The OSSE software provides an integrated end-to-end environment to simulate an Earth observing system by iteratively running a distributed modeling workflow based on the HyspIRI Mission, including atmospheric radiative transfer, surface albedo effects, detection, and retrieval for agile exploration of the mission design space.
The software enables an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) and can be used for design trade space exploration of science return for proposed instruments by modeling the whole ground truth, sensing, and retrieval chain and to assess retrieval accuracy for a particular instrument and algorithm design. The OSSE infrastructure is extensible to future National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey concept missions where integrated modeling can improve the fidelity of coupled science and engineering analyses for systematic analysis and science return studies.
This software has a distributed architecture that gives it a distinct advantage over other similar efforts. The workflow modeling components are typically legacy computer programs implemented in a variety of programming languages, including MATLAB, Excel, and FORTRAN. Integration of these diverse components is difficult and time-consuming. In order to hide this complexity, each modeling component is wrapped as a Web Service, and each component is able to pass analysis parameterizations, such as reflectance or radiance spectra, on to the next component downstream in the service workflow chain. In this way, the interface to each modeling component becomes uniform and the entire end-to-end workflow can be run using any existing or custom workflow processing engine. The architecture lets users extend workflows as new modeling components become available, chain together the components using any existing or custom workflow processing engine, and distribute them across any Internet-accessible Web Service endpoints.
The workflow components can be hosted on any Internet-accessible machine. This has the advantages that the computations can be distributed to make best use of the available computing resources, and each workflow component can be hosted and maintained by their respective domain experts.
This work was done by Michael J. Turmon, Gary L. Block, Robert O. Green, Hook Hua, Joseph C. Jacob, Harold R. Sobel, and Paul L. Springer of Caltech and Qingyuan Zhang of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, download the Technical Support Package (free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Software category.
This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Daniel Broderick of the California Institute of Technology at
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) for the HyspIRI Spectrometer Mission
(reference NPO-47048) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document outlines the Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) for the HyspIRI Spectrometer Mission, led by Principal Investigator Michael Turmon and a team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The primary objective of the OSSE is to demonstrate the scientific return of proposed instruments by modeling the entire ground truth–sensing–retrieval chain. This is achieved through a structured methodology that assesses retrieval accuracy at the anticipated instrument and algorithm design points.
Key project objectives include enhancing the integration environment to address current and future modeling challenges for missions identified in the NRC Decadal Survey. The OSSE aims to improve the speed, accuracy, and fidelity of engineering analyses through integrated modeling techniques. The document highlights significant results from FY09, including enhancements to a web-service-based workflow system that integrates various components such as Matlab, Excel/Visual Basic, Java, and legacy Fortran. This system allows for fast and direct invocation of the MODTRAN radiative transfer model (RTM) and supports multiple simultaneous users, enhancing the robustness of the workflow through extensive testing.
Additionally, the integration of an uncertainty analysis tool, JMP, is noted for its role in characterizing the impact of variations in instrument parameters on simulated data products. A specific focus is placed on canopy water (Cw) sensitivity analysis, which quantifies how detector parameters influence the retrieval of canopy water.
The document also outlines the benefits of the OSSE to NASA and JPL, emphasizing the development of OSSEs to strengthen proposals for the Decadal Survey. It aims to quantitatively demonstrate the expected scientific return for proposed instruments and assess sensitivities and trade-offs around the likely design points for instruments, missions, and algorithms. The proposed design for the HyspIRI/VSWIR instrument includes a sun-synchronous orbit, a 19-day revisit time, and a spatial resolution of 60 meters, covering a spectral range of 380–2500 nm with sampling every 10 nm.
Overall, the document serves as a technical support package that provides insights into the methodologies, results, and implications of the OSSE for the HyspIRI Spectrometer Mission, showcasing its potential contributions to future Earth observation missions.
