The ozone mapping and profiler suite (OMPS): on-orbit calibration design

Abstract

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) will collect total column and vertical profile ozone data and continue the daily global data produced by the current operational satellite monitoring systems, the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet radiometer (SBUV/2) and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), but with higher fidelity. The collection of this data will contribute to fulfilling US treaty obligations to monitor ozone depletion for the Montreal Protocol. OMPS has been selected to fly on the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Satellite System (NPOESS) spacecraft - the next generation of polar orbiting environmental satellites. The first OMPS flight unit will fly on the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. On-orbit calibration of the OMPS instruments is critical to maintaining quality data products. A number of signal corrections and calibrations are applied on-board the sensor and in ground processing to account for instrument non-idealities and to convert measured digital signals to calibrated radiances and irradiances. Three fundamental on-orbit calibration measurements are made to provide the required data to perform the radiometric calibration and trending.