Algeria 5

EROS Cal/Val Center of Excellence (ECCOE)
Test Sites Catalog
Algeria 5
Landsat 8 LandsatLook image Path 195 Row 38-39 Acquired 11 Aug 2020 with ROI indicated
Landsat 8 LandsatLook image Path 195 Row 38-39 Acquired 11 Aug 2020 with CEOS ROI indicated
Google Earth Image centered on Algeria 5 ROI
Google Earth Image centered on Algeria 5 CEOS ROI

Description

The Algeria 5 site is located in the Occidental Erg of the Saharan Desert. It is composed of small dunes (4- to 5-meters (m) high), randomly spaced, with 30- to 50-m between dunes. The southward and northward slopes of the dunes are around 30 degrees and 10 degrees, respectively [1]. This site has been recommended as a standard Pseudo Invariant Calibration Site (PICS) by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group for Calibration and Validation (WGCV) Infrared and Visible Optical Sensors (IVOS).

Usability

Algeria 5 has been used over time for on-orbit calibration stability monitoring of medium to low resolution sensors such as the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) [10], the Earth Observer-1 (EO-1) Advanced Land Imager (ALI), the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and the Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). This site is also very important for cross-calibration of many earth observation satellite sensors [2]. Closest Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) station: Oujda [ 34.65, -1.90], 559.1 km

Location (City, State, Country):
Algeria, Africa
Landsat WRS - 2 Path / Row:
195/38-39
Center Latitude (degrees):
N 31.02
Center Longitude (degrees):
E 2.23
CEOS Region of Interest

N 31.47, E 1.78
N 31.47, E 2.68
N 30.57, E 2.68
N 30.57, E 1.78

Search this area in EarthExplorer (Landsat Collection 2 Level-1) - date range, datasets, cloud cover and other criteria can be modified once initial results are returned

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CNES Region of Interest

N 31.12, E 2.13
N 31.12, E 2.33
N 30.92, E 2.33
N 30.92, E 2.13

Search this area in EarthExplorer (Landsat Collection 2 Level-1) - date range, datasets, cloud cover and other criteria can be modified once initial results are returned

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Size of Usable Area (km):
75 x 75
UTM Zone:
31
Altitude above sea level (meters):
530
Purpose:
Radiometry
Status:
Active

References:

  1. Cosnefroy, H., X. Briottet, M. Leroy, P. Lecomte, and R. Santer. "A field experiment in Saharan Algeria for the calibration of optical satellite sensors." International Journal of Remote Sensing 18, no. 16 (1997): 3337-3359. 

  2. Lacherade, Sophie, Bertrand Fougnie, Patrice Henry, and Philippe Gamet. "Cross calibration over desert sites: Description, methodology, and operational implementation." IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 51, no. 3 (2013): 1098-1113. 

Note: This information has been compiled by the USGS ECCOE Team, using the best sources currently known. Updates will be made as more information becomes available. Please contact eccoe@usgs.gov with any updates you would like to contribute.