Hyperstone (Germany)

The validation of optical satellite data products is a central but challenging component of the space missions. In order to validate the satellite images, ground data is used for reference and allows also the assessment of the associated total uncertainty budget. Overall, when comparing ground data and satellite measurements three main uncertainty sources need to be considered: i) instrument characterisation, ii) algorithm retrieval performances and iii) spatial representativeness. These key components affect the proper comparison of ground measurements with satellite data and, thus, have to be carefully examined. JB devices (FloX and RoX) are hyperspectral instruments acquiring optical field data with standardized hardware and routines. They have collected a legacy of data for over half of a decade using a comprehensive and readily implemented open-source data processing chain, considering the individual laboratory characterization of each instrument’s optical performance. Thus, the instruments are capable of providing valuable data products for the purpose of satellite validation. In particular, the FloX (Fluorescence BoX, JB Hyperspectral Devices GmbH) is the first commercially available device for the measurement of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF). The instrument was developed with the support of the scientific community following the specification of the Fluorescence Explorer mission (FLEX) by the European Space Agency (ESA), expected to be launched in 2024. The FloX features a high performing spectrometer (FWHM: 0.3 nm, SSI: 0.15, SNR: 1000) and allows stand-alone measurement of SIF emission at canopy level on the ground. Furthermore, the FloX enables the continuous measurements of spectral down-welling and up-welling radiance in the VIS-NIR range using an additional spectrometer to cover a larger spectral range and allows the automatic computation of reflectance as well as various vegetation indices (VIs). The instrument synchronously acquires upwelling and downwelling radiance during each measurement cycle, automatically optimizes the integration time according to light conditions and acquires the dark current and internal quality flags to ensure high quality data products. In addition to SIF and VIs, the FloX produces time series of high-resolution radiometric parameters, suitable for the investigation of the optical properties from the monitored targets. In the last years over 60 FloX units have been deployed worldwide.Within a current ESA project, we are investigating the instrument uncertainty sources, with the final aim of defining a preliminary version of the FLEX validation plan. At the same time, currently deployed instruments in 10 location around the world were used to examine the agreement of the ground measurements with available satellite product (i.e. Sentinel-2). This approach reversed the common practice of validating satellite data with ground measurements by using the globally available, standardized L2A products of Sentiel-2 evaluating the conformance of ground-measured data products across a network of standardized instruments. An unprecedented alignment of satellite and ground data was achieved, confirming high validity of data products from the network of automated field spectrometers around the globe.In summary, in this contribution we provide an overview of how field spectroscopy systems can be used in the framework of specific activities with the purpose of satellite validation.

The continuous observation of ecosystems fluxes between the biosphere and atmosphere provides a much-needed foundation for effective real-world management of our geo-ecological life support systems. Over a thousand flux measurement sites globally use sophisticated eddy-covariance (EC) instruments and are organized in international monitoring networks, e.g. FLUXNET, NEON, ICOS. The integration of automated spectrometers measuring irradiance, reflectance and sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) adds valuable optical proxies for photosynthesis and carbon fixation at top-of-canopy level:  field spectroscopy provides  a powerful tool for understanding measurements of plant carbon uptake, thus providing a link between fluxes and satellite remote sensing and enabling local information to be scaled up to the globe. In the last years many efforts have been made for merging these two types of measurements. Nevertheless, when combining these two sources of information one major limitation is to match the different areas seen by the EC flux measurements and field spectroscopy. Typically the proximal sensing instruments have a fixed field of view (FOV) which limits the measured area to a portion of the underlying canopy. The FOV depends on the set up defined and can vary between a few degrees and 180 degrees, and, alongside the mounting height, determines the size of the monitored area. On the contrary, classical EC flux measurements provide data that typically refer to a larger and variable FOV, also referred to as footprint. The footprint of EC data varies spatially according to meteorological conditions, so – unless a site is perfectly homogenous – the comparison between proximal sensing and EC is always flawed by the footprint mismatch. Additionally, the results of a classical EC time series are difficult to attribute to individual sources and sinks within an upwind source area due to spatial aggregation. Recently the FluxMapper EC approach has been shown to transcribe high-frequency temporal information onto half-hourly Flux Maps around the tower which resolve fluxes spatially through signal disaggregation. Analogous to the proximal sensing techniques, the spatial resolution of the Flux Map depends on the sensor distance from the canopy. In this contribution, for the first time, we provide preliminary results of combining field spectroscopy techniques and Flux Mapper EC, and evaluate spatial heterogeneity effects on the interpretability relative to classical EC. Broader impacts include cost-effective measurement, reporting, and verification of nature-based and technological climate solutions in support of the Glasgow Climate Pact and the Dubai Climate Summit net-zero commitments.

Quintessenzb Regelmässiger Alkoholkonsum ist eine der wichtigsten Ursachen für einen erhöhten Blutdruck und/oder eine schwierig einstellbare

This paper presents a new 32-b reduced instruction set computer/digital signal processor (RISC/DSP) architecture which can be used as a general purpose microprocessor and in parallel as a 16-/32-b fixed-point DSP. This has been achieved by using RISC design principles for the implementation of DSP functionality. A DSP unit operates in parallel to an arithmetic logic unit (ALU)/barrelshifter on the same register set. This architecture provides the fast loop processing, high data throughput, and deterministic program flow absolutely necessary in DSP applications. Besides offering a basis for general purpose and DSP processing, the RISC philosophy offers a higher degree of flexibility for the implementation of DSP algorithms and achieves higher clock frequencies compared to conventional DSP architectures. The integrated DSP unit provides instruction set support for highly specialized DSP algorithms. Subword processing optimized for DSP algorithms has been implemented to provide maximum performance for 16-b data types. While creating a unified base for both application areas, we also minimized transistor count and we reduced complexity by using a short instruction pipeline. A parallelism concept based on a varying number of instruction latency cycles made superscalar instruction execution superfluous.

Telecommunication and multimedia are the current buzzwords in the IT domain. New services and technologies are altering the way we live and work in a way not seen since the first computer revolution. New consumer products are being launched onto the market offering, for example, interactivity and added services in the telecommunication market. A new generation of microprocessors which increasingly combines the formerly separate worlds of general purpose processing and digital signal processing constitutes the main building block for these emerging products. The hyperstone E1-32 RISC/DSP processor, a key technology in the Esprit/OMI program, is one such member of this new generation. Based on a new concept this microprocessor combines the controller and DSP world in a single architecture and targets the low-cost but high-performance market.