Assessing global Sentinel-2 coverage dynamics and data availability for operational Earth observation (EO)...

Area of Science:

• Earth Observation
• Remote Sensing
• Geospatial Science

Background:

• Sentinel-2 scenes are vital for operational Earth observation (EO) and Digital Earth initiatives.
• Data quality and availability are not uniform due to cloud cover, geographic position, and acquisition schedules.
• Spatio-temporal data inhomogeneity impacts large-scale remote sensing analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess Sentinel-2 Level-1C metadata for 2017 to quantify spatio-temporal coverage and availability.
• To analyze scene availability, cloudiness, and identify metadata quality issues.
• To improve the selection and interpretation of Sentinel-2 data for remote sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Metadata assessment of all accessible Sentinel-2 Level-1C scenes from 2017.
• Quantification of spatio-temporal coverage, scene availability, and cloudiness.
• Global, multi-temporal spatial exploratory analysis of metadata.

Main Results:

• Spatio-temporal coverage and availability of Sentinel-2 scenes were quantified.
• Higher acquisition frequencies do not guarantee more cloud-free scenes.
• Metadata quality issues were identified, including inaccurate cloud cover estimation at high altitudes.

Conclusions:

• Understanding Sentinel-2 data's spatio-temporal characteristics is crucial for reliable remote sensing.
• The EO-Compass web application aids in selecting and interpreting Sentinel-2 data.
• Addressing data inhomogeneity and metadata quality is essential for advancing Earth observation.