eLTER PLUS Deliverable D4.3 - Workflow and piloting for retrieval and harmonisation of Remote Sensing data and products

A qualifying objective of future eLTER research is to strive for the whole-system approach covering all
spheres involved in current ecosystem and ecosystem service studies, from the atmosphere to the
geosphere and the hydrosphere, from the biosphere to the socio-economic sphere. This requires data
from all available sources to broaden the thematic, spatial, and temporal scope and to fill gaps in the
information collected directly at eLTER in-situ facilities. The concept of Information Clusters supports
this approach by developing a framework to facilitate access to and exchange of data and information
coming from multiple sources that complement eLTER in-situ observations. The implementation of
"Information Clusters" will be achieved by identifying three primary data sources: (a) legacy data, also
including archive data collected at eLTER facilities and provided by third parties, (b) official statistics
data provided by statistical offices from national to pan-European and global levels, and (c) remote
sensing (RS) data, and products.
The primary emphasis of this report is placed on the final portion of the data landscape of interest, i.e
the one related to remote sensing data and products. Similar to how strategies and workflows were
previously outlined for both legacy data and official statistics, this report now proceeds to describe
the approaches and procedures developed for obtaining variables derived from remote sensing and
potentially contributing to eLTER Standard Observations, such as NDVI, albedo, land surface
temperature, and land cover change. The report summarises the development of user-friendly and
harmonised methods for retrieving remote sensing data and products at different scales and from
different archives and repositories (e.g., Copernicus, USGS/NASA, and others).