MODIS land validation activities: status and review

The MODIS land team is responsible for both the production of global products characterizing the Earth´s land surface and uncertainty estimates of these products. The uncertainty estimates be determined through land validation activities. Validation activities can be summarized by a framework comprised of three major components: 1) reference measurements needed to validate the product, 2) field sites where these measurements are being collected, and 3) a protocol specifying both the methodology for reference data collection and the procedures for correlative analysis. This paper gives an overview of the three validation components for the MODIS land products, followed by a brief discussion of the EOS Land Validation Core Sites, the utilization of existing science networks, and current and planned campaigns