUMETSAT SAF's provide operational data and software products, each one for a dedicated user community and application area. DMI’s major involvements are OSISAF (Ocean and Sea Ice), ROMSAF (Radio Occultation Meteorology) and O3MSAF (Ozone and Atmospheric Chemistry Monitoring).

DMI’s remote sensing research covers atmosphere, ocean and cryosphere applications with focus on radar image processing, radio occultation, ozone and UV-radiation, SST, sea ice, iceberg, ice surface temperature and ice drift. 


OSI SAF (Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facilities (SAF))

Link: www.osi-saf.org )

Project aims: Project aims: For complementing its Central Facilities capability in Darmstadt and taking more benefit from specialized expertise in Member States, EUMETSAT created Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs) based on co-operation between several institutes and hosted by a National Meteorological Service.

The Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) is an answer to the common requirements of meteorology and oceanography for comprehensive information on the ocean-atmosphere interface. One of the objectives of the OSI SAF is to produce, control and distribute OSI SAF operational products in near real-time using available satellite data. 

DMI’s role: DMI is part of the High Latitude center (in cooperation with met.no) responsible for the production and distribution of the OSI SAF Sea Ice products, in particular: global sea ice concentration, global sea ice emissivity, medium resolution ice drift, and ice surface temperature.

Funding: EUMETSAT.

Period: Mar. 2012 - Feb. 2022, CDOP-3 (Continuous Development and Operational Phase 3).

CollaboratorsEUMETSAT, MET Norway, Meteo-France, IFREMER, KNMI.

Participants from DMIRasmus T. Tonboe, Gorm Dybkjær, Jacob HøyerMatilde Brandt Jensen (DMI local manager), Rolf-Helge Pfeiffer, Lars Ørum Rasmussen, John Lavelle and Luis Vargas.

AC SAF (EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Atmospheric Composition Monitoring)

Link: https://acsaf.org

Project aims: The Satellite Application Facility on Atmospheric Composition Monitoring (AC SAF)  produces, archives, validates and disseminates ozone and atmospheric chemistry products, to support the services of the EUMETSAT Member States in weather forecasting, as well as monitoring of ozone depletion, air quality and surface UV radiation.

DMI’s role: 
DMI is responsible for the production, validation and dissemination of  the Near Real Time UV index products. 

Funding: EUMETSAT.

Period: Mar 2012 – Feb 2017.   CDOP-3 :  Mar. 2017 - Feb. 2022

CollaboratorsFMI, DLR, KNMI, DWD, RMI, AUTH, BIRA-IASB, LATMOS, ULB

Participants from DMI: Helge Jønch-Sørensen

ROM SAF (EUMETSAT Radio Occultation Meteorology Satellite Apllication Facilities)

Linkwww.romsaf.org

Project aims: The Radio Occultation Meteorology Satellite Application Facility (ROM SAF) is a decentralised processing centre under EUMETSAT which is responsible for operational processing of radio occultation (RO) data from the Metop, Sentinel-6 and Metop-SG satellites and radio occultation data from other missions. The ROM SAF delivers geophysical variables in near real-time for NWP users, as well as offline RO data and reprocessed Climate Data Records (CDRs) and Interim Climate Data Records (ICDRs) for users requiring a higher degree of homogeneity of the RO data sets. The CDRs and ICDRs are further processed into globally gridded monthly-mean data for use in climate monitoring and climate science applications. The ROM SAF also maintains the Radio Occultation Processing Package (ROPP) which contains software modules that aid users wishing to process, quality-control and assimilate radio occultation data from any radio occultation mission into NWP and other models.


DMI’s role: 
DMI is The ROM SAF Leading Entity, and DMI undertakes development and maintenance of the ROM SAF operational data products.

Funding: EUMETSAT.

Period:1 March, 2022 – 28 February, 2027 (CDOP-4 - Fourth Continuous Development and Operationsl Phase).

Collaborators:  ECMWF (Reading, Bologna, Bonn), IEEC (Barcelona), Met Office (Exeter), Univ Graz - Wegener Center (Graz)

Participants from DMI: Kent B. Lauritsen, Stig Syndergaard, Hans Gleisner, Johannes K. Nielsen, Anders Lind, Eva Howe and Lars Ørum Rasmussen